Whether you live in a gym or on a YouTube fitness channel, you've probably heard that "abs are made in the kitchen." The trope may be overused, but it's also very true.
The goal of a weight loss diet is to "reduce" body fat while maintaining muscle mass. The technique is popular with bodybuilders and fitness enthusiasts who want to lose as much weight as possible without losing muscle mass.
for information:
Cutting is not a long-term lifestyle. It is a phase that usually lasts 2-4 months. It is usually timed around a bodybuilding competition, athletic event, or any occasion where you want your character to be.
The diet tends to be low-calorie, with most of the calories coming from carbohydrates and protein, and always includes weight lifting. Weight lifting is key: It helps prevent muscle loss when you start cutting calories.
Bottom Line:
Cutting is a temporary low-calorie, high-protein diet phase that also includes weight lifting. The goal of cutting is to lose as much weight as possible without losing muscle mass.
First, stretch your brain
Is the term "macro" unfamiliar? Don't worry - you already know what it is!
Macronutrients – or macros – include protein, fat and carbohydrates. Cutting diets often involve getting a certain amount of calories from fat versus carbs, which is where counting macros comes into play.
To determine your ideal macronutrient breakdown, you must first determine your caloric needs.
Calculate
Fat loss occurs when you consistently eat fewer calories than you burn. However, a cutting diet is not just about reducing your caloric intake. The source of your calories is also important.
The number of calories you should consume each day depends on your height, weight, lifestyle, gender and activity level. It's also important to keep in mind that while a larger calorie deficit can help you lose weight faster, research shows that losing weight too quickly can lead to muscle loss.
A slow, steady pace of weight loss often works best for cutting. Studies have found that losing 1 pound (or 0.5 to 1% of your body weight) per week can be most effective.
Protein
Since you are consuming fewer calories while cutting and exercising regularly, your protein needs will increase. Fortunately, studies have found that a high-protein diet can reduce appetite, boost metabolism, and even help preserve muscle mass
Pro tip:
To ensure you're shedding pounds, not muscle, aim for 0.7-0.9 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight (or 1.6-2 grams per protein). Translation: Someone who weighs 155 pounds (or 70 kilograms) should eat 110-140 grams of protein per day.
Thick
Too much fat will obviously hinder your ability to lose weight. But not eating enough can affect your body's ability to produce hormones like testosterone and IGF-1, which help preserve muscle mass.
Pro tip:
Experts recommend that 15-20% of your calories come from fat when cutting. One gram of fat contains 9 calories, so a person on a 2,000 calorie diet should aim to consume 33-67 grams of fat each day.
If your workouts tend to be intense, stay on the lower end of the fat range - this will allow you to get more calories from carbs.
Carbohydrates
Love them or hate them, carbs can help preserve muscle mass while cutting. This is because your body actually prefers to use carbohydrates, not protein, for energy. Carbs also help fuel your performance. (Hello, carloading.)
Pro tip:
To determine your carb intake, subtract the calories that should come from protein and fat from your total calories. The remaining calories should come from carbohydrates. Divide this number by 4 (since carbs provide 4 calories per gram) to find out how many carbs you should eat each day.
For example: If the aforementioned 155-pound (or 70-kilogram) person is on a 2,000-calorie diet, they should eat 110 grams of protein and 60 grams of fat. The remaining 1020 calories can come from carbs (about 255 grams of carbs to be specific).
Bottom Line:
Your calorie and macro needs depend on your height, weight, gender and activity level. Accurate calculation is key to a successful cutting diet, so use this calculator to calculate.
Cheat meals and refeed days
There are pros and cons to cheat meals and refeeding days that are completely optional. If you include some of them in your diet, do not forget to plan them carefully.
Cheat meals, which are occasional deviations from your plan, are meant to ease the rigors of cutting. (After all, you still have a life outside of the gym and the kitchen.) But if you have trouble with moderation, these specialty foods can sabotage your weight loss efforts or encourage unhealthy eating habits.
On the other hand, feeding days are supposed to increase your carbohydrate intake (usually once or twice a week). This increase in carbohydrates can help restore your body's glucose stores, improve performance, and balance your hormones.
Weight gain is possible after cheat meals or supplementation, but don't sweat it too much. The extra pounds tend to represent water weight that is lost after a few days of cutting.
Cutting Diet: Bodybuilder edition
Cutting is just one element of a bodybuilder's in-season meal plan. Before they start losing fat, they go through a bulking phase that can last months (or even years – ugh).
During the bulking phase, bodybuilders follow a high-calorie, high-protein diet and an intense weightlifting regimen to build as much muscle as possible. Once they reach their muscle mass goal, they often go into a cutting phase. This can take 12 to 26 weeks.
Competitive bodybuilders are judged purely on physical appearance, but there are several health benefits associated with the lifestyle.
For one thing, they often practice resistance and aerobic training, which can help reduce the risk of dying from cancer, heart disease, kidney disease, and other critical illnesses.
They also tend to eat a lot of nutrient-dense foods from all different food groups, which can also help reduce the risk of chronic disease.
Macros for bodybuilders:
Calculating macros for bodybuilding requires a bit more precision than, for example, calculating macros for normal weight loss. Step One: Find out your maintenance calories.
Calorie
The easiest way to determine maintenance calories is to:
Weigh yourself at least three times a week.
Use a calorie tracking app to record everything you eat.
If your weight has stayed the same by the end of the week, the number of calories you've consumed for the day are your maintenance calories (helping you maintain your weight, not gain or lose weight).
During your bulking phase, you should aim to increase your maintenance calories by at least 15%. This means that if your maintenance number is 3,000 calories per day, you should try to consume 3,450 calories per day.
As you gain weight, further evaluate and increase your caloric intake (preferably on a monthly basis).
Once you meet your muscle mass goal and your weight is stable, the next s
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