# Starting a cut... low carb or 45/40/15??



## zebra53 (Aug 21, 2003)

Hey guys. I want to start a cut. My question is is it better to do a carb restricting diet and if so how many carbs a day, how many carb ups a week, or just a lower calorie diet with a 40/40/20, 
45/40/15 split?  My bf is at about 18% and i want to get it down to 12%.  I'm 233 now and dont want to drop below 205-210 or lose strength.  whats my best bet?
  Also should i do HIIT instead of reg. cardio say 2x a week?


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## naturalguy (Aug 21, 2003)

Truthfully low carb diets are too risky to lose muscle. Alot of people say that type diet "works" but what they mean by "work" is that they lost "weight".

Your goal as a bodybuilder should be to build muscle and lose bodyfat. A low carb diet will help you lose weight in the short term but here's what will happen:

Initially you will lose alot of water because you are depleting your glycogen stores and they hold water (stored carbs are like a sponge).

After that initial period you will lose a combination of muscle and fat. The keto theory is that if you don't take in carbs that the body will use fat for energy however it doesn't work that easy because your body is thinking survival, it doesn't care if you have a six pack. So your body is going to hold onto it's stored fat for as long as possible and it will break down muscle.

Here's another problem, your muscles need glycogen for energy to contract. On a low carb diet you cannot train as hard as you can when you are eating carbs and your glycogen stores are full. Many people think they are training hard but you can't because it is like trying  to drive your car without gas.

Here is another problem, on all diets you hit a sticking point. On a conventional diet you would lower your calories slightly, mostly from carbs, on a low carb diet what do you do? Your not going to lower your protein so all you have left is to lower your fat because your already at zero carbs. There is not alot of room for adjustments on low carb diets and every diet you will hit that sticking point.

Bottom line is low carb diets are good if you are looking for a quick fix "weight" loss but not good in the long run. Keep this in mind, bodybuilding is a marathon, not a sprint. 

What you want to do is create a caloric deficit either by taking in less calories than you burn or increasing cardio the best way is to do a combination. What you do is small calorie drops along the way. As far as cardio HIIT cardio is great however I would mix it up with traditional cardio. I would start with 3 sessions of HIIT per week and add additional days as you go along. The most important thing in this whole process is to monitor yourself, make sure you get you bodyfat tested, the scale doesn't give you enough information and you ned to adjust your program as you go.


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## Jodi (Aug 21, 2003)

Zebra - Low carb diets work just fine and its a personal preference for everyone.  If you prefer to do low carb fine if not fine.  There is a way of doing it properly so you don't lose LBM.

CHeck out some of these threads to get you stared.  Post a plan when your ready and we can help you critique it for your goal


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## ZECH (Aug 21, 2003)

Good post NG!


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## hoipolloi (Aug 21, 2003)

I'm also planning on starting a cut and was wondering if i could get some advice also. My main goals are to get rid of the fat on my stomach and sides. I'm definitely not overweight and my stomach does not bulge, but it is an annoyance to have that  layer of fat on my sides and on my stomach. I would also like to gain some muscle but losing the love handles and fat on my stomach is my main priority. I've been reading around on this forum and I've decided i might try Dr. Pain's male cut plan that is posted in the sticky for newbies. I am going to start lifting and I already do cardio 3 times a week. I'm looking for some advice and trying to find out if I'm headed in the proper direction for my goal. I'll give you some more information about me. I'm 16 and i weigh around 145lbs and im about 5'10 so im pretty skinny. Any suggestions on any aspects would be greatly appreciated, especially diet since i want to be headed on the right path for my goals and to do it healthily since im only 16. Thanks.


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## Jodi (Aug 22, 2003)

Ok, both you newbies,  Welcome!  Now before we can help anybody you need to research and find out how YOU want to proceed not how someone else thinks you should cut. 

Please do some reasearch (hoipolloi, I noticed you already have) and make a post with all your stats, goals and meal plan including quantities, totals and macros and we can take it from there


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## naturalguy (Aug 22, 2003)

> _*Originally posted by hoipolloi *_
> I'm also planning on starting a cut and was wondering if i could get some advice also. My main goals are to get rid of the fat on my stomach and sides. I'm definitely not overweight and my stomach does not bulge, but it is an annoyance to have that  layer of fat on my sides and on my stomach. I would also like to gain some muscle but losing the love handles and fat on my stomach is my main priority. I've been reading around on this forum and I've decided i might try Dr. Pain's male cut plan that is posted in the sticky for newbies. I am going to start lifting and I already do cardio 3 times a week. I'm looking for some advice and trying to find out if I'm headed in the proper direction for my goal. I'll give you some more information about me. I'm 16 and i weigh around 145lbs and im about 5'10 so im pretty skinny. Any suggestions on any aspects would be greatly appreciated, especially diet since i want to be headed on the right path for my goals and to do it healthily since im only 16. Thanks.



First thing you need to decide is which is more important, to build muscle or to burn fat, then you can taylor your program to that. Unfortunately you cannot spot reduce so although you would like to target the fat on your stomach, your body gets rid of bodyfat all around your body and your stomach will probably be the last place it seems to come off. My reccomendation would be to concentrate on building some muscle. This will raise your metabolism and burn more calories throughout the day. Get on a good resistance program, there is a great course called MaxOT, it is on this website www.ast-ss.com. Your 16 so this is a great opportunity to put on some serious muscle as you have alot of testosterone naturally in your system at this age. Diet is also extremely important although it is tough to give you an individual program without knowing more about you.


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