Bulking - Easy... Cutting & staying big - Hard

[TheGiftToLift]

So I find I can put on the kilos pretty easily when I try. I'm talking 3-5 kilos a month... Yes, some of it is fat but for the most part its muscle. My problem is that when I get to my goal weight of around 82kgs, I find it incredibly hard to stick to a maintenance diet that doesn't either wear me out mentally and physically through lack of carbs, and/or actually maintains my muscles for the long haul. Not because I can't 'handle' it, but because I have a job and relationships I need to maintain - nobody likes an uninterested space cadet who does crap work.

Most of what I know is about gaining mass. What happens when you reach your ideal 'fat + muscle' mass? Do I find out my exact calorie requirement and then build a fundamentally sound diet to meet it? Thus giving me the 10% BF sculpted body we all seek? I definately can do this - the problem is that I just don't feel that crash hot when I calorie restrict. Maybe because I am addicted to the higher (4000+) calorie diet? Does anyone else feel shitty when theyr'e on a cut? I mean more mentally than physically. Im used to feeling shitty because I eat and train till I puke regularly. I just cant handle not having mental clarity, which low carbs definately gives me + irritability. Does anyone have a diet they can recommend + a training guide for cutting?? That would be ace.

I recently started taking general health supps - supergreens, wheatgrass and bee pollen which seem to be making a small difference. I definately feel less bloated than before.

 

[Iron Alliance]

Try Carb Cycling.

 

[leachy]

Try limiting your carbs to morning and or post workout. Once you can do that, only have them post workout. But to loose fat you need to be eating at a calorie deficit, or creating a calorie deficit through exercise, weights or hiit.

 

[TTTTTT]

carb cycling m8t - it works

 

[bro]

What does that mean?

In what way does carb cycling "work"?

Work for what? Retaining muscle mass while reducing fat? If so, why?

 

[Iron Alliance]

Easy template.

Heavy/Hard Day at Gym (i.e Squat/Deads) = High Day
Days off = Low Day
Bench/Any other Gym Day = Moderate

High Day
Carbs: 2-3 grams per pound of body weight
Protein: 1-1.25 grams per pound of body weight
Fat: as little as possible

Low/Moderate Day
Carbs: 0.5-1.5 grams per pound of body weight
Protein: 1.25-1.5 grams per pound of body weight
Fat: 0.15-0.35 grams per pound of body weight

I'll be kind and do one for you. This is using the OP's weight, he can use this if he wants.

High Day
Carbs: 345g
Protein: 215g
Fat: As little as possible.

Low Day:
Carbs: 85g
Protein: 255g
Fat: 60g

Moderate Day:
Carbs: 200g
Protein: 215g
Fat:25g

 

[pistachio]

im also interested in this....

im still a long way off cutting (bout 6 months or so), but i am worried that i will lose too much muscle.

if you try carb cycling thegifttolift, be a pal and keep a blog so i can follow it

 

[bro]

Iron Alliance: I know what carb cycling is, my question is why it's better for cutting than a non-cyclical diet.

 

[Iron Alliance]

The OP has issues with energy and irritability during weight loss, cycling carbs can help this by giving him more energy for his training through higher calorie/carb intake on his harder days and still keep him in an overall calorie deficit on lower/moderate days.

Where did I say it's better than a non-cyclical diet?

 

[jet]

Courtesy of Iron Addicts forum, something you may find useful:


If you are trying to reduce bodyfat, the guidelines are also simple:

1. For MOST people trying to reduce bodyfat, carb control is an extremely big part of the equation. Unless you are a teen, or an extremely fast metabolism ectomorph, carbs should not be more than 20% of overall calories when trying to lose fat, SOME people are exceptions to this, but if you want to go with the odds, assume you are not

2. You need to coax the body into losing fat, not force it. The biggest mistake people make is trying to lose fat too fast. This usually results in the metabolism just slowing down so much it matches your caloric deficit. A 200 lb male should NEVER attempt to lose more than 2 lbs a week and that is an absolute maximum, and only works for people with good fat burning metabolisms. 1.5 lbs a week is a better goal for a 200 lb male, 1 or 1.25 for a lighter guy—sorry, most of you simply don’t want to hear this, but that is the reality. And BTW, this is not MY standards, but the standards of every single good strength and conditioning coach and dietician you will find that has any credentials.

3. If you create a 500 calorie a day deficit AND carbs are reasonably reduced, you will lose approximately 1 lb a week. If you are going to be doing cardio, factor the calories used doing the cardio into your deficit. A 4 mile per hour walk for 45 minutes burns approximately 300-350 calories for a 200 lb male.

4. Fat loss will NOT be linear and you will lose the most weight when first starting the diet.

5. Dieting for more than 16 weeks without a break is NOT recommended for Most people.

6. Diet types for MOST people should work around the principle of having long periods of the day where carbs are low or not included. This can be a ½ day timed carb diet, a timed carb diet (TCD) or a keto. Teens should NOT be doing a keto diet unless they are obese and very insulin resistant. Most teens can just cut carbs to 20-30% of the diet, create a calorie deficit and do some cardio to drop fat. They should NOT be doing any kind of drastic diet like a keto and should not do an aggressive caloric deficit diet.

 

[TheGiftToLift]

I kind of fell of the band wagon there for a while, but I will be planning a cut in around a month or so. I will post the progress for sure.