ANOTHER diet question, stats inside

[SteelWeaver]

Hi, I don't post here much, but figured since it's a diet thing, somebody over here would have some opinions, or even facts. I might even accept hearsay at this point.

Stats: female, 5'11", 170lbs, plus/minus 20% bf, ovo-lacto-vegetarian (please, no comments about how bodybuilders can't be veggie - they CAN), extremely disciplined and focussed, but not interested in keto or super-low carb.

First BB comp. at end of May. Need to get as shredded as possible.

Can someone help with the questions below? - I've done searches, and read and read, but still can't figure these out.

What's the best way to determine caloric requirements for cutting? Bodyweight x 12? Calculating BMR + activity level? Some other way? Various calculations have given me anything from 2050 to 2900 cals per day. WTF??

Weight training 4 times per week, cardio currently 2, 45 min sessions per week, will increase this slowly as diet starts losing effectiveness.

What cutting diet is likely to be most effective for natural vegetarian female novice? P:C:F ratios of 40:40:20 or 50:30:20, or 33.3:33.3:33.3? Or more extreme carb cycling?

Is it essential/more effective to rotate carbs? How would that work? 40:40:20 on high carb days, then 60:20:20 on low carb days? for example. Or lower for carbs?

If carb rotating, do I adjust the P ratio up to keep calories the same every day, or bounce calorie numbers above and below maintenance-level caloric requirements?

I found all this info through searches, but don't have enough experience to sort it into anything resembling an efficient plan of attack. I'm supposed to start dieting Jan 1, but pulled a back muscle, so may have to delay until I can train again.

Would REALLY appreciate any help people here might have.

Thank you (sweet smile). (sweeter than this)

 

[diamonddiceclay]

I'd do 50-30-20 and don't cycle carbs-also, don't do cheat days and do cardio 6 days a week for an hour

 

[SteelWeaver]

Thanks. How many calories, and why no carb cycling?

 

[Blackalpha]

You'll definitaly need carb refeeds.You don't want your metabolism going down.. (thyroid/leptin)

 

[SteelWeaver]

You'll definitaly need carb refeeds.You don't want your metabolism going down.. (thyroid/leptin)

Agreed. Thank you. But I need numbers. How many calories? What percentage is carbs on high/low days?

Or do you mean cheat days/meals?

 

[MS]

The most important concept is to pick a plan and stuck with it. Don't agonize too much over which plan, but I recommend that one way or another you have some decent low fat high carb refeeds. My precomp diet is always 45:45:10 (P:C:F). Calories around 1900-2000 (I'm 165 and 16-18%bf plus lots of fluid) on a daily basis, with variable carb refeeds as needed. The carb refeeds become more frequent as I get leaner so I'm up to 2-3 per week by the weeks just before comp. I do not count calories on my refeeds, I just eat as much pasta, potatoes, lowfat nondairy ice cream with Hershey's choc sauce etc... that I want, then have a great night's carb induced slumber. There are plenty of people on this board that will tell you that is too many carbs and too little fat. Whatever, I'm not interested in theories, but what works for me and my clients. We all come in nice and lean on the day. 50:30:20 will also work, but carb refeeds become even more crucial on these lowered carb diets. Remember you're a bodybuilder. You need carbs, fatloss diet or not.

I start all my female clients out at bodyweight (pounds) x 12. I adjust this up or down depending on their progress, and also adjust cardio as we go.

 

[SteelWeaver]

Thanks for coming over, MS - sorry I snapped on the other thread - I explained it there.

I guess I have been agonising - big time! I just can't make a decision - I've read pages and pages and pages and pages of search results, but nothing's ever specific. I've made about 6 different diets, and can't decide on any of them.

The latest thing I worked out is based roughly on KBgrl's ratios that W6 gave her.

P /C/F
Day 1: 150/250/45 (30/50/20%)
Day 2: 250/150/45 (50/30/20%)
Day 3: 350/50/45 (70/10/20%)
Day 4: same as day 3

Total cals: 2000

Despite searching for it, I haven't found much on the theory of carb cycling - like why do it? Is there a specific theory, besides that it keeps the system guessing? Is that the reason for it? Tons of posts say it's effective, and often a good way to break through a plateau.

I'm not there yet, though. I would like to try 45/45/10, because I like my carbs, but not having access to fat free cottage cheese or tofu makes it difficult. Maybe closer to comp. time I can see eating only egg whites, shakes and green beans and broccoli, but right now ...

I think I'll go with 40/40/20 on 2000 cals/day for now, - and check the numbers to see if 45/40/15 is possible with full fat cottage cheese. Would that make a big difference? (Is cottage cheese OK for cutting? - what's the deal on no dairy pre-comp.? There are so many posts that say don't do this or that, but none that say why).

Thanks again. Happy New Year!