Fist time cutting...criticize here!

[UpstateTank]

This is my first time cutting...I have been lifting for around 3 years....I'm 6'2" and weighed in at 238.4lbs for my starting numbers. I haven't had my bf% taken but a couple of online estimation sites (not sure how accurate they are) put it at around 17%. My goals for my cutting cycle include dropping to 210 with bf% around 8 or 9. I have read a quite a few posts on this forum about dieting and have devised my own diet. I have a feeling I'm getting too many carbs, and not enough fats so please give me your honest opinions and dont hold back!

Meal #1:
6 egg whites: 180 cal, 0g fat, 6g carb, 36g protein
2 packs oatmeal: 340 cal, 4g fat, 68g carb, 8g protein
1 Cup skim milk: 90 cal, 0g fat, 13g carb, 8g protein

Meal #2:
Tuna Fish Sandwhich (3oz serving tuna plus 2 slices whole wheat bread): 270 cal, 4g fat, 34g carb, 27g protein
1 Cup Brown Rice: 210 cal, 4.5g fat, 38g carb, 5g protein

Lift one hour after meal #2
Lift monday-friday concentrating on one muscle group per day
(Monday-chest, Tuesday-Back, Wednesday-Shoulders, Thursday-Legs, Friday-Arms, Sat/Sun-Off)

Meal #3:
8oz chicken breast (baked): 220 cal, 2g fat, 0g carb, 50g protein
Heart of Romaine Lettuce: 45 cal, 1.5g fat, 8g carb, 3g protein
1 Cup Skim Milk: 90cal, 0g fat, 13g carb, 8g protein

Meal #4:
8oz Lean Ground Turkey Burger: 320 cal, 16g fat, 0g carb, 44g protein
1 Cup Brown Rice: 210 cal, 4.5g fat, 38g carb, 5g protein

Cardio 1.5-2hrs after meal #4
Starting with 30min for the first month and plan to increase to 45min after

Meal #5:
8oz chicken breast (baked): 220 cal, 2g fat, 0g carb, 50g protein
1.5 Cup Brocoli: 45 cal, 0g fat, 6g carb, 3g protein

The five meals total out to:
2240 cal, 38.5g fat, 224g carb, 247g protein

I know I did not include any supplements and my current financial situation (away at school) kills that idea..for now anyways. I had been bulking up since around August and was on the BSN Mass Stack, along with CytoGainer and a so-so diet and I hit a high of 247lbs. I figure since I can't afford supplements at the moment I may as well concentrate hardcore on the diet (which I should have been doing all along). Right now my diet is the only thing I have going so please critique away and let me know your opinions good or bad!

Thanks Everyone!

[hawktribal]

few suggestions:

1. get a shake in right after your workout. you're cutting, but you need those nutrients right after.

2. in meal 3 add some carbs (brown rice, yams, oats whatever)

3. you need to add more fats somewhere. flax, olive oil are good fats.

4. meal 1 i don't know what oatmeal packets are, but switch to old fashioned oats.. probably 1/2 cup would be best.

5. in meal 2 i'd drop the rice and the wheat bread. i think this is where you could work in your fats. add some mayo to your tuna or add a shake with flax.

hope this helps. good luck bro.

[xtinaunasty]

in addition to what hawktribal suggested...i wouldnt have carbs before cardio either. take out the rice and add some EFAs

[JuiceHead25]

I agree....you need to add some type of EFA on your second meal of the day with a lean protien. Also try and add Old Fashion Oats like Hawktribal said and a piece of fresh fruit in the morning. Add more veggies to your diet as well and cut out some of the starchy carbs later in the day.(try 1/2 c of brown rice instead of a whole cup)
Try 3 serving of fruit and day as well as 3 servings of veggies a day.
Good Luck!

[UpstateTank]

Yea I figured I needed more EFA's in there...thanks for your advice everyone!

[LAGMuXle]

Looks good.

Hawktribal took care of you well in this one. I couldn't have listed it better.

Good Luck.


LAG

[UpstateTank]

question...how many Tbsp's of flax seed oil should I take a day? I'm currently taking one Tbsp with my second meal...I'm taking in 53.5g Fat a day (I've done a little tweaking with everyones advice since the initial post). Is that too much or too little, please let me know!

[LAGMuXle]

question...how many Tbsp's of flax seed oil should I take a day? I'm currently taking one Tbsp with my second meal...I'm taking in 53.5g Fat a day (I've done a little tweaking with everyones advice since the initial post). Is that too much or too little, please let me know!

I would suggest taking 2 Tblspns a day, given your height and weight. I like to take in approximately 40-50% of my fats as EFAs. Just something I personally do. I take 2 Tblspns now, I've increased from last week at 1 Tblspn. We shall see.

However, if you are satisfied with your results after a few weeks, leave things the way they are.

There is no "wrong" way to take EFAs (unless they aren't in your diet), so my opinion is that it varies from person to person. If you are obtaining the results you want - then stick with what you have here. If you aren't losing the fat like expected - then try increasing your EFA intake.

Please correct me if I'm wrong anyone.

[hawktribal]

really, there is no "amount" you should take everyday. it's all based on how much fat you're already consuming. i take EFA's everyday, but i take flax to compensate for the fat that i'm not eating.

[UpstateTank]

Diet/Cutting update:
When I initially began my diet and cutting I figured I would weigh myself every 2 weeks to keep track of my progress. On Monday Februray 20th I got my baseline weight of 238.4 lbs. On this past monday I weighed in at 228.6lbs. Needless to say I am esctatic with my progress thus far. Target weight is still 210 so I'm gettin there slowly but surely

[UpstateTank]

Diet/Cutting Update:
Weighed myself again today, and I'm down to 220.6. That is a loss of 18lbs for one month. I am more than pleased with my progess thus far. Does anyone thing I'm losing weight too quickly? I have never dieted or really ate right in my life before so maybe that has something to do with it. My strength has not been affected by the diet so I'm hoping I'm not losing too much muscle mass.

[CoreyTampa09]

Well man I started my cutting routine last week and I weiged in at 178.4 from 184.5. I heard that in the beginning you lose the weight much quickly, towards the end and the lower body fat you get to I hear it becomes tougher. So now I see 3 people cutting on this forum, Me you and Bcap. Goodluck to all, may the abs show and the muscles pop!

[UpstateTank]

Diet/Cutting Update:
As of yesterday Tuesday March 4th, I weighed in at 213 even. That puts me at a weight loss of 25lbs in 6 weeks time. I never in a million years thought I would have dropped that much weight that fast. Really beginning to notice the fat melting off my midsection and arms...I'm actually popping veins out when I'm liftin now : ) The best part is my stength has not dropped! I will post up some before and current pic's sometime this week .

[bklyntrans]

Upstate:
Excellent post and congrats on the weight loss I am about to start cutting here in about 2 weeks my body is almost exact to what you have described also i have never stuck to strict diet before either.I am going to use this diet that you have done hope it has the same effect. Did you use anything in the way of supplements or anabolic ’s or was it all just diet...

[bklyntrans]

Also did you change the diet the way hawk tribal recommended also did you stick to specific times that you ate can you give me an idea of those times.

[UpstateTank]

Yea I made the following switches to my diet:
Meal 1: 1/2 Cup Oatmeal instead of packets and added 2 more egg whites for a lil more protein
Meal 2: Added in 10 Flax Seed Oil Caplets for my efa's and switched rice for a heart of lettuce
Meal 3: Switched heart of lettuce for rice
Meal 4: Kept the Same
Meal 5: Kept the Same

Initially the diet succcked cause it was the same goddamn thing day in and day out...very boring, and very very bland but all my efforts were made worth it when the weight started to melt off...6 weeks later and 25lbs ligther I wouldn't ditch this diet for nothin

Hope that helped out

Good luck bro!

[bklyntrans]

Thanks for the help and congrats on the loss....

[bklyntrans]

Tank:
did you use any supplements or anabolics?

[UpstateTank]

Right now I'm doing straight diet being that I am in school and have zero money to spend on supplements...Once the summer time comes though I plan on using the BSN mass stack again as I had damn good results with it before I began cutting

[bklyntrans]

thanks for the help bro.

[UpstateTank]

no problem...good luck bro!

[UpstateTank]

Sorry for the delay on updating my thread I've had some problems back home so between traveling back and forth from school and the Easter holiday and what not its been quite hectic.
Anyways...last Monday I weighed in again and I'm down to 210.2 which puts me at a weightloss of 28lbs in eight weeks. I only dropped 3 pounds from the last time because I basically took a whole week off from lifting/cardio/diet because of problems back home so I've been hitting the daily grind hard again.
Only 20 more pounds to go then its bulking time!

I know I've said this in my previous posts but I'm gonna try and get some pictures taken this weekend and post them up for all to see

[UpstateTank]

Update:
As of Monday May 1st, my weight is down to 206 flat which puts me at a 4 pound drop from 2 weeks ago and 32lbs in ten weeks. I'm going to take some pictures now so I'll post em up later on.

[stunt954]

I am cutting as well ... I would up the Protein a little bit based on your stats ... and definately lower the carbs. Fat count looks good (besides incorporating some EFA's into your diet. try 2 tblspns of Flax Oil a day) Also... remember to either make your meals pro/fat or pro/carb ... Never mix Carbs and Fats together... as this will cause a higher propensity for fat storage. Maybe look into getting some Time Released protein to take right before bed... or maybe some cottage cheese before bed to slow the digestion while sleeping... Also... I used to eat flavored oats like you as well.. but they have waayyy to many grams on sugar... Def switch to Plain oats and put some SPLENDA Brown sugar in it... tastes good. Def no carbs before cardio also... And in regards to cardio ... dont kill yourself on the machine. My stats are similar to yours and I dont let my heart rate come above 135. Its more efficient to burn fat having a lower heart rate over a long period of time ( 1 hour ) ... than to have a fast heart rate and only work out for a short peroid... Inclined walking on the machine does the trick for me... Do a search on my name and check out my diet to compare... Ive been following it for 4 weeks now and lost 3% bodyfat while maintaining muscle...

[UpstateTank]

Stunt-
Thanks for your reply...you really know your shit when it comes to dieting!
A couple of the things that you noted I've already been doing...like the plain oats for breakfast instead of instant packs...ive been doin a half cup everyday, and ive also been taking flax seed caplets (less costly than liquid) in my meal before i work out...if im not corrected thats where you want to get your fats in? Ive upped the protein a little bit more with a couple extra egg whites in the morning and a few more ounces of chicken per day...im at about 275-280g per day...the carbs have been cut to 200 as ive switched to natural brown rice from the Uncle Bens Chicken Flavored Brown Rice that comes in one of those 60second microwaveable pouches...In terms of cardio I've just been doing it right after I lift which I'm told isn't necessarily the best thing to do...I'm away at school right now and being that its finals week time is a precious commodity...I've read on these message boards that doing cardio on an empty stomach first thing in the morning is the best time to do it, but would doing it after lifting be alright? lemme know what you think! thanks again for the feedback, let those abs show bro!

[stunt954]

A lot of people say that doing it after lifting isn't the most effective way to lose fat while maintaining muscle... but its all i have time for during my busy day... Its been working for me so far. As far as the flax capsules go... I'm not sure what the milligram dosage is on those ... but I know that 1 tablespoon of the GNC stuff has 7700mgs of ***** 3, 2170mgs of ***** 6, and 2240 mgs of ***** 9... Lots of the pill form Flax has only ***** 3 and its only at 700mg (from what ive seen)... just some food for thought ... or FAT 4 thought i guess... lol ... I'm an idiot ... Well goodluck with the diet man ... looks like you're doing really well so far ... STAY RIPPED !!!!

[Undecided09]

Carbs seem unusually high for a cutting diet to me, IMO, when I cut I go 120 and under, most of which coming morning and post lift, thats it, all complex for the most part, and very little sugar...

[stunt954]

I definately agree ... mines at 150

[Undecided09]

Gotta be 150 or lower man, I don't see how you can cut at 220, even if they are all complex, thats maintenance baby...

[stunt954]

very true ... very true ... try this for carbs...

Meal #1 ... do 1/2 cup raw oats w splenda
Meal #2 ... do away with the bread and maybe less rice
Meal #3 ... I'd put carbs into this meal ... not meal 4.. and use a carb that has a low GI like Oats ... ( i personally do 1 cup of oats after working out) cause you body is in dire need of carb replenishment

Meal #4 ... No Rice

I'd also do away with the skim milk (Total of 26g carbs) unless its totally necessary for some reason...

That'll lower your carbs a little more and put them into better spots within your workout/eating schedule...

[Undecided09]

I have carbs Meal 1 and PWO nutrition, whenever that may be, thats it...the rest of my intake is straight protein...
usually something like this...
1. 50 grams protein, 40 grams carbs from oatmeal, veggies(10:00)
2. 50 grams protein...(1:00)
3. 50 grams protein, banana, little gatorade, slice of whole weat bread (4:00)
LIFT...
PWO 65 grams protein, 45 grams carbs, veggies (7:00)
5. 60 grams protein, banana (10:00 pm)
6. 60 grams protein..(12:30 am)

335 protein, 105 carb from complex, 30 fat...

[stunt954]

Here's what I've been following ...



Meal 1 @ 10am
½ cup oats, 2 scoops whey, multivitamin


Meal 2 @ 12pm
5 oz chicken breast, small salad w/tomato


Meal 3 @ 3pm
1 can tuna, 1 oz almonds


Meal 4 @ 5pm
5 oz chicken breast, small salad w/tomato, 1 tbsp flax


Meal 5 @ 7pm
2 scoops whey


))) Workout (((

Meal 6: PWO @ 10:15
1 cup oats, 2 scoops whey, multivitamin


Meal 7 @ 11pm
1 can tuna, small salad w/tomato, 1 tbsp flax


Daily Total (Pro=270, Carb=117, Fat=85, Cal=2582)

[stunt954]

Apparently its less than 150g carbs ...

[Undecided09]

haha, look at that, u learn something new everyday, haha....that was a brief overview of my diet ofcourse, but the gist...cutting diet that is

[stunt954]

Well... upstatetank... you have a few diets now to compare to yours...

[Undecided09]

True that... a couple pretty good ones i might add..lol

[UpstateTank]

haha id have to agree with you on that one undecided!
I really appreciate your guys feedback and see your point in cutting the carbs down...I started doin that today.
Can't wait for that sixpack...good luck gentlemen!
STAY RIPPED

[UpstateTank]

Well heres some pics of my progress...so far its been 10 weeks and 32 lbs lost...i started at 238 and im down to 206, gonna keep chuggin along until i hit 190

[UpstateTank]

and some more at my current weight

[UpstateTank]

dont mind the wife beater tan!