First Time Cutting

[skyman]

Well after dropping a lot of weight last year, I finally hit a plateau with my weight/BF. For about 4 months now I've been stuck at 175 and 10%BF. Not that I've really tried to put on a lot of mass, I just thought that after a while the fat would come off. I figure it's time to start cutting to see if I can get that six pack. Not that summer has anyting to do with it. My goal is to get down to about 5% which means dropping about 10 pounds of fat.

My question is what is an acceptable rate for loosing it? 1 lb fat/week? I would think 2 lbs/week would be too fast.

Also just check me on this as far as the general rules go:

1) Keep lifting
2) Increase Cardio
3) Eat 6 times/day
4) 1-2g's protien/lb lean mass/day
5) protien should be 30-50% of diet, fat 10-20%
6) lots of water
7) No alcohol

Anything I missed?

[abarlament]

Total calories?

[skyman]

All right, it starts tomarrow!
Total Calories = 1600/day 40/40/20
Starting weight 180 lbs, bf ~11%

[Lady C]

Originally Posted by skyman

My goal is to get down to about 5% which means dropping about 10 pounds of fat.

This is not a realitic goal. It is INCREDIBLY hard to get below 8% and maintain a healthly lifestyle

Originally Posted by skyman

My question is what is an acceptable rate for loosing it? 1 lb fat/week? I would think 2 lbs/week would be too fast.

Good luck! The closer you are to ideal bodyfat levels (which differs with all people) you are lucky if you can lose 1-2 lbs per month.

Originally Posted by skyman

Also just check me on this as far as the general rules go:

#5 - Why 50% protein? I would not say that is a rule, more of a preference.

[skyman]

Well I took my measurements and I think I have ALOT of fat around the gut.

Upper 3mm
Midsection 18mm
Leg 6mm

I figured the only way to loose it around the gut was to seriously cut for 6-8 weeks. Maybe instead of watching total body fat, I should monitor my progress by my gut measurement. If I do that then what would be a good number to shoot for? 10mm losing 1mm/week?

[threenorns]

weekly goals aren't reasonable because your progress will fluctuate - like LadyC said, you don't lose body fat in a linear fashion when you're so close to what' ideal ***For your body***. that means, doesn't matter what YOU want, your body has its own BF levels it likes to maintain for optimal health and when you try to break down through them, it'll put up a fight to maintain.

let's say you set your goal of 1mm/wk - what happens if you don't lose anything for 2, 3, 4, 5 weeks? does that means you "failed"? you're at the point when weekly goals just aren't practical - not like those of us at the other end of the spectrum.

your best bet is to not set a goal at all other than losing it all and just bust your hump. in a month, redo your measurements. repeat as necessary.

[Firehawk]

I thnk a goal that shoudl be set is to eat perfectly every day. That's all you can do, and hope your body drops the weight.

I know some bodybuilders use supplements to help get the last bit out of their body.

[skyman]

I understand that things may not change for weeks, I just wanted to see if I could find a reasonable rate to shoot for. When I dropped the wieight the first time last fall, I saw how badly things can fluctuate with weight loss. I would go 8-10 days before seeing a large decrease in weight. But if you plotted the loss, I averaged about 2 lbs per week in the beginning and 1 lb per week near the end.

As far as eating has gone, I think I've done pretty well over the last few months, seeing that my BF% has stuck right around 10%.
Last October I was 163, now I'm 180.

[maverick]

Measure yourself once a week, same time, same conditions. Its been a good measure of progress for me.

[rookie]

i would eat three protein carb meals before 3pm and then 3 protein fat meals after three, i feel this keeps your body in an anabolic state all day, and this helped me get to 7 percent body fat(for a short time) i didnt stay their to long, its to hard to stay their.

[skyman]

I've been watching my calories closely and running alot. I have also split up my lunches and dinners into multple sittings. For example here's my schedule for yesterday

8:00 AM Morning 2/3 cup oatmeal + protien shake
10:00 AM Tuna Salad Sandwhich on whole wheat bread
1:00 PM Turkey Sandwhich on whole wheat bread
3:00 PM Turkey Sandwhich on whole wheat bread
Workout: 1 mile run, 1 hr weights
5:30 Lean Pocket Ultra
8:00 SmartPop Popcorn.

On top of splitting my meals, I have also been snacking on hardboiled eggs and cottage cheese through out the day. Also I have decided to give up my beer and whiskey for the next month......that may just do it all together.

[Lady C]

IMHO you need to get rid of the bread from two sandwiches and replace those carbs with veggies. Eating healty means lots of fresh fruit, veggies and variety to get the whole array of vitamins/minerals needed.

[skyman]

Originally Posted by Lady C

IMHO you need to get rid of the bread from two sandwiches and replace those carbs with veggies. Eating healty means lots of fresh fruit, veggies and variety to get the whole array of vitamins/minerals needed.

So what percentage of my carbs should come from fruits and veggies? 50%?

[Lady C]

Originally Posted by skyman

So what percentage of my carbs should come from fruits and veggies? 50%?

There is no rule or percentage, it will be whatever works for you and your body. Since you are cutting you will get quicker and better results eating more veggies and less breads - they are both complex carbs.

[copperman]

Just a suggestion, when I cut weight I take two multivitamis per day. 1. because all the water you drink, eventually 2 or 3 gallons in a day, flushes a lot of necessary vitamins out of your body. 2. because you are not eating what I would call healthy, you are eating to cut weight. I would'nt eat fruit if I were you, but do what you want. I would also cut out all carbs close to bed time, like within 3 hours. If you stick to it, 5% is a reasonable goal. Just remember that sometimes it can take a while to figure out exactly what your body responds to, so dont get discouraged. I also think it is important to have your cheat days. i will eat whatever I want on Sundays between noon and 3 pm.