Advice on cutting

keithgeiling

keithgeiling

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Ok, I will make this simple.. I am 146-148 lbs and probably around 13-14% bf.. I would like to cut into the 9-10% range but I just feel like if I keep cutting cals I would have to get to about 135 lbs? Right now I train 5 days a week and I am taking in 1800 cals on off days and 1800-2100 on training.. But don't know if I should up cals a touch? I get in 160-200 grams protein a day and carb cycle on training and off days, taking in more healthy fats on low/no carb days.. Any advice out there would be much appreciated.....
P.S. I have been on calorie cut for about 5-6 wks now.. Prolly started in the 16% range?
 
keithgeiling

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I will take that as a serious question and say no.. I obviously do not want to get to 135 lbs but to drop body fat, I have to hit below maintenance and wondering if I should up the cals a bit?
 
OnionKnight

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it was a serious question. how tall are you?
 
fueledpassion

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Ok, I will make this simple.. I am 146-148 lbs and probably around 13-14% bf.. I would like to cut into the 9-10% range but I just feel like if I keep cutting cals I would have to get to about 135 lbs? Right now I train 5 days a week and I am taking in 1800 cals on off days and 1800-2100 on training.. But don't know if I should up cals a touch? I get in 160-200 grams protein a day and carb cycle on training and off days, taking in more healthy fats on low/no carb days.. Any advice out there would be much appreciated.....
P.S. I have been on calorie cut for about 5-6 wks now.. Prolly started in the 16% range?

Personally, and I usually stand alone on this one regardless my research and success at it, I'd say up calories but also up your cardio in a dramatic way.

Cutting calories will initially get you some fat loss but you will hit the wall and your metabolism will shut down, leaving your body in a catabolic state in which it turns to muscle for energy and chooses to pile up fat at an increased rate due to a starvation effect. Sure, a few hundred calories cut wont hurt too much, but as you continue to cut more and more you will start shutting your metabolism down more and more. It is why keto diets usually leave you almost always smaller in muscle mass. I'm not discrediting their ability to work - they do. But they aren't as effective as other diets, since there are other ways to keep your muscle as you lose fat.

So with that said, I say eat plenty but not a surplus. You can estimate your MER with a number of plugg n' chugg formulas on the internet. Figure it out and stick with a maintenance level calories while performing more cardio. I'd perform an assortment of cardio of both low and high intensity. Low intensity in the AM before breakfast and HIT in the evening after weight training.
 

kiko_tra

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Personally, and I usually stand alone on this one regardless my research and success at it, I'd say up calories but also up your cardio in a dramatic way.

Cutting calories will initially get you some fat loss but you will hit the wall and your metabolism will shut down, leaving your body in a catabolic state in which it turns to muscle for energy and chooses to pile up fat at an increased rate due to a starvation effect. Sure, a few hundred calories cut wont hurt too much, but as you continue to cut more and more you will start shutting your metabolism down more and more. It is why keto diets usually leave you almost always smaller in muscle mass. I'm not discrediting their ability to work - they do. But they aren't as effective as other diets, since there are other ways to keep your muscle as you lose fat.

So with that said, I say eat plenty but not a surplus. You can estimate your MER with a number of plugg n' chugg formulas on the internet. Figure it out and stick with a maintenance level calories while performing more cardio. I'd perform an assortment of cardio of both low and high intensity. Low intensity in the AM before breakfast and HIT in the evening after weight training.
hi men
 
keithgeiling

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it was a serious question. how tall are you?
OnionKnight. I am 5-8 and obviously lean but wouldn't consider myself a hard gainer? I am 36 yrs old and been training for little over a year..
 
keithgeiling

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Personally, and I usually stand alone on this one regardless my research and success at it, I'd say up calories but also up your cardio in a dramatic way.

Cutting calories will initially get you some fat loss but you will hit the wall and your metabolism will shut down, leaving your body in a catabolic state in which it turns to muscle for energy and chooses to pile up fat at an increased rate due to a starvation effect. Sure, a few hundred calories cut wont hurt too much, but as you continue to cut more and more you will start shutting your metabolism down more and more. It is why keto diets usually leave you almost always smaller in muscle mass. I'm not discrediting their ability to work - they do. But they aren't as effective as other diets, since there are other ways to keep your muscle as you lose fat.

So with that said, I say eat plenty but not a surplus. You can estimate your MER with a number of plugg n' chugg formulas on the internet. Figure it out and stick with a maintenance level calories while performing more cardio. I'd perform an assortment of cardio of both low and high intensity. Low intensity in the AM before breakfast and HIT in the evening after weight training.
Thanks for reply.. I Definately need to work more cardio in but I guess I didn't know "lower cals, lower cardio or higher cals, higher cardio?
 
fueledpassion

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Well, you do have to have a caloric deficit to burn fat, but u can do it either one of two ways or a combination of both. It takes a 3500 calorie deficit to burn 1lb of fat. Divide that into seven days and it takes a 500 calorie deficit per day to burn one pound of fat in a week. U can cut 500 calories below MER per day or u can expend 500 calories above MER per day.

Problem with cutting calories is that u cause ur body to starve itself, which means that high intensity or anaerobic energy needs will likely be met by amino acids with muscle cells, which means a loss of muscle mass.

On the other hand, a high expenditure approach gives the muscle all the proper macros to maintain its mass as well as gives u plenty of energy to train hard in the gym allowing for a progress while targeting fat cells for that additional calorie expenditure which is why u want the extra burned calories to be aerobic in nature and even better in the AM before breakfast for the best fat burning results. So, my way allows you to keep the vast majority of ur muscle mass while allowing u to target fat cells almost exclusively for cardio edpenditures. Hence, increase the calories to MER level and increase the cardio.
 
heyhuggy

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Well, you do have to have a caloric deficit to burn fat, but u can do it either one of two ways or a combination of both. It takes a 3500 calorie deficit to burn 1lb of fat. Divide that into seven days and it takes a 500 calorie deficit per day to burn one pound of fat in a week. U can cut 500 calories below MER per day or u can expend 500 calories above MER per day.

Problem with cutting calories is that u cause ur body to starve itself, which means that high intensity or anaerobic energy needs will likely be met by amino acids with muscle cells, which means a loss of muscle mass.

On the other hand, a high expenditure approach gives the muscle all the proper macros to maintain its mass as well as gives u plenty of energy to train hard in the gym allowing for a progress while targeting fat cells for that additional calorie expenditure which is why u want the extra burned calories to be aerobic in nature and even better in the AM before breakfast for the best fat burning results. So, my way allows you to keep the vast majority of ur muscle mass while allowing u to target fat cells almost exclusively for cardio edpenditures. Hence, increase the calories to MER level and increase the cardio.
This is great info, a lot more people should use this as a foundation!
 
bean5er

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Well, you do have to have a caloric deficit to burn fat, but u can do it either one of two ways or a combination of both. It takes a 3500 calorie deficit to burn 1lb of fat. Divide that into seven days and it takes a 500 calorie deficit per day to burn one pound of fat in a week. U can cut 500 calories below MER per day or u can expend 500 calories above MER per day.

Problem with cutting calories is that u cause ur body to starve itself, which means that high intensity or anaerobic energy needs will likely be met by amino acids with muscle cells, which means a loss of muscle mass.

On the other hand, a high expenditure approach gives the muscle all the proper macros to maintain its mass as well as gives u plenty of energy to train hard in the gym allowing for a progress while targeting fat cells for that additional calorie expenditure which is why u want the extra burned calories to be aerobic in nature and even better in the AM before breakfast for the best fat burning results. So, my way allows you to keep the vast majority of ur muscle mass while allowing u to target fat cells almost exclusively for cardio edpenditures. Hence, increase the calories to MER level and increase the cardio.
Very well put! This is where I've seen the best results. I carb cycle, 2 high days five low days. I create a deficit with cardio and make sure to hit my correct macros not a cal mark.

http://anabolicminds.com/forum/supplement-reviews-logs/221228-beans-1st-contest.html
 
DV663

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just curious, why do you want to weigh 135? At 5'8 you could support much more, thats light a weight almost seems unhealthy
 
keithgeiling

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just curious, why do you want to weigh 135? At 5'8 you could support much more, thats light a weight almost seems unhealthy
Your exactly right.. I just weighed myself this morning and I was 145.5. That's why I was wondering the best method to stay closer to 150 lbs and still lose body fat.. I have been doing 1800 cals but I think I need to up it for sure.. But burning 500 daily might be hard because I usually have time for 50 min to 1 hour gym sessions most times? Maybe I need to work in late night or early morning runs before or after family time needs to happen?
 

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