Female wanting to cut fat

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Hi all
I'm a 33 year old female wanting to start a cut.

Current diet is around 1500 cals, and then 50/30/20 c/p/f on most days.

I'm 5'3, I weigh 134 lbs, around 28% body fat (according to my scales). So looking to get to around 18-20%.

My training is mostly weight training. Bench press is 40kg, squat 70kg and deadlift 100kg on heavy days, using low reps (twice a week on an upper lower split), and then use lighter weights in a circuit-style workout about 1-2 times a week. I do next to no cardio at the moment.

So now that I feel I have a good level of muscle built up, I'd like to lose the fat that's currently covering it!

I'm really after some advice on where to start with a cut.

How low should my calories go? I'm not losing weight on 1500 a day. Am I even eating enough?
Suggested macro split?
Should I add in fasted cardio? Or keep up with the weight training?

any advice appreciated, cheers.

Replies

  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
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    If your weight is holding steady, you are eating at maintenance. How are you measuring your food and calories though? I would expect your maintenance to be a bit higher than 1500. Regardless, to lose fat you'll need to cut calories. I would suggest starting by cutting around 200-250 calories to start. As you are shorter and not too heavy, you don't have much room to cut before hitting the minimum 1200. Plus, your energy will be affected by the cut and you want to minimize that if possible.

    Keep weight training. To preserve your muscle I would continue the heavy lifting days for sure.
  • sarahsamuels82
    sarahsamuels82 Posts: 51 Member
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    Thanks. I log everything on here and weigh my foods etc. I too would expect my maintenance to be a bit higher, but perhaps I'm not seeing results as I tend to relax a bit too much on the weekends, if I'm to be totally honest.
  • rupertspenser
    rupertspenser Posts: 567 Member
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    how long have you been doing this plan for?
    i wouldn't advise doing anything drastic like fasting cardio, that way madness can lie!
    adding cardio into you workouts will add to your calorie burn, as will the muscle you've built up, so don't cut out your weight training (keep at least the heavy stuff like Jemh said)
    where do you train? at a gym or at home?
  • Clarewho
    Clarewho Posts: 494 Member
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    Hi I'd say go for a 200 calorie daily deficit but I think you have probably hit the nail on the head when you've said you relax too much at the weekend - if you can tighten the weekends up maybe you're already eating at deficit during the week so that might be sufficient to lose the fat? Try it for a month or so and reassess.
  • tillerstouch
    tillerstouch Posts: 608 Member
    edited December 2015
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    I'm actually in the middle of a cut myself. I've lost about 15 pounds in the past month a half. I've done quite a bit of research and this is what I've found/what I'm doing with great results:

    Cardio: if you're looking to retain muscle I would recommend hiit workouts (high intensity interval training) you can look up lots of different workouts on this. It's a great way to workout a sweat and it's great for your heart. Cardio is definitely important though.

    Weight training: high weight help you retain more muscle. In my cut I haven't lost much muscle and what I did lose is more from doing less bicep tricep less from the cut itself.

    Diet: I don't know exactly what will be best for you I'm currently around 1100 calories per day. What's really important during a cut is getting all the micronutrients you need also fiber is really good for your diet. If you're not already a multivitamin can be good to help get your body what it's missing. Also it's important to limit your sugar. The only place suagr should come from in your diet is fruit.

    Cheat meal: I give myself one cheat meal a week. The key is to not overdo it on your cheat meal and make sure it's just one meal, not a whole day. This is important though because it can help reset your metabolism.

    Foods: some foods I'd recommend is chicken, turkey and fish for protien. Nuts are also great esp. To get some fat but make sure you stick to proper portions. If you're looking for a good protein bar I'd highly recommend Quest bars although they are a bit pricey, they have 2p grams of protien, 16 grams of fiber and no sugar and is the best tasting bars ive found. I eat half a bar for breakfast and then the other half at night after my workout. I also recommend a banana before and after workouts it's great for energy. And finally spinach have spinach with every meal I go through about a container every two and a half days. Also broccoli and celery are good although I'm not a fan of the taste.

    Suppliments: I already mentioned taking a multivitamin but I'd also recommend fish oil with omega 3s depending on your diet. For me I'm a college student so it's hard for me to cook fish so the fish oil is great for me. If you're looking for protien powder my favorite is muscle pharm combat. I recommend drinking any portion shake slowly that way your body can absorb more of the protien. Finally this one many would probably debate whether it's necessary but I take bcaas. On a normal diet it's probably not necessary to take these but when you're not eating as much I think they are good to take. They help your body retain muscle and break down fat. I use bpi best bcaa.

    Hope this helps! Goodluck!