Need help cutting

[duckduckgooch]

I have never successfully cut, admittedly ive never put the neccessary effort in either. I'm about 5'11" 190lbs. Ive been lifting pretty heavy about 1.5 years. I've built up the muscle now I just need to cut to get rid of that fat in little places. If i had to guess i think I'm about 17-19% BF. What do I need to do to cut to about 12% BF and how long will it take? My diet is not terrible but far from perfect. I eat a ton of chicken breast and Tuna.

Any suggestions are helpful!

[duckduckgooch]

Also read an article on BB.com and estimated my BMR + TEE as about 2700 cal.

[dmacdonal9]

Articles on the main site are to be taken with a grain of salt mate, the info you want is in here in the stickies (although 2700 doesn't sound unreasonable). Here's a quick start guide:


1. Get rid of your misconceptions
2. Calculate your calories and macros
3. Eat about 20% less calories than you burn each day while still meeting minimum protein and fat. Get the remainder of cals from carbs.
4. Buy a kitchen scale and weigh everything that goes in your pie hole.
5. Count calories using a site like MyFitnessPal. Here's how to count properly.
6. If nothing happens after 3 weeks, reexamine calculations, and eat less.

If you've been lifting for awhile, keep doing what you're doing. The only modification you may want to make is a slight reduction in volume if/when recovery becomes impaired at your current volume.

[Getriporshiton]

Can i asked why you say protein and fat? Why not protein and carbs?

[Haveboards]

Can i asked why you say protein and fat? Why not protein and carbs?

There are no specific requirements for carbs. Carbs are not an essential nutrient.

Not that you shouldnt eat them. Far from it. They are the body's preferred source of fuel. That's why people recommend hitting your protein and fat requirements then filling in the rest with carbs.

I always go as high carb as possible to get the best from my workouts. The one exception is at low bf % when I go higher protein to preserve LBM.

Many ways to skin a cat.