Good Cutting Diet??

[arsoniq26]

Hey everybody, this is my first thread on the site but I am a member of afew other fitness sites. Just looking to get some info on a good cutting diet. I am currently at 13.5% body fat, I weigh roughly 145 lbs, and am 5'7". I decided to cut, get down to about 8-9% BF and start a new bulking cycle in afew months based on my progress.

I'm just trying to find a decent diet. How many calories a day should I be taking in? How many grams of carbs? Proteins? Fats? Keep in mind I work out 6 days a week, 2 muscle groups a day, and Run about 2 miles a day, and would still like to keep a muscular figure.

All help is appreciated!

 

[SoreArms]

I'd start with the good old BW x 12 formula for calories

 

[kimchee411]

Your BMR (basal metabolic rate) is probably somewhere around 1700-1800. You workout A LOT so my guess is you burn 3000+ calories/day. Subtract 500 calories/day for each pound of bodyfat you want to lose per week. Don't deprive yourself too much or you'll lose more muscle. I'd say no more than 1000 cals below BMR.

Watch your carbs. Consume high GI carbs only in the morning, post workout, and maybe a little bit pre-workout. Keep protein intake high, at least 1g per pound you weigh. I try to take in as few carbs as possible aside from those periods so I can take in more protein and to prevent myself from getting carried away (I also don't like the water retention). Also, have a little snack comprised of fat and protein (no carbs!) before you go to bed to help your body through starvation while you sleep. I like to have one or 2 tablespoons of ANPB. Cottage cheese is also a popular choice.

Do high intensity morning cardio on an empty stomach for extra burn.

I think lifting 6 times a week, 2 groups/day is overtraining. Your muscles need rest to grow (well, you won't really grow when you're catabolic). Your CNS needs a break too.

I'm kind of vague, but just throwing out some guidelines.

 

[playmatesky]

Your BMR (basal metabolic rate) is probably somewhere around 1700-1800. You workout A LOT so my guess is you burn 3000+ calories/day. Subtract 500 calories/day for each pound of bodyfat you want to lose per week. Don't deprive yourself too much or you'll lose more muscle. I'd say no more than 1000 cals below BMR.


Ok..so Im reading this and I am totally confused...you say his bmr is between 1700-1800 and that to cut he should have no more than 1000 cals below bmr? So he should have 700 calories? I must be reading this wrong????

 

[pintoca]

Your BMR (basal metabolic rate) is probably somewhere around 1700-1800. You workout A LOT so my guess is you burn 3000+ calories/day. Subtract 500 calories/day for each pound of bodyfat you want to lose per week. Don't deprive yourself too much or you'll lose more muscle. I'd say no more than 1000 cals below BMR.


Ok..so Im reading this and I am totally confused...you say his bmr is between 1700-1800 and that to cut he should have no more than 1000 cals below bmr? So he should have 700 calories? I must be reading this wrong????

Eating below BMR is NEVER a good idea.

just to clarify:

BMR: nbumber of cals your body needs JUST TO BE ALIVE. Imagine laying on bed the whole day, what you burn just doing that is your BMR

TDEE: Total Daily Energy Expenditure: The number of cals you burn in a normal day... this is ALWAYS BMR + X number of cals. X varies depending on your activity levels.

For somebody with a BMR of 1900 cals, it is not unusual to have a TDEE of 3000+ cals

The key in losing weight is the deficit, between what you eat and what you burn everyday.

So.

You eat 3000 and burn 3000... break even, maintenance point
You eat 2000 and burn 3000... Yeah, weight loss
you eat 1000 and burn 3000... Yeah, weight loss and jump into starvation.

Our bodies are too clever for ourselves, a sudden drop in cals and your body will recognize a situation where food is scarce... thus kicking the old starvation response and holding onto anything you eat. This does not happen overnight, takes some weeks.

The solution? simply, since the important is the DEFICIT and not how much you eat, keep your cals at a safe level, minimum your BMR and INCREASE the activity (yay for Einstein).

arsoniq26, here are your numbers:

BMR: 1.601
TDEE: 2.762

You should try and stick to a diet between 1900 and 2300 cals (rotate carbs and cals to keep your body guessing).

Now the question is, if you are 5'7 and weight 145lbs... why oh why, you want to cut??? not everything you will lose is fat bro, you will look emaciated... actually, you must look emaciated already

 

[kiosk]

Do high intensity morning cardio on an empty stomach for extra burn.

I have recently read quite a few times that this is really not helpful and if anything will cause muscle to be used for energy....and that there is no proof its any more efficient at burning fat than doing it with a small meal in you.
I personally cant train on empty stomach, I get dizzy and feel real weak.....

 

[kimchee411]

Your BMR (basal metabolic rate) is probably somewhere around 1700-1800. You workout A LOT so my guess is you burn 3000+ calories/day. Subtract 500 calories/day for each pound of bodyfat you want to lose per week. Don't deprive yourself too much or you'll lose more muscle. I'd say no more than 1000 cals below BMR.


Ok..so Im reading this and I am totally confused...you say his bmr is between 1700-1800 and that to cut he should have no more than 1000 cals below bmr? So he should have 700 calories? I must be reading this wrong????

Oops, I meant no more than 1000 cals below total daily burn, not BMR. So say he's burning 3000 calories/day, then no less than 2000 calories.

 

[kimchee411]

I have recently read quite a few times that this is really not helpful and if anything will cause muscle to be used for energy....and that there is no proof its any more efficient at burning fat than doing it with a small meal in you.
I personally cant train on empty stomach, I get dizzy and feel real weak.....

Really? People around here seem to swear by it. Well, I would think it would at least be helpful.

 

[SoreArms]

low-med intensity cardio on an empty stomach