This. Not that it's the right way to go about doing things, but I could easily drop 10-15lbs in 2 weeks just doing a low carb/high protein diet like atkins.

15lbs in 7 months? I mean, great you're getting there...but I'm curious as to why you could accomplish that in the first 4-8 weeks.

What is? I lost a pound a day nearly for the first 2 weeks. 3 months concluded 40lbs.

Not everyone needs to be that hardcore though...

Don't forget that about 8-10 lbs of that is probably water.

Dude, you're not going to get that "lean" look until you build muscle. It's not like you're going to touch some heavy weights and your all of a sudden going to be this bulky dude, doesn't happen. You'll burn the remaining fat you have faster if you put on some lean mass.

I'm suprised that's 18.8%

Like you've said, you look soft.
Sure you're thinner. you want muscle. It's always been what you want.

My advice? for what little it's worth?
Do your S.S, stop ultra low calorie.
Don't go apeshit, but at least to maintenance level. I'm not sure why you ever worried about getting down to 175 while still not lifting hard, building some muscle. Why are you fixated on the scale, focus on how you feel and look. I'm sorry, but I feel like that's such a girl attitude. I've said it before and I'll say it again. height/weight doesn't tell you shit about how someone looks with their clothes off.

And Maybe OB1 can enlighten me too. Why if you're not obese, to cut down to some level before building muscle? Especially OB1 who cut down so much below his goal weight(right?) Wouldn't not yo-yoing have been less time, less stress on your body? Plus less extreme on your clothes fit?
I'm between you guys in weight/height and lean-ness and I focused on weights first. I feel like being strong was the priority, losing a few lbs(in total) is the end goal.

It's hard to find that sweet spot in your diet of bulking and not gaining fat. I haven't found it. Therefore it is 2 separate categories in my mind, and in reality. Even though you can do both. I dropped my weight rather quickly and felt better as a result. I'd do it again too. Although I'd prolly start lifting sooner than going to the bottom in weight before trying to grow in muscle. It's easier to monitor your diet when your fat is gone. Speaking from the POV of a newb trying to learn all of this in a sea of info that's good and bad.

People need to remember that most people in these shoes are ignorant. Therefore they don't have experience, knowledge or trust that any system works. So they find something and work it until they're comfortable and then try more. It's just human nature.

I need to pick H Street NW's brain a bit more...he seems to be the closest scenario to me (where he looked quite "soft" when he started his diet).

No you don't.

Damn, some of you guys nerd the fuck out over shit. Listen, lift heavy, eat, run, repeat.


That's it

I get the principles..it's just the details I get fuzzy about. I finally got the lifting part down...now the eating part, do I keep staying at ~1400 calories/day...do I increase?

Honestly the workload of the lifting seems very light right now but Im going to follow the program and if it says go gradual, that is what I am going to do...but it doesn't feel like I'm doing all this work where I need more calories.

Yes, it's easy at first. the first 2 weeks are about form and the little muscles you don't even feel. It is easy, definitely. It's partially recovery from your old "program".
You haven't been doing barbell bench, proper back squats, or deads have you?

By week 3-4 you'll start to feel like you're working abit, but still waiting. even near your old PR you won't be working much
week 4-5 you'll realize your old PR wasn't that hard afterall.
Week 5-7 you'll be damn, I'm a stud! I might need new clothes, my shoulders, chest and quads rock and my waist looks nice(not small, but leanish)
Week 8-whatever you'll be like, fuck these are hard
week whatever you'll have a reset maybe a few.