need advice from experienced cutting guys

[PrairieDawg]

So I'll give you alittle background on my training. I've been stuck in a rut for the last 2 years, not making any progression. All I've been doing is maintaining. There's been so many crazy things going on in my life and advancing my career, working crazy hours, that I couldn't dedicate myself like I used to when I was a bachelor.

But things have settled down in the last few months and I started to break through my rut and plateaus. In the last 2 months I did a natural bulk, nixed all the bad habits I've picked up in the last two years and made gains comparable to my first cycle (seriously). I put on 18-20 lbs during my natural bulk and in most areas I'm stronger than I ever was. I wanted to keep going but summer is coming up and the problem with natural bulks is you gain some fat with it.

I've always had a low BF % naturally so I never do cardio. Always hated it and never really had a need to until now. When I was 20-23 I would just have to weight lift HARD and that was enough to keep it off. I figure with what I've put on during my rut and in the last 2 months I only need to lose about 8-9 lbs around the mid section until I can see that 8 pack again.

So my question is this. What's the best method of cutting without losing most of the muscle I just gained?? I tried AM cardio on an empty stomach in my earlier years during summer a couple times and it worked. But the thought of releasing muscle catabolism on what I just gained just to lose a few pounds scares me. Is there a longer road to my goal perhaps that would be safer? I was thinking about AM cardio after a meal replacement shake. Or running on my lunch break right before I eat.