Time to start cutting! MS? Anyone with eg. carb cycles?

[SteelWeaver]

Jan 1 is D-day, well, C-day.

5'11", 173 pounds (78.4kg), plus/minus 20% BF. Want to get as lean as possible for first BB contest May 26 - natural. Is 8% possible? Whatever - I just want to get as shredded as I can.

(And please, no snickering about how silly the LBM I have left will look on this frame - ya gotta start SOMEWHERE).

PS: What actually IS a typical shredded weight for a natural female this tall in novice class?

Currently on 320pro, 80fat per day, cycling carbs
Day 1: 240g
Days 2,3: 160g
Day4: 400g

I need to know the pro/fat/CHO ratios and split for high/low days. Pretty please?

 

[Sassy69]

Just a note SW -- 8% is possible and its all relative so height is not an issue. Just make sure there's some beef under it to keep it all symmetric!

 

[VooDoo Lady]

SW - check out the W6..carb rotation...no sleep thread spat started there are some splits on there for you to check out...

 

[SteelWeaver]

Thanks VDL. I have another question, now - I fear a search for this will take a million years. What does one multiply bodyweight by for maintenance calorie level? And then multily by ?? for activity level? Minus 300 calories?

Does anyone know where this info is, or know it offhand?

 

[KBgrl]

well helllllllllllllooooooooooooooo


bump for SW baby!

 

[SteelWeaver]

Just a note SW -- 8% is possible and its all relative so height is not an issue. Just make sure there's some beef under it to keep it all symmetric!

Thanks Sassy - yeah - I know it's relative, but generally, the taller, the heavier, right?

I have beef! Some beef. Well, a little beef. More beef than all the girls I know! I'm just scared it'll all disappear as soon as I start dieting

Helllllo there KB - was wondering where you'd snuck off to. Thanks for the bump.

 

[SteelWeaver]

Spatterson - I'm in! Very cool idea. I'm hoping that by March or April or so I'll be in good enough shape to post some pics and get some feedback on ... well, everything.

In the meantime, I don't suppose you know the calculations for figuring out maintenance, then how far below maintenance one should go? When carb cycling for cutting is one always below maintenance? Say on a four day cycle, start at maintenance then go lower lower lower, then up again? Shit, I should do a search.

 

[SteelWeaver]

Ah, you're in a wedding! Cool.

Comp's on May 26, I think. I haven't confirmed exactly, but it's around there. I'll find out this week for sure.

I'm planning to eat whatever on Christmas day, but otherwise, well, I guess I've got used to tofu and egg whites.

Yeah, I mean maintenance calories. MS helped me work out the gaining plan I'm on now, so I don't really have a clue how to go about working out any sort of plan - I guess I just figured it would be a similar thing, with lower values, and I haven't applied my head to it yet. But I have vac now, so will work it out before the 1st.

There are probably a hundred different ways to do it. 2:3 sounds fine. I'm gonna go over to the diet board and see what I can dig up.

How far below maintenance calories was 2200 for you? And how did you work that out?

Oh, and BTW, on your no sleep thread, W6 dropped in some ratios for KBgrl - he left the fat the same and just increased the protein.

You only crave taters? What are you made of, woman! Bug away - I'll probably be on my knees praying to the god of sanity to please let me stay a little longer.

 

[SteelWeaver]

Actually, right now - no.

Come Jan 1, though, I'll be right there in the blocks with ya.

I f***ed up my back big time on deadlifts 10 days ago - badly pulled or tore or whatever a muscle in my lat somewhere - don't know which. Did two light arm & leg workouts after that last week, but it just got worse and worse - finally called in the acupuncturist this evening - too stubborn to act sooner, but she was totally amazing. Anyway, she said it's all inflamed and swollen, and that I shouldn't train for at least another week, and then start really light.

Besides jack-knifing my training focus, this has kind of messed me up nutrition-wise. And one doesn't want to be anal around Christmas time. I don't know what to eat if I'm not training - so I've been sticking to the lower carb days on my current cycle.

From what I've dug up, the P:C:F ratio can be 40:40:20, or 50:30:20 for cutting, or even 33.3:33.3:33.3. But W6's client was on something much lower than that for carbs. Yours is pretty low too. I haven't decided yet which ratio to go with. All I can think about is when the stupid pain in my back will go away.

Sorry - you're so jacked up - don't want to throw a wet blanket on the party. I will say - I have the egg whites and tofu and cottage cheese lined up like soldiers in my fridge - just waiting for the order, and I can still be thankful for the goodness I am blessed with - like the fact that this pain is not chronic - it will end. So, here's to our last few days of less than exact eating, and to our good fortune that we do not live with chronic pain!

 

[SteelWeaver]

Hey Spatts - sorry about the downer on last post. I don't handle pain well, and I handle not being able to train even less well. Grr. Every night when I go to bed I hope that the pain'll be all gone in the morning - but no such luck - it just seems to stay at the same level of excruciating.

However, I've had time to finally work out "The Diet". I played with W6's Nationals client's numbers for a couple of hours and spent some time with percentages and applying these things to my size, and came up with the following, which interestingly is not far off yours, calorie-wise.

HIGH CARB DAY
P: 370g 50%
C: 220g 30%
F: 65.7g 20%

Total cals: 2952

LOW CARB DAY
P: 370g 65.7%
C: 45g 8%
F: 65.7g 26.3 %

Total cals: 2252

I'll try running this on a 2:2 rotation. If I don't see results, will go to a 3 low:2 high rotation. If that doesn't work, I'll have a little tantrum, then go back to the drawing board. Or something.

What do you think?

Also, MS and W6, if you're out there, I would greatly appreciate any advice you have on this. Am I on the right track?