+ 8 Progress so far
So this is my progress thus far into my cut. I'm about 5 weeks in now and starting weight was around 193 lbs and current weight is around 173 lbs. I started off with my macros at a 35/35/30 ratio so I started at 2000 cal and 220p/220c/60f. I've been tapering carbs down and am now at 1600 cal and 220p/100c/60f. So far so good lost lots of fat but then again I'm an ectomorph so that's not hard and considering my macros I think I'm retaining a good amount of muscle but there's always room for improvement. I've been doing intermittent fasting so I consume all my food in 2 meals plus a 50 G protein shake post workout. Cardio is only twice a week post workout right now and it's 15 min on the stair master.
Any pointers on how to improve my progress to get even leaner would be much appreciated. I'm not currently on gear and the only supplements I'm using are the whey isolate post workout and bcaas intra. Thanks guys!
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Supps look good, the bcaas are optional but if you like em run with it. I'd bump cals to 2500 then taper up to 3000. If you can keep that food super clean you shouldn't have the fat gain you talked about. I'd bulk for 2-3 years and see where you're at from there, if you're looking for a lean 210 lb final result. I've never put on a ton of fat binging on egg whites, oatmeal, chicken and broccoli, it's the dirty bulks that get ya.
Keep at it!
BobwarSorry to say that ..but ,bro,you eat like my GF,,even less..you don't need cardio for now.I agree with guys,you must choose the right way!
Trust me bro I'm not a fan of eating like this. I don't think any guy would be. It sucks but again I was trying to do a cut. I'm going to be upping my macros and reevaluating my plan for the following weeks to come. Also you have to remember I'm not running anything right now. I'm sure if I was on tren or something I would've been eating more from the jump but that's just not the case here.
Save the tren till you're up to 220-240 natty imo
Of course. Was just a reference.
5'11" 173? Why cutting? What's your ideal physique?
My goal is roughly 210 @ 10% bf however over time i've done some terrible cycles and eaten like shit which resulted in less than ideal gains in terms of quality muscle and body fat. I was about 193 when I started this cut so the overall goal right now is just tearing down the fat and then to gradually increase quality muscle over time while staying relatively lean. Obviously doing a bulk later on is going to increase body fat but it's a lot easier from what I've gathered based on what I've seen here to maintain a moderate bf% than to just get bulky and try to strip down the fat from 215-220 @ 25% body fat.
Oh I've had to dig myself out of a few self-dug holes before. Good work +
Can definitely see the difference but you are getting dangerously low on cals now. I would be surprised if you are not burning up a good chunk of muscle with them that low. Metabolic fatigue will be setting in soon if it hasn't already and then you are really going to be in a pickle trying to lose any more fat (and especially saving muscle). I am not a big fan of IF either. A day or two here or there maybe, but not continuous. I would rather see you carb cycling instead. Will be much better for your metabolism and you will preserve more muscle mass. I would rather keep cals higher but implement more cardio to compensate. Always felt it works better doing it that way. Helps protect your insulin sensitivity for a much longer period and saves muscle and burns fat more effeciently if you are in it for the long haul.
It's funny you mention the metabolic fatigue because I've been noticing everything slow down. I chose IF because from the research I had done and a few people that I know that had recommended it said it was great for helping preserve muscle however I think I've used about as much of it as I can at this point because over the last week even with lowering cals in the form of carbs I've seen progress come almost to a stop. I will definitely switch to carb cycling in an effort to preserve any muscle. What would you recommend. I plan to do another 3-5 weeks depending on progress. I know a 10 week cut might seem a little long since I'm not prepping for a show or anything however my logic is to get as lean as possible that way when I go to increase size again I can stay relatively lean using cyclic bulking like we had discussed a while back.
First thing I would do is get a couple of refeed days into you to help reboot your metabolism. Get back to your maintenance cals (whatever your TDEE is) for at least a few days to help reset everything and then get on carb cycling plan. I would start off on something like a three days low and 1 day high carb and then lengthen the low carb days in row (say 4 low 1 high) etc as you hit plateaus. You could also keep the same rotation but just add in more cardio as a you hit a plateau. Keep cals 500-750 below TDEE and don't go any lower.
Why cardio on twice a week
Macros are very low. Was going to increase protein and healthy fats potentially and do more.