How do you 'cut' ??

lozzatao
lozzatao Posts: 53 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I have seen many people speaking about a 'cut' phase .. i presume this means cutting fat to expose your (hard worked for !) muscle .. but how do you do it without losing muscle mass ??

I currently do a mix of weights and cardio .. with a reasonable level of protein .. I have gained some muscle definition but don't seem to be shifting any fat around the middle !! I guess I am not too worried about weight as much as waist !!!

Any advice gratefully received .. :)

Replies

  • Chief_Rocka
    Chief_Rocka Posts: 4,710 Member
    Eat less food
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
    Check out strengthunbound.com

    waldo wrote a good article about this.

    essentially they are the same thing- eat a deficit.

    People cutting are specifically cutting to reveal muscle- and usually it's a more regulated diet- and they keep lifting.

    (it's pretty much losing weight- the mentality is just a little different though)
  • DjinnMarie
    DjinnMarie Posts: 1,297 Member
    I don't know how everybody else does it, but I cut calories and do a lot of steady state cardio. I don't let my heart rate get too high for too long. Since I only cut to lose about 5 lbs I(give or take) I take it very slow with lots of lifting to prevent muscle loss.

    This differed from my weight loss journey because I don't cut as many calories as I did in the beginning, and the cardio is less intense. I'm going for about .5 lb of fat loss a week.... No more.
  • W31RD0
    W31RD0 Posts: 173 Member
    My understanding is that you continue working out as usual, eat at a deficit, and increase your protein to carb ratio.
  • Galatea_Stone
    Galatea_Stone Posts: 2,037 Member
    Protein somewhere around 1.4 gram/poundLBM and 1 gram/pound actual body weight, cardio added in to my weights program, keep the hypertrophy work up and then slowly lose while eating at a deficit.

    So far, I'm better at bulking.
  • NRBreit
    NRBreit Posts: 319 Member
    Maintain approx. 500 cal deficit with 1g Protein per lb body weight and .45g Fat per lb body weight. Continue lifting heavy as you where before. You WILL lose some muscle in the process and your genetics will play a role in how much.
  • lozzatao
    lozzatao Posts: 53 Member
    Thanks for all the advice .. train the same .. eat at a deficit .. ok thanks !!

    Although 1g protein per 1 Ib body weight seems a lot !! hahaha
  • lozzatao
    lozzatao Posts: 53 Member
    haha .. me 2 :)
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
    Thanks for all the advice .. train the same .. eat at a deficit .. ok thanks !!

    Although 1g protein per 1 Ib body weight seems a lot !! hahaha

    Protein for cutting is significantly more important for helping preservre muscle mass than it is for gaining.

    Protein is for cutting.
    Carbs is for gaining.

    I aim for about 150 grams a day- it's do-able- it does take some work- but it's not overwhelming.
  • lozzatao
    lozzatao Posts: 53 Member
    Protein somewhere around 1.4 gram/poundLBM and 1 gram/pound actual body weight, cardio added in to my weights program, keep the hypertrophy work up and then slowly lose while eating at a deficit.

    So far, I'm better at bulking.

    hahahaha me too it seems !!
    :)
  • lozzatao
    lozzatao Posts: 53 Member
    Protein for cutting is significantly more important for helping preservre muscle mass than it is for gaining.

    Protein is for cutting.
    Carbs is for gaining.

    I aim for about 150 grams a day- it's do-able- it does take some work- but it's not overwhelming.
    [/quote]
    Cool .. is that just food or protein supps too ?? And do you use Creatine ?? I am told you gain weight using this due to water absorbtion into the muscles ???
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
    Protein for cutting is significantly more important for helping preservre muscle mass than it is for gaining.

    Protein is for cutting.
    Carbs is for gaining.

    I aim for about 150 grams a day- it's do-able- it does take some work- but it's not overwhelming.
    Cool .. is that just food or protein supps too ?? And do you use Creatine ?? I am told you gain weight using this due to water absorbtion into the muscles ???

    mostly food- I can get above 100 with food- I do usually have one scoop of protein powder- plain- no creatine. it makes me sick. I add it to my greek yogurt
    8 oz greek yogurt + 28 grams of protein powder + 5oz of berries = delicious afternoon snack tht's 240 calories and 42 grams of protein.
  • Ashes_To_Beast
    Ashes_To_Beast Posts: 378 Member
    Protein for cutting is significantly more important for helping preservre muscle mass than it is for gaining.

    Protein is for cutting.
    Carbs is for gaining.

    I aim for about 150 grams a day- it's do-able- it does take some work- but it's not overwhelming.
    Cool .. is that just food or protein supps too ?? And do you use Creatine ?? I am told you gain weight using this due to water absorbtion into the muscles ???
    [/quote]

    I've seen many articles claiming up to 1.5g/lb of protein when cutting, and it's with supplements not just food...
    As for creatine.. Are you trying to lose weight or fat? If fat is what you want to lose it's a good supplement while cutting because it will swells your muscles with water and help with strength since your eating at a deficit. When your cutting you should pay attention to body fat % and not so much weight.
  • No_Finish_Line
    No_Finish_Line Posts: 3,661 Member
    the key to losing the belly fat would be patience and dedication.


    personally think that anything beyond 1 gram of protein per lbs body weight is unecessary.
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
    I feel like anything over 100 is good.

    And technically it's per LEAN pound of body mass- not just pound of mass. Which is why anything over 100 is game.

    If I assume I'm 25% fat- at 160- that's 40 pounds- so 120 grams- gets me where I need to be- even if you take 0.8- still right there.

    So for most people- anything over 100 is gravey. saves on math and guessing body fat etc etc.
  • No_Finish_Line
    No_Finish_Line Posts: 3,661 Member
    .75 per lbs lean is what i would shot for. 1 per lbs BW is just easier on my evaporating brain cells lol
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
    .75 per lbs lean is what i would shot for. 1 per lbs BW is just easier on my evaporating brain cells lol


    exactly why I go for anything over 100.

    once I see 3 digits I'm good.
  • Springfield1970
    Springfield1970 Posts: 1,945 Member
    My body loves burning my hard earned muscle so I have to cut super stealthily. I have cut since February by having a 100 calorie or so deficit. I took a looong time working out my maintenance numbers and exercise burns.

    Result, I have cut 5 pounds in 7 months. I have kept most of the muscle. When you have to work as hard as us women do to get it you ain't going to let go of it that easily! It takes me a week of heavy lifting, resting and eating right to gain a puny 1/4lb of muscle!!

    Edited to add, while cutting I lift heavy 2/3xpw and hit over 100g protein daily.
  • lozzatao
    lozzatao Posts: 53 Member
    Thanks for all the advice guys .. feel free to add me and watch my (HOPEFUL) progress !!
  • jrline
    jrline Posts: 2,353 Member
    Keep up what you are doing try adding crunches and sit ups

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