Clarification Needed on the best way to cut

[KitRii]

Hey guys,

I have been working out quite a while and I have always had trouble cutting down.
I know there are tons of threads specifically on this topic but I wanted to reach out to this community to have a conversation on how you cut and what the best approach is in your opinion since there are so many ways because what has worked so far seems to no longer work.

I had an online trainer for 3 months that worked out really well and I was in the best shape Ive been in but his approach was very different from what I have done and its kind of thrown me off.
Since I ended my training with him(for financial reasons/moved and am unemployed for now) I have gained back weight and I have been trying to get on track and not getting the same results.
I started at around 187lbs and in 3 months dropped to 157lbs so typically 2.5lbs a week give or take.
This cut had me eating way more food than I ever have. It was so much food I had to stay up late just to get it all down.
__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ ____________
The training portion was
-5 days Lifting
-2 Lifting days had 30 mins of steady rate cardio
-2 days HIIT cardio on Non lifting days(rhythm of 10 mins steady rate, 7 cycles of 30 seconds max effort/90 seconds walking, ending with 10 mins steady rate)
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Diet portion was
-5 days low carb
-2 days high carb(not on cardio days)
__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ ____________
My diet had 5 meals a day and was a typical generic bland diet of

Low Carb(Higher Calorie)
-Breakfast - Multi grain Bread, 3 Hard boiled eggs, Whey and BCAAs
-Next 3 meals were 560g rice, 390g of chicken and 5 almonds(Split over 3 meals with the bulk pre and post workout)
-Last meal was 100g Rice, 130g Beef and 5 Almonds

High Carb(Lower Calorie)
-Breakfast 1/2 cup Oats, 1.25 scoops whey protein, 1 TBSP Peanut Butter
-Next 3 meals were 650g Rice, 330g Chicken, 5 Almonds
-Last Meal was 150g Rice 110g Beef
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These numbers increased as I lost weight and ended up around
- 960g Rice, 420g Chicken, 140g Beef 40 almonds, 3 Eggs and 4 pieces of Multi-grain bread on Low Carb days
- 1300g Rice, 360g Chicken, 120g beef, 20 Almonds 1 cup oats, 1.25 scoops whey protein, 1 TBSB of PB
__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ ____________

So as you can see as I lost weight I ate significantly more and would continue to lose more and more weight while gaining obvious muscle.

I moved to another state and had to go on unemployment so I couldn't continue to pay for a trainer and my diet became less of a priority.
I built my gym back up in the basement and continued my lifting/cardio program.
My weight has gone back up to about 187 but I have retained some of the muscle I had built.
I attempted to follow the exact same diet weighed to the gram with every single aspect of it remaining the same as it was before and I lost about 4lbs and then nothing seems to budge at all for almost 2 months of strict dieting and exercise. The only difference is I am no longer working.

__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ ____________

Sorry for the long post but I figured some back story might help, here are my main questions.

1. Is there a specific type of cut that fits the description I wrote above with increased caloric intake as weight drops?(Seems like Metabolic manipulation, The use of resistant starches and carb cycling)

2. What is the best approach to get back on track? Should I go to the more basic approach of using the Mifflin St. Jeor Calculation and eat significantly less(around 1751-2251 cals a day)?


Im already aware of High Glycemic and low glycemic foods and the best time to eat them for building muscle and to assist in fat loss. I also know a decent amount about quality foods and pretty aware of vitamin, mineral,phytonutrients and supplement use.

In short Im not really sure where I am going wrong.

Thanks in advance for any help. I know this was a fairly long post so thanks for reading it and trying to help out.

[gbullock32]

Just eat at a calorie deficit, all that other crap just complicates it while providing either no or minimal benefit.

NUTRITION

This is the largest factor in your success, learn the basics to get started and then move into more advanced if needed.

BASICS

Spoiler!

Calculate calorie needs: First get your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate), then multiply by an activity factor to get your TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure).

BMR= 370 + (21.6 x LBM (Lean Body Mass), Where LBM = [Total Weight (KG) x (100 - Body Fat %)] /100

Next take that number and use an activity factor to get TDEE (more active, use a higher number and lower number for less active) but remember this accounts for all activity and not just exercise (busy job/active life, choose a higher value)-
1.2- Sedentary (desk job and little exercise/activity)
1.3-1.4- Lightly Active Light daily activity, light exercise 1-3 times per week)
1.5-1.6- Moderately Active (Moderately active, moderate exercise 3-5 times per week)
1.7-1.8- Very Active (Physically demanding lifestyle, hard exercise 5-7 times per week)
1.9-2.2- Extremely Active (Endurance athlete, very hard physical job)

Now that you have the TDEE, get your macro-nutrient needs (fat, protein, and carb needs). Fat has 9 calories per gram, and protein/carbs have 4 calories per gram, alcohol is 7 calories per gram count it as a carb when fitting it into your macros).

Protein- .8 grams per pound
Fat- .4 grams per pound

Meet those MINIMUMS and then fill out remaining calories as you want with carbs, or more protein and fat, or any combination. Remember to track properly too, use a food scale (measuring cups can be very inaccurate due to density); track everything, each little bit adds up (sauces can be quite calorie dense).

Next decide your goal and eat at a 10-20% caloric deficit or surplus, deficit to lose weight and surplus to gain. For gaining go for ~.5-1 pound per week and when losing aim for 1-2 pounds per week. Reach your macro needs with mostly whole foods and a wide variety to ensure enough vitamins and mineral, but remember to practice common sense and moderation- enjoy life.

Sources and More Information

Spoiler!

Nutrition-
Calculating Calories
Pre, During, and Postworkout Nutrition
How To Ask For Diet Critique
Discretionary Calorie Allowance
Macro/Micro Nutrients Explained
Why 'Clean Eating' Is a Myth
Clean Eating Myth 2
Insulin and Fat Loss
Insulin and Fat Loss 2

Protein-
Protein Needs
Protein Needs 2
Protein Timing

Fat-
Fat Needs
Fat and Testosterone

Meal Timing-
Meal Timing 1
Meal Timing 2

Micro-Nutrient Guide-
Micro-Nutrient Guide

[KitRii]

Ok so you think I should ditch my current approach that my last trainer set up completely and reduce my food intake drastically.

Thanks for the reply I appreciate it. Reps given.
the only issue I have is I am not sure what my bodyfat is and most methods other than Bone Density scans are extremely inaccurate and most people under or overestimate. How can I get my LBM if I cant get an accurate body fat %?


Anyone else have any tips, information or ideas about the cut I listed or my future cut?

[gbullock32]

Ok so you think I should ditch my current approach that my last trainer set up completely and reduce my food intake drastically.

Thanks for the reply I appreciate it. Reps given.
the only issue I have is I am not sure what my bodyfat is and most methods other than Bone Density scans are extremely inaccurate and most people under or overestimate. How can I get my LBM if I cant get an accurate body fat %?


Anyone else have any tips, information or ideas about the cut I listed or my future cut?

Unless obese/very overweight you can just use total body weight for calculating macros and you will be fine.

[ironwill2008]

Ok so you think I should ditch my current approach that my last trainer set up completely and reduce my food intake drastically.

Thanks for the reply I appreciate it. Reps given.
the only issue I have is I am not sure what my bodyfat is and most methods other than Bone Density scans are extremely inaccurate and most people under or overestimate. How can I get my LBM if I cant get an accurate body fat %?


Anyone else have any tips, information or ideas about the cut I listed or my future cut?

You're going to over-complicate yourself right out of the picture, OP. Dropping body fat is a simple process that depends on little more than having the discipline to stick to a specific calorie amount and a good, basic weight training program.





Eat enough to see about a 1-pound drop in your body weight each week. Eat a gram of protein per pound of body weight, and a half-gram of fat per pound of body weight. The remainder of your daily calories can come from carbs, more protein, more fat, or some combination of the three that you like. Don't neglect fruit and veg. Continue to weight train on mostly compound lifts, working hard for progression.


Just about everything else is fluff, and won't make any difference in outcome if you just stick to the above.

[xxYoungexx]

Op...
I'm on a very similar diet where i'm eating more each time I get my skin folds done and seem to be loosing weight.

forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=171082181&p=1457157823#post145715 7823

The point I'm trying to make is if it worked in the past take what you have learned and adapt it. I made the mistake of reading into it too much. You have paid for professional advice, use it.