Alright- I'm convinced. Do you have some advice or resources on the diet you indicated (cycling carb intake)? I'm afraid that having too much of a deficit will start to eat into my mass.
Thanks!
From what I've read and experienced, there are only two pieces of advice I can give you.
1) EVERYTHING IS RELATIVE...to you, where you currently are, and where you want to go. How tall are you? How much do you weigh? What's your body fat percentage? Are you doing a cutting phase with a target date in mind (i.e. a photoshoot or competition) OR just for the look of being ripped? What's your current workout regime like? What's your current diet like? If you've gained 25 lbs in mass, I expect that you're probably eating your weight (if not double) in grams of protein (i.e. I weigh 165 lbs...so 165 grams of protein per day is a target I have set where I do NOT want to gain anymore bulk). For me, there were two changes in my diet that changed everything: eating a substantial breakfast and NOT eating any starches or carbs after 5 pm (fruit is the exception). So far, so good. BUT i am doing this with a specific date in mind and will definitely go back to my normal "it's-okay-to-eat-carbs-in-the-evening" mentality once all this is over. Some good diet tips I've picked up:
Oatmeal or granola - great as an afternoon snack to get your mind out of that 3pm slump
eggs - high in protein and act as a natural appetite suppressant (great for breakfast or dinner)
spicy peppers - hot peppers contain a substance called capsaicin which has been shown to speed up your metabolism AND help sate hunger.
salsa - seriously, the most under-rated condiment in the western hemisphere. Low in calories, low in sugar (compared to ketchup), and it adds serious punch to your food. the spicier it is, the better.
green tea - helps with our PE exercises too
2) "Building bulk" and "getting cut" are TWO COMPLETELY DIFFERENT approaches to fitness training and it's best to NOT DO THEM BOTH AT THE SAME TIME. For me, it's all about how long I keep my heart rate pumping. Search "HIIT" in google and you'll get A TON of responses with a bunch of different ways to approach it.
Also, there's a podcast, called The Fitcast. It's awesome and you should check it out.