cutting diet and really not feeling good :(

[summer883]

I'm training for a competition and my trainer put me on a 4 week cut before we start increasing cals and building. It's only been 6 days and I feel like crap ESPECIALLY after my workouts. My workouts are hard and heavy that last 1 hr-1 and a half hrs. I'm supposed to do cardio 4-5 times a week 30-45 min. (I did 5x, so today I didn't do it)

My diet is 1100-1400 calories. 60-90g carbs. 115-130g protein. 40-70g fat.

This is basically what I've been eating:


7:30 - 1 egg, 4 whites, 1/2 cup oatmeal, 2 cups coffee

10:00 (preworkout) - 1 scoop whey with water

11-11:30 (postworkout) - 1 scoop whey, 1 scoop waxy maize

1:30 - 4 whites or 2oz chicken, 1/2 cup oatmeal, 1/8 c almonds

4:30 - 1 scoop whey

7:00 - 2oz chicken, 1/2 cup broccoli

9:00 - casein, 1/4 c almonds


Comes out to about 1250 cals, 90g carbs, 130g pro, 40g fat



I feel shaky, dizzy at times, low energy, sore. It's making me second guess my desire to compete :/ Will this go away??

[Miranda]

ask your trainer about the whats and whys if you have any concerns. you are a paying client.

[BalhamBeast]

You're feeling crap because your body is transitioning from being a carb burner to a fat burner. Once you become a fat burner you'll have a lot more energy but the transition is always unpleasant. Stick with it - it'll get better!

[summer883]

You're feeling crap because your body is transitioning from being a carb burner to a fat burner. Once you become a fat burner you'll have a lot more energy but the transition is always unpleasant. Stick with it - it'll get better!

thanks for the help. it's been 4 1/2 hrs since i finished my workout and i still feel like crap. i thought it would go away by now even after an hr nap, but it hasn't! maybe i really am getting sick hmmm hopefully not!!

i was eating 115-120g of carbs and am now eating 90g... i didn't think the carb thing would affect me!!! every other day i've been fine.. maybe a little more tired than usual, but today is the worst :/

I did ask my trainer, but he didn't answer me yet.. I didn't ask him in person today because I was fine until I got in my car to leave! I thought it was just because I had a hard workout and then I noticed I still felt it driving home.

[wannabefit69]

Ive put myself on a low carb like only morning-lunch and lean protein and veggies..and i was tired in the beginning but now im more wide awake i workout alot p90x and added cardio im getting stage ready for just under a year...so i know how you feel or atleast i used to..i function better on low carb...

[megdaig]

Ask if you can eat more REAL food...there should be no reason why you need 3 whey shakes on such low calories. That alone may help you out.

[Miranda]

You're feeling crap because your body is transitioning from being a carb burner to a fat burner.

lol.

[srb04e]

You shouldn't feel like crap immediately.... You shouldn't feel bad until you last few weeks before a show... Talk to your trainer about how your feeling and they should revise your diet

[catskills]

Well, diets like that aren't for everyone. I guess if you don't have time to get there using the slow and steady approach then that diet will work. I am assuming that that diet works for your personal trainer and that is why she put you on it.

Will your feelings go away? most likely. However just be aware that you might get a backlash effect when coming off that diet. Ie. there is a possibility you might scarf down a bunch of carbs, anything you can get your hands on, after coming off of it. Make sure you get some strategies from your trainer in case that happens.

[coconuttree2009]

If you are not prepping for a show, who on earth would you do such a harsh cut with such low calories and low carbs and heavy training plus lots of cardio? It's insanity. A lot of girls don't even do that before competition.
Talk to your trainer. If he does not listen to you, change the trainer. No need to feel faint and suffer.

[happyplace]

You probably feel like crap because you are eating below your BMR and on top of that, burning off a ton of calories through exercise. I would not be surprised if your net calories are around 800. Sounds like a great recipe for muscle loss and burnout to me :/ Have you figured out your tdee? Because so long as you are eating less than that, you are going to be losing weight. It's not necessary to kill yourself with a super harsh diet to lose weight. I can cut on 2000 cals working out less than half as much as you do and I am smaller than you...

[Ava30]

Ask if you can eat more REAL food...there should be no reason why you need 3 whey shakes on such low calories. That alone may help you out.

^^^This

Real food makes you feel much better.
Good luck

[rebeckyt]

Ask if you can eat more REAL food...there should be no reason why you need 3 whey shakes on such low calories. That alone may help you out.

This

[summer883]

Thanks everyone for the advice.. I'm feeling much better. I think it was due to the heavy leg day + low blood sugar.

He wanted me to do this 4 week aggressive cut to lower my bodyfat to see where I am at, so we can start building.

[megdaig]

Thanks everyone for the advice.. I'm feeling much better. I think it was due to the heavy leg day + low blood sugar.

He wanted me to do this 4 week aggressive cut to lower my bodyfat to see where I am at, so we can start building.

Aggressive is okay, that's pretty much what a lot of competition diets are, but it doesn't have to suck. My personal experience is that drinking shakes does nothing to sate me, I'm ravenous immediately after, low fats make me ornery, and of course, low carbs = low energy. The goal should be to figure out your triggers and adjust to make it as good as possible. Clearly what you're doing isn't working so adjust.

You said you are feeling much better. What changed?

[kimm4]

Thanks everyone for the advice.. I'm feeling much better. I think it was due to the heavy leg day + low blood sugar.

He wanted me to do this 4 week aggressive cut to lower my bodyfat to see where I am at, so we can start building.

Going that aggressive in a deficit and throwing in the cardio taxes into what little energy you have. The 4 week cut doesn't make any sense to me. I don't care how aggressive a deficit is, it's not enough time to cut a decent amount of fat to see any real changes.

Good to hear you're feeling better.

[summer883]

Aggressive is okay, that's pretty much what a lot of competition diets are, but it doesn't have to suck. My personal experience is that drinking shakes does nothing to sate me, I'm ravenous immediately after, low fats make me ornery, and of course, low carbs = low energy. The goal should be to figure out your triggers and adjust to make it as good as possible. Clearly what you're doing isn't working so adjust.

You said you are feeling much better. What changed?

Well I had some banana on the day I wasn't feeling good... by night time I was fine. I also have upped my fats to keep me full and it's helping.

Going that aggressive in a deficit and throwing in the cardio taxes into what little energy you have. The 4 week cut doesn't make any sense to me. I don't care how aggressive a deficit is, it's not enough time to cut a decent amount of fat to see any real changes.

Good to hear you're feeling better.

I don't know..My trainer has won 1st place for a few competitions and was 2011 Mr. New Jersey. I really wanna think he knows what he's talking about. I am seeing a few changes, but it has only been a week.

[kimm4]

I don't know..My trainer has won 1st place for a few competitions and was 2011 Mr. New Jersey. I really wanna think he knows what he's talking about. I am seeing a few changes, but it has only been a week.

That's all wonderful, but you won't see any major changes in 4 weeks time. I don't care if you have the best trainer on the planet...

You posted your thread, you got honest feedback.

[summer883]

That's all wonderful, but you won't see any major changes in 4 weeks time. I don't care if you have the best trainer on the planet...

You posted your thread, you got honest feedback.

I completely understand what you're saying that 4 weeks isn't enough time. I don't think he's expecting to see too much change. I think it's just a plan to lower my bf as much as possible before we start building, so I won't have to lose as much before I do my show. He said 4-6 weeks and we will see from there. I should've mentioned I have been doing this for the last 3 months and have lost about 9-10 lbs already. I have just recently been on this aggressive cut.

I had this problem with another trainer and asked her why I had to lower my bodyfat % first and she thought I was doubting her abilities as a trainer. (One of my previous threads)..

I am apparently not having any luck with this. :P

[megdaig]

I completely understand what you're saying that 4 weeks isn't enough time. I don't think he's expecting to see too much change. I think it's just a plan to lower my bf as much as possible before we start building, so I won't have to lose as much before I do my show. He said 4-6 weeks and we will see from there. I should've mentioned I have been doing this for the last 3 months and have lost about 9-10 lbs already. I have just recently been on this aggressive cut.

I had this problem with another trainer and asked her why I had to lower my bodyfat % first and she thought I was doubting her abilities as a trainer. (One of my previous threads)..

I am apparently not having any luck with this. :P

Do you mean that you're having any doubts with the new trainer? Hopefully not a thread misdirection here.

A good coach would explain their position and not take offense to inquiry (that's my thought on the subject anyway). But, sometimes seeing what's underneath can help you/them develop your/their priority for the offseason. Hopefully this four weeks will get you there so you can begin building asap. Bulking/building is nice if you can handle the bloating/watery look/pudge/etc.

[summer883]

Do you mean that you're having any doubts with the new trainer? Hopefully not a thread misdirection here.

A good coach would explain their position and not take offense to inquiry (that's my thought on the subject anyway). But, sometimes seeing what's underneath can help you/them develop your/their priority for the offseason. Hopefully this four weeks will get you there so you can begin building asap. Bulking/building is nice if you can handle the bloating/watery look/pudge/etc.

No I had a different coach I worked with this past July-September. I was training for bikini and decided to switch to figure and found out she just wasn't right for me. I am not looking forward to the bloating/pudge/etc, but I realize it's the only way for me to build muscle The good thing is my boyfriend is my biggest supporter, so I'm ready and very excited to do this I was thinking build from December-May or June and cut May or June-September! I realize it takes years to build a good physique for competition, but I want to do this by next August-September and then build some more after that and keep going

[happyplace]

First you say you're doing this to see what muscle you have.

Then you say 4 weeks isn't long enough to see much change.

Something does not add up here...besides if you want to know how much muscle you have as a base, getting a body fat test is a lot less hassle than 4 weeks super intense cut. Sounds like your PT would like a new transformation pic for his website Seriously though, getting lean is hard work but it does not need to make you feel like cr@p, if it is then maybe your trainer is being over ambitious and needs to realise that not everyone has fitness for a job, and some people have to deal with a family/kids/day job and THEN balance their fitness/food life around that. YOU are paying HIM. That means if you don't like how things are going, you should raise it with him, and you have every right to go elsewhere. Personally I would never ever use a PT who gave out instructions to eat below my BMR, because that defies all sense and rational thought.

[summer883]

First you say you're doing this to see what muscle you have.

Then you say 4 weeks isn't long enough to see much change.

Something does not add up here...besides if you want to know how much muscle you have as a base, getting a body fat test is a lot less hassle than 4 weeks super intense cut. Sounds like your PT would like a new transformation pic for his website Seriously though, getting lean is hard work but it does not need to make you feel like cr@p, if it is then maybe your trainer is being over ambitious and needs to realise that not everyone has fitness for a job, and some people have to deal with a family/kids/day job and THEN balance their fitness/food life around that. YOU are paying HIM. That means if you don't like how things are going, you should raise it with him, and you have every right to go elsewhere. Personally I would never ever use a PT who gave out instructions to eat below my BMR, because that defies all sense and rational thought.

I thought my BMR was 1350

[happyplace]

I thought my BMR was 1350

Which means yr average intake of 1250 is below your bmr. Unless my maths really sucks.

[summer883]

Which means yr average intake of 1250 is below your bmr. Unless my maths really sucks.

oops, you're right :/