Cut/Bulk and macros

lianne268

Hey guys ! So I'm in need of a little help right now as I'm so confused on what to do .. I'm currently eating maintanence or maybe sometimes a little over, I have some fair bit of muscle I've gained but I guess you could say I have some fat around my lower abdomen and my waist, I'm not happy with it but I don't want to cut and lose the muscle I've gained as I want to keep gaining muscle too!

DancingMoosie

You could try to recomp. Keep eating at maintenance and lift. Are you on a good program? Are your lifts improving?

Bradywho1

Try some HIIT it's great! Don't cut get stronger your new muscles will feed off your current fat stores!

trigden1991

There is no wrong or right answer but generally:

Cut until you're too weak to lift. Bulk until you hate yourself.

richardgavel

I'd say cut but keep lifting and taking in protein, along with keeping a small deficit to minimize muscle loss. At a lower BF, you'll be better able to build muscle when ready.

psuLemon

I'd cut for awhile. Once you start seeing more ab definition than you can consider bulking or recomping.

wrunyon0331

I would probably stay at maintenance calories and just do Intermittent Fasting. I found it really helpful in recomping.

bbell1985

What is your body fat%? Stats? What is your training like?

zheeduh

Cut, but keep lifting and eat a lot of protein. As long as you do the last 2, your muscle should mostly stay the same.

And as you lose fat, your muscles are actually going to look bigger since they'll be more defined.

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Longevity100

Good advice here. What does a typical day of eating look like for you?

psuLemon

lianne268 wrote: »

My body fat is 18%

How are you measuring? Largely because the majority of women around 18% would have ab definition.

bbell1985

psuLemon wrote: »

lianne268 wrote: »

My body fat is 18%

How are you measuring? Largely because the majority of women around 18% would have ab definition.

I'm not so sure about this. I've heard some body building women say it won't be closer to 15% for some.

psuLemon

bbell1985 wrote: »

psuLemon wrote: »

lianne268 wrote: »

My body fat is 18%

How are you measuring? Largely because the majority of women around 18% would have ab definition.

I'm not so sure about this. I've heard some body building women say it won't be closer to 15% for some.

It would be based on genetic prediposition, but if you store all your fat in lower body, then you would have great definition up top.


But I am not saying abs, but generally, even if you store body fat lower body, you will see some definition at 18% body fat. Also, getting to 15% starts to impede on essential body fat.

bbell1985

psuLemon wrote: »

bbell1985 wrote: »

psuLemon wrote: »

lianne268 wrote: »

My body fat is 18%

How are you measuring? Largely because the majority of women around 18% would have ab definition.

I'm not so sure about this. I've heard some body building women say it won't be closer to 15% for some.

It would be based on genetic prediposition, but if you store all your fat in lower body, then you would have great definition up top.


But I am not saying abs, but generally, even if you store body fat lower body, you will see some definition at 18% body fat. Also, getting to 15% starts to impede on essential body fat.

Word.

psuLemon

lianne268 wrote: »

Is carb cycling good for gaining muscle and looking fat??

I am thinking you mean limiting fat.

Is carb cycling good for gaining muscle? The answer is maybe. The bigger question is, does it increase compliance and satiety to enable a consistent surplus, support exercise performance and recovery.

I calorie/carb cycle for my current cut. 4 days a week, I eat 2600 calories, 320g of carbs, 175g of protein, 70g of fat; 3 days a week, I low carb: 2200 calories, 135g cho, 175g fat, 110g of fat.

So far, I am finding that it's helping with satiety and compliance. I have found that Mike Matthews has some really good information on carb/calorie cycling.


https://www.muscleforlife.com/the-definitive-guide-to-carb-cycling/

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aubreyjordan

I try to aim for that split. I'm following New Rules for Women, and that's what the book recommended. I've only been on the program 2 weeks though, so I can't say much for results yet

psuLemon

@lianne268 I combined all your threads to make it easier for us to answer your questions.


Macro's should be based on grams of lean body mass, so if you were 130 @ 20% body fat, the grams below would be would based on 104lbs ((1-(130 x .20)) of lean body mass.

Protein: .8 to 1g
Fats: .35 to .6g
Carbs: rest

You can vary your fats and carbs based on personal preference and satiety. You can increase protein a bit based on personal preference. When I cut weight, I aim for 1g per lb of weight; this method satiates me. I also aim for 20 to 30g or more of fiber a day.


My calorie/carb cycling info is noted above. That is more about adherence and can support exercise performance.

And I still think you should either cut a bit or eat at maintenance and recomp.

edickson76

lianne268 wrote: »

Hey guys ! So I'm in need of a little help right now as I'm so confused on what to do .. I'm currently eating maintanence or maybe sometimes a little over, I have some fair bit of muscle I've gained but I guess you could say I have some fat around my lower abdomen and my waist, I'm not happy with it but I don't want to cut and lose the muscle I've gained as I want to keep gaining muscle too!

If the 18% body fat measure is accurate, I vote maintenance calories. (One of the few times I've disagreed with psuLemon although only partially.) You are right at the low end of healthy body fat for women. A few links on why that it is along with unhealthy body changes you can expect if you try to cut to and then maintain at a lower body fat %:

http://www.builtlean.com/2012/09/24/body-fat-percentage-men-women/

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/qa-fat-loss-fat-loss/low-body-fat-in-women-stubborn-low-back-fat-and-skinny-fat-training.html/

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/muscle-gain/general-philosophies-of-muscle-mass-gain.html


That said, I agree with psuLemon, that the 18% seems dubious given your description. I didn't see the method of calculation posted, but if that's all you have, then I stand by the above.

livingleanlivingclean

lianne268 wrote: »

Do any of you women who weight train use the 40/30/30 macro split? Is it a good macro split for losing fat and gaining muscle? What do you guys think?!

I dont use %splits. I do macros in grams.
Protein and fat is generally set, carbs changes the most depending on my goals. Carb cycling at the moment, on prep, and carbs varies depending on the day (low, normal, high) but protein and fat stay the same.

psuLemon

edickson76 wrote: »

lianne268 wrote: »

Hey guys ! So I'm in need of a little help right now as I'm so confused on what to do .. I'm currently eating maintanence or maybe sometimes a little over, I have some fair bit of muscle I've gained but I guess you could say I have some fat around my lower abdomen and my waist, I'm not happy with it but I don't want to cut and lose the muscle I've gained as I want to keep gaining muscle too!

If the 18% body fat measure is accurate, I vote maintenance calories. (One of the few times I've disagreed with psuLemon although only partially.) You are right at the low end of healthy body fat for women. A few links on why that it is along with unhealthy body changes you can expect if you try to cut to and then maintain at a lower body fat %:

http://www.builtlean.com/2012/09/24/body-fat-percentage-men-women/

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/qa-fat-loss-fat-loss/low-body-fat-in-women-stubborn-low-back-fat-and-skinny-fat-training.html/

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/muscle-gain/general-philosophies-of-muscle-mass-gain.html


That said, I agree with psuLemon, that the 18% seems dubious given your description. I didn't see the method of calculation posted, but if that's all you have, then I stand by the above.

I just don't think it's 18%, which is why i am suggesting cut.