Losing some weight very fast during my cut - Am I doing it right?

[namechange2]

Hey all,

I'm roughly 5'7"/5'8", 169 lbs (at the start of my cut, last sunday) and at maybe 20-23%ish bodyfat. I started my cut last Sunday and I have gone from 169.4 to 165.2 in 6 days. I am fairly active during the day - 2 hour football practice, lifting 3 or 4 times a week, walking around in school, etc. I'm trying to reach around 155 lbs, the lightest I'll have been since about 4th grade.

My maintenance calories (according to the NEAT thing) during a week day is calculated at about ~2,870 or more. For the past six days I've been eating at about upwards of 1,800 to 2,200.. So that is about a 600-1k cal deficit.

As for my macros, I've been trying hard to get them but it's damn tough with the calorie deficits. I get about 180-200 grams of protein a day, 250g+ carbs (I've been trying to eat more carbs because I need them for athletics - but should I keep them lower?), and roughly 70-80g of fat per day. To be honest, my lifts have been pretty consistent although I can feel less energy which is normal. I feel pretty vascular too...obviously not ripped but legitimately my bi's/tri's look a little more defined.

So here are my questions - is my weight loss from water or burning fat/muscle? and am I burning too much that it might interfere with my strength gains (although I'm aware that cutting = less strength)? Finally - am I at too big of a deficit? I am damn hungry when I go to bed and throughout practice but I am disciplined enough because I want to reach my goal, so it's mind over matter.


Thanks for reading, I really do appreciate it! - thoughtful answers will receive reps.

[namechange2]

bump.

[solairis]

Hey all,

I'm roughly 5'7"/5'8", 169 lbs (at the start of my cut, last sunday) and at maybe 20-23%ish bodyfat. I started my cut last Sunday and I have gone from 169.4 to 165.2 in 6 days. I am fairly active during the day - 2 hour football practice, lifting 3 or 4 times a week, walking around in school, etc. I'm trying to reach around 155 lbs, the lightest I'll have been since about 4th grade.

My maintenance calories (according to the NEAT thing) during a week day is calculated at about ~2,870 or more. For the past six days I've been eating at about upwards of 1,800 to 2,200.. So that is about a 600-1k cal deficit.

As for my macros, I've been trying hard to get them but it's damn tough with the calorie deficits. I get about 180-200 grams of protein a day, 250g+ carbs (I've been trying to eat more carbs because I need them for athletics - but should I keep them lower?), and roughly 70-80g of fat per day. To be honest, my lifts have been pretty consistent although I can feel less energy which is normal. I feel pretty vascular too...obviously not ripped but legitimately my bi's/tri's look a little more defined.

So here are my questions - is my weight loss from water or burning fat/muscle? and am I burning too much that it might interfere with my strength gains (although I'm aware that cutting = less strength)? Finally - am I at too big of a deficit? I am damn hungry when I go to bed and throughout practice but I am disciplined enough because I want to reach my goal, so it's mind over matter.


Thanks for reading, I really do appreciate it! - thoughtful answers will receive reps.

If you're eating 1800-2200 cals and 180/200g of protein a day you're probably fine. If your lifts start to get less then you may want to reassess. Your physical activity level seems quite high so you probably just lost a lot of water weight. I *highly* doubt you've lost any muscle. You may have lost a pound or two of fat. I'd wager that it's a lot of water weight, though. I'm usually a good 5lbs lighter the morning after I run 10+ miles, so I could see the same for you doing football for 2 hours.

Losing muscle mass on a cut is pretty overstated. Don't worry about it unless you notice yourself getting smaller or your lifts getting worse. If your protein intake is as high as you say it is I think you have nothing to worry about.

Regarding your deficit, only you can really tell. Online calorie calculators aren't that great. They're a good starting point. I have to cut at 1700-1900 calories as a 6'4 200lb guy. There are some women that cut at more. It just depends. Tweak it around until you find your personal sweet spot and then record a picture of yourself, your calories, and your weight for future reference.