Cutting advice

[tarmyg]

Hi guys,

I need some help in shedding this last bit of fat. The goal here is a photo shoot and not a stage, so being utterly shredded would be to my disadvantage, as you would see in a competition. I have been where I am now many times. Not sure if these pictures make my physique justice or not, but it is what it is.

Regardless, my fat is still going down, so I am not sure I am just showing some insecurity here in trusting my process, but feedback is generally a good thing, at least when it can create an action.

I am on enough AAS to kill a horse because I am so nervous about losing any muscle during this process. I am not taking any dietary supplements, i.e., T3, Clen, up until this point.

I am on a keto diet because my experience has shown me that it works best for me.

I am eating 2,400kcal/day split into:
F: 80%
P: 15%
C: 5%

Not sure exactly what I am asking for here, but if someone has ideas that would make this more efficient or better from now on, I am all ears.

Thank you,
~t

[Gallowmere]

If I’m mathing this right, 15% of 2400 kcals=360, so ~90g of protein.
I’d address that first and foremost, by increasing it at LEAST 50% over where you are (~135).
That level of fat intake is absurd for anyone who doesn’t have a neurological medical condition, which is what the original LCKDs were intended to be used in. As such, you have an easy place to strip from.

[tarmyg]

If I’m mathing this right, 15% of 2400 kcals=360, so ~90g of protein.
I’d address that first and foremost, by increasing it at LEAST 50% over where you are (~135).
That level of fat intake is absurd for anyone who doesn’t have a neurological medical condition, which is what the original LCKDs were intended to be used in. As such, you have an easy place to strip from.

How are you thinking this would help my goal in this case? More energy use for burning protein?

[Gallowmere]

How are you thinking this would help my goal in this case? More energy use for burning protein?

Remember this: gluconeogensis is a demand driven process. As such, if you don’t have circulating amino acids to be used in this process, the body is going to strip from your only available storage (muscle tissue and organs) to make it happen. Since your goal is preservation of lean tissue, fat is doing pretty much fuck all for you on this front.
Also, I have to imagine that eating ~226g of fat with everything else being that low is pretty miserable and disgusting.

[tarmyg]

Remember this: gluconeogensis is a demand driven process. As such, if you don’t have circulating amino acids to be used in this process, the body is going to strip from your only available storage (muscle tissue and organs) to make it happen. Since your goal is preservation of lean tissue, fat is doing pretty much fuck all for you on this front.
Also, I have to imagine that eating ~226g of fat with everything else being that low is pretty miserable and disgusting.

Your advice is solid as always. Going to change that for one week and report back. In regards to fat, if you love whipped cream it's pretty easy :-)

[Gallowmere]

Your advice is solid as always. Going to change that for one week and report back. In regards to fat, if you love whipped cream it's pretty easy :-)

Fair enough, I suppose.
I’ve just found this weird “up the fat” thing that’s been kicking around the past few years to be really weird from both a logical and biological perspective.
There’s literally nothing that it does that another macronutrient doesn’t do better, when it comes to performance and physique based outcomes.
Protein is more protein sparing.
Carbohydrate is better for muscular anabolism on nearly every front.
Protein requires a three step process to he stored as triglyceride (it pretty much never happens).
Carbohydrate requires two, and only happens when either majorly overfeeding calories from them, or while restricting fat intake heavily (>20g/day range).
Fat requires no extra steps to be stored as triglyceride, and even in the face of a deficit, has a lower TEF value, while also potentially contributing to problematic blood lipid levels.

[tarmyg]

Fair enough, I suppose.
I’ve just found this weird “up the fat” thing that’s been kicking around the past few years to be really weird from both a logical and biological perspective.
There’s literally nothing that it does that another macronutrient doesn’t do better, when it comes to performance and physique based outcomes.
Protein is more protein sparing.
Carbohydrate is better for muscular anabolism on nearly every front.
Protein requires a three step process to he stored as triglyceride (it pretty much never happens).
Carbohydrate requires two, and only happens when either majorly overfeeding calories from them, or while restricting fat intake heavily (>20g/day range).
Fat requires no extra steps to be stored as triglyceride, and even in the face of a deficit, has a lower TEF value, while also potentially contributing to problematic blood lipid levels.

I do realize there is no actual benefit to cutting using a low-carb diet and whatnot but it does make me feel better. I can best describe it as "I feel less hungry" but that is the best I can get to. I have zero evidence beyond "how it makes me feel". There was a new interesting study around the subject I just read today, not had a chance to fully digest it yet but staying on a Keto diet long-term (beyond treating epilepsy) seems less than healthy. REF: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41392-020-00411-4

[Gallowmere]

I do realize there is no actual benefit to cutting using a low-carb diet and whatnot but it does make me feel better. I can best describe it as "I feel less hungry" but that is the best I can get to. I have zero evidence beyond "how it makes me feel". There was a new interesting study around the subject I just read today, not had a chance to fully digest it yet but staying on a Keto diet long-term (beyond treating epilepsy) seems less than healthy. REF: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41392-020-00411-4

Want to feel even less hungry? Use the cutting protocol that I do. 2g/lbs. LBM protein, all from the leanest protein sources available, and just enough w-3 pufas to cover actual biological need. After that, it’s just multivitamins and electrolytes.
My macros come out to ~360 protein, 0g carbohydrate, and ~6g fat per day, when using completely defatted chicken breast and fish oil.
So roughly 1500 kcals/day, all from the most protein sparing and metabolically demanding macronutrient, and I still don’t even start getting hungry until the end of the 12 day run. Generally knocks about 8-10 lbs. off of me in the 14 day run, post refeed.

Also, I’m not serious. Don’t do the stupid shit that I do without reading up on the protocol first (Rapid Fat Loss Protocol).