Cutting Cycle- Maintaining Gains

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coleg04
coleg04 Posts: 126 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hey all,
I just wanted some opinions on the grams of protein I should be eating per day while cutting. Any other suggestions would be appreciated as well.

I am currently 224lbs (about 16% BF) after starting my cut last month at 242 and about 21% BF. I have been lifting consistently and haven't lost any strength, but for some reason I am still paranoid about losing lean muscle, especially as I inch closer to my goal of 10%. I know some muscle must be sacrificed, but I want to keep it to a minimum.

I hear every from .66 grams of protein per pound of body weight all the way up to 2 grams. Anyone have success maintaining muscle while cutting up?

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  • Michael190lbs
    Michael190lbs Posts: 1,510 Member
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    Studies show .8 from what I have read but lets face it were all different and lots of factors like age, current muscle testosterone level, type of conditioning play into it.. There is no set number for everyone. Personally I use 1 gram just to make the math easy.. 225lbs with 16% body fat is Fantastic by the way
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,400 MFP Moderator
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    Generally, it's recommended to be around .8-1g of protein. I have seen as high as 1g per lb of weight, but that is in lean individual. Out of curiousity, how are you measuring body fat, because 16% at 224 is crazy awesome. I am 16% at 175 and all I have to worry about is my lower abs.
  • rybo
    rybo Posts: 5,424 Member
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    If you are still training and not in a giant deficit, you're not going to lose an apreciable amount of muscle during a cut. Upping protein to ridiculous amounts doesn't buy you anything. People go way overboard on the protein. It's not going to hurt (well except maybe your wallet) but I follow the 1-1.2 g/kg
  • coleg04
    coleg04 Posts: 126 Member
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    psulemon wrote: »
    Generally, it's recommended to be around .8-1g of protein. I have seen as high as 1g per lb of weight, but that is in lean individual. Out of curiousity, how are you measuring body fat, because 16% at 224 is crazy awesome. I am 16% at 175 and all I have to worry about is my lower abs.

    Thanks man. Does height have a lot to play with that, though? I'm 6 foot 3.5 and I still have a ways to go before my abs show more. At this point its just the top 2 Diabetes runs in my family and like my father I store 90% of my weight right in my stomach.

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