starting first cut. would like some questions answered

[PoutineEh]

apologize for the long post, i did my best to try and organize it a little.

i have 1 month left of my first bulk (which has been going pretty well) and i want to start my first cut november 1st (about 3 months before spring break)
im shooting to loose somewhere between 10-20 lbs of fat

Looking to do cardio 3x a week. Probably do 15 mins of HIIT and then follow it with 20 minutes of moderate cardio. Probably lift 2x a week.
Whats best way to split up the different body parts to work? Is cable rows and bench one day, and then squats the other day enough to keep me from losing muscle (if I go to almost failure for every set)? is this enough to work all body parts or do i have to add a few exercises?
Whats the recommended reps/sets, or should I just continue what I do now which is low reps, high sets?

i read to find out total caloric intake for a cut is to do bodyweight * 12 = # cals. if i am doing cardio/lifting, do i increase the number of calories i eat by how much i would burn during cardio/lifting, or is it assumed a person on a cut is going to not just sit around and only watch what they eat so the total caloric intake factors in cardio/lifting to some degree?

should i still do a PWO shake with 60g of dextrose? Or should I keep it because the insulin spike is more important than the added calories and have this account towards my total caloric intake?

i also drink a muscle milk before bed. is this a good idea in order to keep me from losing muscle during a cut and just make sure i account for this for my total caloric intake?

Cafeteria here only serves 3 meals a day. Is it a good idea to each less at each meal and have a snack in between meals (ie a pb sandwich)?
What should I do about getting hungry after dinner? eat a snack seems like the obvious answer, but how much food counts as a snack etc?
I have been eating before I workout. Should I switch this and maybe have a small bowl of cereal before I workout (cardio or lifting) and then i would then get back to the cafeteria after my workout before the cafeteria closes and then I can load up on food. this a good idea?
should i have more calories in the morning at breakfast than dinner? can i eat alittle more in the morning since i will be eating right after a workout? not so much that it negates the workout, but since i will have a raised metabolism?

one last question. i know people here say glutamine doesnt really do anything, but i have spare glutamine from before, so when is it recommended for me to take it? i was thinking i would do one scoop after my workouts, and then possibly 1 scoop before bed. good idea?

i appreciate the help. i really do value the information i recieve from all the members and what has worked and what doesnt for them.

[Built]

Why only lifting twice a week for a cut?

Cottage cheese with raw nuts, or some natty PB, at bedtime always works for me, bulking or cutting.

Track your calories. It really doesn't matter when you eat most of them, as long as you don't go over for the day. The biggest problem is hunger control.

On a cut, I notice I'm hungriest at night, so that's when I do most of my eating. Figure out when your hungriest time is, and plan accordingly.

Since you train in the AM, get in most of your carbs then, and increase the fats as the day progresses. It'll help suppress appetite. Fish oil is extremely helpful in this regard.

Don't feed cardio unless it's HIIT. But for lifting, sure, cereal and milk could work. No sugar.

I have found it helpful to separate what diet, cardio, and lifting do in my head:

Diet: caloric deficit
Heavy lifting: convinces your body to hang onto muscle
Cardio: small caloric deficit, means you don't have to diet as hard.

As soon as I got away from thinking of exercise as a means of weight reduction, I finally got somewhere.

[PoutineEh]

great source of info you are built!
yea, i dont enjoy cardio as much as lifting, so i may do lifting to 3x and cardio 2x. so if i want to accomplish my goals of losing fat and keeping muscle, i just have to keep lifting and do some cardio and just eat less, correct?

[tigo]

maybe not so much eat less, just eat cleaner and make sure the calories arnt above the limit you set