Quick question on caloric ratio's for cutting.

eGhost

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I'm doing my first cutting cycle using a ratio of 40% protien, 30% carbs, and 30% fat. I know everyone responds different, but is using a 30% fat ratio too much? If so should I adjust by moving the fat calories to the carb calories?

I'm sitting at 5' 11" and 170lbs. Bodyfat is in the high 13's and I am an ectomorph. The bulk of the fat I have is in the midsection and a little in the chest. All other areas are looking pretty solid. I weight train 3 days per week and just started cardio 3 days a week on non training days in the morning on an empty stomach.

I don't mind using trial and error to figure out how my body responds but I wanted to direct this question to those experienced in cutting in hopes to get ahead a bit quicker.

Thanks for your time and I appreciate any adice you could share.
 

FitnFirm

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I personally think 30% is too high, Id go more in the 15-20 range for cutting. Lets see what others say though first :)
 
Nitrox

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This will probably turn into a low-carb vs moderate/high debate. Both have their supporters.

I've tried both and found that low carb was best for intial total weight loss, though I think the extra was water. However, low carb was harder on energy and strength levels.

Unless you are trying to make weight for a contest or something I suggest sticking with a decent amount of carbs.

40P/40C/20F is a popular ratio and IMO, a good place to start. I do 30P/50C/20F since I seem to get the same results without having to buck for as much protein. As long as your calories are in check I don't see a 40/30/30 ratio being out of line if it accomodates the way you want to eat.
 
OCCFan023

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At your size I would bump the carb calories up a bite instead of trying a constant low carb diet with higher fat. If you do want to keep your cals where they are but dont want to up the carbs too much why not up the pro to around 50-55 take a bit of fat out and replace with some good carbs around workouts and such?

I never really liked low carb as I felt drained and out of it most of the time.
 

eGhost

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Thanks for the reply's so far. I might try switching to the 40/40/20 program as it sounds a bit better to me. I'm not doing any competition, just trying to lean out a bit for beach time. The last thing I want to do is lose any weight as I'm still pretty light in the pants at 170lbs. I'm a rookie at cutting so this is all trial and error for me.

As a side note, I am taking in 15x my LBM in calories right now. I know that may seem a little high on a cutting diet but being an ecto I have a very fast metabolism. I may cut that a bit as the weeks progress depending on my stats.

Thanks guys!
 
Pitbull954

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I think every person is different I myself go with 50-30-20. Its all about trail and error and if you know your body well enough you'll know if your doing something wrong! Good luck
 
Viperspit

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I'm learning from my Trainer, that's it not necessarily the carb totals, but more the carb timing :) Good luck with the cut.
 

eGhost

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I think every person is different I myself go with 50-30-20. Its all about trail and error and if you know your body well enough you'll know if your doing something wrong! Good luck
I don't know my body well enough yet, that's my problem. This is a learning phase for me but I hope to change that as time moves forward.
 

eGhost

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I'm learning from my Trainer, that's it not necessarily the carb totals, but more the carb timing :) Good luck with the cut.
I'm doing starchy (sp?) carbs during the day and fiberous carbs in the evening. That's what I have learned from reading thus far. I did however read an article here that mentioned fiberous carbs aren't used by our body. That leaves me a little confused. If they aren't in fact digested by our bodies and used for energy then what purpose do they serve?
 
Nitrox

Nitrox

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I'm doing starchy (sp?) carbs during the day and fiberous carbs in the evening. That's what I have learned from reading thus far. I did however read an article here that mentioned fiberous carbs aren't used by our body. That leaves me a little confused. If they aren't in fact digested by our bodies and used for energy then what purpose do they serve?
Do you mean fiber from fruits and vegetables? Yes that is cellulose and is technically a carb but humans do not have the digestive cacpacity to use it for energy. Make sure you account for fibre content in your calorie calculations.

As for what purpose they serve: source of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and of course fibre. All have been documented to be beneficial in some way or another. There is more to nutrition than just macronutrients.
 
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mixedup

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I am in about your same boat currentlly cutting in the 12% bf and the fat left is mostly lower stomach right now the only thing I am really concerned with is getting enough protein and my fat intake as I am doing so much cardio I feel I can handle the extra carbs. Fitday does wonders in counting nutrients and calories and expenditure daily.
 

eGhost

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LakeMountD

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I'm learning from my Trainer, that's it not necessarily the carb totals, but more the carb timing :) Good luck with the cut.
Definitel agree with this. This is one of the biggest pains about working out later in the day. You eat your two highest carb meals post workout (or I do) and if they are your last two meals of the day (minus the bedtime meal) it can really screw you up.

I have done a few experiements though and I have noticed that even cutting out the 15g of carbs (yogurt) out of my bedtime meal with cottage cheese and slightly lowering the amount of pasta eaten in my 2nd to last meal, I look more vascular after a week.

Don't go TOO crazy on your carbs but timing does seem to be a large part of it. I also agree with FitnFirm that 30% is wayy too high while cutting. I seem to like the 15% range or so and if you are a hardgainer 20% is fine. But again this comes down to what kind of fats you consume. Mono and polyunsaturated fats should be the main AIM. Flax and olive oil are outstanding sources. There are a lot of products out there now using flax, as well, instead of regular vegetable oil, such as I can't believe it's not better and some variants.

PS- Pitbull that damn avatar makes me stare :(
 

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