I’m currently 5’9” 206 lbs. My goal is to cut down to 170 lbs (my original weight before I got fat). I’ve already cut down from 234 lbs just by calorie counting over roughly 6 months. The goal is to lose 1 lb/week, which means it’ll take 36 weeks or 9 months to reach the target weight, which seems absolutely miserable to be in a such a long calorie deficit. So maybe not a sustainable plan. Should I try to do a maintainence phase or lean bulk at any point during this cutting process or just power through to the end? I lift 3 times per week and either run or taking boxing classes 2-3 times on non-lifting days. I’m strict on tracking calories, but not too mindful of macros as long as I eat a lot of protein.
Do a 10 week — half marathon training program — you will drop weight. I did it
I injured my ankle pretty severely years ago and it never went back to normal despite going through months of PT. In college I ran a few half marathons, but now it starts to flare up after around 4 miles. So I usually try to do 2-3 3 mile runs per week and that’s been a good balance of doing cardio and not causing ankle pain. Fortunately it doesn’t impact my weight lifting too much. Maybe when I lose more weight it’ll reduce a lot of the load on my ankles and allow me to run further distances.
Ah sorry to hear that — good luck in your weight loss — take ur time and do it the right way
Get taller not wider
Go Keto. Sucks but does wonders. Got my cholesterol down by 15%.
Each gram of fat has roughly 9 calories in it. You’d need to eat at a deficit of around 3500 cal to lose a pound a week. I’ve done this before and it’s doable if you keep disipline. Get an app like myappdiary or fitness pal to track caloric intake. Make sure you eat lean protein to maintain your muscle and keep you satiated longer. Should take you just a few months to hit your goal. Congrats on progress so far. Hmu if you need tips. Used to be 220 lbs in college but hover around 180 these days. I’m 6’1”
Thanks! I’m addicted to ground bison for lean protein. I meal prep every week, and usually rotate between brown rice or sweet potatoes with some sort of vegetables. But ground bison has been the staple source of protein.
Sounds like you have the right idea. Meal prep and consistency with food alone will get you there. Bet you’ll be down to 170 in time for the holidays or thanksgiving. Just be patient and remember abs come from the kitchen not gym. 1-2 lift days/week should be enough when cutting and don’t expect numbers to go up. Do some light cardio to ensure cardio health. If your willpower is strong you could speed things up by doing a 1k or 750 cal deficit but this was too much for me. Excessive deficits are hard on the kidneys and can atrophy your heart muscle so be careful about going hard in the gym if you have the exact calorie count figured out.
I recommend sticking to your current plan. Weight training is the best approach, just understand that toward the end of your cut, you won’t be able to lift as heavy as you are now, so be mindful of injuries. If I were you, I’d tell myself I’m going to cut to the end of the year and aim to lose 1.5 pounds per month. I usually like to have a deadline to help me stay on track.
Thanks, that’s good to keep in mind. As a novice lifter of course I want to gain strength, but I do realize it’ll be hard on a cut. Which is why I was wondering if it’s worth to maintain/bulk for a bit to break through plateaus.
So if you’re a novice lifter, you will definitely gain strength for the first 4-5 months of the cut (exact number of months differ per person of course). So for a good portion of the cut, you’ll notice you’re able to lift more than the previous session (which is awesome!), but, at some point, that won’t be the case anymore, and this is where you have to watch out for injuries. You may find yourself pushing too hard to lift as much as the last session, but your body is not able to. I went through this last year. Wasn’t a novice lifter but took a few years off so my body was working as if I was. Did about a 7 month cut and lost 30 pounds, and have been gaining it back over the last 4 months. I actually enjoyed the cut more than the bulk.
Diet beats exercise. Just cut out the fast food and soda.
You need discipline. 9 month cut isn't very out of the ordinary. Bulking for a short time isn't going to help you in any way. After a while you get used to the lower calories. Make sure you recalculate every 5 pounds Also, 170 at 5'9, especially when you don't have much muscle is still pretty fat. I would suggest atleast 160 before you start gaining again.
I guess it depends a bit on bone structure. For me 145-150lb is ideal, anything more and I'm fat but some people are physically different.
At 170 I had a bit of excess extra flab, but I still looked really lean with a shirt on. Getting to 160 would probably be a better idea before bulking.
You need to focus more on cardio, not starving yourself like that.
Nothing beats a sensible reply from atinlay 😢
I disagree. From the research I’ve seen (and personal experience), when cutting body fat, you should continue to lift weights as your primary exercise. You want to make sure that your body feels like it needs to maintain your muscles otherwise when you’re in a caloric deficit, your body will burn fat _and_ muscle for the needed energy. Cardio isn’t a problem necessarily, but all it really does is increase your daily burn, so you can eat more and still be in a deficit. However, your body composition won’t get the look most people want from cutting. Jeremy Ethier does an excellent breakdown on his YouTube channel, check it out.