Quasi-keto diet... need your help!!!

[gbrice75]

I'll be starting a month long PCT in 2 weeks. Once i'm a month or so out of PCT, I want to get on a cut diet. I have tried to hit 10% BF in the past but have failed. Well, i'm sick of failing and I really need to do it this time. I'll give you my basic idea and would like any and all feedback, positive or negative. If you disagree with anything, tell me why. Give me the science behind it. I cannot afford to lose LBM, so I am not willing to cut at that price. I need to strip fat and fat only. Here's the plan (in the making):

34 years old
5'11
200lbs @ 15%-17% BF
TDEE - between 2500-2700 Very low activity multiplier - my ONLY activity all day long is the gym. Sitting at a desk the rest of the day

The basic plan is to start at 2200 calories which is a 500 calorie deficit from the high end of my TDEE. I will only be eating carbs for my 1st 2 meals of the day which also happen to be my pre/post workout meals. I'd like to keep daily carbs under 100g/day - so i'm thinking 1/2 cup oats (about 25g carbs) pre and another 1/2 cup post. That will put me at 50g. Throw in fiberous veggies, random carbs here and there from protein shakes, etc. I'd also like to add 1/2 banana and 1/4 cup of blueberries to my preworkout oats. The rest of my day would be pure protein/fat meals. The breakdown at 2200 calories would look something like:

220g protein (880 calories), 100g carbs (400 calories), 100g fat (920 calories).

Every 2 weeks, I will increase total daily calories by 100. Protein will stay the same, carbs and fats will be a 50/50 split. The point of increasing calories over a longer period of time is to try and boost my metabolism without adding bodyfat, but rather stripping it. I'd ultimately like to be eating around 3000 calories/day - at this rate, i'll be there in roughly 4 months. Once i'm down to 10%, i'd like to try adding mass again but hopefully this time bodyfat will stay better in check.

I don't want to do an actual keto diet - i've run a CKD before and didn't like it, had no energy in the gym, etc. - that's why i'm at the very least doing pre/post workout carbs. Also, on weekends I plan to eat a much more 'normal' 40/40/20 type diet to help replenish glycogen, etc. I am doing this in lieu of a big carb refeed day, as I tend to turn those into full on cheat days.

Let me know what you think. If this is a ridiculous idea, tell me that but tell me why. If the general consensus is that it's a decent plan that should work for me, i'll post up the actual diet for critique. Thanks guys!

[Damienm05]

You know how I feel about this plan. Everyone is different and it seems ideal for you.

[gbrice75]

You know how I feel about this plan. Everyone is different and it seems ideal for you.

I do - I know we discussed it a bit via PMs, but it was sort of just scattered ideas; I figured it'd be a good idea to get it all down a little more systematically. Now that it's all laid out, what do you think? Anything at all you'd change?

[Damienm05]

Just trial and error at this point. Ideally, carbs would be higher than fats, so see how you respond in the first 6 weeks and consider adding back your 100 cals via low GI carbs from that point forward. Also, I know it's easier said than done because I'm a cardio junkie but I'd do lots of it!

[gbrice75]

Shameless bump! C'mon guys, I try and help as many people as possible here, show me some love back!!!

[D7M]

Doesn't sound like a terrible plan to me.

Only thing I would change is to start with your cals high, using cardio to create a caloric deficiency, and slowly lower cals as needed.

What's your cardio like now?

[gbrice75]

Doesn't sound like a terrible plan to me.

Only thing I would change is to start with your cals high, using cardio to create a caloric deficiency, and slowly lower cals as needed.

What's your cardio like now?

Thanks D7, always good to get feedback from a vet. Sorry, I should have mentioned cardio.

Currently it's 4x a week (5x when I can get there), usually 30 mins of low-med intensity with HR around 130-145bpm. Almost exclusivley the stairmaster (real one with the revolving steps) for 15 mins and treadmill (brisk walk at 4.0 with incline at 8.0) for another 15.

Based on my assumed TDEE, how much higher would you recommend bringing up the starting calories?

[D7M]

30min of cardio a day? that's it?

Trust me, if you're diets down, you won't loose a ton of LBM doing more cardio.

I would start upping the cardio to 45min-1hour a day, every day.

[gbrice75]

30min of cardio a day? that's it?

Trust me, if you're diets down, you won't loose a ton of LBM doing more cardio.

I would start upping the cardio to 45min-1hour a day, every day.

Yea, 30 mins is it. Unfortunately, that's all I get fit in my morning session as I have to leave for work. Now, if I can get my workout done quicker and more efficiently (which i'm working on), I can definitely get another 15 minutes tacked on. I'm considering a pm session but it really doesn't work well with my daily schedule...

Truth be told, I HATE cardio, with a passion. I know that I need to man up and just do it.

[Failure]

Not to derail the thread but I have a quick question. When you bump up the cardio for longer periods of time, do you also bump up calories to compensate? Is doing 30 mins with the current diet vs 60 mins with +300 calories a day more beneficial?

[Damienm05]

Not to derail the thread but I have a quick question. When you bump up the cardio for longer periods of time, do you also bump up calories to compensate? Is doing 30 mins with the current diet vs 60 mins with +300 calories a day more beneficial?

It's always better to burn calories than starve them off. Giving your body more nutrients for recovery and such in the first place.