Cutting advice needed!

[Maffiosa]

Hey Bro's i am currently on a cutting diet and training routine for an up comming fight and need some advice. Goals are to cut up and drop down to light heavy weight class around 200ish. I want to maintain my strength of course drop some serious BF.

Stats: 26
5'9
240
20% BF

daily intake:

Mon 2200 cal 53% pro, 30% carb, 17% fat
tue 2200 " "
wed 2200 " "
thur 2700
fri 2200
sat 2200
sun 2600

meals:

1) cream of wheat 1 cup
bannana

2) 6 egg whites 1 yolk

3) albacore tuna x1 can (water base)
1 cup low fat cottage cheese

4) 1 chicken breast (broiled)
1 cup carrots

5) ground turkey, 4-6 oz.
1 cup brown rice

6) turkey sandwich multi grain bread

lifting 6 days a week, 20+ hours of cardio,training, sparring

BMR says 2500-3k cal seems a bit high, Thanks for feed back!

 

[poysyn]

3k is probably a good bmr to go off for someone your size and activity level..if not more.

 

[Maffiosa]

what happens if i dont take in a full 3k, does my body start breaking down mass? Thinking in it in terms of cals it seems like a lot for a cutting diet. Tryin to understand the formula to it i guess. Thanks for the feed back!

 

[Maffiosa]

Ok so i've been taking in around 1900 calories the past few days w/ out hunger at roughly 60% pro 20% carb 20% and full of energy. anymore than 1900 cals and i feel like i am force feeding myself but i know i should be at prolly 2500 min to maintain mass while cutting...Shakes maybe??

 

[*Bunny*]

Shakes or meal replacement bars ... Maybe something packing the cals like Healthy fats .. nuts (walnuts/almonds/all natural PB) or olive oil ... since I don't see many of those in your diet

 

[Maffiosa]

Ok so i cant eat anything with nuts in it and my daily fat intake is 15%, is that ratio ok for natural fats? Also Is 25-27% carb ratio to high for cutting diet?

 

[*Bunny*]

Ok so i cant eat anything with nuts in it and my daily fat intake is 15%, is that ratio ok for natural fats?

IMO no, are you allergic?

Can you use Fish oil / Olive oil Etc to get those fats up?

 

[Maffiosa]

yes i am allergic, ok i will try olive oil how much should i take a day? Rite now i am using 1tbs of butter and the natural fats to get 15%. Getting roughly 2300-2500 calories

 

[*Bunny*]

yes i am allergic, ok i will try olive oil how much should i take a day? Rite now i am using 1tbs of butter and the natural fats to get 15%. Getting roughly 2300-2500 calories

Gotcha ... Sometimes I wish I was allergic.. get rid of some of those dang cravings lol

My Custom Fit Day for "Olive Oil - Filippo Berio extra light"

Amount Per 1 tablespoon
Calories 120
Calories from Fat 126

% Daily Value *
Total Fat 14g 22%
Saturated Fat 2g 10%
Polyunsaturated Fat 2g
Monounsaturated Fat 10g
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 0mg 0%
Potassium 0mg 0%
Total Carbohydrate 0g 0%
Dietary Fiber 0g 0%
Protein 0g 0%
Alcohol 0g

That should be standard if Not VERY CLOSE to the others out there ... Look for light or Extra Virign Oilve Oil Easy way to get in some healthy fats, cals & bump up %'s ... fat can also help fill you up & make food taste Better

 

[Maffiosa]

Thanks bunny you rock! I'm losing around .5-1.5lbs a day so i'll keep ya posted!

 

[Maffiosa]

taking in 2500 cals still with cardio and lifting x6 days, losing 8-10lbs a week gaining 1lbs towards end of each week. Even with high BF is that to much weight to shed in a week till i plat?

 

[*Bunny*]

How specifically are you tracking your body fat? My scale weight can flux ~8 lbs a day, yes eight ...

How do you feel?
Are you taking pix?
Do you have same person measuring AT LEAST a 7 point pinch sites & tracking the skinfold mm's? If so, how do they compare?
How do your clothes fit?
How is your energy level?
Do you feel like you are pushing to hard?

Looks for many things to track your progress, not just the scale weight ...

BTW what is your weight training split? How often are you working body parts? Clarify 'lifting' a little for us

 

[Maffiosa]

How specifically are you tracking your body fat? My scale weight can flux ~8 lbs a day, yes eight ...

How do you feel?
Are you taking pix?
Do you have same person measuring AT LEAST a 7 point pinch sites & tracking the skinfold mm's? If so, how do they compare?
How do your clothes fit?
How is your energy level?
Do you feel like you are pushing to hard?

Looks for many things to track your progress, not just the scale weight ...

BTW what is your weight training split? How often are you working body parts? Clarify 'lifting' a little for us

Well other than my body is sore as hell and i get hungry towards 7 or 8pm i am feeling fine. I havnt taking pix yet thou i plan on it this weekend. Getting up dated BF takin on tuesday. Energy lvl goes back and fourth, i need start fueling with carbs a few hours b4 work out. I feel like i am deff pushing myself hard, but thats just me. I thinking i might have to up my cals tho, 2500 is leaving me hungry. But i am afraid if i eat more i will loose less BF,
Guess its a mental block. I have noticed my temper is flaring a lot, not sure where that came from.

My work out is 9 week program from serious growth III, Big Beyond Belief by Lou Costa.

I am on beginers programs since been on a long lifting break

week 1

day 1: back, chest, bicep, calf 3 setsx13-15 reps :90 second rest period
day 2: delts, tris, thighs, abs x3 sets 13-15 reps
day 3: chest, back, bicep, cal x3 sets 10-12 reps
day 4: delts, tris, thighs, abs x3 sets 10-12 reps
day 5: back, chest, calf, bicep x3 sets 8-10 reps
day 6: delts, tris, thighs, abs x3 sets 8-10 reps

The number of sets and rest periods advance each week of program. I gained 30lbs in a summer of this book in highschool so going back to what works for me.

 

[theprofessor]

i agree with bunny... get those healthy fats up...
flax oil and fish oil are great additions as well
if you up your calories a little... pre workout possibly... it will probably give you some more energy so you can burn off those calories and give your metabolism more stimuli... fuel the fire
oh also all natural peanut butter... i like to go to sleep on it...
sounds like you are doing great though... just fine tuning for perfection...

 

[Sassy69]

It sounds like the diet is working fine - but you said you are dropping 8-10 lb / week - just to clarify, I would bet maybe 2-3 lb of actual bodyfat & the rest water weight. Did you just start the diet? If yes, then I'd expect to see some initial water dumping. THen the pace might settle down some - but getting a bdoyfat measure will give you an idea of how it is all working for you. I might also suggest keeping a journal of your daily diet & lifting & track how strong you feel, along w/ regular bodyfat measures so you can make adjustments as you go in order to keep to your goal of not losing strength but making your goal weight.

 

[*Bunny*]

I gained 30lbs in a summer of this book in highschool so going back to what works for me.

Just keep in mind, you've changed since high school... so has your body ... this may not work as well as it did before or could work better, who knows... make the proper adjustments as needed & pay attention to your body.

Great suggestions as well.

 

[Maffiosa]

alot of great advice thank a ton, i'll put all this to use and cross my fingers

 

[poysyn]

Glad to see you upped the cals, at 1900 your body would of eventually started eating away muscle tissue..

you should be on a nice road to a low bf taking in 2500 clean cals.

But butter is not the healthiest of fats, just to clerify..

 

[Maffiosa]

So i just noticed lastnight there was a mistake on my fit day food log. I had 6 cups of egg whites instead of 6 egg white, meaning i've been taking in around 2200 cals instead of 2500. I already feel sometimes like a am forcing food down my throat, and my energy lvl is good for the most part. Already doing 2 shakes a day any ideas? at this point of my diet will 300 cals less make a big diff?

 

[Sassy69]

Well other than my body is sore as hell and i get hungry towards 7 or 8pm i am feeling fine. I havnt taking pix yet thou i plan on it this weekend. Getting up dated BF takin on tuesday. Energy lvl goes back and fourth, i need start fueling with carbs a few hours b4 work out. I feel like i am deff pushing myself hard, but thats just me. I thinking i might have to up my cals tho, 2500 is leaving me hungry. But i am afraid if i eat more i will loose less BF,
Guess its a mental block. I have noticed my temper is flaring a lot, not sure where that came from.

My work out is 9 week program from serious growth III, Big Beyond Belief by Lou Costa.

I am on beginers programs since been on a long lifting break

week 1

day 1: back, chest, bicep, calf 3 setsx13-15 reps :90 second rest period
day 2: delts, tris, thighs, abs x3 sets 13-15 reps
day 3: chest, back, bicep, cal x3 sets 10-12 reps
day 4: delts, tris, thighs, abs x3 sets 10-12 reps
day 5: back, chest, calf, bicep x3 sets 8-10 reps
day 6: delts, tris, thighs, abs x3 sets 8-10 reps

The number of sets and rest periods advance each week of program. I gained 30lbs in a summer of this book in highschool so going back to what works for me.

I'm just curious -- how's your energy & soreness on that rotation? I.e. enough rest? 6 days straight of alternating between the same muscle groups sounds painful to me. Just wondering. Also like Buns pointed out - you were still growing in HS. But interested to see how it works for you.

 

[Maffiosa]

I'm just curious -- how's your energy & soreness on that rotation? I.e. enough rest? 6 days straight of alternating between the same muscle groups sounds painful to me. Just wondering. Also like Buns pointed out - you were still growing in HS. But interested to see how it works for you.

Well i am very very sore, but i figure its just due to being off lifting for so many years. Energy lvl flucuates, but most of the time its solid. I lift Mon-Thur, rest Friday and finish Sat, Sun. I rotate muscle groups, like i'll do incline for chest on mon, then on wed i'll do reg bench for chest..ect. so each muscle group gets 3 sets of rep requried for that day.

 

[Maffiosa]

having a hard time spacing meals out in the day, i am ending up eating dinner at 8:00ish and doing a shake b4 bed at 9:30. This is schedule i am trying today! What is the latest i should take in a shake, 1 b4 bed a bad idea?


6:30am meal 1
9 egg whites, 2 oz. of top round

9am
protien shake

12pm meal 2
1 med potato, 4oz ground turkey 1 tbs low carb BBQ

2:30pm meal 3
large chicken breast, protien shake

4:30 meal
1 can tuna, 1 cup of carrots

5:30pm-7pm work out/cardio

7:30 meal
1 cup multigrain past
1/2 cup low carb sauce

total for day 2300 cal
296g pro, 150g carb 55carb

 

[*Bunny*]

IMO a protein & fat is FINE right before bed (for cutting esp.)

I try to wait at LEAST two hours b/w meals but thats just me .. 3 if I can manage .. usually at night it doesn't work out that way, but oh well

 

[Maffiosa]

So i havnt lost any weight in like 3 days, in fact i am gaining some and nothing and i havnt change my diet or work out. I did lose 3% bf though so thats good

 

[*Bunny*]

So i havnt lost any weight in like 3 days, in fact i am gaining some and nothing and i havnt change my diet or work out. I did lose 3% bf though so thats good

Congrats on the 3% ... so you did lose weight .. you lost FAT weight .... If you are gaining muscle & losing body fat that is great.

So when you say you haven't lost any weight, you mean the scale # has not decreased?

I would toss the scale or weigh yourself 2-3 x a week IF THAT, same time, early am after you empty your bladder or bowels etc PRE workout ... try to track as accurate as you can, but stick to other methods like Calipers, pics, taped measurements, letting your clothes be your guide etc ...

The scale is not always your friend

 

[Maffiosa]

Congrats on the 3% ... so you did lose weight .. you lost FAT weight .... If you are gaining muscle & losing body fat that is great.

So when you say you haven't lost any weight, you mean the scale # has not decreased?

I would toss the scale or weigh yourself 2-3 x a week IF THAT, same time, early am after you empty your bladder or bowels etc PRE workout ... try to track as accurate as you can, but stick to other methods like Calipers, pics, taped measurements, letting your clothes be your guide etc ...

The scale is not always your friend

Yea i guess i just expected to just drop weight like crazy, then lean up. Sometimes i feel fatter than i started lol but i think my mind plays tricks on me. Bunny yer so right on the scale, its my enemy right now. I need to get away from that mind set, great advice as usual thanks for the support )

Oh btw my trainer said he thinks i should shoot for 215-220lbs and see how i feel at that weight. He's afraid if if i go under that i'll be dealing with loose skin. Looks like i might not be fighting at 200, only time will tell i suppose!

 

[*Bunny*]

Yea i guess i just expected to just drop weight like crazy, then lean up. Sometimes i feel fatter than i started lol but i think my mind plays tricks on me. Bunny yer so right on the scale, its my enemy right now. I need to get away from that mind set, great advice as usual thanks for the support )

Oh btw my trainer said he thinks i should shoot for 215-220lbs and see how i feel at that weight. He's afraid if if i go under that i'll be dealing with loose skin. Looks like i might not be fighting at 200, only time will tell i suppose!

You're very welcome.... take things slow & adjust as needed ... loose skin is no fun, but then you can tighen the diet & add muscle to fill out some more, but it could take years to FULLY tighten skin , then only other option for excessive loose skin is surgery. Day by day

Maff I can tell you stories of how the scale can mess with your head ... TRUST ME ... do NOT let those #'s define you ... Sometimes the BF% will also vary & you think "well I did everything right, this week the scale is down, but my bf% went up? I don't get it..." Could be any # of things ... your water intake... the person taking it, the places they picnched (if it's calipered) your workout the previous day (heavy legs), your food intake the previous day (high/low carb) etc ... How are you tracking it anyway?

About the scale, I'd put it away for a few days ... keep diet & training tight, see how you FEEL then , when you say I feel good I look good, then step on it. If it goes your way .....BONUS, if it doesn't oh well, you got 3 outta 4 going for you ...

*back away from the scale*

 

[Maffiosa]

My trainer is taking my BF with a caliper, tough to get a reading on my legs because they are very defined. I'm holding most of my BF in my stomache and some on my uper back over my scapula. Keeping a log on weight training and using fitday for journal, activites, diet and stats. my diet is the same everyday, 2300 cals 55-60% pro, 20% carb, 20% fat. As far as scale goes gonna weigh myself every monday now!

 

[*Bunny*]

My trainer is taking my BF with a caliper, tough to get a reading on my legs because they are very defined. I'm holding most of my BF in my stomache and some on my uper back over my scapula. Keeping a log on weight training and using fitday for journal, activites, diet and stats. my diet is the same everyday, 2300 cals 55-60% pro, 20% carb, 20% fat. As far as scale goes gonna weigh myself every monday now!

Cool How many pinch sites? I'd ask for 7 or 9 at least .. and TRACK THOSE differences .. the mm differences, what's dropping etc

 

[ProtienFiend]

Thanks bunny you rock! I'm losing around .5-1.5lbs a day so i'll keep ya posted!

Hopefully most of that is water... otherwise its a mix of muscle and fat. Remember, the slower you diet down, the more muscle you will retain (wish I could practice what I preach )

 

[Maffiosa]

I vanished for awhile so here is current update:

Ok bro's so here is my problem. I was training for an up comming MMA fight about 1.5 mo's ago and tore my LCL. I was very fortunate it was only a grade 1 tear! I had my brace removed yesterday and was cleared for light work outs/rehab.

Of course i was depressed as fuck and ate like a pig and felt sorry myself, it was supposed to be my UFC debut. I cant spar or do heavy contact training so i am left with cardio and bag training, light lifting. My current stats are 26, 5'10 255lbs (jeff monson build) and 20% bf. I need to cut up fast and remain healthy! So diet is key here that i know. If i lift light 4 days a week and work in cardio at least 3 days is 2500 cals to low for BMR? Everything came crashing down, could use some advice to get back on my feet!i mean its my fault i let my head get all jacked up and used food as an outlet. Now i have to be accountable for my actions, but my fighter mentality cant handle being on the bench. Gotta find a way to be active and not over do it! My contract only leaves me with a 3 month window to get healthy and trained or i lose my shot! Thanks in advance~

 

[Maffiosa]

~bump

 

[Capitalizt]

~bump

Try Atkins. Cut carbs down to the bare minimum...15-20 per day are recommended.

Go 50/45/5 fat/protein/carbs and keep lifting hard around 20 minutes a day. It will be harder to lift without carbs but it is possible.

The high fat content of atkins gets your body used to burning fat instead of carbs, and within 72 hours, you should be burning stored body fat for energy if you follow the diet precisely. Just go easy on the nuts and cheese during the first few weeks as they are high in calories and easy to overeat. If all goes well, you will keep the muscle and burn the fat.

Eat lots of meat, eggs, and green salad veggies (no starchy ones like potatoes, carrots, etc)...Use olive oil to cook, and find a good low carb dressing for salads. NO BREAD..NO SUGAR...NO SODA. Drink half your body weight in water each day (if you weigh 250, drink at least 125 oz)

Do cardio in the morning on an empty stomach..eat good fat and protein during the day, and and pump pump pump.

This is difficult to stick to, but for a short term goal, it is a recipe for success. Good luck

 

[Maffiosa]

since im trying to cut and only lifting light 4 days a week and doing limited cardio should i cut my BMR to like 2500?

 

[SgtSlaughter]

plug your new stats in here:

http://michaelandkendra.com/BMRCALC/bmrcalc.htm

Best wishes man... good to hear it's not a major tear!

 

[Maffiosa]

looks like 2200 is the magic number! So time to map out a new diet and work out routine. I'll start a new log shortly, thanks for the encouragement and adivice~