By: TimoteoS
I have been searching for years for a cutting diet that would help me lose body fat while maintaing my muscle mass and my mental state including energy levels and I believe I have finally perfected a cutting diet that can do just that. Many fad diets have come and gone, from the Atkins to South Beach they usually fail for many reasons. Fad diets provide a quick fix but are not lifestyle diets. A lifestyle diet is one that should be easy and work and something you can stay on without having any problems in the long run. Losing fat all begins with your attitude, it is normal to feel low and become upset while dieting because your body will be going through changes.
Cutting does not have to be difficult and can actually be fun if done properly. While cutting our main concern is to maintain lean body mass and lose body fat. During a cut you are in a calorie deficit making it nearly impossible to gain strength and mass. With this diet we will attempt to do just that: lose fat, maintain mass and even add strength. A lot of low carb diets fail for many reasons, the biggest one is not being able to control insulin and blood sugar, leaving you feeling below the weather and hungry due to low blood sugar. If you are able to stabilize your blood sugar levels and insulin control, your energy levels should not be affected as much and you should feel fine for the most part. We will first begin by finding your BMR also known as basal metabolic rate, which is the minimum calorie requirement needed by an individual in order to sustain life. To find this we will use the Harris-Benedict formula.
Men: BMR = 66 + (13.7 X wt in kg) + (5 X ht in cm) - (6.8 X age in years)
Women: BMR = 655 + (9.6 X wt in kg) + (1.8 X ht in cm) - (4.7 X age in years)
Once you know your BMR you can calculate your total daily energy expenditure by factoring in your daily lifestyle.
Sedentary = BMR X 1.2 (little or no exercise, desk job)
Lightly active = BMR X 1.375 (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/wk)
Mod. active = BMR X 1.55 (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/wk)
Very active = BMR X 1.725 (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days/wk)
Extra active = BMR X 1.9 (hard daily exercise/sports & physical job or 2X day training, i.e. marathon, contest etc.)
Now that you have your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE) we can figure out how many calories you need to lose fat. You can start by subtracting roughly 300-500 calories from your TDEE. It is essentially up to you on how you want to go about splitting your meals out. While some of you may only be able to get 5 meals in, others might be able to get as many as 8. It is important to split your meals apart 2-3 hours and no longer than that, this will guarantee proper insulin response as well as create a balance of energy for you throughout your day if you skip a meal your blood sugar will drop and you will not feel good at all. Your calories will be split up like the following 50% PRO/ 30 % FAT/ 20% CHO all you have to do is split up your protein, carbohydrates and fat throughout the number of meals you choose. We will talk about which foods you want to eat now.
EVERY meal will start with a green fibrous vegetable, these carbohydrates will count toward your daily calorie intake, and you may also choose to include other vegetables as well. (see a Vegetable Sources list below). You may ask why we choose to do this, and it is quite simple, by consuming a high fibrous vegetable first, it will slow down the rate at which your food is absorbed, which in turn will maximize the slow release in insulin that we are trying to achieve. The next part of the equation is your choice of protein which can come from many sources including egg whites, chicken breasts, lean meats of any kind, fish and even protein shakes (see a Protein Sources list below). It is important to avoid unhealthy fats in the source of protein that you choose. The last part of the equation is your choice of fats. Fats are what are going to make or break you, as they will aid in fat loss as well as controlling insulin response. When choosing a source of fat it is important to make sure that it is indeed an unsaturated fat as opposed to a saturated fat, which should be avoided for the most part. You can get your fats from almonds, peanut butter and many other sources as well (see a Fat Sources list below).
With your diet complete, including meals planned out that have the correct proportion of PRO/FAT/CHO all with the right amount of calories. We will now talk about refeeds or more commonly known as carb ups. By adding in carbohydrate rich meals with no protein every few days we will maximize the rate at which your body burns fat, going too long without a refeed will produce a negative effect as your body may begin to go into starvation mode. Your refeed meals should be consumed once every 3-4 days and will be the last meal you consume on that day. Your refeed meals will be strictly carbohydrates with healthy fats. Depending on how many calories you are taking in each day your refeed can range from 500-1000 calories. You will begin your refeed with a fibrous vegetable then complex carbohydrates coupled with healthy fats. The calorie ratio will be a 60%:40% of CHO:FAT. I would recommend starting with a low end calorie refeed and working your way up.
The last thing will be proper workout nutrition. I recommend eating one regular meal 60-120 minutes pre workout then consume a WPI/BCAA combo pre/during/post work and then consuming your next regular meal 60-90 minutes post workout While on this or any diet it is important stay hydrated by drinking plenty of fluids, this can also have a positive effect on reducing appetite, increasing metabolism and a large amount of other benefits. By following this simple and effective plan you can promote a great deal of fat loss, while maintaing your lean body mass.
Here are a few good food choices to include while planning out your diet-
Main Vegetable (Carbohydrate) Sources-
Asparagus
Spinach
Green Beans
Celery
Broccoli
Grapefruit as they are loaded with narginin which can enhance the absorption of certain nutrients as well as have a great effect on metabolism
Fat Sources-
Almonds
Peanut Butter
Almond Butter
Olive Oil
Sunflower Seeds
Flax Seeds/Oil
Avocado
Fish Oil
Lean Protein Sources-
Chicken Breast
Tuna- Can in water / Fresh
Fish- Scrod, Halibut, Striped Bass, Snapper, Flounder, Salmon
Lean Steaks- Sirloin, Filet
Ground Turkey
Turkey Tenderloin
