Cutting Questions

Lothaar

Hi,
I'm about to start a cut. I've never cut or bulked before. I know a little bit about the theory behind it but I want to make sure I get it right. I plan to start the cut in earnest next Monday (July 30th) and go for six weeks.

I’m 29, male, 6’2” and 187lbs. I don’t know my bf%, but I plan on getting callipers during this week (any advice on where to buy?).

My goal is to lose 9 lbs in six weeks (1.5lbs per week on average), with as much of that as possible being fat. When I take a bf% reading, I might reset my goal based on that.

Could somebody clarify the following for me, so I know I’m on the right track:
1. To reach my goal I need a weekly calorific deficit of 5,200 cals.
2. I should aim for a 40:40:20 macronutrient split.
3. I should eat six meals a day (already do this), combining either protein and carbs or protein and fats… but not all three in the same meal.

My diet already is pretty clean. I drink too much, but I’m giving it up for the six weeks (apart from a stag in the middle of the cut!).

My exercise plan is to workout three days a week. The best I can do is a 10-min warmup followed by 30 mins of weights, involving lots of supersets and giant sets. I have been using a TBT routine for the last 10 weeks. I’m wondering should I change this for the cut? I think I need to shake things up anyway.
On the other two weekdays I will either do LIT (cycling to and from work… 2 hours in total) or HIIT.
At the weekends I plan to do a Callanetics session with the missus (kinda like Pilates).

I can post up my exact diet… but I need to do a bit of work with fitday.com and figure out exactly what I’m putting in. Will post later in the week.

I’d appreciate any feedback on the above. I’ll make sure to post here as I progress.

Cheers.

Esse85

You should be doing 40 mins a.m cardio 5X days a week, plus weights 3X days a week for maximum fat loss.

tribulus

I'd be inclined to drop your carbs significantly and up your fat intake rather than getting 40% of your cals from carbs - if it's actually a cut (although to be honest it sounds more like just dropping some fat than a true "cut") then carbs need to be quite low and protein and fat should be making up the majority of your calories.

Also you should definitely post up your detailed diet - put up the foods now and worry about the actual serving size later.

yomchi

I've never cut or bulked before

Theoretically, a cut follows a bulk

anyways good luck with it!

Lothaar

Current diet
Brekkie:
Porridge with blueberries and protein shake with Udo’s Oil.

11.00
Hummus in small pita with cherry tomatoes and a bit of cheese.
Or
Chicken breast with salad and one small slice of brown bread.

1.00 – Gym, followed by protein shake.

2.00
Hummus in small pita with cherry tomatoes and a bit of cheese.
Or
Chicken breast with salad and one small slice of brown bread.


4.00
Three pieces of fruit.

Dinner – all home-made, using no jars or anything
Spag bol (tiny bit of pasta, loads of sauce)
Or
Shepherd’s Pie (small bit of spuds)
Or
Steak/salmon/chicken with veg and either half a spud or a bit of sweet potato.

Before bed:
Protein shake with Udo’s Oil.

Transform

why can you train just 3 days a week?

MrPinK

Lothaar wrote:

On the other two weekdays I will either do LIT (cycling to and from work… 2 hours in total) or HIIT.

I find HIIT absolutely fantastic. During cutting phase I do 2 TBT weight sessions a week and 4 HIIT sessions, usually stationary bike but sometimes treadmill to mix it up a little. The fat just melts away with very little muscle loss.

Hanley

You're not cutting. You're dieting. You don't cut at 187lbs and 6'2, there's nothing to cut. You're just trying to drop some fat.

Your carbs are WAY too high. shoot for maybe 40-25/30-30/35 protein-carbs-fat.

Try to eat the majority of your carbs before 6 pm. Fats and protein after that point.

9lbs in 6 weeks shouldn't be a problem. In fact you might find you lose 4-5 in the first week or 2 because dropping carbs will leave you less likely to retain excesss water and will deplete your glycogen stores too.

Good luck with it.

Lothaar

Transform wrote:

why can you train just 3 days a week?

I can only get to the gym at lunchtime so I can train 5 days a week max, for 45 mins a day. When I cycle to work I don't use the gym as it's a 65 min cycle each way, and it's uphilll all the way home... usually against the wind!


Re: Cutting... oops! Showed my newbieness there. Yeah, I'm looking to drop fat. I've been doing that gradually over the last while but wanted to up the pace a lot.

Hanley - from my diet, where would be the best place to drop the carbs?

Thanks for the feedback everyone.