Need advise with cutting

[BigTallandLost]

6’4 here, currently down to 225-228 throughout the day from 248-249.

ChAnged what I eat from soda to all water, no more snacks and other bad things, replaced with protein and chicken breast and lots of vegetables.

Curious how I take the next step now. Not sure if I should be stopping how much I eat or doing this another way. I’d like to get to 215-220 if I can and stop there. Weekends are worse for me but a typical day is like this

7:15-745. - Breakfast - 2 scrambled eggs, 2 turkey sausage links, steel cut oatmeal with banana

10 - protein bar and a boost (30 G protein)

11 - apple with peanut butter (dip it in)

12-12:30 - lunch is usually chicken breast, brocolli and some mashed sweet potatoes or rice

2 - another protein bar or something to substitute

5 dinner - similar to lunch

7:30-8 - protein shake with the works.

Again I’m confused if I’m doing ok with this due to not gaining or losing, but obviously to lose I’d have to change something. Not sure if it’s what I’m eating or the amount.

Any help would be appreciated.

[Jedee]

Hey mate! If you are neither gaining nor losing then what you are eating now, including your typical weekends is your maintenance calorie level. If you want to losw more weight, you have to be in a calorie deficit i.e. eat less than what you are now. Best way is to track your calories accurately (including weekends and any other sneaky calories). Good luck!

[tblodg15]

If you have lost around 20 pounds already then keep doing what you are doing. If you are stalled and not losing anymore for several weeks you will need to eat fewer calories or burn more calories through cardio and it may be time to start tracking your calories using something like MyFitnessPal.

There is nothing wrong with the foods you listed, but some people do better with an occasional meal of something they really enjoy because if you only eat “healthy” low calorie foods eventually you will get tired of it and that’s when the weight loss fails for many because they go back to eating how they did before.

[BigTallandLost]

Appreciate it... I kind of figured that was the end results and need to kick my butt into high gear I guess. I dont want to get too skinny if you will, but know I need to in order to be cut the way I want. Thanks everyone.

[bamazav]

I agree with tblodg15, if you have stalled a while you need to dial things in. Based on your post I could suggest a couple tweaks outside of measuring, which should be your first step.

Careful with the steel cut oats. They taste great, better than rolled or instant in my opinion, but are more calorically dense, meaning a half cup dry of rolled oats has less calories than a half cup dry of steel cut oats. A lesson I have learned the hard way.

Be careful with the calorie labels on food. In the US, companies are allowed a surprisingly large allowance at being off in their calculations. many can be off by over 20%, so just use them as a starting place guide. Remember they are also based on the suggested serving size. No one in the US actually eats the suggested serving size of Ice Cream (1/2 cup which is about two normal ice cream scoops, put that in your normal ice cream bowl and prepare to cry). Here is a good series to help understand those labels from Precision Nutrition

You could replace at least one of your protein bars with a can of Tuna and get about the same protein with about 1/3 to 1/2 of the total calories. I like the occasional protein bar but very few are very low in calories for what you are getting. As others have said, they are really little more than glorified candy bars. You could also replace the peanut butter with your apple and have an apple and 1/4 cup of walnuts halves. You get some fats from the walnuts, will feel satiated and our bodies can't and don't absorb all of the calories in the walnuts, another plus when cutting.

Question. What is a "protein shake with the works?" If it what I suspect, my guess is that would be a great place to cut some excess calories. Get a decent Casein Protein and have a simple shake at night, if you must. The casein will be more satiating than a whey isolate or concentrate. Better yet, a can of tuna and a salad.

There are a few little tweaks I have learned, often the hard way, during my journey. I pray they can be of help to you.

[dazlittle]

Do you drink alcohol? and if you do are you calculating those calories into your daily allowance?

As I'm sure you are aware, if you have stalled in your weight loss, the only way to kick start it is either drop your calories a little or increase you calorie expenditure.

[MerciLesMing]

If you are neither gaining nor losing then what you are eating now, including your typical weekends is your maintenance calorie level.

This is really only true in a sense if body composition is not changing. If you are still gaining strength, then you are still losing fat. You may still be "cutting" even if your weight isn't changing.

The food is good, of course, but I think if you add the calories up, it is probably quite low. If you drop 20 pounds over 6 months that's one thing, if you drop 20 pounds in 1 month, that is too fast.

[ectoBgone]

If you are still gaining strength, then you are still losing fat.

^^ THIS ... is one of the dumber things I have read here in a while. Maybe you're just a sloppy writer but this makes no sense.

You may still be "cutting" even if your weight isn't changing.

Usually only true for noobs or de-trained individuals coming back from a layoff. OP has already lost 20-25 pounds so the likelihood that he is suddenly re-comping with muscle gains superseding fat loss seems pretty low to me. Did you even read his post?

[MerciLesMing]

^^ THIS ... is one of the dumber things I have read here in a while. Maybe you're just a sloppy writer but this makes no sense.

Well, without resorting to being an insulting internet-warrior, what that means is that if your weight is staying the same but you are getting stronger, you are still losing fat. That food list looks to be about 2300 calories for a quick approximation. There is no possible way you can determine what a maintenance level is if body composition is changing. Why is that a dumb statement?

He also says he wants to lose fat while bulking up (in another thread). When I read this, I hear "get more muscle, lose fat", not "lose weight". That means changing body comp.

[ectoBgone]

Well, without resorting to being insulting, what that means is that if your weight is staying the same but you are getting stronger, you are still losing fat.

Ah, no it doesn't. It can mean that (particularly measured over extended time periods), but strength is as much of a measure of neuromuscular adaption as anything else.

[induced_drag]

Well, without resorting to being an insulting internet-warrior, what that means is that if your weight is staying the same but you are getting stronger, you are still losing fat. That food list looks to be about 2300 calories for a quick approximation. There is no possible way you can determine what a maintenance level is if body composition is changing. Why is that a dumb statement?

He also says he wants to lose fat while bulking up (in another thread). When I read this, I hear "get more muscle, lose fat", not "lose weight". That means changing body comp.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^ This is one of the dumber things I have ever seen.

There I said it too! If I need to explain why that is so 'dumb' I would not even know where to begin at your total lack of knowledge of just about everything. But just to push you in the right direction....take an olympic lifter who stays in the same weight class over his 15-20 year career. Over this period he gets stronger, finishing his career adding greatly to his lifts (but still saying in the same weight class the entire time.) Think about it.....

[BigTallandLost]

One more thing I didn’t ask. Being new to this. How long does it take to see results from cutting. 3-6 months, weeks etc.

[BS57]

Read OP: https://forum.bodybuilding.com/showt...hp?t=173439001

[bayrider]

I'm an inch shorter than you and weigh 210. To get from 220 to 210 and to hold that weight for me takes dedicated tracking of every calorie. It would be interested to know what your weekly calorie intake is. When I'm on a summer cut I am very focused on my diet and I loose about 1/2 lb per week without hurting strength to any great extent.

[Payton1221]

One more thing I didn’t ask. Being new to this. How long does it take to see results from cutting. 3-6 months, weeks etc.

You wrote that you've already lost ~25 lbs, so I assume that you saw a big difference there. I'd say about every 10 lbs or so you'll see/notice difference (e.g., perhaps the way clothes look or feel). Others that you see less frequently may comment about your changes too, but the results from cutting occur much quicker than gaining lean mass (except perhaps for total noobs).

Losing 5 pounds of fat? Can be done every month for several months.

Gaining 5 pounds of muscle? Typically takes much much longer especially if you've been lifting for a while.

[Garage Rat]

Are you tracking all your macros?
If not start a diet journal and be precise on exactly what your eating.
This way you can adjust and add or take away when needed.
The other thing that can help is increase your activity level more or more intense cardio.
The same with training.
And while I'm taking about it have a training journal also to see what exactly your doing.

[BS57]

I'm an inch shorter than you and weigh 210. To get from 220 to 210 and to hold that weight for me takes dedicated tracking of every calorie. It would be interested to know what your weekly calorie intake is. When I'm on a summer cut I am very focused on my diet and I loose about 1/2 lb per week without hurting strength to any great extent.

I know this wasn't directed to me, just thought I'd throw you another set of numbers, as I'd just done some figuring on mine last evening.

In the past 13 days, I've dropped 1.5 pounds, and consumed 42,050 calories which averages to about 3,235/day. My plan is to maintain weight until cooler weather, and start a bulk. My calories fluctuate somewhat, but for the most part weight is holding steady.

62 y/o, 6'2", dropped from 230 to current 190 lbs.

[BigTallandLost]

I'm an inch shorter than you and weigh 210. To get from 220 to 210 and to hold that weight for me takes dedicated tracking of every calorie. It would be interested to know what your weekly calorie intake is. When I'm on a summer cut I am very focused on my diet and I loose about 1/2 lb per week without hurting strength to any great extent.

I use myfitness app but that seems to be an estimate.

I can post it later this week. Unfortunately I have vacation next week so I’m probably busted anyway