help with cutting diet

[Frozn]

was wondering if i can get opinions on a cutting diet. I haven't been real serious about cutting before, mostly bulking. I want to be around 8% bf by the end of june. right now i'm 185lbs, 5'10" and about 13%. I train 5 days a week for about an hour and include about 20-30 minutes of cardio with it. For my protein i'm using muscle milk low carb. i know it's not the leanest protein but it's one of the few i can drink every day multiple times

Let me know what you guys think. thanks in advance.

Meal 1
protein shake
1 cup oatmeal
1 banana

Meal 2
6oz cottage cheese 2%
1/2 cup granola with nuts

Meal 3
8oz grilled chix breast
greens salad
lentils
nuts

Meal 4
4 whole eggs

Meal 5
Pre-workout shake

Meal 6
2 cans tuna w/ olive oil
steamed vegs

Meal 7
1/2 protein shake

 

[uamaverick]

was wondering if i can get opinions on a cutting diet. I haven't been real serious about cutting before, mostly bulking. I want to be around 8% bf by the end of june. right now i'm 185lbs, 5'10" and about 13%. I train 5 days a week for about an hour and include about 20-30 minutes of cardio with it. For my protein i'm using muscle milk low carb. i know it's not the leanest protein but it's one of the few i can drink every day multiple times

Let me know what you guys think. thanks in advance.

Meal 1
protein shake cut the shake, you've already got 2 more shakes in the day
1 cup oatmeal
1 banana cut this, replace w/ 4 eggs

Meal 2
6oz cottage cheese 2%
1/2 cup granola with nuts cut the granola, replace w/ a fatty nut

Meal 3
8oz grilled chix breast
greens salad
lentils
nuts

Meal 4
4 whole eggs replace w/ chicken breast and veggies w/olive oil

Meal 5
Pre-workout shake

Meal 6
2 cans tuna w/ olive oil
steamed vegs
if this is post-workout, you need more carbs and more protein. Steak or chicken w/potato or rice

Meal 7
1/2 protein shake

I didn't have time to figure out your kcals and macros from your diet, but it looks like

1) not enough protein

2) not enough kcals

3) not enough carbs at the right times

You don't need the banana, because it's a high GI carb, which will spike insulin. The same goes for granola. Granola is one of the most simplified sugars available, and should not be considered a health food by any means. It should be regulated to being a topping for ice cream and yogurt. I think you should eat another 8 oz of meat at least in addition to your 8 oz of chicken midday. I recommend getting up to 2 g per pound of body weight, so you're going to need the meat. The tuna isn't bad by any means, and you can keep that, but ultimately you'll get more protein with chicken or red meat.

As far as macros are concerned, different ratios work for different people. Typically, if you're more of an endomorph (holds fat easily) then you're going to want to go with a low carb/moderate fat/high protein ratio. You should try to keep most of the carb intake to post-workout meal.

For a cut cycle, you'll have to mess around with ratios to see what gives you the best results. I personally only use the CKD to cut (40/trace/60), but it doesn't work for everybody. Some common ratios are 40/40/20, 50/40/10, 40/25/35, read as protein/carbs/fat.

If you haven't done so already, you need to calculate your energy needs. You can use the Harris-benedict formula

Harris Benedict Calculator

Sorry I don't have more time to go into further detail about energy calculations.

 

[Frozn]

thank you for the info. it helps a lot. however i thought the carbs after i worked out at night would help gain size. i'm trying to do my research instead of being like every other noob, i'm just not familiar with cutting. again, thank you for the advice.

 

[uamaverick]

You need carbs post-workout to try to prevent too much muscle loss on a cutting cycle. If you're eating carbs all day long, then obviously that's not going to yield great results for fat loss, but if you keep most of your carb intake to post-workout, then you should be fine.

 

[Frozn]

sounds good guys. i'll give it a try. i'm gonna finish out this month with my current diet plan because i've been getting some decent reslts and putting on some good size. I'll let you know how things turn out. Thanks again.

 

[ark94]

You need carbs post-workout to try to prevent too much muscle loss on a cutting cycle. If you're eating carbs all day long, then obviously that's not going to yield great results for fat loss, but if you keep most of your carb intake to post-workout, then you should be fine.

Really? I hear that the best results are limiting your complex carbs, in the first 3 meals or so, before your workout, and simple carbs like veggies only after workout. By your post workout meal you should have all the carbs you need in a day.

Again though, i am no expert so maybe somebody can chime in on my point.

 

[Frozn]

Really? I hear that the best results are limiting your complex carbs, in the first 3 meals or so, before your workout, and simple carbs like veggies only after workout. By your post workout meal you should have all the carbs you need in a day.

Again though, i am no expert so maybe somebody can chime in on my point.

that's what i was thinking. from a decent amount of research i was under the impression of carbs in the beginning of the day.

 

[DJLegacy2k1]

Carbs are used differently after a workout, it spikes insulin so that your muscle can absorb your protein shake post workout much better and more effectively. Carbs should be limited to early in the day and post workout only.

-Legacy

 

[joe d]

i think the days carbs should be divided evenly between every meal except for the first meal after a fast and a post work out meal. those 2 need more and they need simple carbs. i see no bennefit in not eating carbs at night. one that may bulk at a 40/40/20 ratio may cut at a 60/30/10 or a 60/20/20 at an extreme but the carbs should be divided evenly with the exceptions stated in the beginning. carbs fuel the body. they will help you burn fat if you use them right. you can easily cut cals add a little cardio and fuel with carbs while burning fat and stay healthy at the same time.

 

[ark94]

i think the days carbs should be divided evenly between every meal except for the first meal after a fast and a post work out meal. those 2 need more and they need simple carbs. i see no bennefit in not eating carbs at night. one that may bulk at a 40/40/20 ratio may cut at a 60/30/10 or a 60/20/20 at an extreme but the carbs should be divided evenly with the exceptions stated in the beginning. carbs fuel the body. they will help you burn fat if you use them right. you can easily cut cals add a little cardio and fuel with carbs while burning fat and stay healthy at the same time.

Your points are really solid, but im curious as to why no carbs in the morning? I talked to a local pro bodybuilder about my diet, and he said that he always does carbs in his first 3 meals and before workout (generally he takes in complex carbs then) and he takes in simple carbs right after his workout with his protein etc.

I was just wondering why you said no carbs in the morning?