Saturday, October 16, 2010

A simple guide to cutting fat

Essential Rules

- Workout with weights about 3 times a week.
- Eat at least 1g protein / lb of lean body mass a day. (You don't have to buy overpriced protein, Body Fortress protein is sold at Wal-Mart for 15$ a tub!)
- Eat some fruit, veggies/salad, and some essential fatty acids (EFAs) every day.
- Above that eat whatever you want, preferably a wide variety of foods.
- Adjust your food intake so that the desired rate of weight loss is maintained.

The recommended rate of weight loss depends on your current body fat level. Generally, the higher your bodyfat, the higher the rate of weight loss can potentially be. The best indication for the rate being too high is if you rapidly lose strength in the gym. In this case, increase your intake and go for a smaller rate of weight loss. In general, a rate of about 1-2lbs per week is recommended.

Any cutting method that follows the above rules is close to optimal, any further details will not have significant effect on body composition. If you already have a meal plan, just check if these rules are followed and adjust if not.

Measuring Progress and Adjusting Food Intake

- Weigh yourself once a week, always at the same time (e.g. right after waking up).
- Don't panic if your weight stays the same or even goes up for one or two weeks.
- If your weight does not go down for more than three weeks, slightly reduce calories.
- If your rate of weight loss is above the desired value, slightly increase calories.
- The change in daily calories from those adjustments should not exceed 500 cals.
- After adjustment, stay on the new value for at least three weeks before adjusting again.

If you have never done a cutting diet, it's always better to start with more calories and reduce slowly until the desired rate of weight loss is maintained. If you stay patient, you will not have to adjust very often. With more experience, you will not have to count calories anymore, but as a beginner it is a good idea.

33 comments:

  1. anyway.. just eat healthy and work out and you'll be fine :D

    that's what worked for me :D

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  2. Thanks for the tips, i'll give it a shot

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  3. This is a good strategy from what I can see. I put in some attempts earlier this year to improve my physical fitness, but I always grew discouraged quickly because the meager results didn't seem to be worth all of the pain and effort. Having a good general guide like this one will be very helpful for me when I try again.

    Also, thank you for the information on the protein - many places I visited suggested I use the more expensive brands, but I was always suspicious that they weren't truly worth the huge prices.

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  4. I don't really need to loose weight, but I could do with being a bit healthier

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  5. mind blown man. COme check out my blog man, get some chill toons, and chill

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  6. this is exactly what I was looking for

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  7. I find that cutting fat is really hard, you need a very sharp knife.

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  8. This is great. Good to see some blogs with decent info to share. Gonna start working out a bit more too.

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  9. i find a katana cuts fat like its butter

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  10. Good advice... gotta keep slim and trim

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  11. I actually need to gain some weight, lol.

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  12. Great tips, looking forward to your next installment

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  13. Good to see someone putting some thought into their posts

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  14. awesome tips, thank you!

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  15. What do you think about before breakfast cardio? I've been doing that for years with great results.

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  16. Need to get myself some weights!

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  17. will you have reviews for supplements?

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  18. How many times a day should I eat? I'm awake from 6am to 10pm daily.

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  19. I run to stay slim... I'm blessed with a fast metabolism too

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  20. Also, drink 4-6 bottles of water a day. You'll have to go to the bathroom a lot, but by drinking the amount of water your body SHOULD get (seriously, four bottles is the recommended amount. Who knew?) your metabolism will jump 20-30%.

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