Help Make this Cutting Diet Perfect....PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Dont sugar coat it!

Stats:

Height: 5'10.5"
Weight: 205 lbs
BF %: 12-13
Age: 21

Goals: 6-8% in less than 3 months

Alright, I decided based on various reasons that now is the time to start cutting. I want to cut slowly to ensure that I don't lose too much muscle. Here's my diet. I feel like this is what I should be eating maybe 2 weeks from now once I'm down 5 lbs or so. So maybe adding 300 cals in the form of carbs and fats somewhere might be in order not sure. Please feel free to make any changes and dont be afraid to rip into me if I have made some critical error lol.

Also what kind of changes should I make in a month given I'm down weight and BF? Lower carbs, just cals?

The macros go: Protein, carbs, fats, calories

Breakfast P C F Cals
1 scoop whey 24 3 1 120
1 cup egg whites eggs 12 2 0 60
1 cup 100% Oats 8 40 4 220
¼ cup berries 0 5 0 20

Totals 44 50 5 420

Meal2
1 cup 1% cottage cheese 30 16 2 200
8 melba toasts 6 34 2 160
(this is a convenience thing as I literally have 15 mins to eat while walking)

Totals 36 50 4 360

Lunch
1 can Tuna in Water 33 0 3 150
2 slices Ezekiel bread 8 28 1 160
Veggies

Totals 41 28 4 310

Preworkout
8 oz. Chicken breast 48 0 6 245
4 oz. sweet potato 2 32 0 136

Totals 50 32 6 381

Post Workout
2 Scoops Whey 48 6 2 240
40g complex carbs 0 40 0 160
(haven’t decided what’s best < maybe some help here)

Totals 48 46 2 400

Meal6
9 oz. Salmon 51 0 15 363
Veggies

B4 Bed8oz.
2 Tbsp Natural Peanut Butter 10 4 16 200
1 scoop Casein 24 7 1 130

Totals 34 11 17 330

Totals: 304 217 53 2564

Diet looks pretty good. Protein is kind of high and carbs a little low which to me is okay on a cutting diet. It doesn't seem like you're eating but a couple hundred cals below your maintenance which IMO is a good idea but I hope you're planning on alot of cardio for substantial weight loss.

I don't like meal 2 at all, surely you can come up with a lean protein source and a complex carb you can eat on the run - I often eat 8oz chicken breast cold straight out of a zip-loc bag.

The macros you posted for 1 cup egg whites are for 1/2 cup I think.

For PWO I really like waxy maize but oats or sweet potato would do just fine - whatever works for you.

As far as dropping cals once you lose some weight, I would only do that as a last resort. If weight loss stalls, try upping your cardio first, up to 2 intense sessions per day. If that still doesn't work, lower your carbs on your non-workout days. If you really want to maintain your current LBM, consistently dropping cals is not the way to do it as I feel that it just lowers your metabolism and destroys muscle mass. You want to eat as much as possible while still losing weight (letting your cardio create the deficit) if that makes sense

If you are wanting to get to 6% bodyfat it is almost a necessity you include some cardio in there. For the majority of people it will require quite a bit of it unless you are blessed with an incredible metabolism. I am guessing that isnt the case here being you are at 12-13% bodyfat already. Also, if you want to be 6% muscle loss if pretty much a foregone conclusion as well. Speaking of 6%, are you planning on competing or is this a random number? Thats leaner than many competitive bodybuilders on contest day.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by FireGuy

If you are wanting to get to 6% bodyfat it is almost a necessity you include some cardio in there. For the majority of people it will require quite a bit of it unless you are blessed with an incredible metabolism. I am guessing that isnt the case here being you are at 12-13% bodyfat already. Also, if you want to be 6% muscle loss if pretty much a foregone conclusion as well. Speaking of 6%, are you planning on competing or is this a random number? Thats leaner than many competitive bodybuilders on contest day.

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Oh dont worry I do MAD cardio...ball hockey 3 days a week, basketball 3 days a week, and 6 days a week of 30 mins after each workout. I think that should be sufficient to start. Correct me if I'm wrong. I'm aware that I am going to lose muscle, but I want to minimize losses. I could simply eat nothing and get skinny ripped but that defeats all the prior hard work! umm I plan on being in a fitness competition in the summer. I have no intention of competing in bodybuilding. 6-8% is my goal simply because I got to 8.7% last year and I just wanna do better. I like setting, achieving, and breaking goals. I am aware that getting too low is dangerous but i think 6-8% is a solid goal for me.
THANKS FOR THE HELP!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Sgt. Hartman

Diet looks pretty good. Protein is kind of high and carbs a little low which to me is okay on a cutting diet. It doesn't seem like you're eating but a couple hundred cals below your maintenance which IMO is a good idea but I hope you're planning on alot of cardio for substantial weight loss.

I don't like meal 2 at all, surely you can come up with a lean protein source and a complex carb you can eat on the run - I often eat 8oz chicken breast cold straight out of a zip-loc bag.

The macros you posted for 1 cup egg whites are for 1/2 cup I think.

For PWO I really like waxy maize but oats or sweet potato would do just fine - whatever works for you.

As far as dropping cals once you lose some weight, I would only do that as a last resort. If weight loss stalls, try upping your cardio first, up to 2 intense sessions per day. If that still doesn't work, lower your carbs on your non-workout days. If you really want to maintain your current LBM, consistently dropping cals is not the way to do it as I feel that it just lowers your metabolism and destroys muscle mass. You want to eat as much as possible while still losing weight (letting your cardio create the deficit) if that makes sense

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Thanks for the help man. OK I will definitely throw in that diabolical "zip-chicken" idea! lol. Ya right now I am losing weight while taking in around 3000 cals, but I am sure a lot of that is water.