Powerlifting fat

[Black]

Ok, so I've been powerlifting for awhile now and just realized (not really) that I've gotten fatter than I've been in a LONG time. I normally hang around 15%. Well, I'm at about 20% now.

I'm 5'9", 210, 20%~ - So roughly about 168 lbs. of muscle. I want to cut SLOW as to preserve as much muscle as I can, obviously. I used some basic calculators that have put my calories at 1900 a day, with a goal weight of 195 lbs., shooting for a loss of 1lb. per week. My macros are 40/30/30 (Pro/Fat/Carbs).


Is 1900 too much, too little? Should I shoot for more or less than 1 lb. a week? Any input welcome.

[dredlifter]

1900 seems like too much much of a reduction to me. I'm 5'7" and hold steady at about 175 lbs eating a clean 2900 calories per day, I'm probably about 18% BF. Do you know how many calories on average you are eating now?

I guess it depends how fast you want to lose that extra weight, but 1900 seems very low, even for 195 lbs.

[Black]

1900 seems like too much much of a reduction to me. I'm 5'7" and hold steady at about 175 lbs eating a clean 2900 calories per day, I'm probably about 18% BF. Do you know how many calories on average you are eating now?

I guess it depends how fast you want to lose that extra weight, but 1900 seems very low, even for 195 lbs.

I thinking the same thing. 1900 sounds a bit too low. I was eating anywhere from 3200-3500 clean calories a day (same macro, 40/30/30). I thinking maybe 2500?

[Reiid13]

I'm not sure of the .. Height + weight = X amount of cals calculation .....but 1900 seems a tad low , what's your TDEE ?

[hellomycognomen]

2500 sounds better, then adjust as needed.

1lb/ week is ideal, you could try for more as long as your protein intake is good, but even so it sucks to be hungry.

[Black]

I'm not sure of the .. Height + weight = X amount of cals calculation .....but 1900 seems a tad low , what's your TDEE ?

TDEE calculates out to between 2800-3000 depending on which formula is used.

I lift 5 days a week now. I'm thinking of adding day six by splitting legs into two separate days (quads/hams). 3 on, 1 off. If recovery slows, I'll drop back to 5 days (3 on, 1 off, 2 on, 1 off).

I lift heavy with high intensity and low to moderate volume (depending on recovery).

I started to add cardio with a stair climber or incline treadmill, but it aggravated a past knee injury and halted quad training. Its hard to find cardio that doesn't hurt my knees. No bikes, elipticals, treadmills can vary. Swimming would work, but no pool.

[dredlifter]

Even ellipticals hurt your knee? That sucks.

I agree with the sentiment of try 2500 calories and adjust as necessary. Good luck!

[Docd187123]

I think you maybe mixed up BMR and TDEE? I'm 5'10" about 200 and my BMR is about 1950cals but my TDEE is ~3500.

My advice to most is to stick with a mild to pretty moderate deficit (10-20% below TDEE). Not that this method is superior but bc it's easier on the mind and body.

The other option i see is to try a PSMF-type diet. It basically involves eating no/trace carbs (only from any veggies you eat), the bare minimum in dietary fat (EFAs/fish oil/krill oil), and around 1.2g/lb LBM in protein to stave off muscle loss. This type of diet usually cuts your time spent cutting drastically and if done right you'll experience minimal muscle loss. You'll lose about 2lbs a week BUT I must stress....it is easy to screw this diet up. Most will either do too much extra work or stick to the same program (you need to cut volume quite a bit), or try to take in less than the minimums and lose muscle, or they cannot mentally stick to the scarce food intake. You'd also need to structure refeeds into it depending on how long you run it etc.

Choice is yours as both are viable options but not many can stick with the PSMF.

[Black]

Even ellipticals hurt your knee? That sucks.

I agree with the sentiment of try 2500 calories and adjust as necessary. Good luck!

Yeah, they are actually the worse surprisingly.

[Black]

I think you maybe mixed up BMR and TDEE? I'm 5'10" about 200 and my BMR is about 1950cals but my TDEE is ~3500.

My advice to most is to stick with a mild to pretty moderate deficit (10-20% below TDEE). Not that this method is superior but bc it's easier on the mind and body.

The other option i see is to try a PSMF-type diet. It basically involves eating no/trace carbs (only from any veggies you eat), the bare minimum in dietary fat (EFAs/fish oil/krill oil), and around 1.2g/lb LBM in protein to stave off muscle loss. This type of diet usually cuts your time spent cutting drastically and if done right you'll experience minimal muscle loss. You'll lose about 2lbs a week BUT I must stress....it is easy to screw this diet up. Most will either do too much extra work or stick to the same program (you need to cut volume quite a bit), or try to take in less than the minimums and lose muscle, or they cannot mentally stick to the scarce food intake. You'd also need to structure refeeds into it depending on how long you run it etc.

Choice is yours as both are viable options but not many can stick with the PSMF.

Actually, the calculator I used didn't account for activity (said it did, but when I changed the value, nothing else changed with it).

You are absolutely right about the PSMF diet. I did something very similar years ago. I was the leanest I had ever been, but lost more muscle than I would have liked to. However, I stayed on it too long and didn't re-feed.

[Docd187123]

Actually, the calculator I used didn't account for activity (said it did, but when I changed the value, nothing else changed with it).

You are absolutely right about the PSMF diet. I did something very similar years ago. I was the leanest I had ever been, but lost more muscle than I would have liked to. However, I stayed on it too long and didn't re-feed.

Hahaha I was wondering what algorithm the calculator would use to give that as a TDEE. So with your prior experience you plan on sticking with a more moderate deficit?

If so, I'd stick to around a pound a week in the beginning maybe a bit more if you're 20%. The higher the BF% the higher the deficit you can run but as you get leaner this changes obviously. I usually advise against using percentages of total calories for your macros as it can leave you deficient in certain circumstances. Instead you may wish to follow these guidelines:

1.2g/lb LBM PRO
.3-.4g/lb BW FAT

^^^those are good estimates for your minimum essential macronutrient needs to maintain muscle, general health, and hormonal production. Your remaining calories can come from whatever macro you wish but I'd suggest to make sure to get a good amount of carbs so you can maintain training intensity. Some people do fine in keto and low carbs but you can experiment to find what suits you best. Once you start getting leaner (~15% or less) leptin and ghrelin, among other hormones, will begin to fight back hard. At this point you'd begin to incorporate structured refeeds to up-regulate these hormones.

All in all I wish you luck brother! I wish there was a way to keep our totals from the big 3 while dieting down. If you find a way please pass on the secret lol

[Black]

Hahaha I was wondering what algorithm the calculator would use to give that as a TDEE. So with your prior experience you plan on sticking with a more moderate deficit?

If so, I'd stick to around a pound a week in the beginning maybe a bit more if you're 20%. The higher the BF% the higher the deficit you can run but as you get leaner this changes obviously. I usually advise against using percentages of total calories for your macros as it can leave you deficient in certain circumstances. Instead you may wish to follow these guidelines:

1.2g/lb LBM PRO
.3-.4g/lb BW FAT

^^^those are good estimates for your minimum essential macronutrient needs to maintain muscle, general health, and hormonal production. Your remaining calories can come from whatever macro you wish but I'd suggest to make sure to get a good amount of carbs so you can maintain training intensity. Some people do fine in keto and low carbs but you can experiment to find what suits you best. Once you start getting leaner (~15% or less) leptin and ghrelin, among other hormones, will begin to fight back hard. At this point you'd begin to incorporate structured refeeds to up-regulate these hormones.

All in all I wish you luck brother! I wish there was a way to keep our totals from the big 3 while dieting down. If you find a way please pass on the secret lol

Thanks a lot for taking the time to type that out. Very informative and helpful. I really appreciate it.

[GirlyGymRat]

Thanks a lot for taking the time to type that out. Very informative and helpful. I really appreciate it.

What did u settle on? When r you starting? This is a perfect season to cut IMHO. Be in shape for spring.