Cutting is driving me nuts!

Hey,

I am finding cutting so hard iv been trying to do it for months on end and my weight has dropped by around a kilo and i see some but very little difference in my physique although my waist has dropped by a decent inch! The only thing i can think of is dropping cals...

Diet (roughly):

Meal 1
Xenadrine + water
WORKOUT - (1 serving of Whey Protein post workout)

Meal 2
Fruit

Meal 3
Cheese sandwich + pack of crisps + diet cola or Diet cola + Tuna pasta

Meal 4
2 Chicken breast + rice or bread of some sort

Meal 5
Small snack e.g nuts and milk

My workout is intense hitting all major body parts and i work out 3 times a week and on an empty stomach after my weights session i throw in about 20 mins on the bike for cardio, for some quick HIIT.

Totals - 1900-2000 cals, 80-100g fat, 200g Carbs, 120-150g protein

I weigh about 190lbs and im 6ft 1.... My aim is to lean out as much as possible say sub 12% BF and then the worlds slowest and cleanest bulk... i need suggestions, all i can do is drop cals maybe increase cardio? I mean i only do it twice a week....

Clean up your diet. No chips, no cheese sandwich, not so much bread. No soda.

well then ill be so hungry and i ill have SO little cals okay say i eat the tuna pasta and a diet cola scrap the chips and cheese sandwich then im down to about 1600 cals now scrap any wholemeal bread or pita and im down to 1400Cals im 6ft 1 and 190lbs my muscle would go so fast! although at the moment it feels like im on a clean bulk cos my strength is still increasing rrrrrrrrrrrrr!

I didn't say get rid of them, replace them with healthier foods.

I see no intake of water of vegetables. Use water and veggies to your advantage. They fill you and are almost calorie-less.

You can replace the cheese sandwich and crisps with healthier foods. Get some food into your body before working out. I don't know how you get the energy on an empty stomach.
What kind of fruit are you eating? I'd suggest bananas, avocados, or berries. Your protein intake is not nearly high enough. And don't forget your veggies!!

Edit: dang mark beat me to it

Lol, sorry.

why higher protein, justify it....

um vegies nah i didnt include them in there cos the meal with the chicken breasts has vegies in it normally! Fruit wise its banana or apple or 2 and i drink ALOT of water i just didnt mention it after meal 1 lol ill replace the chips with another piece of fruit! or some nuts... should i increase cardio? nah my workouts are fine without food? i cant tell a difference even though it means im running on food from the day before lol

Originally Posted by unj

why higher protein, justify it....

You should aim for about 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight. You weigh 190 lbs and consume 120-150grams of protein. I don't need to justify anything just trying to help. Take it or leave it.

Originally Posted by unj

why higher protein, justify it....

Higher protein is especially important on a cut because it helps you hold onto the muscle you worked so hard to gain. If your protein isn't high, your muscles are going to dwindle away on a cut. Also, protein requires more calories to digest than either fat or carbs, so keeping your protein higher as part of your total calories will allow you to burn more calories.

Originally Posted by unj

Hey,

I am finding cutting so hard iv been trying to do it for months on end and my weight has dropped by around a kilo and i see some but very little difference in my physique although my waist has dropped by a decent inch! The only thing i can think of is dropping cals...

I weigh about 190lbs and im 6ft 1.... My aim is to lean out as much as possible say sub 12% BF and then the worlds slowest and cleanest bulk... i need suggestions, all i can do is drop cals maybe increase cardio? I mean i only do it twice a week....

Could i ask a question? what is your BF% right now?

How long have you planned to sustain a getting ripped diet?

with thanks

dr mc wb

there is nothing wrong with diet soda, or cheese, or bread for that matter.

i would add some more vegys and a bit more meat, try to get rid of the snack type items.

Originally Posted by Stumprrp

there is nothing wrong with diet soda, or cheese, or bread for that matter.

i would add some more vegys and a bit more meat, try to get rid of the snack type items.

Hi Stumprrp, 18 years old, Member,

I guess it depends what you mean by "wrong" eh?

diet soda - or carbonated beverages do have studies associated with them that show that there are indeed problematic side effects especially in certain young populations when training. Also, a lot of soda has caffeine. While there are some studies that show caffiene being used as a booster of energy and as a very mild for diuretic, longer studies with football teams, for instance, have shown performance and attention are both improved when caffeine is reduced or eliminated.

Cheese is also a very high source of fat, so could be great for a limited bulking phase, but problematic as a regular feature of diet. So low fat cheeses may be a solution - again, fine if they're within your fat ratios for your diet. Most people eat too much of this kind of fat/protein and not enough high fiber carbs

bread likewise is a refined food. The entire glycemic index is based around 1 slice of white bread (being 100). As such, a lot of bread can give you fuel that you can't use and will get converted to fat. If it's also high in sugar and refined, the stuff you put in your mouth will start stealing the nutrients that have been refined out of it in order to break down that stuff into things that are digestable. Thus your nutrient intake is getting compromised.

so, while not innately evil, there are a lot better things you can do for your body and health that don't have the costs associated with them. A steady diet of them would be pretty problematic. As you note, up the veggies! Bodies are super resilient though - especially pre 25. In other words, if someone's eating this stuff and currently getting results, that may be in spite of what they're doing not because of it.

just food for thought,

best

dr mc wb

low fat cheeses taste like ****. There is no need to drop cheese from your diet, which is a healthy source of fats, protein, minerals if taken in moderate quantities.

The number one rule for staying safe dieting is no extreme changes.

Bread is a wonderful food, also. Homemade wheat bread is very healthy and tastes delicious warm out of the oven with butter!

Don't kick yourself too hard you may bruise your brain

Try ripping instead of cutting.

im on a shredding diet.

Originally Posted by mc wb

diet soda - or carbonated beverages do have studies associated with them that show that there are indeed problematic side effects especially in certain young populations when training.

is this an aspartame attack? Do we really need another aspartame myth crushing session again?

Originally Posted by mc wb

Hi Stumprrp, 18 years old, Member,

I guess it depends what you mean by "wrong" eh?

diet soda - or carbonated beverages do have studies associated with them that show that there are indeed problematic side effects especially in certain young populations when training. Also, a lot of soda has caffeine. While there are some studies that show caffiene being used as a booster of energy and as a very mild for diuretic, longer studies with football teams, for instance, have shown performance and attention are both improved when caffeine is reduced or eliminated.

Cheese is also a very high source of fat, so could be great for a limited bulking phase, but problematic as a regular feature of diet. So low fat cheeses may be a solution - again, fine if they're within your fat ratios for your diet. Most people eat too much of this kind of fat/protein and not enough high fiber carbs

bread likewise is a refined food. The entire glycemic index is based around 1 slice of white bread (being 100). As such, a lot of bread can give you fuel that you can't use and will get converted to fat. If it's also high in sugar and refined, the stuff you put in your mouth will start stealing the nutrients that have been refined out of it in order to break down that stuff into things that are digestable. Thus your nutrient intake is getting compromised.

so, while not innately evil, there are a lot better things you can do for your body and health that don't have the costs associated with them. A steady diet of them would be pretty problematic. As you note, up the veggies! Bodies are super resilient though - especially pre 25. In other words, if someone's eating this stuff and currently getting results, that may be in spite of what they're doing not because of it.

just food for thought,

best

dr mc wb

WTF? How do carbonated beverages hurt young people? Its just carbondioxide in water!!!

Originally Posted by BFGUITAR

WTF? How do carbonated beverages hurt young people? Its just carbondioxide in water!!!

I'd bet my life that the 'dr' posts here under a different name...

Originally Posted by BFGUITAR

WTF? How do carbonated beverages hurt young people? Its just carbondioxide in water!!!

Hi - i know it sounds odd. But there have been studies in young female athletes that have shown problems in bone fractures related to carbonated beverages.

You'll also find studies on the deleterious effects of carbonated drinks on performance. Other discussions talk about why these are NG with resistance training.

best
mc

Originally Posted by Holto

I'd bet my life that the 'dr' posts here under a different name...

don't kill yourself - no i'm new here. have i said something that's a problem?

best

mc
wb
phd

Originally Posted by samadhi_smiles

low fat cheeses taste like ****. There is no need to drop cheese from your diet, which is a healthy source of fats, protein, minerals if taken in moderate quantities.

The number one rule for staying safe dieting is no extreme changes.

Bread is a wonderful food, also. Homemade wheat bread is very healthy and tastes delicious warm out of the oven with butter!

Don't kick yourself too hard you may bruise your brain

yup homemade wheat bread is grand. with butter, great source of some kinds of fats. But WHEN and HOW OFTEN to have this stuff is the question, right?
i get the feeling you guys don't seem to want to hear approaches that may different than your current chosen practice, and maybe aren't hearing the whole of what's been said: for instance, no one has said that bread or cheese are evil, or should be done away with. But there's a balance, right? where do they fit into that balance? that's the point.

I'm also not sure what lower fat cheeses you've tried, but there are so many varieties there are great tastes available - not everyone is going to have the same fat needs and may enjoy cheese and not be able to tolerate the high fat without getting more fat than they need. This makes sense right? So alternatives are reasonable?

Not sure about the number one rule staying safe dieting is to avoid change. If your diet is unhealthy because it's incomplete, how does that "don't change" approach make sense? The biggest thing proposed here is to add some greens/ruffage into the diet to make sure all the fiber/nutrients are necessary for health are added to the diet.

So that's all. is that ok?

mc

Originally Posted by Holto

I'd bet my life that the 'dr' posts here under a different name...

I was thinking the same thing. By the way, "DR," aren't you 18? Guess we should call you Doogie Howser?

Doogie stole my Corolla.

nph wouldn't do that.

Originally Posted by mc wb

don't kill yourself - no i'm new here. have i said something that's a problem?

best

mc
wb
phd

LOL...

Welcome bro, I do object to your missing/dodging direct questions and pretending you're a dr, but other than that, welcome aboard.