It’s about time we had a decent full length post on cutting…

Let’s get a few things straight…
1. All of the insights I’m about to provide are not person-specific. What that means is that it is a general guideline, not a bible.
2. I truly do believe that bodybuilding is 80% diet. You can lift your ass off daily, and still look horrible if you aren’t eating right.
3. You are what you eat. It’s just that simple.

The BASICS-
1.Postworkout Nutrition- I’m a firm believer that PWO nutrition is hands down the most important aspect of dieting. It is within the 15 minutes after a workout that your body is in dire need of nutrients. It is a completely anabolic state, and what you take in can be optimized to ensure maximum results. A general rule of thumb is 40-60 grams whey protein, and double the amount of whey in carbohydrates (50% dextrose/50% maltodextrin).

2. Carbs- You are **** right, carbs. In a strict cutting diet the majority of your carbs should come in the form of PWO nutrition, and the remainder in breakfast. Fibrous veggies are a staple, but keep in mind that they don’t count towards intake, as they have negligible impacts on blood sugar levels. (Exceptions: Carrots, Peas) All high glycemic carbs outside of PWO should be avoided. The best sources of low GI carbs can be found in oatmeal and brown rice, as well as yams.

3. Protein- You need tons. 1.5-2.0 grams per pound of lean bodyweight is a good general rule of thumb. You should take in a good portion of your protein in the source of real meals, avoid intaking too many shakes, as real food comes to a better benefit. The list foods with high protein bioavailability is extensive, and I will only cover a few, (Egg whites, Lean steak, Chicken breast, the list goes on forever….).

4. Fats- Guess what? You need fat to lose fat. We are talking about the granddaddy of fats, the EFA (Essential Fatty Acid). Good sources of fat are ( Flax Oil, Nuts, Salmon, Olive Oil).

5. The separation of Carbs and Fats- This is a hotly debated issue, but again, in my opinion, an important aspect nonetheless. Remember that it is often when you eat items and with what you eat them that is more important than what you are eating. A mouthful, I know, but stay with me. Remember that when you take in certain carbs, you can spike your insulin levels. If you are taking in fats when your insulin has been spiked, you are allowing the basic laws of physiology to act out, and you allow for a higher propensity for fat storage. Separation is key. The sample diet will give a good example of how to separate them.




6. Supplements-

Glutamine: Helps prevent catabolism when cutting. Best used in dosages of 10grams daily, 5 grams before cardio, 5 grams at another interval, but not after workout as it fights for absorption with the glutamine peptides in whey.
ALA/R-ALA- Gets my supplement of the day award. R-ALA is effective in lowering the spike of insulin when certain carbs are consumed. I could give you a dissertation on the stereoentisomeric properties of the R, but all you need to know is that it has been found to shuttle carbohydrates away from adipose and into myocytes. Translation: Away from fat cells, into muscle cells. It’s a supplement, however, not a miracle worker. It’s not a crutch, and won’t do anything about fat intake. ALA and R-ALA can also aid in the expedition of the ketogenic state. Remember that if you buy R-ALA that you supplement it with Biotin. Glucorell-R is prepackaged with it. If you can afford it, go for it. As far as dosage, with the R, you are looking at 1-2 pills of Glucorell R for each 30-40grams of carb intake.
Protein and Carb Shakes: I’m not going to cover protein, because even if you can’t afford it, you should sell a kidney to get some. Carb drinks are rather convenient, and companies offer pre mixed dosages, Dextrose and Maltodextrin can be bought from most supplement stores or online.

www.bulknutrition.com

7. Cheating- Cheating is essential. Why? Remember, the body runs on homeostasis, it likes to keep balance. After eating so well after a week, your body begins to adjust, and fat loss over time will not be as rapid. The other extremely important aspect is mental sanity. So many diets crash and fail because people don’t give themselves a chance to breath. Remember, cheating is not an opportunity for you to pillage the entire mall food court. Shoot for a cheat meal, not an all out binge. A fast food value meal can be 2,000 calories. Eat that 3 times on one day, and you’ve consumed 6,000 calories. And that’s not good in any case.

8. Cardio- Cardio and cutting usually go hand in hand. I won't go into specifics about length, other than cardio shouldn't be excessive. 20 to 30 minutes daily should be sufficient, and should be performed on an empty stomach.

Sample Diet:
Note: This is a sample diet for a 200 pound gentleman who is wishing to cut. We can assume his BF to be around 15%. This diet will NOT work for you if those criteria don’t apply to you; however it is easy to customize the below diet to take in account your own statistics. It is the principles that are applicable.. I am not going to post the total amount of calories, only the carb, protein and fat macros for the whole day.


Meal 1:
Lean Protein, 1/2 cup oatmeal

Meal 2:
Protein shake/Lean Protein (2 tbsp flax

Meal 3:
Veggies, Lean Protein

Workout

Meal 4:
PWO Nutrition

Meal 5:
Veggies, Lean Protein, 1/2 cup rice or oatmeal.

Meal 6:
Shake with Flax

That turns into approximately 300 grams protein, 130 grams Carbs, and 50 grams of fat.

*Reminder: This is a PRIMER. It’s not mean to be comprehensive.





Here comes the fun part: Question and Answer….

Q: What about dairy?
A: If you don’t mind a soft look, fat free cottage cheese is an excellent caseinate source, but as for milks- way too much processed sugar. NO.


Q: What about cycling carb intake?
A: Obviously on non workout days you will be without a shake, so you will be auto-cycling. It works well that way.

Q: Is sodium an issue?
A: Outside of the bloating issue, or if you have high cholesterol, no.

Q. How do I make my meals not taste like cardboard?
A. Be creative. Mix in some sugar free jam or splenda in your oats, some hot sauce or soy sauce on your meats, or pick up some sugar free ketchup.

Q. I don’t like old fashioned oats. Can I eat the pre mixed oats with fruit?
A. No. Be a man. Those mixes have ridiculous amounts of sugar.

Q. What about fruit?
A: Fruit replenishes glycogen stores in the liver, and in my opinion, is not to be a staple of a strict cutting diet, with a few exceptions.

Q: Can I eat steak while cutting?
A: Definitely. Make sure it’s a leaner cut.

And with this post I take a sabbatical. I’d like to thank thank all of you who may have indirectly annoyed me enough to result in this elongated post. Best of luck, and remember…

“Obsessed is a word that lazy people use for dedicated.”

Thanks for the post X. I will give this a shot in 3 weeks and see how well it works for me! How long would you recomend sticking to this plan? I was going to run a 6 week cut followed by some endurance training to get ready for a ski trip in december.

Nice post X, I feel a stickie coming on

yep - sticky please

I disagree with this statement. One does not have to limit their carb intake drastically to make signicant progess in a cutting phase. Many lose much weight without going low carb. I recently lost 13 lbs and dropped under 6% bodyfat without going low carb. My diet included 3/4 oatmeal, 2-6 oz sweet potatoes, 45 grams of carbs postworkout and some fruits & veggies. Not exactly low carb, but I got ripped. Carbs ranged from 250 g to 175 g over a 10-wk period.

Obviously, I do agee that low-glycemic carbs are a MUST.

Carbs should be tapered downward as the day progresses b/c less carbs are needed and insulin sensitivity increases.

Also, cnsuming large amounts of maltodextrin and dextrose postworkout is not necessary, but rather consuming a mix of high and low glycemic carbs can be just as effective and promote more fat-burning with adequate recovery.

I DO NOT encourage low-carb dieting for those looking to cut b/c most looking to lose some fat are novice dieters and such a diet can drastically affect their muscularity and athletic performance.

Moderate-carb diets focusing on low-glycemic carbs are much more effective on improving overall body comp for the average person.

Good post, with the R-ALA didn't see a dose given, but 300mg-500mg should do the trick. On bulks packet they say take 1-3 pills at 100 mg each. Rather take 300 to 500mg when I do take it.

I think this subject needs an asterisk.

The high glycemic carbs post workout works for many but it isn't benefical for everyone, including myself. Those carbs can leave some individuals very bloated and endomorphs in particular don't need 50+ grams of sugar going into there bodies at any point.

Oatmeal post-workout has been a God send.

Heres a good read on why *some* should go low gi-p/w.

http://forum.avantlabs.com/index.php?showt...3235&hl=oatmeal

It dosen't say low carb, i.e. keto. It says breakfast and postworkout should be your primary time to take in carbs.

Limiting carb intake to breakfast and postworkout is low carb, maybe not no carb, but definitely low.

What about lunch and mid-afternoon meal. I recommend good-quality low-glycemic carbs for most, especially most of this audience (i.e. the male bodybuilder).

I'm not trying to knock your methods b/c you make some outstanding points but this issue I highly disagree on and so would many health professionals.

Start high then subtract calories as your metabolism adapts every 3-4 weeks b/c if one starts out dieting w/ carbs limited to breakfast and postworkout then where do you have room to cut when a plateau is inevitably reached?

Most people need more than 3-4 weeks of dieting to see their 6-pack. Start as high as possible to adjust one's metabolic rate then begin cutting the cals.

Note: is said primary carb intake. I understand what you are saying and there is nothing wrong with that but just so you know I included carbs in 4 of the 6 meals.

Jake has it rightly.

The choice of when to use moderate GI carbs depends on your insulin sensitivity / hormone balance.

Also, how hard you're pushing cardio.

I keep hearing no carbs later in the day.

Bullshit.

No fast release carbs later in the day. SLow release high nutrient value veggies - all frickin day long folks, if you want to maximize absorption and utilization of your food intake. Helps you burn kcals too. Known to help boost BMR.

Fruits, I would limit to early pm at best. Thats for those of us who have hair trigger insulin release and a naturally low setpoint for BMR unless we're cranking through a lot of cardio and pushing ourselves in weight training.

<X, please go ahead and sticky this thread - you're on a roll here, lots of valuable information and cautionaries about differences in individual responses to cutting methods.>

Not to be a nit pick, but the recommendation is 3 of 6 meals and is still LOW carb under normal and bodybuilding dietary recommendations.

X, if stickied I must ask that some modifications be made. 1) PWO carbs do vary person to person and 2) Where would one make cuts to on this low carb plan once a plateau occurs in ~4 weeks and 3) 45 minutes to an hour of cardio Way too much, especially if one is starting out.

If this is to be done, an initial dietary/cardio program example must be given to display proper transition to a cutting diet otherwise one could experience catabolism and plateaus.

Heck yeah!

Rich is totally correct here.

20-30 min of interval aerobics, 3-4 week is MORE than enough to do the job.

Its not about moderate low intensity, its about bringing the heart rate up to the top of the safe range for your age, weight, and condition, repeatedly during a workout, to push fat burning for hours afterwards.

Quoted for truth!

Your right on the cardio, adjustments have been made. I will think on the carbs, I wasn't getting that comprehensive.

STICKY this before it gets knocked off the page and people start making threads about cutting questions

Great advice. Thank you.

Summarized

How to Cut: Take a fork, place in food of your choice. Take knife place on a side of the fork, make sawing motion. Once cut, you can bring the food to your mouth. Dont forget to chew.

Damn I knew I must be doing something wrong... Gotta remember that chewin part...


-Moose