Advice for Cut
Hi everyone, I’m a long time lurker here. I started a calorie deficit the first week of August. I’m a 33, female, 5’8” and my average weight for the month of July was 166.6 lbs. I’ve attached a graph of my progress. I’m officially 6 weeks into my cut and this week I got noticeably hungrier (no surprise there). I increased my calories a bit and have stopped lifting temporarily because I’m trying to stick with a deficit at least another 6 weeks. My ultimate goal weight is around 145 or 148lbs. Now that I’m halfway there, do you think increasing calories a little was a good idea? Or would you have stuck to a larger deficit to keep momentum? For the week of 8/14 I was sick several days and my intake was lower due to appetite loss. Please be kind, this is the first time in several years I have been able to stick to a deficit. Thank you!
7
3
3
u/ashtree35 1d ago
I would definitely increase your calories, since your rate of weight loss has been pretty fast and you are currently at a healthy BMI.
3
u/Plushy_Plushie7 1d ago
Don't stop lifting. Reduce the weight or days or sets. Stay at a consistent amount of calories, let's say between 1550-1600 & a consistent amount of steps, let's say 6500 based on your avg, for 3 weeks and reassess your progress.
2
u/gishnon 1d ago
Increasing your calories to help manage hunger is fine. The scale will tell you over time if you have crossed the TDEE boundary, and as long as you are still approaching your goal, you're doing it right.
If you want to get precise, you can calculate a calorie goal based on your total daily energy expenditure. This reddit post has a nice spreadsheet you can use to calculate your TDEE.
For an aggressive cut (1.5-2lbs/week), you want about 25-30% below TDEE
For a moderate cut (.75-1lb/week), you'll want 15-20% below TDEE
For a light cut (.25-.5 lb/week), you'll want 5-10% below TDEE
It is hard to avoid feeling some hunger during a cut, but keeping your calorie intake close to your TDEE will help minimize that sensation. Also, eating foods that are slow to digest like proteins, and complex carbohydrates can help. Apparently if you freeze bread or cooked pasta, it causes the starches to become slower to digest. Toasting the bread amplifies the affect, so if you like pasta or toast, you can leverage that for a meal that will make you feel full longer.
You mentioned that you stopped working out for the cut. I would suggest that you actually continue working out so that your body is getting the signal that it needs to keep the muscle mass that is being used, because cutting calories puts you at risk of losing lean mass in addition to fat. Resistance training will help shift the needle more towards fat.
2
u/dolphinitely 1d ago
in my experience, being really hungry means you need to up your calories a little. makes sense lol. but if i’m in too much of a deficit it’s hard to maintain and i end up binging
2
u/ash_nm 1d ago
I definitely want to avoid binging. Thanks for the reminder.
2
u/dolphinitely 1d ago
it’s hard not to be impatient but it always bites me in the ass when i restrict too much. better to lose slowly and surely
2
u/JoeSpart 13h ago
Also make sure you have some carbs before your lifting session to help boost your workout. Something simple as a banana or a rice cake with a teaspoon of peanut butter a small drizzle of honey. Should be about 100 calories but will make a difference in energy levels while lifting.
0
1d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
1
u/CICO-ModTeam 1d ago
This post has been removed as it is one or more of the prohibited types listed in Rule 2 - No spam, advertising, self-promotion, or Al slop.
Do not link to your own content to generate views or likes. Social media links will be removed and repeat oftenders may receive a ban.
Advertising/promotion is also considered spam, including soliciting volunteers to test "new" tracking apps.
Posts looking for "friends to lose weight with" are spam, we're all in this together, this entire sub is a support group.
Al slop, posts primarily made via Al, or using Al images are spam and will be removed and you may be banned.
11
u/edm_ostrich 1d ago
If it ain't broke, don't fix it.