Cutting advice

[nduronio]

I started my cut last week and I am stressing that maybe I don't know as much as I thought I did on this subject.. just looking for some other opinions as to what works for you guys and maybe I'll incorporate some ideas into my regime. My goal is to get to around 6% bf then maintain that all summer. Not trying to compete or anything just wanna get cut and get butt.
Current stats: 6'5" 242lbs 12-13 %bf

My current diet:
2850 cal- 300g carbs, 300g pro, 50g fat

Macros by meal:
Meal 1(6am): 39g carb, 64g pro, 10g fat

Meal 2(9am): 12g carb, 30g pro, 6g fat

Meal 3(1130am): 15g carb, 48g pro, 17g fat

Meal 4(2pm): 65g carb, 44g pro, 3g fat

*330-6pm: workout*

Meal 5(6pm): 97g carb, 64g pro, 0g fat

Meal 6(8pm): 69g carb, 53g pro, 14g fat

These are pics of me last week at 246lbs. I've already lost 4lbs not sure if that's too much too soon or just from water loss due to carb decrease.

 

[mickc1965]

Personally my caloric intake when cutting is circa body weight in lbs x 13 or 14, you are currently at 11.77 which is too low for me, but that multiple is dependant on how much you want to lose per week.

I would increase protein to 1.5g per lb (~360g) for satiety, increase fats to minimum of 0.4g per lb (~100g) for hormonal reasons and get balance of calories from carbs which at 2800 kcals would only be 115g which may or may not be too low for you.

 

[john.patterson]

Looking solid bro. If you've dropped 4 pounds over the last week, I would attribute some of that to water weight. Be sure that you aren't losing weight too quickly - I would aim for no more than 1-1.5 pounds per week.

I would keep doing what you're doing with your diet, and I don't see a need to increase protein any higher than 300g per day. However, I would increase fats a bit, or at least cycle your carbs so you are eating less carbs and more fat on some days. 50g of fat for a 240+ pound guy is very low; you should be aiming for 70-80 at the least.

Another consideration for your plan is to remember that maintaining 6% for the entire summer will be incredibly challenging, and arguably impossible if you're a natural lifter. Since you're already lean, your body will fight you more and more the leaner you get. Hitting that super shredded 5-6% bf is typically only done for a very short period, and it is not a maintainable level of conditioning.

 

[LeanEngineer]

^^ Agreed with john.patterson. That 5-6 range is achievable but trying to maintain that the whole summer would be very hard. Overall you're diet looks good and it seems like you're getting the results you want. A lot of that 4lbs would be water weight.

 

[hamzazaidas]

Looking sharp bro.

In terms of diet, looks pretty decent to me.

5-6 range all summer could be tough, but not impossible.

If you're not competing.. I think maybe staying at around 8% would do enough good

 

[nduronio]

Ok so you guys have me convinced that the 6% range is too low to maintain. I read the books by Michael Mathews a while ago and he claims he does maintains that easily but I'm thinking he might be at 8 instead of 6 like he claims. I appreciate all the feedback. I think you guys probably know how I feel when I say I'm just very skeptical on a lot of the reading I do online so I wanna make sure everything is on point. I'm very particular about these things and am always second guessing my self. Appreciate the compliments too!

 

[nduronio]

Also another thing I forgot to ask is opinions on refeed days? Like how often and how much of a calorie increase?

 

[mickc1965]

From memory I think Mike Matthews tends to sit around 6-7% in the summer months and increases to 8ish for rest of the year eating at ~2800 kcals per day to maintain winter weight.

 

[M.I.D]

There are plenty of supps around that dont require you to have refeed days

 

[nduronio]

There are plenty of supps around that dont require you to have refeed days

I am taking many supplements already but I actually enjoy doing a refeed day..

 

[john.patterson]

Also another thing I forgot to ask is opinions on refeed days? Like how often and how much of a calorie increase?

I think refeeds are very person-specific, and you should test out different protocols to see what works best for you.

For me, I refeed once a week while I'm >10% bodyfat, and twice a week when I am <10%. Usually I will lower fats and increase carbs, and I aim to eat right around maintenance cals or slightly above. I would also recommend incorporating a GDA product on refeed days. Using a product like Slinmax will help your body utilize the extra carbs better, and it will keep bloating and water retention to a minimum.

 

[nduronio]

Has this along with some Thai food for my refeed last Sunday. I've been doing them on sundays because I train legs on Monday so I like the carb boost. I think I'm right around 10% bf right now so maybe in another week or so I'll start doing them twice a week. Only thing I get frustrated with is the bloat that follows the next couple days.. high carb + sodium = extreme water gain.

 

[Tearbear]

Diets are such a huge piece to looks. Hard to maintain and do for sure depending on how you recomp