Cutting Calories Advice From Book?

Pocket__Cthulhu

Hello!

So I'm wrapping up stage 1, its great and I love it so far...but a question was lingering in the air for me. Lou suggests not to cut from maintenance level calories during the first four weeks at least, and doesn't give much input on when the best time to start that would be. My question is, when did everyone here start cutting their calories if they followed the author's advice on how much they should eat? Did you stick to the suggested 300 calorie cut or go for a larger deficit? The scale for me is staying put, which doesn't bother me now....but probably will in a few more weeks.

Thanks!

BarbellCowgirl

When I started the program, I was obese and knew I’d be fine starting at a deficit. I did stick with a pretty low deficit through the program. I lost about 15lbs in the 7 months I took to complete it.
That being said, depending on your stats and goals, a larger deficit is really up to you and what you’re comfortable with. I don’t like a really large deficit for cutting because it hinders my workouts, I feel it’s easier to get the necessary protein, and it helps preserve muscle mass. I also prefer going by a percentage(10-20%) of my TDEE instead of a set amount of cals. So if your calculated TDEE is 2000 I’d still try to average at least 1600 cals a day. As you get really close to goal weight or body fat percentage, you’ll probably find it harder to maintain that deficit, preserve muscle mass, and workout intensity.
I hope you continue to enjoy the program and see great results!