Cutting while trying to build muscle?

[g_bains]

Hey guys, I know its not efficient, but is it possible to build muscles and cut at the same time? My arms are still rather small compared to the rest of my body and so I still want to build muscle. Although, I'm 6' and 180lbs and I have some belly fat I want to get rid of. My diet is definitely in check, but I want to see that belly fat go down rather quickly and I haven't really noticed much difference yet. What do you guys think is the best way to achieve that? Should I maybe go on a keto diet? Will I still be able to build muscle on this diet? If I decided to rather go on a cycle, what do you guys think would be the best AAS to help me achieve what I'm looking for? It would be my first cycle, but im just not sure if I want to go with that route yet...been doing a lot of research, but just don't know if I want to yet. Any help would be appreciated.

[Damienm05]

I don't care what anyone says, I know from personal experience that you can cut and still get bigger/stronger. However, a keto diet is unlikely to achieve this goal. Your best bet is a balanced diet wherein you're eating at your TDEE while doing cardio every day. All power meals should be pro/carb or pro/carb/fat but you should avoid carbs when not needed for energy, especially late in the day.

[g_bains]

ya I didn't think the keto diet would really work for me. If I decided to do it, I would likely lose most of the hard earned muscle I gained from the start of the year. I definitely have a good balanced diet now and avoid consuming carbs later on in the day, I just don't see the belly fat going down quite rapidly. Maybe I should just up the cardio. I'm thinking of taking a test cycle...if I do, should I maintain the same diet as I am now? or would I need to up it up a bit?

What my daily diet usually consists of:
meal 1: 2-3 whole eggs, 1/2 cup oats
meal 2: 2 cups vector cereal, 1/2 cup oats, broccoli, egg whites
meal 3:whole wheat wrap with brown rice, 4oz grilled chicken, lettuce
meal 3: (PWO) Whey protein shake + 1/2 cup oats
meal 4: sweet potato, half cup tuna, 2 fish oils
meal 5: 1/2 cup almonds, veggies, protein (usually large prawns)
meal 6: multivitamin, add protein + fat meal
meal 7: 2 tbsp PB + protein (usually chicken breast)

[Damienm05]

ya I didn't think the keto diet would really work for me. If I decided to do it, I would likely lose most of the hard earned muscle I gained from the start of the year. You wouldn't lose it all, I just don't think you'd keep gaining. Keto diets get the shaft with regard to that misconception. I've never seen someone wilt away because they're no longer eating carbs as long as the pro/fat numbers are dialed in right. I definitely have a good balanced diet now and avoid consuming carbs later on in the day, I just don't see the belly fat going down quite rapidly. I'll critique your diet and explain below why this is. Maybe I should just up the cardio. Yes, you should always do lots of cardio when dieting. Especially if you want to eat enough to gain. I'm thinking of taking a test cycle...if I do, should I maintain the same diet as I am now? or would I need to up it up a bit? Up what? You don't have any numbers dialed in - that would be a recipe for disaster.

What my daily diet usually consists of:
meal 1: 2-3 whole eggs, 1/2 cup oats Only 1 whole egg, 6-8 egg whites
meal 2: 2 cups vector cereal, 1/2 cup oats, broccoli, egg whites Drop the cereal. Again, do 6-8 whites and 1 whole egg. Egg whites are an incomplete protein without the yolk.
meal 3:whole wheat wrap with brown rice, 4oz grilled chicken, lettuce No need for a multiple carb sources. Also, the wheat wrap is a poor source. 1 cup of brown rice with your grilled chicken is more like it.
meal 3: (PWO) Whey protein shake + 1/2 cup oats
meal 4: sweet potato, half cup tuna, 2 fish oils
meal 5: 1/2 cup almonds, veggies, protein (usually large prawns) 1/2 cup is a lot of almonds. 1 oz. (22 kernels) is one serving and plenty of fat for one meal.
meal 6: multivitamin, add protein + fat meal Make sure not to go overboard with the fat. For example, 1 tbspn. of oil with a lean protein source would be plenty.
meal 7: 2 tbsp PB + protein (usually chicken breast) I'd do a scoop of casein instead with 2 tbspn. natural PB.

You're no longer losing body fat because you aren't tracking things closely enough. You need to know exactly how many grams of pro/carb/fat you're taking in every day and exactly how many calories. These figures should all be based on your TDEE. If you want to lose weight, eat according to my corrections with regard to food choices but you'll need your specific stats to figure out where your calories should be. It's very easy to over-eat on nuts and other tasty fat sources. They need to be measured and weighed, understanding that an extra serving or two will cancel out any chance of a caloric deficit for the day in a 7-meal diet. Please don't hesitate to ask any questions in figuring out your BMR and TDEE. Once you do, set cals slightly below and do an hour of cardio every day. You'll be lean in no time if you stick to it for a couple months.

[g_bains]

^^thanks a lot for the adjustment to my meal plan, I'll definitely take those up.. I'll get all my macros and cals updated as soon as my final exams are over. I really wish to leave the cereal in just because its convenient and tastes good, but then again it does have 11g of sugar...I guess I'll have to give it up. Here's its nutritional value:
http://www.kelloggs.ca/cgi-bin/klog-...bdd7d299a18981
Are there any cereals out there that are healthy?

[Damienm05]

http://www.amazon.com/Food-Life-Ezek.../dp/B000LKYX48

I eat that stuff all the time. Available at some grocer's and health food stores. or you could do the kashi cereal that's just puffed rice/oats/barley and other grains. It is 70 cals per serving and no sugar but not hearty/tasty or as good of a complex carb choice.

[gbrice75]

I did it, sort of. I dropped alot of fat and gained a LITTLE bit of muscle; if anything, my muscular 'shape' is much better, but I didn't put on much size at all.

You can do it, but I think if you have alot of BF to lose, my suggestion would be to focus on that first (but don't go CRAZY with low calories or you'll burn through muscle) and then adjust as you get closer to your goal weight. Again, you can do both but it will take alot longer, and your results will be less noticable. If you're impatient like me, try cutting first and then adjust as you go on.