12 replies to this topic

[gergle2]

I've reached my point where I am happy with my strength levels and am now looking to cut down. I was wondering if anyone had advice in terms of nutrition, work outs, etc.
Keep in mind that I am currently living in a college dorm and my food comes from the cafeteria :\

[gergle2]

Post deleted On 20 February 2012 - 09:15 AM.

Use the bump feature

[Vanuckle]

This is all second hand information that I've got of my friends who have or are cutting down - so take it with a grain of salt.

I don't know too much about nutrition, but if you were trying to bulk up, now is probably a good time to tone it down a little. You no longer need to be putting on weight, so be careful not to eat so much as to continue putting on weight. Balance your diet to make sure you are burning off almost all of the calories that you take in.

As far as training goes, start lifting marginally less weight and begin doing more reps. You are no longer looking for size but rather definition, and doing more reps will do this. That will typically mean dropping a little bit of weight off of your exercises. I am assuming you were hitting between 7 and 10 reps while bulking up, so now try to aim for 15 reps per routine.

If you aren't already, try running. Work your core as well. That is something that is often overlooked when bulking up, but it's great to have a strong core after you've finished your cutting. Lots of core/ab workouts available online or on Youtube.

[Bloodstain]

Eat less calories than maintenance and maintain high protein diet. Lots of people do 40/40/20 protein/carbs/fat, cardio, etc. Don't need to change your lifting routine.

[Milktea4me]

Wait 20 minutes before eating. Eat with friends and have a chat. It takes the brain 20 minutes to process that you're full.

[Christmas]

Lift the same, just don't increase the weight if you don't want to get much stronger. Just go into matience. As for the cafeteria, they usually suck but have plenty of options. So hit the salad bar, get some fruit, get a sandwich if the main options are bad. Avoid pizza/fries/burgers/deep fried meat. But make sure you're still getting protein/carb.

Edited by Christmas, 20 February 2012 - 08:55 AM.

[yakama6]

Milktea4me, on 20 February 2012 - 02:47 AM, said:

Wait 20 minutes before eating. Eat with friends and have a chat. It takes the brain 20 minutes to process that you're full.

You made that up didnt you

[Milktea4me]

yakama6, on 22 February 2012 - 06:26 PM, said:

Milktea4me, on 20 February 2012 - 02:47 AM, said:

Wait 20 minutes before eating. Eat with friends and have a chat. It takes the brain 20 minutes to process that you're full.

You made that up didnt you

I read it in health magazines and it says so in a book called "Eat this, Not That", What part of this doesn't make sense?

[Bloodstain]

It can take time for some people to feel full (eg. eat a whole pizza in 15 minutes, not feel full until afterward. Eat half a pizza in 40 minutes and feel full), but I don't think that's really applicable to the OP as it doesn't sound like he has an over eating problem.

[Fuzion]

When trying to cut body fat and maintain (or even gain) muscle, it's incredibly important to keep up with protein requirements.

Protein can be extremely filling, and contributes the least to your calorie intake. Both carbs and protein contain 4 calories per gram, but the amount of energy necessary for your body to process protein is substantially greater. In reality, you'd be getting closer to 3-3.2 calories per gram of protein compared to about 3.6 calories per gram of carbohydrate (with the exception of fiber, which can be substantially less, or almost nothing). The lower your bodyfat, the greater portion of mass lost comes from muscle. Maintaining a high protein diet is instrumental for maintaining muscle mass, or even building a bit of it while cutting, if you feel you are capable. I'd say it's far more important to be strict regarding protein requirements when you are cutting than when you're bulking.

Focus on making protein the centre of every meal.

Milktea4me, on 23 February 2012 - 02:18 AM, said:

yakama6, on 22 February 2012 - 06:26 PM, said:

Milktea4me, on 20 February 2012 - 02:47 AM, said:

Wait 20 minutes before eating. Eat with friends and have a chat. It takes the brain 20 minutes to process that you're full.

You made that up didnt you

I read it in health magazines and it says so in a book called "Eat this, Not That", What part of this doesn't make sense?

Derp. If it takes the brain twenty minutes to process that you're full- why would you wait BEFORE eating?

Edited by Fuzion, 23 February 2012 - 12:45 PM.

[brian01001]

yakama6, on 22 February 2012 - 06:26 PM, said:

Milktea4me, on 20 February 2012 - 02:47 AM, said:

Wait 20 minutes before eating. Eat with friends and have a chat. It takes the brain 20 minutes to process that you're full.

You made that up didnt you

No that's not made up, it's actually true:

Quote

It takes 20 minutes for the body to digest a meal and begin feeling full.

quoted from part 3 of http://www.ehow.com/...ating-fast.html

[Milktea4me]

Don't you ever have the feeling that you ate way too much after a little while and you regret it. While you're eating a lot, you don't really feel that you've had enough, that leads to binges and that leads to empty calories.

[dan staat]

Eating clean is the most important thing, obviously.

I suggest using a calorie counter like MyPlate on Livestrong.com, it's what I use. I don't count vegetables in my day, as most green veggies are mostly fiber, and are minimal on the GI scale.

Stick to:
Lean meats (chicken, turkey, 90%+ lean ground beef, steaks, etc.)
Green leafy veggies (broccoli, spinach, asparagus)
Fruits (bananas, berries are my two favorite)
Keep grains low and whole grain.

I know a lot of people are against low carb diets, but most people eat 250+ grams of carbs every day, and only truly need 100-125g per day. I take in 240g carbs on workout days (currently 4 days per week), and about 50-60g carbs on rest days. This cycling has really helped me. Cycling your carbs gives you the eventual "cheat" day, where you can have more pasta, and even, if you've been really good all week, a piece of cake or something.

If you're 90% on your diet, and 10% off, you'll be fine. Much lower than that, and don't expect optimal results.

As for lifting, stick to maximal loads, but don't increase week to week. I do a 5rm and a 3rm on alternating weeks for my squat, deadlift, and bench press. It's helped me progress from 180lbs to 162lbs.