# Cutting



## GENT3861 (Mar 17, 2009)

I'm trying to get to where I can see my abs by the summer. I work  out everyday after school, and eat around 1500-1700 calories daily. I am 5'11 and 176 pounds. If i had to guess, i would say I'm about 20 % BF. I eat between 90-150 carbs a day, and about 80 grams of protein. I am fairly lean, except for my gut. Please help. Any ways to get rid of stomach fat will help.



Oh, and i sprint for 20 sec. on with a 40 second rest period for 10 reps 5 days a week.


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## sendit08 (Mar 17, 2009)

what has your progress been like so far?  have you been loosing weight?


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## GENT3861 (Mar 17, 2009)

Yes, about 1.5 pounds per week for the last month of so. I started around 182, now i am at 176, However, i have not seen any improvement in my gut, i do ab workouts 3 times a week, on my lifting days.


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## Built (Mar 17, 2009)

Please read the link in my sig before you plan out another day, okay?


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## GENT3861 (Mar 17, 2009)

Ok, i have already planned out those goals, and have already received that information. I figure about 150lbs, and ill start to see abs. But, idk where to go from there, my goal, tell me if its to broad, is to have abs by june.


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## Built (Mar 17, 2009)

You want to drop 26 lbs in 10 weeks.

I suggest you change your approach completely and do Lyle McDonald's "Rapid fat loss" aka PSMF (Protein sparing modified fast). 

The way you're doing it, you'll lose muscle more than fat.


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## GENT3861 (Mar 17, 2009)

OK, can I do research on that here, or should i check the internet. And is it true, that low carb eating will help trim body fat?


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## Built (Mar 17, 2009)

Low carb will drop bodyfat if you eat fewer calories than required. 

Low fat will drop bodyfat if you eat fewer calories than required.

Eating less food than you require will drop bodyfat. 

Low carb may make it more comfortable because you'll feel less hungry. 

High protein helps protect you from muscle-loss while running a deficit. 

If you do this, your training drops to two short (30 minute), heavy workouts a week. On very low calories, it's important to drastically reduce training volume, limiting it to only heavy, low rep lifting. Cardio is virtually eliminated.


The Rapid Fat Loss Handbook by Lyle McDonald | BodyRecomposition - The Home of Lyle McDonald


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## GENT3861 (Mar 17, 2009)

Ok, is there a variation of it, I enjoy my sprinting. So high protein is the main part of the fasting. Low cal and high protein.


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## Built (Mar 17, 2009)

???


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## GENT3861 (Mar 17, 2009)

Ok, sorry, I run and HIIT circuit and lift 3 days a week, I enjoy that after school. Can I still run on the rapid fat loss handbook?


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## Built (Mar 17, 2009)

No.


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## GENT3861 (Mar 17, 2009)

Ok, then at the  urrent weight of about two pounds a week, how long should it take for me to hit the 150 pound mark?


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## Built (Mar 17, 2009)

GENT3861 said:


> Ok, then at the  urrent weight of about two pounds a week, how long should it take for me to hit the 150 pound mark?




You aren't actually asking me to divide 26 by 2, are you?


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## GENT3861 (Mar 17, 2009)

Haha sorry no I'm not, thnx so much for the help. U have really made my decisions for food alot easier.


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## Built (Mar 17, 2009)

Built said:


> You aren't actually asking me to divide 26 by 2, are you?





GENT3861 said:


> Haha sorry no I'm not, thnx so much for the help. U have really made my decisions for food alot easier.




Thank God. Math is soooo TOUGH!

<giggles>


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## OuiSwim (Mar 18, 2009)

Built said:


> Thank God. Math is soooo TOUGH!
> 
> <giggles>




See even body builders need math, Built saves the day!


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## Lobo2009 (Mar 18, 2009)

Built said:


> Low carb will drop bodyfat if you eat fewer calories than required.
> 
> Low fat will drop bodyfat if you eat fewer calories than required.
> 
> ...



Interesting.  So do you think the amount of carbs/fats you take in doesnt matter as long as you in a deficit and your protein is high?

Also, do you think 2 short 30 min session, without going to failure is enough to maintain the muscle?


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## DiGiTaL (Mar 18, 2009)

It matters. You want to take decent amount of fat so your body can use it to repair, maintain and grow the muscles. if you consume too much fat then the excess will be stored as..well fat.


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## Built (Mar 18, 2009)

Lobo2009 said:


> Interesting.  So do you think the amount of carbs/fats you take in doesnt matter as long as you in a deficit and your protein is high?


Depends what you're doing. Near as I can tell, if you're doing a PSMF, you want low carbs to promote insulin resistance and protect lean mass, but I'll leave the details to the physiology geeks. 

Under "normal" cutting paradigms, where you're running something along the lines of a 20% deficit and not overtraining like a moron, my approach is to keep protein high - with the remaining calories allocated according to personal comfort - with the occasional carb-load/refeed/cheat-day/diet breaks etc, etc.  


Lobo2009 said:


> Also, do you think 2 short 30 min session, without going to failure is enough to maintain the muscle?



I almost never train to failure, and on a PSMF, you won't want to train any more or you'll LOSE muscle. 



DiGiTaL said:


> It matters. You want to take decent amount of fat so your body can use it to repair, maintain and grow the muscles. if you consume too much fat then the excess will be stored as..well fat.



True dat - if you consume more calories than you require, you will gain weight, and some of this gain will be fat.  

In a deficit, it won't matter how much fat you eat - you won't gain if you don't eat over maintenance.


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## Lobo2009 (Mar 21, 2009)

Built said:


> In a deficit, it won't matter how much fat you eat - you won't gain if you don't eat over maintenance.



So, if im in a deficit and eat a decent amount of protein, and the rest is hi GI carbs, would I still lose weight?

Why do a lot of people recommend low carb diets (like keto for example) to drop bodyfat if the carb/fat ratios dont really matter when your in deficit?


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## Built (Mar 21, 2009)

If you're in a deficit, you'll lose weight. 

Period.

Keto is a LOT more comfortable. Suppresses appetite. Protects more lean mass a little, too - you'll tend to lose less muscle and more fat.


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## Lobo2009 (Mar 22, 2009)

But what is it about keto that means you'll lose less muscle?  Cos thats the ultimate goal when dieting - lose fat and maintain muscle. Is it the fact its low carb?  And if so, are we always better off dieting low carb?


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## danzik17 (Mar 22, 2009)

Lobo2009 said:


> But what is it about keto that means you'll lose less muscle?  Cos thats the ultimate goal when dieting - lose fat and maintain muscle. Is it the fact its low carb?  And if so, are we always better off dieting low carb?




Keto does little to prevent muscle loss, that's more of a side benefit that provides satiety.  What prevents muscle loss is heavy lifting combined with a high protein intake so your body doesn't go breaking down muscle for essential amino acids.

The only way I can think of it as being muscle sparing is your body isn't also using proteins to convert to glucose since it's running on ketones.  I guess in that regard it is a *bit* muscle sparing.


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## Built (Mar 22, 2009)

The combination of high protein, short, heavy workouts and increased insulin resistance all conspire to protect lean mass in a deficit. What little glucose is available is commandeered by the brain, and the muscles are forced to draw on fat rather than glycogen for energy. If carbohydrate isn't lowered below about 50g per day, gluconeogenesis from protein/muscle will not be required to do this, which helps spare muscle. 

Lyle explains it in detail here: How Many Carbohydrates Do You Need | BodyRecomposition - The Home of Lyle McDonald


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## Lacey12 (Mar 22, 2009)

so if your on a low carb/high protein diet for fat loss you should have 2 short heavy lift workout days and eliminate all cardio?


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## danzik17 (Mar 22, 2009)

Lacey12 said:


> so if your on a low carb/high protein diet for fat loss you should have 2 short heavy lift workout days and eliminate all cardio?



Not necessarily.  It really really depends on the path you take to fat loss.  Although every diet needs to have a caloric deficit for fat loss, there is more than one way to do it which confuses a lot of people.

Honestly just start simple and don't sweat the details just yet.  Get your diet and training nailed down and then worry about running specialized diets.


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## Lacey12 (Mar 22, 2009)

danzik17 said:


> Not necessarily.  It really really depends on the path you take to fat loss.  Although every diet needs to have a caloric deficit for fat loss, there is more than one way to do it which confuses a lot of people.
> 
> Honestly just start simple and don't sweat the details just yet.  Get your diet and training nailed down and then worry about running specialized diets.



sounds good bro. thanks for the input


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## Lacey12 (Mar 24, 2009)

And why no cardio while running a low carb diet?


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## Hench (Mar 24, 2009)

Lacey12 said:


> And why no cardio while running a low carb diet?



No HIT while running PSMF.

If you ever do use PSMF youll know why.


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## danzik17 (Mar 24, 2009)

Lacey12 said:


> And why no cardio while running a low carb diet?



Because honestly cardio is rather unproductive in the first place compared to dieting.  If you have to do it, Built has a great post in her blog about how to run HIIT cardio which is vastly superior to steady state with a few exceptions.

Steady state is most useful for burning off FFAs (free fatty acids) after doing HIIT OR when certain dietary conditions are met on very specific diets.  The actual calories burned by steady state cardio is pretty negligible if you consider the time and effort spent on it.


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