How To Cut Properly And Why Your Aggressive Cut Is Completely Useless

[smbleh]

Spoiler: Intro

Introduction​

The ultimate goal of a cut is to lose as much FAT as possible , not muscle , not weight and most people are cutting fat too aggressively in a way they can't maintain and additionally is not actually providing any further benefit for them.

Spoiler: Caloric Intake and Fat Mobilisation

Caloric Intake and maximum rate of fat loss​

Now it is well established that net caloric intake vs expenditure is the main driver of weight loss but as we said we are trying to lose fat not just weight , this makes super aggressive diets completely redundant (there is a bit more nuance to this for enhanced users but generally still holds quite true)


You cannot mobilise and oxidise an unlimited amount of fat , bigger deficit does not linearly = greater fat loss.


'A limit on the maximum energy transfer rate from the human fat store in hypophagia is deduced from experimental data of underfed subjects maintaining moderate activity levels and is found to have a value of (290+/-25) kJ/kgd A dietary restriction which exceeds the limited capability of the fat store to compensate for the energy deficiency results in an immediate decrease in the fat free mass (FFM)'



Essentially meaning we can comfortably mobilise about 31 calories of fat per pound of body fat and going beyond this your body needs energy somewhere and it will be taken from fat free mass (FFM) but it is important to not FFM and lean muscle mass are far from the same , FFM includes water , glycogen , minerals and more , you will not immediately be taking out of your muscle mass exceeding this.




It is also important to interpret what this means properly , this does not mean there is no more fat lost after 31 cals/pound of fat mass
Deeper deficits will continue to mobilise fat at a very high rate but your FFM will also begin to eat into where the energy is coming from and as you can imagine the deeper you push this the worse your ratio of fat to lean mass loss gets.

So yes you will lose more fat but also lean mass and to reach your goal body composition ( obviously you should be going for a desired body composition not an arbitrary number on a scale) you can end up making the net timeline longer due to the loss of muscle mass
This still applies to enhanced users due to the nature of anabolic being highly anti catabolic but this does not make you immune , you can still lose muscle mass in a dose dependant (androgenic load) and deficit dependant way


So your deficit should be 31 x pound of fat mass


To get your estimated fat mass simply do your fasted weight x your estimated body fat % , the main margin of error here will be most of you don't know how to estimate body fat % very accurately and are often not as lean as you may think.



Just overestimate how fat you are.



There is some counter evidence against this such as diets like the PSMF diet showing to have minimal lean mass loss despite the huge deficits but the nuance is important , them being in ketosis.



When carbs are near zero, the liver produces ketone bodies from fat that can fuel the brain and most tissues directly, and glycerol released from triglyceride breakdown (about 10% of fat mass by weight) feeds gluconeogenesis on its own.



This drastically cuts the amount of glucose that has to come from amino acids via muscle breakdown




However the caveat to this are
- Lack of carbs compromising your training heavily
- PSMF studies are always done in morbidly obese people with very abundant amounts of fat mass to mobilise , we can't be too sure how this applies to leaner individuals
- Crash diets leave you very prone to binging and eating away half a weeks of dieting and your QOL in general is far more compromised living this way , you don't want the day to revolve around food and constantly having cravings , etc , you want to feel like you're barely even on a diet as much as possible
- Obvious nutrient deficiency
- Rapid weight loss slowing down your metabolism through multiple mechanisms making it harder and harder to continue losing weight

Spoiler: Macronutrients

Macronutrient Split​

​

I'm going to keep this as basic and digestible as possible , obviously you can lose fat no matter your macros splitting but cutting on a deficit of twinkies vs an optimised macronutrient split isn't the same

Protein
Protein supplementation beyond total protein intakes of 1.62 g/kg/day resulted in no further RET-induced gains in FFM.

So we should be consuming about 1.6g of protein per kg of body weight though I'd say enhanced users can push beyond this up to 2.2 - 2.6g/kg bw due to increased MPS



Carb intake

Carbs are not only obviously important for fuel but also is essential for T4 to T3 conversion as they stimulate the release of insulin, which directly optimises the activity of 5'-deiodinase, the primary enzyme responsible for stripping an iodine atom from T4 to create active T3

I would say to eat about 250g carbs to saturate enzyme activity and pushing above this relative to your weight for energy and to cycle your carb intake according to your training days where you would eat more , up to 65% of your intake being carbs on training days and about 40% on non training days


Fat intake

For naturals I would consume about 20% of your intake from fats however for enhanced users who don't really on natural androgen production you can essentially LDAR any non essential fat intake and push your fat intake as low as low double digits and utilise these calories from carbs instead.



TLDR

Protein - 1.6 kg/bw (2-2.2 if enhanced)
Carbs - 250g+ (65% of intake on training days , lower on resting days)
Fat intake - 20% of intake (Minimal essential amount if enchanted)

Spoiler: Dietary Supplementation

Dietary supplementation ​

I want this thread to be mostly dedicated to the dieting side of things so I won't be going into fat burners , appetite suppressants etc


Iodine


Iodine is the backbone of thyroid hormones-T4 contains 4 iodine atoms, T3 contains 3. Deficiency impairs hormone synthesis.

Supplement 200mcg of iodine daily , the easiest way to get this in IMO is just using iodised salt which contains about 45mcg of iodine per g of salt or you can just take an iodine tablet.





Selenium


Selenium is required for the enzyme deiodinase, which converts inactive T4 to active T3 and protects the thyroid from oxidative damage during hormone synthesis
Supplement 200mcg of selenium a day , though I doubt any of you will be deficint in selenium with a high protein diet.

For example chicken already has about 30mcg of selenium per 100g


Zinc



Zinc is important for a couple reasons

Firstly it is needed for TSH receptor sensitivity and T4-to-T3 conversion

Secondly androgens bind to the androgen receptors via zinc finger binding domains , meaning a deficiency of zinc can be a bottle neck to the response of your body to androgens as well as many other important growth pathways being dependant on zinc ( MTOR , IGF-1 signalling ) + zinc deficiency also independently lowers testosterone synthesis itself

And a lot of you are much more likely to be deficient in zinc especially when dieting

Supplement 25mg of Zinc , though I wouldn't go too much other as excess zinc depletes copper over time.

Spoiler: Satiety

Satiety​

Most of this will be water for anyone who understands the basics




Protein intake


Protein will be the most important as it is the most satiating macronutrient and has the highest thermic effect when digested and triggers GLP-1 , PYY and suppresses ghrelin - I recommend frontloading protein intake near the start of the day so you can go through most of your day feeling full.



Volume + Fibre



Obviously high volume low calorie foods will stretch your stomach causing you to feel full with fibre slowing your gastric emptying so the food sits there longer while adding very few calories

Good food selections here

- Mushrooms - 8 cals per 100g , you can eat an 5 fucking kilogram of mushrooms for 400 calories any time , you can essential eat an unlimited amount of this if you don't feel full after your meals and this is my go to

- Cucumbers - 12 cals per 100g , 0 effort to make , again you can eat a fuck load

- Brocolli - 34 cals per 100g , nutrient dense asf , very high in fibre , just stack a fuck ton on the side with your main meals of the day



Liquid cals and cooking oils



Both the absolute fucking biggest waste of your macros , 0 sugar versions of the drink taste pretty much the exact same and cooking oils are meant for coating so the food won't stick , you don't need to douse your meals in fucking 400 calories of oil , using a spray instead to just coat the pan will save 100s of calories
Alot of this should be quite water to those who have been on diets before and understand nutrition but i see alot of people still doing complete bullshit on horrific crash diets next will probably be a thread about getting insanely insulin sensitive as that is also very very important yet overlooked

​

​

 

[zangtens]

thought this was about sh

 

[Yeat]

mirin

 

[Hypertrophy]

Surgery max

 

[Hypertrophy]

Surgery max

 

[northka]

Spoiler: Intro

Introduction​

The ultimate goal of a cut is to lose as much FAT as possible , not muscle , not weight and most people are cutting fat too aggressively in a way they can't maintain and additionally is not actually providing any further benefit for them.

Spoiler: Caloric Intake and Fat Mobilisation

Caloric Intake and maximum rate of fat loss​

Now it is well established that net caloric intake vs expenditure is the main driver of weight loss but as we said we are trying to lose fat not just weight , this makes super aggressive diets completely redundant (there is a bit more nuance to this for enhanced users but generally still holds quite true)


You cannot mobilise and oxidise an unlimited amount of fat , bigger deficit does not linearly = greater fat loss.


'A limit on the maximum energy transfer rate from the human fat store in hypophagia is deduced from experimental data of underfed subjects maintaining moderate activity levels and is found to have a value of (290+/-25) kJ/kgd A dietary restriction which exceeds the limited capability of the fat store to compensate for the energy deficiency results in an immediate decrease in the fat free mass (FFM)'



Essentially meaning we can comfortably mobilise about 31 calories of fat per pound of body fat and going beyond this your body needs energy somewhere and it will be taken from fat free mass (FFM) but it is important to not FFM and lean muscle mass are far from the same , FFM includes water , glycogen , minerals and more , you will not immediately be taking out of your muscle mass exceeding this.




It is also important to interpret what this means properly , this does not mean there is no more fat lost after 31 cals/pound of fat mass
Deeper deficits will continue to mobilise fat at a very high rate but your FFM will also begin to eat into where the energy is coming from and as you can imagine the deeper you push this the worse your ratio of fat to lean mass loss gets.

So yes you will lose more fat but also lean mass and to reach your goal body composition ( obviously you should be going for a desired body composition not an arbitrary number on a scale) you can end up making the net timeline longer due to the loss of muscle mass
This still applies to enhanced users due to the nature of anabolic being highly anti catabolic but this does not make you immune , you can still lose muscle mass in a dose dependant (androgenic load) and deficit dependant way


So your deficit should be 31 x pound of fat mass


To get your estimated fat mass simply do your fasted weight x your estimated body fat % , the main margin of error here will be most of you don't know how to estimate body fat % very accurately and are often not as lean as you may think.



Just overestimate how fat you are.



There is some counter evidence against this such as diets like the PSMF diet showing to have minimal lean mass loss despite the huge deficits but the nuance is important , them being in ketosis.



When carbs are near zero, the liver produces ketone bodies from fat that can fuel the brain and most tissues directly, and glycerol released from triglyceride breakdown (about 10% of fat mass by weight) feeds gluconeogenesis on its own.



This drastically cuts the amount of glucose that has to come from amino acids via muscle breakdown




However the caveat to this are
- Lack of carbs compromising your training heavily
- PSMF studies are always done in morbidly obese people with very abundant amounts of fat mass to mobilise , we can't be too sure how this applies to leaner individuals
- Crash diets leave you very prone to binging and eating away half a weeks of dieting and your QOL in general is far more compromised living this way , you don't want the day to revolve around food and constantly having cravings , etc , you want to feel like you're barely even on a diet as much as possible
- Obvious nutrient deficiency
- Rapid weight loss slowing down your metabolism through multiple mechanisms making it harder and harder to continue losing weight

Spoiler: Macronutrients

Macronutrient Split​

​

I'm going to keep this as basic and digestible as possible , obviously you can lose fat no matter your macros splitting but cutting on a deficit of twinkies vs an optimised macronutrient split isn't the same

Protein
Protein supplementation beyond total protein intakes of 1.62 g/kg/day resulted in no further RET-induced gains in FFM.

So we should be consuming about 1.6g of protein per kg of body weight though I'd say enhanced users can push beyond this up to 2.2 - 2.6g/kg bw due to increased MPS



Carb intake

Carbs are not only obviously important for fuel but also is essential for T4 to T3 conversion as they stimulate the release of insulin, which directly optimises the activity of 5'-deiodinase, the primary enzyme responsible for stripping an iodine atom from T4 to create active T3

I would say to eat about 250g carbs to saturate enzyme activity and pushing above this relative to your weight for energy and to cycle your carb intake according to your training days where you would eat more , up to 65% of your intake being carbs on training days and about 40% on non training days


Fat intake

For naturals I would consume about 20% of your intake from fats however for enhanced users who don't really on natural androgen production you can essentially LDAR any non essential fat intake and push your fat intake as low as low double digits and utilise these calories from carbs instead.



TLDR

Protein - 1.6 kg/bw (2-2.2 if enhanced)
Carbs - 250g+ (65% of intake on training days , lower on resting days)
Fat intake - 20% of intake (Minimal essential amount if enchanted)

Spoiler: Dietary Supplementation

Dietary supplementation ​

I want this thread to be mostly dedicated to the dieting side of things so I won't be going into fat burners , appetite suppressants etc


Iodine


Iodine is the backbone of thyroid hormones-T4 contains 4 iodine atoms, T3 contains 3. Deficiency impairs hormone synthesis.

Supplement 200mcg of iodine daily , the easiest way to get this in IMO is just using iodised salt which contains about 45mcg of iodine per g of salt or you can just take an iodine tablet.





Selenium


Selenium is required for the enzyme deiodinase, which converts inactive T4 to active T3 and protects the thyroid from oxidative damage during hormone synthesis
Supplement 200mcg of selenium a day , though I doubt any of you will be deficint in selenium with a high protein diet.

For example chicken already has about 30mcg of selenium per 100g


Zinc



Zinc is important for a couple reasons

Firstly it is needed for TSH receptor sensitivity and T4-to-T3 conversion

Secondly androgens bind to the androgen receptors via zinc finger binding domains , meaning a deficiency of zinc can be a bottle neck to the response of your body to androgens as well as many other important growth pathways being dependant on zinc ( MTOR , IGF-1 signalling ) + zinc deficiency also independently lowers testosterone synthesis itself

And a lot of you are much more likely to be deficient in zinc especially when dieting

Supplement 25mg of Zinc , though I wouldn't go too much other as excess zinc depletes copper over time.

Spoiler: Satiety

Satiety​

Most of this will be water for anyone who understands the basics




Protein intake


Protein will be the most important as it is the most satiating macronutrient and has the highest thermic effect when digested and triggers GLP-1 , PYY and suppresses ghrelin - I recommend frontloading protein intake near the start of the day so you can go through most of your day feeling full.



Volume + Fibre



Obviously high volume low calorie foods will stretch your stomach causing you to feel full with fibre slowing your gastric emptying so the food sits there longer while adding very few calories

Good food selections here

- Mushrooms - 8 cals per 100g , you can eat an 5 fucking kilogram of mushrooms for 400 calories any time , you can essential eat an unlimited amount of this if you don't feel full after your meals and this is my go to

- Cucumbers - 12 cals per 100g , 0 effort to make , again you can eat a fuck load

- Brocolli - 34 cals per 100g , nutrient dense asf , very high in fibre , just stack a fuck ton on the side with your main meals of the day



Liquid cals and cooking oils



Both the absolute fucking biggest waste of your macros , 0 sugar versions of the drink taste pretty much the exact same and cooking oils are meant for coating so the food won't stick , you don't need to douse your meals in fucking 400 calories of oil , using a spray instead to just coat the pan will save 100s of calories
Alot of this should be quite water to those who have been on diets before and understand nutrition but i see alot of people still doing complete bullshit on horrific crash diets next will probably be a thread about getting insanely insulin sensitive as that is also very very important yet overlooked

​

​

thisis why anorexia is dumb