Please help with first contest questions

[zuspann]

I have a few diet questions. Im about 18 weeks out now from my first show. I weighed a little over 180 at beginning of last week which was the first week of cleaning up my diet and cardio. Ive been doing about 25 minutes of jogging before breakfast. I weighed myself today and im already down 7 pounds. That seems like too much. Im about 12% bodyfat. I was eating a lot before i started my clean eating, somewhere around 4000 calories. Last week and this week ive been eating around 2500, which is probably too drastic. Could someone tell me when i need to drop some calories and carbs from my diet, and about how much? I also read about re-feeds. Is that just like a high carb day? Please help and give me some ideas of what i need to do.
thanks

[StandStrong]

Yes, you dropped calories too much, too soon. YOu could pick up the calories, OR you can drop the cardio until it is needed. I rely on the diet until about 3-4 weeks outs since cardio is catabolic...but thats just me
AND yea a re-feed is like a HIGH carb day

[AustrianOakJr]

If youre truly 12% BF and 18 weeks out, you dont need to lose a ton of weight up front......although a big loss is expected your first week as your body drops the water as glycogen is spent. I would scale it back though b/c too drastic of a drop will cause your metabolism to stall. Go 500-700 cals below maintenance and drop 1-2 lbs a week. This will bring you in plenty of time. You may wait on refeeds until you are at least a few weeks in (although if youve been running a true 1500 cals under maintenance for 2 weeks, it might not be a bad idea to refeed now). I would refeed once per week until you stall out and then move to two refeeds a week (which might never happen). A refeed consists of bringing your calories up to maintenance by adding carbs.

[zuspann]

At 4000+ calories i was eating my ass off. What do you suppose my maintenance level would be. Also i cut out alot of the milk and lowfat yogurt, should i keep some of that?

[RogerRanger]

yea, keep some of that or you'll loose too much too soon