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Cutting Calories

howzit

howzit

New member
Last time I cut, I lost too much muscle for my liking, I think it was because having too low calories as I dropped the weight pretty quick. Had no proper carbs only eating meats and vegetables (although no potatoes etc), only a bowl of oats in the mornings.

What sort of calorie target should I hit? I weigh around 102kg at the moment and my b.f. is starting to get too high for my liking and will start hitting cardio sessions before breakfast 3-4 times a week when I start the cut in addition to 4 days a week of weights. Although, my top two abs are still clearly visible.

Thanks guys :)
 
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Maybe the cardio is your problem.
I hate this myth that cardio is required for fat loss. Cardio is catabolic

I'll repeat for the 20th time. I have lost close to 14kg with no cardio. it has taken 9 months though. Still want to do cardio???
 
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^ Cardio may not be essential for fat loss but it's still a good thing to include, just to help with your general health. Increases lung capacity, makes your heart stronger, reduces risk of CV diseases, and just makes you feel healthier in general. That's just my opinion :].
 
Yeah, but I don't want to be cutting for 9 months on a clean diet, takes too long. I hate the process of cutting.
 
throw in some HIIT? I think the best way to lose it would be the afterburn from interval training.

My thought patterns behind this - If your sprinting to your maximal capacity, your going to be using your anaerobic system putting yourself into oxygen debt, which your body has to restore even once you've stopped, it does this through the burning of fat as a means of energy. Also, when 'jogging' or running your body recognises that it needs to do something in the most efficient manner possible. That's why marathon runners have no mass, because their body has become as efficient as possible. HIIT utilises muscle power to move your body in short bursts so your body is more likely to keep the muscle because it recognises your using. Kind of like sprinters.

^Hopefully that makes some form of sense/has some scientific backing.
 
Well, how I did cardio was I did like an hour of uphill walking before breakfast. HIIT makes me look like a retard at the gym lol.
 
robbo14 said:
Doesn't Cardio/HIIT increase metabolism?
Click to expand...

In very simplistic terms cardio will burn some fat whilst you do cardio, HIIT will burn some more fat whilst you do HIIT and then a little bit more for a short time, lifting weights will burn some fat whilst you lift weights and then for a comparitvely fair while afterwards as well. Thats really simplifying/generalising it to the millionth degree. I also must admit I've gotten that from journal articles not textbooks so there is likely other opinions published out there.
 
Cardio doesn't really. HIIT too a degree but it's more about the afterburn. Howzit use your gyms ergo if they have one. 1 minute max effort 2 minutes rest, for 10 cycles I guarantee you'll be feeling something after that.
 
Azz said:
^ Cardio may not be essential for fat loss but it's still a good thing to include, just to help with your general health. Increases lung capacity, makes your heart stronger, reduces risk of CV diseases, and just makes you feel healthier in general. That's just my opinion :].
Click to expand...
Great then doing it while bulking and in calorie surplus, then you won't sacrifice muscle.
 
gareer said:
Cardio doesn't really. HIIT too a degree but it's more about the afterburn. Howzit use your gyms ergo if they have one. 1 minute max effort 2 minutes rest, for 10 cycles I guarantee you'll be feeling something after that.
Click to expand...

I was simplifying it a lot. Cardio does between certain amounts of work effort and to qualify that with literature reviews would require too much effort for me tonight. So it does really, under the right circumstances, but its not worth the effort if thats the only goal. Then again there is probably plenty of literature that would disagree too.
 
gareer said:
Cardio doesn't really. HIIT too a degree but it's more about the afterburn. Howzit use your gyms ergo if they have one. 1 minute max effort 2 minutes rest, for 10 cycles I guarantee you'll be feeling something after that.
Click to expand...

Ergo?

Sounds like this is my only option. Would it be worth doing pre-breakfast to maximise the effect?
 
I am with Shrek IF you only want the lose fat keep muscle option. IF you want some conditioning then I say barbell complexes or other HIIT work about 2 to 3 times a week. It will reduce your weight faster but you will lose a bit more muscle. All depends on your goals and time frame.
 
Thanks for that stralian. Will be using some of that.

Anyone know how I can find out my maintenance calories?
 
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