Halfway through cut, diet check-up needed

[soxfan14sk8]

Close to 8 weeks ago I started my official cut. My starting weight was 205lbs around 13 or 14 percent bodyfat and this morning I was down to 182lbs sitting roughly 9%. bodyfat. I'm doing a simple IIFYM diet and my starting macros were 275p 275c and 65f. Every week I've dwindled down on the carbs and the fats little by little and this past week I was hitting 275p 190c and 50f. Now this is my first serious cut and in my opinion I've done a good job thus far and want to continue for another 4 or 5 weeks and am just lacking a little guidance. I'm unsure if I could continue to drop my carbs little by little (10 to 20g a week) or if you guys recommend carb cycling or something of the sorts. I'm not training for a show or anything of the sorts but I'm fully committed to being as lean as I can be before I begin my bulk. I train 6 days a week, heavy as I can go 6 to 8 reps. Cardio every day, 20 mins uphill walking at 12% incline.

21 y/o
5'11"
3 years training experience

 

[soxfan14sk8]

Nothing???

 

[xR1pp3Rx]

imo opinion you should increase healthy fats while you lower carbs.. you cant go that low on fat and remain healthy. period.
also the biggest problem guys run into is forgetting to readjust your calorie intake every week as you lose fat. try ifns' mint infused fish oil caps. that will be a good addition to your program. also olive oil and nuts!

 

[soxfan14sk8]

So last weeks total calories per day was 2210 and I had listed my macros at 275p 190c and 50f. How high would you raise the fats/drop the carbs? Ofcourse my biggest fear is losing the muscle mass I've worked my ass off to obtain which is why my protein intake is so high. After reading several very thorough logs they all slowly decreased their protein intake, is this a safe option? If I set my new caloric intake to 2160 per day I would be eating 275g protein still and I would up my fat intake to 60g and decrease carbs to 130. How does that seem to you?

 

[xR1pp3Rx]

I think even a little more isocaloric could help you a lot more. remember good fats are the building blocks to testosterone.
200p 100f and the remainder in carbs. but also remember to stay ontop of your intake needs as you lose more weight

 

[Wafflestomped]

It seems like you've been doing a good job thus far. IDK if you're natural or assisted, but typically for natural athletes in a caloric deficit it is recommended to keep protein between 1.4-15g per lb of LBM, so in your case that range is 232g to 248g. I agree fats are important to keep in your diet but I think you can get away keeping them in the 75-80g range, which is about 25% of your caloric intake. You can do something like P:230, F:75, C:155.

I honestly like to cycle my carb to fat ratio based on if I rest or lift that day. I typically lift 4 days per week so there is more of an actual cycling then if you lift 6 days (which you said you were doing). Since you lift pretty much every day of the week I would try and keep carbs as high as possible... I know I've read the lower limit of fat intake is 15% of your calorie intake, but it's suggested not to really go below 20%, which in your case is 50g.

I'd say start off with something like P:230, F:75, C:155 and drop carbs and fat at an equal ratio. Everyone is different so if you find it hard to function under reduced carbs try and play around with the distribution a little more. The number 1 thing is keep your protein intake high, which you have, but in this case 275g is a little too high IMO.

Since you are't prepping for a show you could also look into doing a 2 week diet break then resume the cut for another 4-6 weeks as well. I feel like this is pretty beneficial for naturals as well.

 

[veaderko]

Another option is to just take in all your carbs around your workout only. This way on your rest day you will naturally be carb cycling. Than you to make up for the lack of calories you can add some healthy fats which can have many benefits.
Coconut Oil
Nuts
Olive Oil
IFN Fish Oil
Flax Oil
Udos Oil
MCT Oil

 

[soxfan14sk8]

I thought that my protein was a little high but ofcourse I'm just nervous about lowering it. I weighed myself this morning and had lost another 1.2 lbs so I'm going to only drop my carbs by 15g or so to 175g per day. Once I plateau or feel overly exhausted I will raise my carbs slightly and lower my protein the same amount. I'll be keeping my fats at 50g for now and won't go any lower as I don't feel the need to and I have no desire to demolish my libido
As far as the natural vs assisted goes, I've done a couple test cycles earlier followed by proper PCT and managed to keep most of my gains. My plan for the summer was to cut down as much as I could with a strict diet and then start my next cycle. I have everything planned out and will be starting in five weeks. I have more questions about my diet on-cycle compared to off but I will open a new thread for that. In the mean time I'm on still on my way to sub-10 percent bodyfat and am looking better every week.
Thanks for all the help.