First cut.....normal to feel like crap??

[blitzkriegjim]

Hi, after bulking up this past year I've gained 30 lbs, but not all of it lean, and I have lost all ab definition whatsoever so I am on a cut to gradually shave off this excess fat. I'm supplementing heavily with BCAA's, flax seed oil, omega 3's, fish oil, and drive/rpm. I am hungry ALL the time! My diet is as follows:

Morning- bowl of oatmeal, banana, protein shake

Snack- 13 almonds

Lunch- Large salad romaine lettuce with 2 tbsp balsamic vinagerette dressing, 1 chicken breast, banana

snack- 13 almonds

dinner- same as lunch but 2 chicken breasts

nighttime snack- protein shake with banana

supplementation throughout the day as prescribed preworkout shake of whey, oats, peanutbutter blended

and postworkout dextrose, whey, BCAA's followed by dinner with slightly larger servings than normal

I weigh 180 now and am looking to get to 165-170 with about 8%bf in 8-10 weeks and my routine is designed for hypertrophy with high rep ranges. It is a 4 day split focusing on compound movements where I go heavy in the morning and in the afternoon/evening superset and go more for the "pump". A lot of my friends (eastern europeans) do this. This is my first cut so I want to do it right with minimal muscle loss. This is my third day right now cutting and honestly I feel like crap because I am so hungry all the time. Is this how it is supposed to be? I have read high protein/fat cutting back on carbs a bit coupled by calorie restriction and proper supplementation to preserve muscle. Any advice on what I am doing right now is much appreciated. Thanks.

 

[Balanced1]

you do not have any protein shakes in your supplements; instead of the 15almonds...almonds are good, but shakes have substanance with branch chain amino acids, low carb if you choose the correct one. I strongly recommend you add supplements and more protein as well....

 

[blitzkriegjim]

you do not have any protein shakes in your supplements; instead of the 15almonds...almonds are good, but shakes have substanance with branch chain amino acids, low carb if you choose the correct one. I strongly recommend you add supplements and more protein as well....

protein shakes are taken on average 3 times a day for me, normally with the almonds, sorry i forgot to put those in there.....also, what other supps would you recommend?

 

[Neil5585]

Low carb diets are great for sparing muscle when dieting, however there are some caveats:

1. Getting your body used to low carb takes time. If you go from eating lots of high carbs to all of a sudden eating low carbs AND low calories, it can make this transition very rough. Usually the adaptation phase is 2 weeks with maintenance calories or slightly higher, and fats in the 50-60% of calories range, which brings to point number two:

2. Fat should be at least 40% of calories. Going lower than this will make your body good at burning protein for energy, which is very bad, and will also make hunger a big problem. The amount of fat varies depending on the person but is generally 40-60% of calories (sorry, I know, a very wide range). Add up your macros and see where your fat percentage is and adjust the diet if needed.

If you went the route of eating higher carb before and then going low carb and low calories to diet, your body can adapt to this assuming fat is over 40%...it's just gonna be rough for probably a couple weeks or so.

 

[blitzkriegjim]

Low carb diets are great for sparing muscle when dieting, however there are some caveats:

1. Getting your body used to low carb takes time. If you go from eating lots of high carbs to all of a sudden eating low carbs AND low calories, it can make this transition very rough. Usually the adaptation phase is 2 weeks with maintenance calories or slightly higher, and fats in the 50-60% of calories range, which brings to point number two:

2. Fat should be at least 40% of calories. Going lower than this will make your body good at burning protein for energy, which is very bad, and will also make hunger a big problem. The amount of fat varies depending on the person but is generally 40-60% of calories (sorry, I know, a very wide range). Add up your macros and see where your fat percentage is and adjust the diet if needed.

If you went the route of eating higher carb before and then going low carb and low calories to diet, your body can adapt to this assuming fat is over 40%...it's just gonna be rough for probably a couple weeks or so.

figured out the macros after logging foods on fitday.com today......total of 1900 calories with 45% fat 35% protein and 20% carbs, does this sound about right for a cutting diet? I actually find the fats to suppress my hunger the best. Should carbs be even lower than this eventually? I like my oats for breakfast as they provide me with good energy, and I still intend on taking in carbs post workout (simple and complex) since I can get away with that and my body will need it.....more suggestions/comments are welcome

 

[Neil5585]

That's quite low cals, which might be partly responsible for being hungry

I hate to say it but you'll have to see how it works. That kind of diet can work for many to drop fat, but there are many others (and maybe arguable more) that wouldn't ideally drop fat on that kind of diet. For me carbs should be like 5% of cals not including PWO carbs. You can do very low carb and do PWO carbs...it's actually quite complimentary. I can't drop fat eating carbs so that's what I do, but that's not to say that it will work for all. The reason you hear so many different things on cutting is because we all are different and have our own unique genetic code that determines how we respond to foods. Some people can cut eating higher carbs (bastards), and some need very low carbs. And a quick note, I function best on low carbs, so it's not even torture. I eat that way year in, year out.

If you want to give true low carb eating a shot, give it a fair chance with the adaptation phase of 2 weeks and seriously not going over 0.25g/lb bwt in carbs for that time. After that you can add PWO carbs and carb loads every 4-7 days, whatever works best with energy and performance without adding fat. Maybe something you can try after you give this a fair shot. Afterall, if you don't, then how will you know if it works or not for you?

 

[dragonfly]

That's quite low cals, which might be partly responsible for being hungry

I hate to say it but you'll have to see how it works. That kind of diet can work for many to drop fat, but there are many others (and maybe arguable more) that wouldn't ideally drop fat on that kind of diet. For me carbs should be like 5% of cals not including PWO carbs. You can do very low carb and do PWO carbs...it's actually quite complimentary. I can't drop fat eating carbs so that's what I do, but that's not to say that it will work for all. The reason you hear so many different things on cutting is because we all are different and have our own unique genetic code that determines how we respond to foods. Some people can cut eating higher carbs (bastards), and some need very low carbs. And a quick note, I function best on low carbs, so it's not even torture. I eat that way year in, year out.

If you want to give true low carb eating a shot, give it a fair chance with the adaptation phase of 2 weeks and seriously not going over 0.25g/lb bwt in carbs for that time. After that you can add PWO carbs and carb loads every 4-7 days, whatever works best with energy and performance without adding fat. Maybe something you can try after you give this a fair shot. Afterall, if you don't, then how will you know if it works or not for you?

I agree with Neil5585, there is no "magic pill" that works for everyone and while there are some universal rules such as, eat clean, burn more than you consume etc, ultimately it is up to the individual to find out what works best for them. However, to feel like crap after switching on a low carb diet is a sort of a "universal" syndrome. You should definitely stick with it for at least two weeks. The only way you are going to burn fat is to force your body to do so by restricting carbs. The reason you feel like crap is because your body got used to burning carbs for energy and at this "early" stage of your dieting, it is inefficient in burning fat. During this period it is important to increase both proteins and fats in your diet, by increasing the former you prevent muscle catabolism (as everyone else pointed out BCAA supplementation is particularly effective here), and by increasing the later, you "teach" your body to use fat as fuel. Personally, I went on a low carb diet about 8 months ago and the first week was absolute hell. I lacked energy and sometimes during moderate intensity cardio sessions I felt like fainting. My body was SCREAMING :aargh: for sugar but I didn't give it ANY !!! The following week my energy levels sky-rocketed and since then, I have been following a low carb diet without major dramas (yeah I still do hate "the bastards" that can eat bowls of pasta 3X a day without getting a sausage-roll belly).
Also, I would not recommend restricting your overall calories too much as this slows down your metabolism and shuts up the fat burning process. The only way to loose fat and keep it off is to BURN the fat, not STARVE the fat.

 

[gotripped]

how tall are you? 180 is kinda small for a 5'10" and up... I'd just keep bulking unless you're 5'6"

 

[blitzkriegjim]

how tall are you? 180 is kinda small for a 5'10" and up... I'd just keep bulking unless you're 5'6"

Right now, I am 5'10". I just feel like I have put on too much excess bf in the abdominal region and I am kinda self conscious about it, especially around the gf who has nice abs and a perfect body lol. My next bulk will probably start as soon as I can see my abdominal wall again and this time I want to do it right, and not overeat so much. So far I think I am doing well on this diet and think I will continue for another 2 weeks and then see where I am at. My body is getting used to it, and I have upped the cals actually after reading your latest posts a couple days ago. I like what I see going on in the mirror, and with where I was at bf wise, I felt like I should be able to see results fairly quickly. The Drive/RPM is definitely helping recomp I feel because I am still gaining strength while getting a little more cut. I am a college student, and instead of driving to class, I now walk (~60-90 mins of walking a day) and after my workouts I get in some cardio while sipping on some BCAA's. I have been using BCAA's religiously throughout all of this. I'll keep you updated on my progress with this.

Jims

 

[gotripped]

Right now, I am 5'10". I just feel like I have put on too much excess bf in the abdominal region and I am kinda self conscious about it, especially around the gf who has nice abs and a perfect body lol. My next bulk will probably start as soon as I can see my abdominal wall again and this time I want to do it right, and not overeat so much. So far I think I am doing well on this diet and think I will continue for another 2 weeks and then see where I am at. My body is getting used to it, and I have upped the cals actually after reading your latest posts a couple days ago. I like what I see going on in the mirror, and with where I was at bf wise, I felt like I should be able to see results fairly quickly. The Drive/RPM is definitely helping recomp I feel because I am still gaining strength while getting a little more cut. I am a college student, and instead of driving to class, I now walk (~60-90 mins of walking a day) and after my workouts I get in some cardio while sipping on some BCAA's. I have been using BCAA's religiously throughout all of this. I'll keep you updated on my progress with this.

Jims

bcaas are probably the most important thing you can do next to the drive/rpm.

 

[jwecker]

I'm a polyphasic sleeper (~3-4 hours total per day) and it has messed with my appetite hormones so that I constantly crave tons of food. (and no, I don't recommend the schedule for anyone on this board). So...
some of the essentials for me for not feeling like crap when cutting:

- Burn the fat, don't starve it (HIIT)
- Drink tons of water
- Some kind of crystal lite or something for when you are craving sweets or when you get sick of water
- Meals every 3-4 hours or so
- Carbs mostly from vegetables- sometimes fruit like apples
- Some kind of supplement to take the edge off of hunger, like hoodia or pinenut oil
- Sugar-free gum to chew all the time
- Lev-R + some nootropic (pericetam or something) to keep the energy and brain-power steady.
- Honestly, for me, a multivitamin every day is essential to feeling satisfied

Good luck dude.

 

[Neil5585]

Damn dude I've done the polyphasic sleep for a while before...it was fun but my work schedule eventually made me quit. I had a ton of time on my hands lol.