Cutting diet, macros included, need educated advice.

[Zvonimir]

Age: 19, BF: 23%, Weight: 185, Height: 6'0

Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, Sunday: Morning cardio 40-60 minutes at 70% THR.
Monday, Wednesday, Friday: Power 90(calisthenics), 60-90 minutes following meal 2.

Meal 1:
½ cup oats
2 scoops whey
1 banana
(Calories: 464) (Fats: 1) (Carbs: 72) (Protein: 46)

Meal 2:
6oz chicken
1 potato
1 tbsp flax
(Calories: 422) (Fats: 16) (Carbs: 27) (Protein: 41)

Meal 3 or PWO shake:
½ cup oats
2 scoops whey
1 banana
(Calories: 464) (Fats: 1) (Carbs: 72) (Protein: 46)


Meal 4:
8oz top sirloin
1 potato
1 cup green beans
1 tbsp flax
(Calories: 578) (Fats: 25) (Carbs: 35) (Protein: 53)

Meal 5:
1 cup low fat cottage cheese
1 tbsp flax
(Calories: 284) (Fats: 16) (Carbs: 6) (Protein: 28)

Meal 6:
8oz top sirloin
1 cup green beans
1 tbsp flax
(Calories: 463) (Fats: 25) (Carbs: 8) (Protein: 50)

Daily totals:
(Calories: 2675) (Fats: 84) (Carbs: 220) (Protein: 264)


Notes:
- Calories may be a bit high, not sure what to cut out.
- My goal is to reach sub 9% bodyfat then bulk.

[y100adics]

JMO of course for what is working for me ....
Meal 1 ... drop the banana and whey .... add egg whites instead
PWO ... I would drop banana ... and if you're gonna have oats .... up to 1 cup.
Fats seem a bit high
For me .... I would up pro and drop carbs a bit ... but this is just what is working for me ....
When u say potato ... I'm guessing you mean sweet potato or yams ....
6'0 .... 180 .... 23% bf? is that right?
I B D, Faiz and Prada are very knowledgable here among others ... check out any posts or help they have given.

[Prada]

Your daily totals dont look to bad, Id start the carbs a little lower but you can always work your way down. As Y100 said, try to get as many of your macros from real food versus shakes, hence eggs would be a good choice.

[bigsd67]

I would try to keep the carbs as high as possible before dropping them. I find that most people feel better on a higher carb diet (mentally and physically). I lower mine and my clients only when they reach a plateau and still not by much.

I would keep the calories high for a few weeks just to see what happens to your body. If you maintain then either lower cals or increase cardio. If you lose more than 1.5-2lbs per week after a few weeks then increase your calories. Your goal should be to keep the cals as high as you can so that you maintain or even gain some muscle. It is possible if done properly. I don't think drastically cutting cals is a good idea for anyone.

The slower you lose bodyfat the less likely it is you'll lose muscle and the more likely it is that you'll keep the fat off. IMO I would still try to stay sub 12-13% while bulking as well. The last thing you want to do is climb back up to 23%.

[Zvonimir]

JMO of course for what is working for me ....
Meal 1 ... drop the banana and whey .... add egg whites instead
PWO ... I would drop banana ... and if you're gonna have oats .... up to 1 cup.
Fats seem a bit high
For me .... I would up pro and drop carbs a bit ... but this is just what is working for me ....
When u say potato ... I'm guessing you mean sweet potato or yams ....
6'0 .... 180 .... 23% bf? is that right?
I B D, Faiz and Prada are very knowledgable here among others ... check out any posts or help they have given.

I hate eating in the morning, I know I should be more of a man about it but the shake is my only option as I feel sick if I eat whole foods right away. The fat is high because of the flax, I was thinking about dropping some as well; which would help cut the calories too. Yes, sweet potato.

6’0, 185, 23%BF…. Unfortunately that is right, in mid-2005 I was around 6’0, 270, 40+% BF. I didn’t do my research and pretty much went on a starvation diet and lost a lot of muscle mass. But I can’t dwell on that now, I just need to loose the rest of this fat and pack on the muscle.

Thanks for the help y100adics.

I would try to keep the carbs as high as possible before dropping them. I find that most people feel better on a higher carb diet (mentally and physically). I lower mine and my clients only when they reach a plateau and still not by much.

I would keep the calories high for a few weeks just to see what happens to your body. If you maintain then either lower cals or increase cardio. If you lose more than 1.5-2lbs per week after a few weeks then increase your calories. Your goal should be to keep the cals as high as you can so that you maintain or even gain some muscle. It is possible if done properly. I don't think drastically cutting cals is a good idea for anyone.

The slower you lose bodyfat the less likely it is you'll lose muscle and the more likely it is that you'll keep the fat off. IMO I would still try to stay sub 12-13% while bulking as well. The last thing you want to do is climb back up to 23%.

If I get it off, it will never come back. I’ve invested too much time and effort into this already to screw it up. Thanks for the info bigsd67.

[y100adics]

You're welcome man .... Great job dropping almost 100 pounds and all that bodyfat though bro .... keep it up man!!!

[dmojo420]

Hey Z! I tried to send u a private message but it wouldnt let me. I was wondering if u could help me come up with a diet , so i can post it for them to critique. Im 6'4 238 about 20% bf(will get exact % tommorrow)! Thx for all the help! Tell me if there is anything else u need to know. Brandon

[Zvonimir]

Hey Z! I tried to send u a private message but it wouldnt let me. I was wondering if u could help me come up with a diet , so i can post it for them to critique. Im 6'4 238 about 20% bf(will get exact % tommorrow)! Thx for all the help! Tell me if there is anything else u need to know. Brandon

Coming up with a diet from scratch is a lot of work. BUT... here are 2 diets that I**mfkr(sp?) came up with that will probably be pretty close to your stats.

Sample diets by ** (Lean bulking + cutting)

Here are two diets that I use and have used in the past that have worked very well.. adjust as needed to your stats.
I was 210 @ 10%bf while doing the LBM bulk diet and currently 198 @7% and cutting. This thread is for me to refer to rather than posting it over and over in ppl's threads, saves me time which I don't have much of lately.
Enjoy and feel free to ask questions if needed.

TIME TO GET SWOLE
Lean Bulk

5:00am - 1cup Oats + 1scp whey/1scp V60 + 1tbsn flax + BCAA/Glutamine<5g ea.>(back to bed)
Prot(50) - Carbs(50) - Fat(10g)

9:00am - 10egg whites + 2 w/yolks, 1cup oats, 1/2cup cottage cheese.
Prot(60) - Carbs(50) - Fat(10)

12:00p - 6oz Turkey/1scp whey + Sweetpotato + Veggies
Prot(60) - Carbs(75) - Fat(approx. 0)

2:30p - 6salmon/1scpwhey + B.Rice + Veg.
Prot(60) - Carbs(75) - Fat(10)

4:00p (Train)
BCAA's <5g>
L-Glutamine + peptide <5g>
CEE (Creatine Ethyl Ester) <5g>

5:30p PWO - Same supps as above + 1scp whey/1scp V60 (protein blend) + 1.5cups oats
Prot(50) - Carbs(75) - Fat(0)

8:00p PPWO - 6ozChicken or Turkey/1scp whey + med sweet potato + 1cup Veg
Prot(50) - Carbs(50) - Fat(0)

10:30p Shake - 2scps V60 + .5cup oats + Supps(same as meal1)
Prot(50) - Carbs(25) - Fat(0)

12:30a - 8oz Steak or Buffalo or Salmon + 2cups Veg + .5tbsn Flax.
Prot(50) - Carbs(5) - Fat(20)

~Total Macros~
Prot: 400-450g
Carbs: 350-400g
Fat: 50-60g
Total calories (approx) = 3400/4000 = OffDay/LiftDay

READY TO CUT?
Cutting Diet

9:00am – 8eggwhites + 1scp V60 (protein blend) + 1cup oats
Prot(50), Carbs(55), Fat(5)

11:30am – 8oz Lean Steak + ½ Yam + 1cup Veg
Prot(50), Carbs(35), Fat(5)

1:30pm – 8oz Chicken breast + 1cup oats
Prot(50), Carbs(60), Fat(5)

4:30pm – 6oz Lean Steak, chicken or Turkey + ½ Yam + 1 cup Veg
Prot(40), Carbs(35), Fat(5)

7:00pm – 12egg whites + 1cup oats + ½ cup fatfree cottage cheese (blended to make pancakes) Sugar free syrup and spray butter used for dressings.
Prot(60), Carbs(60), Fat(5)

10:00pm – 6oz Steak + 6oz Chicken + 1cup Veg
Prot(70), Carbs(5), Fat(10)

12:30am – 6-8oz Salmon + 1 ½ cup Veg
Prot(50), Carbs(5), Fat(10)

Total Macros
Prot - 375
Carb - 250
Fat – 45
Calories = approx 2900.

Adjust carbs as needed to play with calorie intake, normally I use 200carbs/day.

Good luck man, those should help.

[dmojo420]

Cutting Diet

9:00am – 8eggwhites + 1scp V60 (protein blend) + 1cup oats
Prot(50), Carbs(55), Fat(5)

11:30am – 8oz Lean Steak + ½ Yam + 1cup Veg
Prot(50), Carbs(35), Fat(5)

1:30pm – 8oz Chicken breast + 1cup oats
Prot(50), Carbs(60), Fat(5)

4:30pm – 6oz Lean Steak, chicken or Turkey + ½ Yam + 1 cup Veg
Prot(40), Carbs(35), Fat(5)

7:00pm – 12egg whites + 1cup oats + ½ cup fatfree cottage cheese (blended to make pancakes) Sugar free syrup and spray butter used for dressings.
Prot(60), Carbs(60), Fat(5)

10:00pm – 6oz Steak + 6oz Chicken + 1cup Veg
Prot(70), Carbs(5), Fat(10)

12:30am – 6-8oz Salmon + 1 ½ cup Veg
Prot(50), Carbs(5), Fat(10)

Total Macros
Prot - 375
Carb - 250
Fat – 45
Calories = approx 2900.
Ok my first question Is the fat already in the things im eating or am i supposed to add flax or something while cooking? Another thing is what about seasonings or dressings on meat can u use any or not? In the first meal if i substitute the v60 for whey will it make any difference? What type veggies should i eat or are ok? Would it matter on the last meal if i ate chicken steak or turkey instead of salmon? I guess 1/2 yam means just half of a yam and not 1/2 cup of yam? Srry for all the dumb questions! Brandon

[dmojo420]

Where would be the best time in there for me to work out and for me to do cardio?

[Zvonimir]

No, just follow along with what it says; with those meals you will get the proper amount of fat. Remember while cooking not to cook with oils, I either bake, stir-fry, or boil my meats then add table seasonings w/ salt and pepper. No condiments, with the exception of mustard. Substituting the whey will be fine. Veggies, like I said before the darker the green the better, my choices are usually green beans, and spinach. You could substitute the salmon out, but it’s a really good choice because its loaded with EFA’s., so if you do sub it out add a table of flax with the other lean meat. Yes, ½ yam, but that doesn’t mean find the biggest ham you can, be reasonable.

I do cardio 6 days a week in the A.M. on an empty stomach for 40-60 minutes at 70% THR. Follow the cardio up with a good stretch routine, gets the blood flowing and eliminates a lot of soreness. The workout is really up to you, but there are a few key factors. Always workout with at least 2 meals ahead of you in the day and at least 1 meal already eaten. Remember after the workout, within 10-15 minutes if not sooner, you need some PWO (post-workout) nutrition. My PWO comes in the form of a shake that consists of ½ cups dry oats, 2 scoops whey (40 protein), and 1 medium sized banana, all blended together in half bottle of water (cold). Makes for a GREAT tasting shake that’s pretty effective. Within 60-90 minutes of the PWO shake, get in a solid carb/prot meal.

Good luck man, hope this helps…. Also keep in mind this is all stuff that’s worked for me, everyone is different, but give it a shot.

[dmojo420]

Thx ALot Man! You have been extremely helpful! So i will add the shake after workout and still eat all the food or by adding the shake do i need to take out one of the meals? And as far as the banana in the shake is that ok? From what ive seen they say stay away from fruits during cutting. Thx again for all the help. Brandon

[Zvonimir]

No problem. Yes, I would pull meal three and replace it with the PWO shake(if you workout before this meal of course). Generally speaking when cutting I’d say no fruit. But most people put 100grams pure sugar with there PWO shake, and since I’m not a fan of that I just use a banana.

Keep in mind those calories/carbs are pretty high, so I’d say start with that diet and if after a week you don’t seem to be losing the right amount of weight which is approx 1.5 pounds a week, then I’d say cut out some of the carbs not drastically but pull some oats out somewhere.
Give it a try, if you work it right you could sustain if not gain lean tissue, and lose body fat.

Good luck

[dmojo420]

Thx Again! Im going to use the bodybuilding links u gave me and tweek it a lil bit to try to fit me as good as i can! I will repost as my own diet and let everyone see it and tell me if something needs changed.