Critique on a cutting diet?

[Freak17]

So, I'm planning my cutting diet in advance (I'm bulking at this moment). The only problem that I had with this bulk is huge consumption of food at the beg. since I felt like I was SO deprived on my previous diet. I gained a lot of weight already but I still want to stick to what I'm doing and learn from my mistake.. So anyways, in my coming cutting phase, I will try to add all that I LIKE (not just tuna and egg whites... Good lord!) to eat as far as they fit the calories and macros instead. I just wanted to know your opinion/if you also try to 'enjoy' your cut...


200 calories BREAKFAST. (Egg whites omlettes).
26 g protein, 24 g carbs, 3 g fat.


500 calories LUNCH/I will actually eat half of it before hitting the gym and the next half after the gym so you can think of it as an hour PRE/and an hour POST W.O (Whole grain Macroni and ft free cheeeeeeeeeeese!!) :-D And yes pasta pumps me up right away!!
34 g protein, 90 g carbs, 4 g fat.


200 calories IMMEDIATELY POST W.O (Whey protein shake).
40 g protein, 5 g carbs, 2 g fat.


200 calories DINNER. (Chicken breasts, brocoli and reduced sugar ketchup) lol I love ketchup in a disgusting way.
36 g protein, 18 g carbs, 3 g fat.


300 calories NIGHT SNACK. (Fitnutz peanut butter- http://fitnutzbutter.com/products.html , whole grain tortilla, and almond milk).
18 g protein, 24 g carbs, 21 g fats.


200 calories Casein protein shake before bed... Love that stuff!
40 g protein, 5 g carbs, 3 g fats.



Total calories: 1600 calories. (According to the calories/macro thread, I eat 1800 to maintain... I'd go 200-300 calories less because it seems to make sense to have a small deficit to preserve muscle).
Protein: 194 g.
carbs: 166 g.
fats: 46 g.



An thoughts/comments.. ? Boy, I pray I will like it cause I better stick to it lol. :-)

[MrB1g]

Would personally drop protein and increase dietary fat proportionately.

[Emma-Leigh]

Would personally drop protein and increase dietary fat proportionately.
^ this. 46g of fat = HUNGER all the time for me (additionally --> hardly any omega 3 fats either = not as good for health things)
You could also increase carbs. at 109# nearly 200g protein is overkill +++.

Also - how can you eat such small meals..? :o 200 cals? That would also cause me to chew my arm off....!

Personally - I would do 4 meals at the most - at least that way they can be sustaining and filling. Something like:
Pre workout/ breakfast
post workout
dinner
dessert

or, at the most:
small breakfast
pre workout/ breakfast
post workout
dinner
dessert


I would also drop the 'protein shake' around your workout and eat real food - much more satiating when on low calorie diets.

[Freak17]

True, I just checked the macros thread again and it turns out I need more fats and carbs so I'm lowering my protein intake. Maybe I should only take one scoop of protein shakes per time and add some carbs and fats instead.

Thanks guys!

[Freak17]

^ this. 46g of fat = HUNGER all the time for me (additionally --> hardly any omega 3 fats either = not as good for health things)
You could also increase carbs. at 109# nearly 200g protein is overkill +++.

Also - how can you eat such small meals..? :o 200 cals? That would also cause me to chew my arm off....!

Personally - I would do 4 meals at the most - at least that way they can be sustaining and filling. Something like:
Pre workout/ breakfast
post workout
dinner
dessert

or, at the most:
small breakfast
pre workout/ breakfast
post workout
dinner
dessert


I would also drop the 'protein shake' around your workout and eat real food - much more satiating when on low calorie diets.


Haha, I like smaller and more frequent meals when I'm dieting, it makes me feel like I'm eating a lot, which makes me feel like I'm less hungry lol.

And my dessert is caisen prortien shake. :-D

[kwebbers]

And my dessert is caisen prortien shake. :-D

^^ This!! Casein at night is my ultimate dessert smoothie!! 1 scoop strawberry banana casein + soy milk + 4 ice cubes = blended perfection

[Emma-Leigh]

And my dessert is caisen prortien shake. :-D


^^ This!! Casein at night is my ultimate dessert smoothie!! 1 scoop strawberry banana casein + soy milk + 4 ice cubes = blended perfection
:o.... My dessert is cereal... or pancakes... :p

[yes, serious]

[kwebbers]

MMM I personally just made my first batch of protein pancakes this morning and they were DELICIOUS :D Might have to make that a dessert as well!


:o.... My dessert is cereal... or pancakes... :p

[yes, serious]

[Simpster]

Haha, I like smaller and more frequent meals when I'm dieting, it makes me feel like I'm eating a lot, which makes me feel like I'm less hungry lol.

And my dessert is caisen prortien shake. :-D

I'm the exact opposite. I'd rather go a few less meals and have them be a bit bigger. If I get hungry, it's over. I'll ended up splurging.

[Ameinseto]

I'm the exact opposite. I'd rather go a few less meals and have them be a bit bigger. If I get hungry, it's over. I'll ended up splurging.

Ditto. I like to feel full less often rather than just 'not hungry' all through the day. It's not as big of a deal when I'm bulking, but it keeps me sane when eating at a deficit. As does the fat. Nothing like greek yogurt and string cheese to keep the munchies away. :)

[Freak17]

Casein is love! <3 It's like drinking melted chocolate cake... I like it thick and I only drink it when I'm cutting so it gives me some sort of excitement lol. :-)

You girls, I just tried making pancakes out of oatmeal and natural peanut butter (plus egg whites), it came out soo good I don't think I'll ever want regular pancakes again!

[Freak17]

And about meal size/frequency. Most people would like fewer and bigger meals, I guess I'm one of the 'odd' ones there.

[Ameinseto]

Casein is love! <3 It's like drinking melted chocolate cake... I like it thick and I only drink it when I'm cutting so it gives me some sort of excitement lol. :-)

You girls, I just tried making pancakes out of oatmeal and natural peanut butter (plus egg whites), it came out soo good I don't think I'll ever want regular pancakes again!

Really? Those sound like they have the potential to be super yummy. And maybe I should look in to getting some casein. I've never had it before, but I always hear good things.

[Freak17]

Really? Those sound like they have the potential to be super yummy. And maybe I should look in to getting some casein. I've never had it before, but I always hear good things.

A lot of people think it's sort of 'chalky' but that to me is more like 'ice-creamy' or 'cakey' lol. That's what I love most about it... If you like thick and rich stuff, then I think you should give it a try! ;-)

[ajangel25]

Really? Those sound like they have the potential to be super yummy. And maybe I should look in to getting some casein. I've never had it before, but I always hear good things.

I was in love with it for about 2 months..now it makes me want to puke!!

[kait123]

I was in love with it for about 2 months..now it makes me want to puke!!

I'm with you on that one. It started to taste like sand by the time I hit the bottom of the tub.

[gomezm13]

so i have a question for you, im about where your at bulking and now thinking its time to start cutting, did my calculater, and for maint it said like 2000...and then says for weight loss take off 500...ok heres the question i dont nec want to loose weight just fat and mostly concerned about maintaining all the muscle i built, so if i go to 1500 would i still be able to maintain muscle seems low just wanna make sure. im 5'2 and 114 now and right now my calories is well ridiculous and i also love it and also ehhh not so much love the cutting mostly because i love an over abundance of good food :)

[Freak17]

so i have a question for you, im about where your at bulking and now thinking its time to start cutting, did my calculater, and for maint it said like 2000...and then says for weight loss take off 500...ok heres the question i dont nec want to loose weight just fat and mostly concerned about maintaining all the muscle i built, so if i go to 1500 would i still be able to maintain muscle seems low just wanna make sure. im 5'2 and 114 now and right now my calories is well ridiculous and i also love it and also ehhh not so much love the cutting mostly because i love an over abundance of good food :)

I lot of people/websites would just simply suggest subtracting 500 calories or so. That typically works but it's not necessarily true for everybody. A better way to do this is to subtract 10-20% (Yes we're talking percentages here!) of your daily calorie intake and you should be on the right track. Losing muscle shouldn't really be a problem if you're eating within that calorie range and watch your macros. Also, keep up with weight training. (another key is maintain muscle)... Please, read this thread I should help you a lot:


http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=121703921



Good luck! :-)

[Freak17]

I'm with you on that one. It started to taste like sand by the time I hit the bottom of the tub.

Are you girls talking about Casein or oatmeal pancakes I'm a little lost here lol? I made those oatmeal pancakes for my dad and ended up eating them myself, I'm glad it finally convinced him to stay away from regular pancakes (he's diabetic).

[CottageChz]

Casein is love! <3 It's like drinking melted chocolate cake... I like it thick and I only drink it when I'm cutting so it gives me some sort of excitement lol. :-)

You girls, I just tried making pancakes out of oatmeal and natural peanut butter (plus egg whites), it came out soo good I don't think I'll ever want regular pancakes again!

What brand/flavor do you use?

Like April said, I was in love with mine for a while but now it's just sitting in my cabinet and I sort of cringe when I think about it. But I loved the consistency of it to make like pudding type snacks before bed.

[andrerox80]

i love casein. always bought ON and like it a lot - nice, thick shake - but i got cytosport on sale and am in love. it's banana, which isn't for everyone. when i bake w/ it, it makes dough stickier, but the flavor comes thru so much more than w/ most protein powders i've tried. but one thing i will say is that it does not not not mix well in oatmeal.

[ajangel25]

so i have a question for you, im about where your at bulking and now thinking its time to start cutting, did my calculater, and for maint it said like 2000...and then says for weight loss take off 500...ok heres the question i dont nec want to loose weight just fat and mostly concerned about maintaining all the muscle i built, so if i go to 1500 would i still be able to maintain muscle seems low just wanna make sure. im 5'2 and 114 now and right now my calories is well ridiculous and i also love it and also ehhh not so much love the cutting mostly because i love an over abundance of good food :)

At your height and weight you do not need to cut.. if you don't like the way you look now you have not built up enough muscle and need to keep bulking!

[ajangel25]

Are you girls talking about Casein or oatmeal pancakes I'm a little lost here lol? I made those oatmeal pancakes for my dad and ended up eating them myself, I'm glad it finally convinced him to stay away from regular pancakes (he's diabetic).

The casein. Ick!!

[gomezm13]

At your height and weight you do not need to cut.. if you don't like the way you look now you have not built up enough muscle and need to keep bulking!

really....i dont think so...when i started bulking i was at 108 and i dont mind the number...i have been bulking to add size to my arms and i could be wrong,but i have always assumed that my abs muscles were like any other muscle so i was trying to get them more defined.i have had definition in the top four for a long time,but just wanted to really realy get them amazing and i can see the next two good now so want to see if i can really get rid of the rest of my lower belly fat to see the bottem of the six (sorry i dont know the terminology i suck)...and i really like where they are and also my arms im little but from when i started my arms are amazing. dont get me wrong i want them bigger but i think i will really bulk up next winter...i just recently started increasing my calories..for the first two years i was cutting i had 4 kids with in like 5 years so had alot of weight to loose...so just about two months ago i decided to start increasing my calories...because well i was skinny but not where i wanted to be..and now i feel like if i keep bulking ill set myself back more from my goal of a six pack. but i know im still debating whether to continue to bulk or just start cutting my calories....im kind of torn...

[10fairywings]

And about meal size/frequency. Most people would like fewer and bigger meals, I guess I'm one of the 'odd' ones there.

You're not alone there, I can't eat big meals, I hate the feeling of beoing full, and if I don't eat every 3 hours or so I get starving, that's when I would need to eat whatever i can get my hands on and fast which isn't good. But then I'm a bit hypoglycemic so that's probably why. I have around 5 to 6 small meals a day. I love this thread it just shows how different we all are ;)

[kait123]

Are you girls talking about Casein or oatmeal pancakes I'm a little lost here lol? I made those oatmeal pancakes for my dad and ended up eating them myself, I'm glad it finally convinced him to stay away from regular pancakes (he's diabetic).

I was talking about casein. The only thing I can even STAND mixing it with now is cottage cheese. The curds kind of hide the sandy-taste. Bleh.
As for the pancakes...I always refuse to share mine, haha. That's probably the one food I don't think I'll ever give up. Yum. :)

[kait123]

really....i dont think so...when i started bulking i was at 108 and i dont mind the number...i have been bulking to add size to my arms and i could be wrong,but i have always assumed that my abs muscles were like any other muscle so i was trying to get them more defined.i have had definition in the top four for a long time,but just wanted to really realy get them amazing and i can see the next two good now so want to see if i can really get rid of the rest of my lower belly fat to see the bottem of the six (sorry i dont know the terminology i suck)...and i really like where they are and also my arms im little but from when i started my arms are amazing. dont get me wrong i want them bigger but i think i will really bulk up next winter...i just recently started increasing my calories..for the first two years i was cutting i had 4 kids with in like 5 years so had alot of weight to loose...so just about two months ago i decided to start increasing my calories...because well i was skinny but not where i wanted to be..and now i feel like if i keep bulking ill set myself back more from my goal of a six pack. but i know im still debating whether to continue to bulk or just start cutting my calories....im kind of torn...


It gets kind of difficult to gain muscle when you don't have any base. I wouldn't cut anymore, that's for darn sure. "Abs are made in the kitchen" is what I always tell myself. You're stomach totally comes down to diet, diet, diet. Not cut, cut, cut. I did a bit of a mini bulk a while back and I must say it was the best thing I ever did for myself. I have WAY more muscle definition than when I was skinnier and my abs look the best yet. If you do a clean bulk, you should feel ok, and have much better gains when lifting. It's well worth it.