Safe calorie deficit for cutting cycle and keeping the muscl

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Mateo1985
Mateo1985 Posts: 153
in Fitness and Exercise
Hello guys,

I've gone through a bulking cycle putting on about 20 lbs. A lot of that is fat so now it's time for me to go though a cutting cycle. I want to bring my body fat % down to within 7-12%. I'm now at 18-19%. As much as I want to lose the fat I do not want to be losing muscle that I've gained. Do you guys know what the same calorie deficit is for maintaining the lean mass? Is a 500 calorie a day safe deficit or should I go with something less like 200 cal deficit?

Thank you guys for the input.

Replies

  • Mateo1985
    Mateo1985 Posts: 153
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    Also, I know that too much cardio is not good for keeping the muscle. But how much is too much?
  • koosdel
    koosdel Posts: 3,317 Member
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    If you're serious-

    http://www.wannabebig.com/training/complexes-for-fat-loss/
  • Quiing
    Quiing Posts: 261 Member
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    If you're serious-

    http://www.wannabebig.com/training/complexes-for-fat-loss/

    Hey thanks for that! I think I'd rather do these than extensive cardio any day!
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,708 Member
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    Hello guys,

    I've gone through a bulking cycle putting on about 20 lbs. A lot of that is fat so now it's time for me to go though a cutting cycle. I want to bring my body fat % down to within 7-12%. I'm now at 18-19%. As much as I want to lose the fat I do not want to be losing muscle that I've gained. Do you guys know what the same calorie deficit is for maintaining the lean mass? Is a 500 calorie a day safe deficit or should I go with something less like 200 cal deficit?

    Thank you guys for the input.
    It's a try and test method. Some lose weight too fast, some too slow so you need to find what may work for you. But I will tell you to keep your protein high, still train heavy, and do moderate cardio to retain as much muscle as you can. Staying in positive nitrogen balance is a must.


    A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • Yanicka1
    Yanicka1 Posts: 4,564 Member
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    Bump
  • Mateo1985
    Mateo1985 Posts: 153
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    Thank you for the input guys!!!
  • bdub17
    bdub17 Posts: 9
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    Keep carbs high as well as protein, and drop the fat calories. Carbs are muscle sparing and will allow you to keep your strength for longer. Trust me on this
  • alyssamiller77
    alyssamiller77 Posts: 891 Member
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    Hello guys,

    I've gone through a bulking cycle putting on about 20 lbs. A lot of that is fat so now it's time for me to go though a cutting cycle. I want to bring my body fat % down to within 7-12%. I'm now at 18-19%. As much as I want to lose the fat I do not want to be losing muscle that I've gained. Do you guys know what the same calorie deficit is for maintaining the lean mass? Is a 500 calorie a day safe deficit or should I go with something less like 200 cal deficit?

    Thank you guys for the input.
    It's a try and test method. Some lose weight too fast, some too slow so you need to find what may work for you. But I will tell you to keep your protein high, still train heavy, and do moderate cardio to retain as much muscle as you can. Staying in positive nitrogen balance is a must.


    A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

    This is the key!! I've been doing a calorie cycling approach for a few months now and from my experience I've found that both the amount of deficit and the length of time you're on deficit affect how much muscle you lose. I try to keep my deficit to no more than a 1/2 pound a week. I keep my proteins high (1-1.4g per lbs of body weight) and my carbs at about 45%. So far the results have been pretty good, but I do have to keep close tabs on what my body is doing and adjust appropriately. Don't get yourself locked into one plan, be flexible and listen to what your body is telling you. If you don't already have one, get a set of body fat calipers and use that to watch your progress. I got the AccuMeasure caliper which only requires one measurement and that has been extremely helpful (far more helpful than just the scale alone).
  • alyssamiller77
    alyssamiller77 Posts: 891 Member
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    If you're serious-

    http://www.wannabebig.com/training/complexes-for-fat-loss/

    Boy, it's sure good to know that all the bike riding I did to lose the 34 pounds I've lost wasn't burning any fat at all. The 1,000-1,500 calories I burned per ride each day was just a myth too apparently.

    (Sorry but I hate articles like this that insist on claiming that other methods are wrong and only theirs are right. Why can't they just say here's an alternative that engages more muscle groups and provides a level of strength training along with cardio exertion?)
  • koosdel
    koosdel Posts: 3,317 Member
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    If you're serious-

    http://www.wannabebig.com/training/complexes-for-fat-loss/

    Boy, it's sure good to know that all the bike riding I did to lose the 34 pounds I've lost wasn't burning any fat at all. The 1,000-1,500 calories I burned per ride each day was just a myth too apparently.

    (Sorry but I hate articles like this that insist on claiming that other methods are wrong and only theirs are right. Why can't they just say here's an alternative that engages more muscle groups and provides a level of strength training along with cardio exertion?)

    I think you read into it a bit much. Relax.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,708 Member
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    Keep carbs high as well as protein, and drop the fat calories. Carbs are muscle sparing and will allow you to keep your strength for longer. Trust me on this
    Actually I'd eat more fat calories and reduce the carbs.


    A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • Mateo1985
    Mateo1985 Posts: 153
    Options
    Hello guys,

    I've gone through a bulking cycle putting on about 20 lbs. A lot of that is fat so now it's time for me to go though a cutting cycle. I want to bring my body fat % down to within 7-12%. I'm now at 18-19%. As much as I want to lose the fat I do not want to be losing muscle that I've gained. Do you guys know what the same calorie deficit is for maintaining the lean mass? Is a 500 calorie a day safe deficit or should I go with something less like 200 cal deficit?

    Thank you guys for the input.
    It's a try and test method. Some lose weight too fast, some too slow so you need to find what may work for you. But I will tell you to keep your protein high, still train heavy, and do moderate cardio to retain as much muscle as you can. Staying in positive nitrogen balance is a must.


    A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

    This is the key!! I've been doing a calorie cycling approach for a few months now and from my experience I've found that both the amount of deficit and the length of time you're on deficit affect how much muscle you lose. I try to keep my deficit to no more than a 1/2 pound a week. I keep my proteins high (1-1.4g per lbs of body weight) and my carbs at about 45%. So far the results have been pretty good, but I do have to keep close tabs on what my body is doing and adjust appropriately. Don't get yourself locked into one plan, be flexible and listen to what your body is telling you. If you don't already have one, get a set of body fat calipers and use that to watch your progress. I got the AccuMeasure caliper which only requires one measurement and that has been extremely helpful (far more helpful than just the scale alone).

    is there a particular body fat caliper that you'd recommend besides AccuMeasure?

    Once again. Thanks for the input
  • alyssamiller77
    alyssamiller77 Posts: 891 Member
    Options
    If you're serious-

    http://www.wannabebig.com/training/complexes-for-fat-loss/

    Boy, it's sure good to know that all the bike riding I did to lose the 34 pounds I've lost wasn't burning any fat at all. The 1,000-1,500 calories I burned per ride each day was just a myth too apparently.

    (Sorry but I hate articles like this that insist on claiming that other methods are wrong and only theirs are right. Why can't they just say here's an alternative that engages more muscle groups and provides a level of strength training along with cardio exertion?)

    I think you read into it a bit much. Relax.

    Not reading anything into it, just reading the article. From your link: "Let’s cut the BS and get down to business: traditional cardio – running on the treadmill, sitting on a bike, riding on one of those stupid-looking elliptical machines – just doesn’t work that well if your main goal is to lose fat ".

    It's not just this article, it's so many of these things where the authors want to act like everything that everyone else is doing is just wasted time and that there method is the only, as you put it, "serious" method. Complexes are a great way to combine cardio and strength training, however so are circuits and so are split workouts with traditional cardio and traditional strength training.
  • alyssamiller77
    alyssamiller77 Posts: 891 Member
    Options
    Hello guys,

    I've gone through a bulking cycle putting on about 20 lbs. A lot of that is fat so now it's time for me to go though a cutting cycle. I want to bring my body fat % down to within 7-12%. I'm now at 18-19%. As much as I want to lose the fat I do not want to be losing muscle that I've gained. Do you guys know what the same calorie deficit is for maintaining the lean mass? Is a 500 calorie a day safe deficit or should I go with something less like 200 cal deficit?

    Thank you guys for the input.
    It's a try and test method. Some lose weight too fast, some too slow so you need to find what may work for you. But I will tell you to keep your protein high, still train heavy, and do moderate cardio to retain as much muscle as you can. Staying in positive nitrogen balance is a must.


    A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

    This is the key!! I've been doing a calorie cycling approach for a few months now and from my experience I've found that both the amount of deficit and the length of time you're on deficit affect how much muscle you lose. I try to keep my deficit to no more than a 1/2 pound a week. I keep my proteins high (1-1.4g per lbs of body weight) and my carbs at about 45%. So far the results have been pretty good, but I do have to keep close tabs on what my body is doing and adjust appropriately. Don't get yourself locked into one plan, be flexible and listen to what your body is telling you. If you don't already have one, get a set of body fat calipers and use that to watch your progress. I got the AccuMeasure caliper which only requires one measurement and that has been extremely helpful (far more helpful than just the scale alone).

    is there a particular body fat caliper that you'd recommend besides AccuMeasure?

    Once again. Thanks for the input

    Aside from the AccuMeasure (which obviously is my preference since that's why I bought it), Warrior makes a cool digital caliper that works pretty nicely too and is relatively inexpensive.
  • Mateo1985
    Mateo1985 Posts: 153
    Options
    Hello guys,

    I've gone through a bulking cycle putting on about 20 lbs. A lot of that is fat so now it's time for me to go though a cutting cycle. I want to bring my body fat % down to within 7-12%. I'm now at 18-19%. As much as I want to lose the fat I do not want to be losing muscle that I've gained. Do you guys know what the same calorie deficit is for maintaining the lean mass? Is a 500 calorie a day safe deficit or should I go with something less like 200 cal deficit?

    Thank you guys for the input.
    It's a try and test method. Some lose weight too fast, some too slow so you need to find what may work for you. But I will tell you to keep your protein high, still train heavy, and do moderate cardio to retain as much muscle as you can. Staying in positive nitrogen balance is a must.


    A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

    This is the key!! I've been doing a calorie cycling approach for a few months now and from my experience I've found that both the amount of deficit and the length of time you're on deficit affect how much muscle you lose. I try to keep my deficit to no more than a 1/2 pound a week. I keep my proteins high (1-1.4g per lbs of body weight) and my carbs at about 45%. So far the results have been pretty good, but I do have to keep close tabs on what my body is doing and adjust appropriately. Don't get yourself locked into one plan, be flexible and listen to what your body is telling you. If you don't already have one, get a set of body fat calipers and use that to watch your progress. I got the AccuMeasure caliper which only requires one measurement and that has been extremely helpful (far more helpful than just the scale alone).

    is there a particular body fat caliper that you'd recommend besides AccuMeasure?

    Once again. Thanks for the input

    Aside from the AccuMeasure (which obviously is my preference since that's why I bought it), Warrior makes a cool digital caliper that works pretty nicely too and is relatively inexpensive.

    Thanks for the advise. I'll compare the two and get one of them.

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