Calorie/Protein Amount Advice For Cutting?

[Xtreme57]

Whatsup guys,

I am currently 5'8 170lbs. I have been on a moderate diet for the last 3 months - 1st month no more junk, 2nd cutting major fat/excessive carbs and bumping protein and this last month i'm upping the protein and cutting calories and carbs. But i've done this in the past before and i always end up catabolizing my hard earned muscle by cutting my calories tooooo low and not getting enough protein. I do cardio 5X week @ 30-45min a clip after weights on training days and before i eat on non-training days (schedule limited). My question is this - what is the best calorie/protein amount i should be at for my size? i'm looking to lose about 10 more lbs to get really shredded. I just don't want to lose too much muscle in the process. I use AA as much as possible and currently using hydroxycut most days.


btw - my metabolism is moderate - if i eat too much i gain weight, if i don't i lose weight. I'm not a 'hard-gainer' but not an 'easy gainer' either.

thanks for any advice - i know i should know me better than most, but i'm sure someone has had this ish before and could shed some light on the subject for me.

Thanks!

 

[huskyguy]

Actually because everyone is different it is difficult to be too scientific with calories/protein. The best advice I can give is to gradually lower the amount of carbs you consume and try to consume most of your carbs earlier in the day. You will burn most of your carbs that way instead of storing them. Eliminate fruit juices and sweets, replace them with high protein and even higher fat is better than too many carbs. It is important to consume smaller more frequent meals than large meals. I am cutting right now and it is working for me, however I am not a calorie counter I try to use a more intuitive system.

 

[AssItch]

I am cutting right now and it is working for me, however I am not a calorie counter I try to use a more intuitive system.

You mean you went from a gallon of milk a day to a half gallon?

 

[huskyguy]

Actually I eliminate milk altogether when I am cutting it makes it easy to diet that way. Eat clean all year long just adjust the quantities

 

[Xtreme57]

oh yeah i'm way past the easy fixes - water and crystal light is all i drink. sugar/fructose/lactose etc are all curtailed. small frequent high protein meals/low carb/lowfat meals are in effect, as well as up to 3 protein shakes a day. i'm just tryin to find a range from someone who is of comperable size i guess.

 

[Xtreme57]

any advice? anyone?

 

[Xtreme57]

damn

 

[Xtreme57]

bump

 

[Rogue2]

from one novice to another, made the same mistake a couple of years ago. The answer is don't do cardio on lifting days, it changes your biochemistry from anabolic (elevated testosterone in blood) to catabolic (body using everthing to power aerobic exercise. This way you keep the muscle and drop the fat.

I use a maintenance dose of protein on cardio days (ie 1g per kg bodyweight), and increase to higher level on lifting days (ie 1.5g+ per kg), that way i maintain the muscle mass during cardio sessions and drive towards keep/putting muscle on lifting days.

Also don't cut out the junk altogether have one cheat day a week, tricks your biochemistry and stops your body going into 'starvation' mode (which it will enter after approx 6 days on reduced calorie diet), were it will canabolise muscle and everything else before it touchs bodyfat. It keep you burning fat at a constant rate instead of having an initial reduction which quick grinds to a halt.

Can't comment on hydroxycut, but ECA works really well for me (now down to 9% BF) stacked with thyroxine, gives you the buzz to train harder, the energy to run longer and strips away the fat like a bastard.

 

[Xtreme57]

Funny you mention that. i do actually lower my overall calorie and protein intake on just cardio days. but no cardio at all on training days huh? thats makes it kinda tough to get in and adequate amount for losing fat don't you think?

otc stuff is all i really have access to so hydroxycut is gonna have to do it for the time being i guess - my eca is all out and that ban hasn't helped much.

when you say cheat day, how "bad" is your cheat day? b/c i LOVE to eat and if i let myself i'm pretty sure i can put back those 6 days of cardio and diet in one solid day if i was hungry enough...

 

[Popichulo]

If your gonna do cardio on a lifting day try to space out the workouts durring the day ex. I lift weights at 5:00pm and then go back to the gym and do cardio at 10:00. Ive been doing that for a few weeks now and have been doing fine.

 

[doppleganger41]

well, your stats look about the same as mine. when i was in my teens i could get away with cardio everyday and still slap on muscle... but once i hit 20 that didn't work anymore. i would suggest cardio no more than 3x/week at no more than 30 minutes. try to make it intense and full body cardio too (swimming, 9500hr crosstrainer, etc.). "leg-centric" cardio can destroy your lower body gains which contribute greatly to fat-burning. cardio is great, but it's not where the majority of fat-burning should come from. that's just my 2 cents. good luck!