Need help with this cutting diet please.

[un4gettable]

I've been working out consistantly for 5 years strong. I can add muscle/mass fairly easy but cutting is helacious for me. I have what I like to call 4 sometimey abs(sometimes you see them and sometimes you dont lol) but they pretty much been there for 2 or so years. I want the rest of this lower ab fat off! I been researching on this site and others for round 2yrs now. I think I have a good diet but I need some guidence if yall don't mind.

Stats:
age-31
Lbs-224
height-6'1"

Cardio- I do cardio anywhere from 3-6 days a week (jog 2.25miles takes 27-28min/8am-ellipticle 30 min/8pm) is this too much? I want that bodybuilder look but I struggle so much to lose fat I don't know if Im going overboard. I've loss mass trying to hard before.

Food Protein Carbs Fats Calories
Meal 1
5 egg whites 20 0 0 85
1 egg 6 0 5 74
1/2 Cup Oats 5 27 2.5 150
1 Scp Whey 30 7 2.5 170
Totals 61P 34C 10F 479CAL

Meal 2
1 Scp Whey 30 7 2.5 170
1 Talapia 20 0 3 128
1 Cup Brocc 0 7 0 41
1 Tbsp Olive Oil 0 0 14 218
Totals 50P 14C 19.5F 557CAL

Meal 3
2 Scp Whey 60 14 5 340
1 Tbsp Olive Oil 0 0 14 218
Totals 60P 14C 19F 558CAL

Post WkOt
1 Scp Whey 30 7 2.5 170
1 Talapia 20 0 3 128
1 Tbsp Olive Oil 0 0 14 218
Totals 50P 7C 19.5F 516CAL

Meal 5
1 Talapia 20 0 3 128
2 Tbsp Olive Oil 0 0 23 240
Totals 20P 0C 26F 368CAL

Bed Shake
2 Scp Beef 46 16 0 248
2 Tbsp Olive Oil 0 0 28 240
Totals 23P 8C 28F 364CAL

GRAND TOTALS 287P 85C 122F 2966CAL

I feel like my protein is just a lil low but I don't wanna take in too many cals either.
With the exception of switching talapia for chicken brests and cheat meals from time to time, I pretty much eat the same foods all the time. I wanted to keep my carbs low because I hold so easily(always wondered if it has anything to do with diabetes running in my fam). ANYWAY and help would be appreciated...thx.

 

[CptFKNplanet]

Man, I wish I could cut on 3000cals LOL. What is your TDEE?

Protein looks fine, but holy shit you have a lot of whey protein in there. I'd keep it to one shake a day TOPS. I personally don't even buy whey anymore.

As for the cardio... keep it on the back burner for when you plateau. If you expend all your resources up front, you're fucked when you stop losing for a month. And trust me, it will happen. Let the diet take the fat off and add in cardio when you get down to like 2200 - 2500 cals. Spend more time lifting, less rest between sets, etc. Most importantly TAKE IT SLOW. How many lbs are you trying to lose?

 

[un4gettable]

Man, I wish I could cut on 3000cals LOL. What is your TDEE?

Protein looks fine, but holy shit you have a lot of whey protein in there. I'd keep it to one shake a day TOPS. I personally don't even buy whey anymore.

As for the cardio... keep it on the back burner for when you plateau. If you expend all your resources up front, you're fucked when you stop losing for a month. And trust me, it will happen. Let the diet take the fat off and add in cardio when you get down to like 2200 - 2500 cals. Spend more time lifting, less rest between sets, etc. Most importantly TAKE IT SLOW. How many lbs are you trying to lose?

i think i must have cal my bmr(2172.8) and tdee(3748.08) wrong then...lol I'll prob try cutting cals back some more. I don't really have a target weight per se'. I just wanna keep as much muscle as possible and lose the last of this abdominal fat.

 

[DreDay187]

No it looks like your BMR and TDEE are correct. Honestly dude, and I mean no offense by this, but your diet looks horrible. You're getting almost 66% of your protein from a liquid source (shakes), and over 75% of your dietary fat intake from olive oil. Your diet is bland, repetitive, way too reliant on shakes, and not much variety which translates to more than likely not enough fiber in the diet, not meeting micronutrient sufficiency, a lack of satiety, and trouble keepin the diet consistent.

You're getting more than enough protein as 1g/lb BW is the minimum so you can get by with 220g protein or even a hair less. You need more fat sources like WHOLE eggs, milk, avacados, salmon, etc. you need more protein diversity such as chicken, beef, turkey, other types of fish, bison, etc. you can also reduce protein, slightly reduce fats, and up your carb intake to help keep training intensity consistent. Again I don't mean to offend you bro but your diet is ~75% protein shakes and olive oil, not good.

 

[CptFKNplanet]

Your TDEE very well could be 3748. I'm much shorter and lighter than you 5'7 175lbs and my TDEE is ~3200. Try the TDEE calculator here: TDEE Calculator and use the "enter activity level" option. I've found that to be the most accurate method.

How long have you been eating at 3000 cals? When cutting naturally, shooting for 1lb loss every week is ideal but I'd ride it out for at least two before making adjustments... and the adjustments don't need to be anything major, only about 100 cals or so (of course this is different for everyone).

I would set at least some goals to help keep you on track. Like shoot to lose 5 lbs a month and 20 lbs by November or something. More often than not we underestimate how much weight we need to lose to get to the picture we have in our heads. 10 lbs can very easily turn to 20. Also remember that about 65% of each lb lost is actually fat when doing this naturally. The rest is water, glycogen, a bit of muscle, blah blah blah. So to kinda put things into perspective let's k say you are 200 lbs @ 15% and want to get to 10% for the sake of simplicity...
200 x .15 = 30 lbs total fat
Say you drop 15 lbs total, about 10 lbs would be fat which would put you at 185 @ ~10%

I didn't see Doc's post above til just now, and he again mentioned as I did earlier to cut out the majority of those shakes. I'd keep it to just the post workout shake if you absolutely have to have one.

 

[un4gettable]

Man, I wish I could cut on 3000cals LOL. What is your TDEE?

Protein looks fine, but holy shit you have a lot of whey protein in there. I'd keep it to one shake a day TOPS. I personally don't even buy whey anymore.

As for the cardio... keep it on the back burner for when you plateau. If you expend all your resources up front, you're fucked when you stop losing for a month. And trust me, it will happen. Let the diet take the fat off and add in cardio when you get down to like 2200 - 2500 cals. Spend more time lifting, less rest between sets, etc. Most importantly TAKE IT SLOW. How many lbs are you trying to lose?

Food Protein Carbs Fats Calories

Meal 1
11 egg whites 44 0 0 187
2 eggs 12 0 10 148
1/2 Cup Oats 5 27 2.5 150
Totals 61P 27C 12.5F 479CAL

Meal 2
2 Talapia 40 0 6 256
1 Cup Brocc 0 7 0 41
1 Tbsp Olive Oil 0 0 14 218
Totals 40P 7C 20F 515CAL

Meal 3
2 Scp Whey 60 14 5 340
4 Fish Oil Pills 0 0 4 40
Totals 60P 14C 9F 380CAL

Post WkOt
2 Talapia 40 0 6 256
1 Cup B.Rice 5 46 2 218
Totals 45P 46C 8F 474CALS

Meal 5
1 Talapia 20 0 3 128
1 Tbsp Olive Oil 0 0 11.5 120
Totals 20P 0C 14.5F 248CAL

Bed Shake
2 Scp Beef 46 16 0 248
1 Tbsp Olive Oil 0 0 11.5 120
Totals 46P 16C 11.5F 368CAL

GRAND TOTALS 272P 110C 75.5F 2470CAL



Is this better? I took some of the whey out but i did add some brown rice only after training. It's so much work to do this that's why I don't like changing the food up...lol much respect to anyone that's good at this!

 

[un4gettable]

Man, I wish I could cut on 3000cals LOL. What is your TDEE?

Protein looks fine, but holy shit you have a lot of whey protein in there. I'd keep it to one shake a day TOPS. I personally don't even buy whey anymore.

As for the cardio... keep it on the back burner for when you plateau. If you expend all your resources up front, you're fucked when you stop losing for a month. And trust me, it will happen. Let the diet take the fat off and add in cardio when you get down to like 2200 - 2500 cals. Spend more time lifting, less rest between sets, etc. Most importantly TAKE IT SLOW. How many lbs are you trying to lose?

Food Protein Carbs Fats Calories

Meal 1
11 egg whites 44 0 0 187
2 eggs 12 0 10 148
1/2 Cup Oats 5 27 2.5 150
Totals 61P 27C 12.5F 479CAL

Meal 2
2 Talapia 40 0 6 256
1 Cup Brocc 0 7 0 41
1 Tbsp Olive Oil 0 0 14 218
Totals 40P 7C 20F 515CAL

Meal 3
2 Scp Whey 60 14 5 340
4 Fish Oil Pills 0 0 4 40
Totals 60P 14C 9F 380CAL

Post WkOt
2 Talapia 40 0 6 256
1 Cup B.Rice 5 46 2 218
Totals 45P 46C 8F 474CALS

Meal 5
1 Talapia 20 0 3 128
1 Tbsp Olive Oil 0 0 11.5 120
Totals 20P 0C 14.5F 248CAL

Bed Shake
2 Scp Beef 46 16 0 248
1 Tbsp Olive Oil 0 0 11.5 120
Totals 46P 16C 11.5F 368CAL

GRAND TOTALS 272P 110C 75.5F 2470CAL



Is this better? I took some of the whey out but i did add some brown rice only after training. It's so much work to do this that's why I don't like changing the food up...lol much respect to anyone that's good at this!

 

[un4gettable]

No it looks like your BMR and TDEE are correct. Honestly dude, and I mean no offense by this, but your diet looks horrible. You're getting almost 66% of your protein from a liquid source (shakes), and over 75% of your dietary fat intake from olive oil. Your diet is bland, repetitive, way too reliant on shakes, and not much variety which translates to more than likely not enough fiber in the diet, not meeting micronutrient sufficiency, a lack of satiety, and trouble keepin the diet consistent.

You're getting more than enough protein as 1g/lb BW is the minimum so you can get by with 220g protein or even a hair less. You need more fat sources like WHOLE eggs, milk, avacados, salmon, etc. you need more protein diversity such as chicken, beef, turkey, other types of fish, bison, etc. you can also reduce protein, slightly reduce fats, and up your carb intake to help keep training intensity consistent. Again I don't mean to offend you bro but your diet is ~75% protein shakes and olive oil, not good.

You good. i'm asking for help so i'm not offended. thx. I'll work on this some more...

 

[un4gettable]

Your TDEE very well could be 3748. I'm much shorter and lighter than you 5'7 175lbs and my TDEE is ~3200. Try the TDEE calculator here: TDEE Calculator and use the "enter activity level" option. I've found that to be the most accurate method.

How long have you been eating at 3000 cals? When cutting naturally, shooting for 1lb loss every week is ideal but I'd ride it out for at least two before making adjustments... and the adjustments don't need to be anything major, only about 100 cals or so (of course this is different for everyone).

I would set at least some goals to help keep you on track. Like shoot to lose 5 lbs a month and 20 lbs by November or something. More often than not we underestimate how much weight we need to lose to get to the picture we have in our heads. 10 lbs can very easily turn to 20. Also remember that about 65% of each lb lost is actually fat when doing this naturally. The rest is water, glycogen, a bit of muscle, blah blah blah. So to kinda put things into perspective let's k say you are 200 lbs @ 15% and want to get to 10% for the sake of simplicity...
200 x .15 = 30 lbs total fat
Say you drop 15 lbs total, about 10 lbs would be fat which would put you at 185 @ ~10%

I didn't see Doc's post above til just now, and he again mentioned as I did earlier to cut out the majority of those shakes. I'd keep it to just the post workout shake if you absolutely have to have one.

Yea when I did it 2 days ago i came up with BMR-2172.8 & TDEE-3748.08

 

[un4gettable]

\

 

[CptFKNplanet]

Food Protein Carbs Fats Calories

Meal 1
11 egg whites 44 0 0 187
2 eggs 12 0 10 148
1/2 Cup Oats 5 27 2.5 150
Totals 61P 27C 12.5F 479CAL

Meal 2
2 Talapia 40 0 6 256
1 Cup Brocc 0 7 0 41
1 Tbsp Olive Oil 0 0 14 218
Totals 40P 7C 20F 515CAL

Meal 3
2 Scp Whey 60 14 5 340
4 Fish Oil Pills 0 0 4 40
Totals 60P 14C 9F 380CAL

Post WkOt
2 Talapia 40 0 6 256
1 Cup B.Rice 5 46 2 218
Totals 45P 46C 8F 474CALS

Meal 5
1 Talapia 20 0 3 128
1 Tbsp Olive Oil 0 0 11.5 120
Totals 20P 0C 14.5F 248CAL

Bed Shake
2 Scp Beef 46 16 0 248
1 Tbsp Olive Oil 0 0 11.5 120
Totals 46P 16C 11.5F 368CAL

GRAND TOTALS 272P 110C 75.5F 2470CAL



Is this better? I took some of the whey out but i did add some brown rice only after training. It's so much work to do this that's why I don't like changing the food up...lol much respect to anyone that's good at this!

That definitely looks better. You could even go a bit lower on protein, up the fats a bit, carbs you have play room on. I personally don't like going real low on carbs unless I need to. And even then I "carb cycle". I start feeling like shit when I go too low. Oh, you could add in some natty peanut butter to your oats for some extra fat if you want... that and a little stevia MMMMMM. It would save using all that olive oil and add some flavor to the oats. I know they can be pretty bland lol. Try not to stress over it too much though. This is supposed to be something enjoyable that you can maintain your whole life... don't turn it into a chore yanno?

 

[CptFKNplanet]

I just realized you're already down to 2400 cals... don't go that low yet, that leaves you NO play room when you plateau. Sit around 3000 for a while and ride it out, adjust as needed every couple weeks.

 

[un4gettable]

I just realized you're already down to 2400 cals... don't go that low yet, that leaves you NO play room when you plateau. Sit around 3000 for a while and ride it out, adjust as needed every couple weeks.

thing is this is more or less what i have been doing since april(with the exception of switching chicken and fish up or switching to mixed veggies instead of broc). That and 5-6 days of cardio was working pretty decent until about 3wks ago. So I don't know if i did plateau or its just because the diet itself isn't good. Another question what ration should I aim to be around while cutting in your opinion?

 

[un4gettable]

Ok fellas I came up with this....again i appreciate both you for helpin a brotha out....lol

Food Protein Carbs Fats Calories

Meal 1
8 egg whites 32 0 0 136
3 eggs 18 0 15 222
1 Tbsn Nat PeaBut 4 3 8 100
1/2 Cup Oats 5 27 2.5 150
Totals 59P 30C 25.5F 608CAL

Meal 2
Med Chk Bst 28 0 3 150
1 Cup Brocc 0 7 0 41
1oz/20nuts-Almonds 2 3 14 120
Totals 30P 10C 17F 311CAL

Meal 3
2 Talapia 40 0 6 256
1 Cup Brocc 0 7 0 41
1oz/20nuts-Almonds 2 3 14 120
Totals 42P 10C 20F 417CAL

Post WkOt
2 Talapia 40 0 6 256
1 Cup B.Rice 5 46 2 218
1 Cup Brocc 0 7 0 41
Totals 45P 53C 8F 515CAL

Meal 5
1Can Tuna Chunk Light 42 0 1 191
1 Tbsp Olive Oil 0 0 11.5 120
Totals 42P 0C 12.5F 311CAL

Bed Shake
2 Scp Beef 46 16 0 248
1 Tbsp Olive Oil 0 0 11.5 120
Totals 46P 16C 11.5F 368CAL

GRAND TOTALS 264P 119C 94.5F 2530CAL

Only use olive oil once lol and only 1 shake before sleep...lol

I got the nutrition facts from the Bodybuilding Foods Macro Chart

 

[DreDay187]

That diet looks MUCH MUCH better! Could still use more variety for me personally but if you can stick with it, its better than your first one by far. The macros are good too. Just make sure to get a lot of veggies in maybe include a big salad with low calorie veggies like lettuce, sweet peppers, cucumbers, radishes, onion, whatever else you eat to help make sure you get enough micronutrients in. My personal fav way to get veggies and micros in is by eating 1-2 "colorful" salads and by colorful I mean some green veggies, red veggies, yellow, etc.

My only concern is if your TDEE is accurate and it is ~3700 calories than you're eating way too little at 2400calories. That's a 35%+ deficit which WILL make you lose muscle mass. Start off around 15-20% deficit. And adjust from there if weight loss doesn't happen or is very slow. So if 3700 cals TDEE is correct, start your cut with around ~3200calories. Give it two weeks and look for changes. If you lose weight great. If you don't lose weight cut calories by about 300calories and wait another week or two.

 

[un4gettable]

That diet looks MUCH MUCH better! Could still use more variety for me personally but if you can stick with it, its better than your first one by far. The macros are good too. Just make sure to get a lot of veggies in maybe include a big salad with low calorie veggies like lettuce, sweet peppers, cucumbers, radishes, onion, whatever else you eat to help make sure you get enough micronutrients in. My personal fav way to get veggies and micros in is by eating 1-2 "colorful" salads and by colorful I mean some green veggies, red veggies, yellow, etc.

My only concern is if your TDEE is accurate and it is ~3700 calories than you're eating way too little at 2400calories. That's a 35%+ deficit which WILL make you lose muscle mass. Start off around 15-20% deficit. And adjust from there if weight loss doesn't happen or is very slow. So if 3700 cals TDEE is correct, start your cut with around ~3200calories. Give it two weeks and look for changes. If you lose weight great. If you don't lose weight cut calories by about 300calories and wait another week or two.

thx! I just used the link CptFKNplanet posted up top and according to the harris-benedict im at 3184 so I'm going to tweek a little more... Does it matter if i add a meal or make meals larger? Because I feel better having 7 meals if that's ok.

 

[DreDay187]

thx! I just used the link CptFKNplanet posted up top and according to the harris-benedict im at 3184 so I'm going to tweek a little more... Does it matter if i add a meal or make meals larger? Because I feel better having 7 meals if that's ok.

Meal frequency and timing are of much less importance than total energy intake and meeting macro/micro sufficiency. Ppl do IF diets (fast 18hrs/day and have an 8hr feed window) and ppl do the warrior diet (1big meal/day) and get great results. Why? Bc the number of times you eat per day and the times you eat don't play as big a role as ppl think they do. Do whatever fits your schedule, is convenient for you, and lets you satay CONSISTENT with the diet

 

[un4gettable]

OK lets try this one more time...lol I think I have the one this time thx to your help fellas...

Food Protein Carbs Fats Calories

Meal 1
8 egg whites 32 0 0 136
3 eggs 18 0 15 222
1 Tbsn Nat PeaBut 4 3 8 100
1/2 Cup Oats 5 27 2.5 150
Totals 59P 30C 25.5F 608CAL

Meal 2
Med Chk Bst 28 0 3 150
1 Cup Brocc 0 7 0 41
1oz/20nuts-Almonds 2 3 14 120
Totals 30P 10C 17F 311CAL

Meal 3
2 Talapia 40 0 6 256
1 Cup Brocc 0 7 0 41
1oz/20nuts-Almonds 2 3 14 120
Totals 42P 10F 20C 417CAL

Post WkOt
2 Talapia 40 0 6 256
1 Cup B.Rice 5 46 2 218
1 Cup Brocc 0 7 0 41
Totals 45P 53C 8F 515CAL

Meal 5
1Can Tuna Chunk Light 42 0 1 191
1 Tbsp Olive Oil 0 0 11.5 120
Totals 42P 0C 12.5F 311CAL

Meal 6
1 Salmon 19 0 11 175
1/4Cup Onions 1 4 0 16
1/2Cup Red Pepper 0.75 4.5 0.2 17
1/2Cup Green Pepper 0.6 3.5 0.15 15
1/2Cup Yellow Pepper 1 0.6 0.2 25
1/2Cup Cucumber Slices 0.3 1.9 7.8 7.8
Totals 22.65P 14.5C 19.35F 255.8CAL

Bed Shake
2 Scp Beef 46 16 0 248
1 Tbsp Olive Oil 0 0 11.5 120
Totals 46P 16C 11.5F 368CAL

GRAND TOTALS 264P 119C 94.5F 2530CAL

If my TDEE is accurate at 3184 that's 20.6% deficit as Docd187123 suggested...

 

[DreDay187]

OK lets try this one more time...lol I think I have the one this time thx to your help fellas...

Food Protein Carbs Fats Calories

Meal 1
8 egg whites 32 0 0 136
3 eggs 18 0 15 222
1 Tbsn Nat PeaBut 4 3 8 100
1/2 Cup Oats 5 27 2.5 150
Totals 59P 30C 25.5F 608CAL

Meal 2
Med Chk Bst 28 0 3 150
1 Cup Brocc 0 7 0 41
1oz/20nuts-Almonds 2 3 14 120
Totals 30P 10C 17F 311CAL

Meal 3
2 Talapia 40 0 6 256
1 Cup Brocc 0 7 0 41
1oz/20nuts-Almonds 2 3 14 120
Totals 42P 10F 20C 417CAL

Post WkOt
2 Talapia 40 0 6 256
1 Cup B.Rice 5 46 2 218
1 Cup Brocc 0 7 0 41
Totals 45P 53C 8F 515CAL

Meal 5
1Can Tuna Chunk Light 42 0 1 191
1 Tbsp Olive Oil 0 0 11.5 120
Totals 42P 0C 12.5F 311CAL

Meal 6
1 Salmon 19 0 11 175
1/4Cup Onions 1 4 0 16
1/2Cup Red Pepper 0.75 4.5 0.2 17
1/2Cup Green Pepper 0.6 3.5 0.15 15
1/2Cup Yellow Pepper 1 0.6 0.2 25
1/2Cup Cucumber Slices 0.3 1.9 7.8 7.8
Totals 22.65P 14.5C 19.35F 255.8CAL

Bed Shake
2 Scp Beef 46 16 0 248
1 Tbsp Olive Oil 0 0 11.5 120
Totals 46P 16C 11.5F 368CAL

GRAND TOTALS 264P 119C 94.5F 2530CAL

If my TDEE is accurate at 3184 that's 20.6% deficit as Docd187123 suggested...

I like it! It's an aggressive cut at a 20% deficit but you have enough essential macros to preserve muscle mass provided you keep up training intensity. Your micro bases are vastly improved with the addition of different veggies (for added comfort a small dose multi could be added or specific micros you are deficient in), you have much more variety to the diet so it'll make it easier to stick to, you're less reliant on shakes which will help satiety, and your protein sources are more varied adding to micros and different amino acid profiles!

 

[CptFKNplanet]

Solid fuckin advice ITT. Rep'd Doc.