Changing macros to cut

Fonarios
Fonarios Posts: 31 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hello all, my current macros are Carbs: 180/Protein:233/ Fats:52. i maintain with those macros.id like to do a cut for two weeks but not sure if im supposed to completely cut out carbs or just lower them significantly. any help would be appreciated! thanks mfp pals!!!

Replies

  • IronFiend
    IronFiend Posts: 44 Member
    a 2 week cut?
  • aelunyu
    aelunyu Posts: 486 Member
    a 2 week cut?

    ^ this.
  • Fonarios
    Fonarios Posts: 31 Member
    sorry, new to this. how long is a cut typically for?
  • Alphastate
    Alphastate Posts: 295 Member
    I'm currently on an eight week cut using a 40/40/20 carb/protein/fat ratio.
  • IronFiend
    IronFiend Posts: 44 Member
    The dude ^^(aelunyu) is pretty jacked...I'd make friends ;)
  • kirstyfairhead
    kirstyfairhead Posts: 220 Member
    Bump, interested in replies!
  • aelunyu
    aelunyu Posts: 486 Member
    That depends on how lean you want to get. Just sort of a "dusting off" of fat can be as short as a 4-6 week period. Where, if you are aggressive, you can generally kind of lean out and lose <10 lb. It's not necessarily that a two week cut is meaningless, just, two weeks is a seriously small sample size to make any judgement as to if you truly made any progress.
  • Just_Scott
    Just_Scott Posts: 1,766 Member
    somebody keep this thread going--an 8 week cut?!? MACROS please--to the gentleman above going for 2 weeks shouldn't he aim below 40C(as a percentage)--thoughts???
  • Fonarios
    Fonarios Posts: 31 Member
    I'm currently on an eight week cut using a 40/40/20 carb/protein/fat ratio.

    hey alphastate, i currently just use grams for macros. i understand how the ratio works i just wonder what calorie intake should be. im 32 currently 189 3 times a week cardio hiit. and 4 times a week gym sessions...
  • IronFiend
    IronFiend Posts: 44 Member
    somebody keep this thread going--an 8 week cut?!? MACROS please--to the gentleman above going for 2 weeks shouldn't he aim below 40C(as a percentage)--thoughts???

    agree, 40% carbs is awfully high for a cut...good lord.
  • aelunyu
    aelunyu Posts: 486 Member
    Really this depends on how much cardio you want to do. I generally keep it around 40 as well, but I just start throwing in random HIIT sessions. I actually respond pretty good to high carb cutting with more cardio rather than low carb with little/no cardio. I think getting the blood flowing kind of helps to keep the joints ready for the heavy work, and maybe helps with better energy utilization. Plus I just would like to never drop below 200g carb ever..as I get symptoms of male PMS....
  • funforsports
    funforsports Posts: 2,656 Member
    First off: you are currently on a 2,120 calorie diet so you are already in a cut in all likelihood as a male. Other than that, when I cut, I don't go percentages. Put your protein intake anywhere from 1.0-1.5 g/lb bw, fats at .3 g/lb bw, and fill the rest of your calories with carbs. Cuts typically last 8-10 weeks for hardcore bodybuilders but it really depends on how much you want to lose. Aim to lose between 1.0-1.5 lbs per week so you don't lose too much muscle on your cut. Figure out how many lbs you want to cut and calculate the length of time from there.
  • Fonarios
    Fonarios Posts: 31 Member
    so you do percentages instead of specific numbers? this gets confusing as ive been accustomed to adjusting the grams instead of percentages.
  • Just_Scott
    Just_Scott Posts: 1,766 Member
    Here is the thing--what could carbs be and for how long--Protein in grams = to body weight, need as a minimum each day and the Fat as a minimum each day # unknown. But the C is where the bonking occurs--how low do you go and for how long? Bonking--my definition--feeling like SHAT and unable to max out reps, perform below peak, feel light headed, and frustrated.
  • Fonarios
    Fonarios Posts: 31 Member
    ive been doing 30 min hiit 3 times a week...i might go up to 4..
  • aelunyu
    aelunyu Posts: 486 Member
    ive been doing 30 min hiit 3 times a week...i might go up to 4..

    And that alone might be enough!
  • Fonarios
    Fonarios Posts: 31 Member
    awesome numbers...thanks funforsports!!
  • Just_Scott
    Just_Scott Posts: 1,766 Member
    You can do either percentages or grams sorry if they get confusing. If you like percentages someone posted an 8 week cut for bodybuilders--this is where the timing and weight loss come into play--losing 3-5 pounds in two weeks for example is relatively easy--sort of what your doing now--once you get out past 6 weeks I'm not sure you'd be able to sustain a low carb diet; maybe you could--worth the effort like all things.

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