Cutting at 1700 cals?

[unlamo14]

Hey guys,

I let myself get a little out of hand. Im currently sitting at around 230 pounds on a 6'1 frame. I am REALLLLLLLY sick of being this heavy and I am trying to work out a good cut diet. The hardest thing about it is that I have to work with cafeteria food at school. My basic diet looks like this:

Breakfast:
10 egg whites
bowl of oatmeal
1 cup cottage cheese

Lunch:
Turkey sandwhich on wheat (lettuce,tomato,onions, provolone, and mustard)
1 cup of 4% milkfat cottage cheese

Dinner:
Same as lunch

I plugged it into a calorie counter and it came to around 1700. I am not too concerned with losing muscle. I REALLY just want to be smaller at this point. I am just sick of being so damn massive.

Would this be ideal for a guy my size? Also what is your opinion on diet pop or black coffee on a cut?

Thanks in advance!

pics for reference:

[bigollie2006]

Some people are gonna say it is WAY to low. I have been cutting at 1800 calories since I was 245 and I have got stronger and have not noticed any muscle loss. If you are a higher BF% then you can get away with it. The leaner you get the closer you want to stay to maintenance to avoid muscle loss I think

[buckiaj]

I spent the majority of my weight loss time cutting around 1700-1900 calories.

Its fine, just don't go any lower.

[jdies]

I'm 6' was 217 now 199 and I been eating 1700 and it's been workin out great for me

[dethbee]

Hmm, 1700-1800 seem just fine and dandy. In terms of diet pop and coffee? Diet pop is awesome (I drink Coke Zero all the time) because sometimes water just gets blahhhhh.

Other awesome alternatives is artisan water, just because of the fizzy. Black coffee is EXCELLENT, works as a slight appetite suppresant. So is green tea, it has natural fat burners. Just make sure that you don't REPLACE your water intake with diet pop and coffee, and your should be just peachy.

[TheBattalion]

I'd suggest starting your cut with a higher calorie intake only so you can have some room to drop if things start getting slow. But it looks like others in your situation have done what you're doing and its been successful for them. In the end it's up to you.

[unlamo14]

thanks for the tips

[jasonv]

thanks for the tips

I think it's worth keeping a log that monitors:
* cal intake
* emotional levels
* commitment levels

I've done well anywhere between 1900 and 2200 calories per day, and have definitely seen good fat loss, but at the lower ends for too long my ability to stay motivated and energized is somewhat compromised. I've personally found that at my exercise level, a slightly higher intake corresponds to better gym performance and higher motivation to keep going.

I've seen my calories drop, and my fat loss drop, but then my emotional and motivational levels drop too.

Find your balance, and recording some basic daily details can help you identify your long-term sweet spot.

[CrossArmant]

I've lost about 45 lbs in the past year staying around 1500-1700 calories while progressively getting stronger. Your diet looks pretty good, but I'd get a little fiber in there. Seems like you're significantly lacking and a high fiber intake will help you're weight loss and sense of fullness. Also, other than like a slice of tomato and some lettuce, it seems like you're eating NO vegetables. 1700 cal is fine, but try switching up some of the stuff in there.

[Chuck2600]

Imo it's wayyy to low. I'm cutting on 3-3.3kcal a day and still on anywhere between a 500-1kcal a day deficit. That's just my 0.2

[LgFriess]

Play around with it a bit. I'd start around 2000 or so, see how that goes for a week or two then make appropriate changes. If you're too low, you'll be miserable and quit, too high and you won't get results. 1-3lbs/week is great and sustainable. Don't freak out if the scale doesn't cooperate over a week. The scale lies in the short term. And I assume you have read the stickies and have an idea about macros and what your calories should generally be made up of.

Diet pop/black coffee are fine IMO. I was afraid of the artificial sweeteners for awhile based off of what I had heard, did some research, and never found anything that convinced me it was harmful. Do your own research however, as there are arguments on both sides of this debate.

[bixbysnyder]

1700 calories a day might be a little low, but if you're a normal human being you'll have things now and then where you can't stick to that exact meal plan. I see no problem being a bit more restrictive on your average day to make up for the occasions.

Also, if you're only 17, you should probably just lift really hard and see what happens...

Side note: I don't know how you can really have "too much of a deficit" as long as you're getting enough protein and essential fats. I suppose in the long term it's not a great idea, but I mean, people have success with things like RFL/PSMF and come out of it ok...

Imo it's wayyy to low. I'm cutting on 3-3.3kcal a day and still on anywhere between a 500-1kcal a day deficit. That's just my 0.2

I can't see any reasonable calculation where you're eating 3.3 kcal a day and cutting 500-1000 when you're 6'2'' 220???

[StickiestIcky]

you should be fine, but dont hesitate to grab a snack if you get hungry. im going to get bitched at, but right now i go 1200cal days when i dont workout and around 1500-1800 when i do and i feel amazing.

[Chuck2600]

I can't see any reasonable calculation where you're eating 3.3 kcal a day and cutting 500-1000 when you're 6'2'' 220???

bmr: 2200 calories a day. +active job, + hour of cardio on non lifting days and 30 minutes on lifting days. And I'm 208ish now.

[bixbysnyder]

bmr: 2200 calories a day. +active job, + hour of cardio on non lifting days and 30 minutes on lifting days. And I'm 208ish now.

(The highest activity level I can plug into a calculator makes maintenance 3800, but) damn, I stand corrected. Must be nice.

[msm00b]

Would this be ideal for a guy my size?

There's not enough dietary fat imo. Replace the 10 egg whites with 4 whole eggs and your daily macros will be much more balanced.

[Chuck2600]

(The highest activity level I can plug into a calculator makes maintenance 3800, but) damn, I stand corrected. Must be nice.

Thoes calculators are off. There are plenty of people around my weight on this site that bulk on over 5kcal a day natty. You burn so much more then just your bmr, you can't forget to take into account how much you burn just through daily activities (showering, walking up the stairs, typing on the computer, eating, tef, ect) throw in an hour- 1.5hrs at the gym ( 500-700 calories depending on inesity) then half hour of intesne cardio 300-400 calories and it will add up pretty quick.

[Acesopro]

Seems extreme but if you don't care about muscle loss then go for it.

[tjwoody]

i always hate giving advice to someone that still may be growing, but def starts cals higher. heck id love to see ya a month at a solid 2500ish cals mode carbs, 60g+ fats and see where that takes u.

[unlamo14]

also, does anyone have any idea what BF % i might be?