I'd like to get cut. Help?

[yodawgsup]

Hey everyone, this is my first post on the forum. I'm hopeful of getting valuable advice from you guys.

Basically, I want to get toned up and get some shape for my body. Currently I weigh 163.5 pounds and I'm 5'10.5" tall. According to multiple websites, my weight is ideal for someone of my height, but I still have a nasty gut that bothers me greatly. I used to be quite overweight (almost 240 pounds), and I've managed to lose a ton of weight and have gotten some shape over time, but obviously haven't achieved my goal. I don't want to get ripped or anything; just some shape would be nice.

So, do you think it's best for me to do cardio to burn off the weight or concentrate on lifting? I'm satisfied with my weight, so I don't know if cardio is best for someone with my goals. What kind of dietary changes should I make? I think I eat pretty healthy now. Should I eliminate most carbs?

I've attached a couple pictures. I'd appreciate any advice. Thanks.

[Andalite]

It’s about time we had a decent full length post on cutting…

Let’s get a few things straight…
1. All of the insights I’m about to provide are not person-specific. What that means is that it is a general guideline, not a bible.
2. I truly do believe that bodybuilding is 80% diet. You can lift your ass off daily, and still look horrible if you aren’t eating right.
3. You are what you eat. It’s just that simple.

The BASICS-
1.Postworkout Nutrition- I’m a firm believer that PWO nutrition is hands down the most important aspect of dieting. It is within the 15 minutes after a workout that your body is in dire need of nutrients. It is a completely anabolic state, and what you take in can be optimized to ensure maximum results. A general rule of thumb is 40-60 grams whey protein, and double the amount of whey in carbohydrates (50% dextrose/50% maltodextrin).

2. Carbs- You are **** right, carbs. In a strict cutting diet the majority of your carbs should come in the form of PWO nutrition, and the remainder in breakfast. Fibrous veggies are a staple, but keep in mind that they don’t count towards intake, as they have negligible impacts on blood sugar levels. (Exceptions: Carrots, Peas) All high glycemic carbs outside of PWO should be avoided. The best sources of low GI carbs can be found in oatmeal and brown rice, as well as yams.

3. Protein- You need tons. 1.5-2.0 grams per pound of lean bodyweight is a good general rule of thumb. You should take in a good portion of your protein in the source of real meals, avoid intaking too many shakes, as real food comes to a better benefit. The list foods with high protein bioavailability is extensive, and I will only cover a few, (Egg whites, Lean steak, Chicken breast, the list goes on forever….).

4. Fats- Guess what? You need fat to lose fat. We are talking about the granddaddy of fats, the EFA (Essential Fatty Acid). Good sources of fat are ( Flax Oil, Nuts, Salmon, Olive Oil).

5. The separation of Carbs and Fats- This is a hotly debated issue, but again, in my opinion, an important aspect nonetheless. Remember that it is often when you eat items and with what you eat them that is more important than what you are eating. A mouthful, I know, but stay with me. Remember that when you take in certain carbs, you can spike your insulin levels. If you are taking in fats when your insulin has been spiked, you are allowing the basic laws of physiology to act out, and you allow for a higher propensity for fat storage. Separation is key. The sample diet will give a good example of how to separate them.




6. Supplements-

Glutamine: Helps prevent catabolism when cutting. Best used in dosages of 10grams daily, 5 grams before cardio, 5 grams at another interval, but not after workout as it fights for absorption with the glutamine peptides in whey.
ALA/R-ALA- Gets my supplement of the day award. R-ALA is effective in lowering the spike of insulin when certain carbs are consumed. I could give you a dissertation on the stereoentisomeric properties of the R, but all you need to know is that it has been found to shuttle carbohydrates away from adipose and into myocytes. Translation: Away from fat cells, into muscle cells. It’s a supplement, however, not a miracle worker. It’s not a crutch, and won’t do anything about fat intake. ALA and R-ALA can also aid in the expedition of the ketogenic state. Remember that if you buy R-ALA that you supplement it with Biotin. Glucorell-R is prepackaged with it. If you can afford it, go for it. As far as dosage, with the R, you are looking at 1-2 pills of Glucorell R for each 30-40grams of carb intake.
Protein and Carb Shakes: I’m not going to cover protein, because even if you can’t afford it, you should sell a kidney to get some. Carb drinks are rather convenient, and companies offer pre mixed dosages, Dextrose and Maltodextrin can be bought from most supplement stores or online.

www.******************

7. Cheating- Cheating is essential. Why? Remember, the body runs on homeostasis, it likes to keep balance. After eating so well after a week, your body begins to adjust, and fat loss over time will not be as rapid. The other extremely important aspect is mental sanity. So many diets crash and fail because people don’t give themselves a chance to breath. Remember, cheating is not an opportunity for you to pillage the entire mall food court. Shoot for a cheat meal, not an all out binge. A fast food value meal can be 2,000 calories. Eat that 3 times on one day, and you’ve consumed 6,000 calories. And that’s not good in any case.

8. Cardio- Cardio and cutting usually go hand in hand. I won't go into specifics about length, other than cardio shouldn't be excessive. 20 to 30 minutes daily should be sufficient, and should be performed on an empty stomach.



Sample Diet:
Note: This is a sample diet for a 200 pound gentleman who is wishing to cut. We can assume his BF to be around 15%. This diet will NOT work for you if those criteria don’t apply to you; however it is easy to customize the below diet to take in account your own statistics. It is the principles that are applicable.. I am not going to post the total amount of calories, only the carb, protein and fat macros for the whole day.


Meal 1:
Lean Protein, 1/2 cup oatmeal

Meal 2:
Protein shake/Lean Protein (2 tbsp flax

Meal 3:
Veggies, Lean Protein

Workout

Meal 4:
PWO Nutrition

Meal 5:
Veggies, Lean Protein, 1/2 cup rice or oatmeal.

Meal 6:
Shake with Flax

That turns into approximately 300 grams protein, 130 grams Carbs, and 50 grams of fat.

*Reminder: This is a PRIMER. It’s not mean to be comprehensive.





Here comes the fun part: Question and Answer….

Q: What about dairy?
A: If you don’t mind a soft look, fat free cottage cheese is an excellent caseinate source, but as for milks- way too much sugar. NO.


Q: What about cycling carb intake?
A: Obviously on non workout days you will be without a shake, so you will be auto-cycling. It works well that way.

Q: Is sodium an issue?
A: Outside of the bloating issue, or if you have high cholesterol, no.

Q. How do I make my meals not taste like cardboard?
A. Be creative. Mix in some sugar free jam or splenda in your oats, some hot sauce or soy sauce on your meats, or pick up some sugar free ketchup.

Q. I don’t like old fashioned oats. Can I eat the pre mixed oats with fruit?
A. No. Be a man. Those mixes have ridiculous amounts of sugar.

Q. What about fruit?
A: Fruit replenishes glycogen stores in the liver, and in my opinion, is not to be a staple of a strict cutting diet, with a few exceptions.

Q: Can I eat steak while cutting?
A: Definitely. Make sure it’s a leaner cut.

And with this post I take a sabbatical. I’d like to thank thank all of you who may have indirectly annoyed me enough to result in this elongated post. Best of luck, and remember…

“Obsessed is a word that lazy people use for dedicated.”

source: http://www.bodybuilding.net/nutritio...-cut-1160.html

hope this helps

[PePe T. Pirate]

That also might not be fat on your stomach that you can burn off. That could be loose skin from when your were 240.

[yodawgsup]

source: http://www.bodybuilding.net/nutritio...-cut-1160.html

hope this helps

Thanks for the link.

I'm going to go and buy chicken breasts, brown rice, eggs, and oatmeal tomorrow. Is chicken broth used to cook the rice/chicken bad for you?

How necessary are whey protein and other supplements for cutting? I'm a broke college student. I have no idea how much that stuff costs but my gut tells me I wouldn't be able to afford it.

Also, I had no idea milk was bad for someone with my goals. I have cereal regularly.

[yodawgsup]

That also might not be fat on your stomach that you can burn off. That could be loose skin from when your were 240.

Bummer. Is there a way to get rid of it in case it's loose skin?

[Andalite]

Thanks for the link.

I'm going to go and buy chicken breasts, brown rice, eggs, and oatmeal tomorrow. Is chicken broth used to cook the rice/chicken bad for you?

How necessary are whey protein and other supplements for cutting? I'm a broke college student. I have no idea how much that stuff costs but my gut tells me I wouldn't be able to afford it.

Also, I had no idea milk was bad for someone with my goals. I have cereal regularly.

ok you dont need to take any supps as such...

i did some research and this is what i've found out...

1.) follow a clean diet as mentioned in my last post and you have very little to worry about..

2.) although cutting / bulking is independent of workout routines, i've dug up an awesome workout followed by the wizards on the HST board who use this routine while cutting so as to minimize muscle loss..

here is the program:

I'm doing this 6x a week.

HST training culled from the Vicious Pimp My HST eBook.

weeks 1-2
Squats
OHP
Lat Pulldowns (chin grip)
Bench Press
DL

15 reps for 1 set, M-Sa, starting weights will be around 55% of my 5rm, +/-5% or so.

weeks 3-4
Squats
OHP
Chinups
Bench
DL
incline laterals
incline curls

15 reps done cluster style, the italic exercises are stretch point exercises.

weeks 5-8
Squats
OHP
Chinups
Bench
DL
incline laterals
incline curls

15 reps, might drop down the reps when the weights start to get really heavy and I have to start doing negatives, which hopefully happens once I progress past my 5rm. For weights progression, I will increment every other day (so, two days at the same weight), and faster if I've found I have gotten that much stronger towards the end of the cycle. Which I hope I have, especially on the bench because it's been... years since I've benched for real.

i hope this helped and if you need any help, feel free to pm me...

[Iron Pounder]

good work andalite.....

[ckrumm24]

I think the loose skin is reallyy a myth, could be wrong but im pretty sure you wouldnt have loose skin unless maybe you were like 500lbs cuz then your skin would take forever to reshape to the body or it wouldnt totaly at all..just my opinion i dotn know the real answer

[yodawgsup]

ok you dont need to take any supps as such...

i did some research and this is what i've found out...

1.) follow a clean diet as mentioned in my last post and you have very little to worry about..

2.) although cutting / bulking is independent of workout routines, i've dug up an awesome workout followed by the wizards on the HST board who use this routine while cutting so as to minimize muscle loss..

here is the program:



i hope this helped and if you need any help, feel free to pm me...

Thanks so much bro. I don't have any questions at the moment but I definitely won't hesitate to PM you if I do.

I'm excited. I haven't felt this way since I decided I didn't want to be fat anymore a few years ago.

[yodawgsup]

I think the loose skin is reallyy a myth, could be wrong but im pretty sure you wouldnt have loose skin unless maybe you were like 500lbs cuz then your skin would take forever to reshape to the body or it wouldnt totaly at all..just my opinion i dotn know the real answer

I don't know much at all about bodybuilding, but what you're saying makes sense to me.

Anyone else have any thoughts/comments/advice?

[PuShinWeiGhT23]

Great Job on losing the weight....I think you should just try to gain quality muscle now. So I suggest start hitting the weights and you can also do Cardio to burn your fat.

[Andalite]

Great Job on losing the weight....I think you should just try to gain quality muscle now. So I suggest start hitting the weights and you can also do Cardio to burn your fat.

cardio is a good idea, however, i dont think that ppl who do the HST program (cutting program) add cardio because they train 6x a week....