Already lean with a solid base, but trying to decide if I should push for the final bit of definition
Hey everyone,
I posted something similar earlier, but it got removed because I didn’t include a photo. I wanted to make a new post with more context and include a picture this time, because I think it’s much easier to judge the situation visually rather than just from numbers.
For context, I’m around 170 cm, currently about 66 kg, and I’ve been cutting for roughly 5–6 months. My highest bodyweight during my bulk was around 80 kg, so I’ve already brought my weight down quite a lot.
I’ve been training for a long time, so I’m not coming from a beginner or zero-muscle starting point. I do think I have a solid base, and I know I’m already fairly lean and in decent shape. My abs are visible, I have definition, and overall I’m happy with the progress.
But I’m trying to reach that extra level of leanness. Not necessarily stage-lean or extreme bodybuilding condition, but I would like to get as defined as realistically possible at least once. I feel like I’m close, but not quite at the point I had in mind when I started this cut.
The main issue is that MacroFactor currently has me at around 1200 kcal, which feels extremely low for my height, weight, and training background. I’m keeping protein high, but my carbs are very low most days, and I definitely feel flat and depleted. More importantly, I also think I look much flatter and more depleted than I would with more food/carbs in me.
I don’t really feel full in the gym or in my physique most of the time. My muscles don’t have that pumped/full look, and I feel like my physique can look smaller or less impressive because of how depleted I am. When I do eat more carbs, I notice I fill out pretty quickly and look noticeably better, which makes me wonder how much of what I’m seeing is actual fat left versus just low glycogen, low carbs, and being very depleted from dieting for so long.
At the same time, I feel like there may still be 1–3 kg left to lose if I really want that final sharper look. That’s what makes this difficult. Part of me thinks I should keep pushing and finish the job, because I’ve already spent months dealing with hunger, low energy, low carbs, and sometimes being in a worse mood. I don’t want to stop right before reaching the look I wanted.
But another part of me wonders if I’m now at the point where more dieting might just make me look smaller, flatter, and worse overall, even if the scale keeps going down. I’m trying to figure out whether I’m genuinely still holding enough fat to justify pushing further, or whether I’m just too depleted to see my physique accurately right now.
So I’m trying to decide between:
Keep cutting for a few more weeks and try to get that final bit of definition.
Slow the cut down / reduce the target rate of loss in MacroFactor because 1200 kcal feels too aggressive.
Take a maintenance break with higher carbs to see how I look when I’m not so depleted.
End the cut and transition into a lean bulk, accepting that I’m already lean enough and might look better with more food, carbs, and fullness.
I’m not asking because I think I have no muscle or because I’m starting from scratch. I know I have a solid base. I’m more trying to figure out whether I’m genuinely still a few kilos away from the look I want, or whether I’m just too flat, depleted, and low-carb right now to judge my physique properly.
For people who have been in this situation near the end of a long cut: would you push for the final bit of leanness, take a diet break, increase carbs for a while, or start building again?
Any advice is appreciated.