View Full Version : SLEDGE'S 12-16 week cut
I'm still a month or two from starting my yearly...sometimes semi-yearly cut. Normally I'll do a really low carb cut for at least the first month to get into my rythm and used to dieting. I want to hear from some of you guys on what you do to prepair for a cut. What are some of your favorite low carb cutting meals, and how do you keep on task? I'll post more of my stuff as we go.
I'll start with my favorite cutting meal. Buffalo wings are the by far, my favorite meal. Yes...that is right....cutting and eating buffalo wings...don't forget the blue cheese either.
Best snack...smoked almonds.
One of the things that I do before going on a cut is to do some house cleaning. While bulking, I tend to eat a pretty relaxed diet. Although I tend to eat mostly complex carbs, lean meat, and lots of veggies, I'll have a few cheat food items stashed here and there. I either give those away, or throw them away.
The second thing I do is write down the foods that I can have. I make my shopping list and fill the fridge up with what I have on my list.
Third, leaving nothing to chance, every single meal is made in advance. 1 week in advance to be exact. Every meal, snack, and protein shake, pre and post workout, is packed up and waiting. Zip lock bags of almonds, peanuts, protein powder....everything. I try to develop a routine. Routines work...habbits work. I've spent the last year and a half on a routine of big and bigger eating. Now it is time to establish a different routine. 1 month of flawless execution makes the next couple months that much easier.
I started my cut on March 1st. I've dropped 13.6 lbs since that day...mostly water weight, but it is already noticable.
I have meals pre-made for the next 2 weeks. I have pre-packaged all of my protein shakes, 1/4 cup servings of almonds, and all of my daily supplements. One thing I am taking is CLA. This will help to drop fat and keep muscle.
For breakfast I cook up a combination of real eggs, egg beaters, and egg whites. I throw some low-fat cheddar cheese on top with 1 piece of sausage. I always make sure to have some pre-made in the fridge. At times where I might be pressed for time, 2 tablespoons of natural peanutbutter and a whey protein shake get it done too.
My lunches consist of 8-12 ounces of lean meat...pork, beef, chicken, and 2 cups of veggies.
I have a salad with 8-12 oz of chicken or lean beef seasoned with taco seasoning for dinner. I'm also a big fan of non-breaded buffalo wings too. If I'm not able to get home for dinner, I'll stop and get a sandwich from a sub shop called Jimmy John's...It is all the fixin's wrapped up in leaf lettuce. Very good too.
Snacks are either a 1/4 of almonds, 1 can of tuna, or 1 can of sardines. The Omega-3 fatty acids in the fish also help to melt the fat away.
Of course, I take my Animal Pac...2 times a day. Very important when cutting to get all the vitamins and minerals you need.
So far so good, hunger is under control, I have a lot of energy, and I feel great. I weigh in every morning, first thing in the morning. This is the time where your weight is going to be the best for establishing consistency for measurements. If you weigh yourself later in the day, there are so many variables that can change your weight, it is hard to get a good reading..
I'll keep you posted.
13.6lbs since March 1st? Wow! I have been dieting since Feb 19..started at 118, 114-115 now..still taking Shock Therapy, Storm, was using Pump but currently testing Universal's Product M. I will start Cuts end of March. I am actually trying to keep all my muscle and focus on my conditioning and definition. As I get closer to showtimes, the real dieting will begin for me. I still have a cheat meal on sundays so I don't lose too fast...kinda throws off the diet a bit.
Well, keep it up..looking like your off to one hell of a start! Looking foward to your progress reports..and pics maybe???
13.6lbs since March 1st? Wow! I have been dieting since Feb 19..started at 118, 114-115 now..still taking Shock Therapy, Storm, was using Pump but currently testing Universal's Product M. I will start Cuts end of March. I am actually trying to keep all my muscle and focus on my conditioning and definition. As I get closer to showtimes, the real dieting will begin for me. I still have a cheat meal on sundays so I don't lose too fast...kinda throws off the diet a bit.
Well, keep it up..looking like your off to one hell of a start! Looking foward to your progress reports..and pics maybe???
Thanks Toni...most of it is water weight from losing glycogen out of the liver and muscles. I eat a lot right now, but high protein and low carbs. I am doing a lot of conditioning too. I play basketball, run on the treadmill, and such. Tonight is volleyball. I'm wasn't expecting to lose that much water, that quickly, but I've never carried this much muscle on my body before. I figure I'm up 30-40 lbs of muscle this year. That is a lot of glycogen to depleat and a lot of excess water to get rid of. If I notice too much muscle loss, I'll start upping the carbs and carb timing pre and post workout.
I'm not going to cheat for the first 3 weeks. Then I'll give myself 1 cheat day. I'll probably go another 3 weeks, then do another cheat day, then I'll go either every Saturday or Sunday each week or every other week. I enjoy this diet because I enjoy all the foods on it. Honestly, it is like cheating for me already...just without any carbs.
over40muscle
03-05-07, 6:56 pm
I started my cut on March 1st. I've dropped 13.6 lbs since that day...mostly water weight, but it is already noticable.
Good stuff, Sledge. I have dropped 40 since last August and still have about 15-20 to go. I want to get down to about 200 but keep the muscle I have built. Your ideas here will help me get over the hump. I know what I have to do - I just have to get my butt in gear and do it.
Don't hold anything back, tell it all. I'll be checking back to read your progress.
My weight this morning was 290.2. That is a total loss of 14.8 lbs so far. Tomorrow will be 1 week. Talk about getting a jump start. I'm going to set my goal for 250 for May 31st. That will give me 10 lbs of water weight to gain back when this is over.
The diet is truely enjoyable. Yesterday was as follows
Breakfast-7-8 eggs, 1 sausage patty
Snack-1/4 cup almonds
Lunch-2 chicken breasts with 2 cups broccoli
Snack-8 oz canned chicken breast with mustard
Dinner-Quizno's black and blue salad-Roast beef with blue cheese, + 4 oz roast beef.
My water intake is over 120 ounces a day.
First week's weight loss is 16.8 lbs!!!! I weighed in this morning at 288.2. I didn't think I'd even be close to that because I ate more yesterday.
Yesterdays diet was:
Breakfast-7-8 eggs, 1 sausage patty
Snack-1/4 cup almonds
Lunch-2 chicken breasts with 2 cups broccoli
Snack-8 oz canned chicken breast with mustard
Snack-4 oz 97% fat free roast beef
Dinner-8 oz Pork Loin 2 cups broccoli
Post workout-2 tbsp Natural peanut butter and 48 grams protein with water.
I walked/ran on the treadmill last night. Total of 3 miles in 35 minutes.
Walk 4.3---5 minutes
Run 6.0---5 minutes
Walk 4.3---5 minutes
Run 7.0---5 minutes
Walk 4.3---5 minutes
Run 6.5---5 minutes
Walk 4.3---5 minutes
Wow! Incredible progress your making...well done! Your doing great. Hopefully your momentum will stay the way it is. I am the same way when I diet..I lose at a steady pace, as long as I eat clean and keep up with the cardio.
Any pics yet?
Wow! Incredible progress your making...well done! Your doing great. Hopefully your momentum will stay the way it is. I am the same way when I diet..I lose at a steady pace, as long as I eat clean and keep up with the cardio.
Any pics yet?
Not yet. I have a pic with shirt and jeans on another site, but I'll be getting a new digital camera soon. You don't want to see what I look like right now anyway!! As I get dialed in, I'll post some pics.
It is important to keep the momentum going. I know it will slow down considerably, but then it is a daily thing of dropping .4 lbs or so. I know enough that you don't see that every day, it is a little more choppy than that, but by following a very strict, clean diet you are able to make the curve much smoother. I'm going to be playing basketball 2 nights a week, and running at least 1 night a week, so cardio won't be a problem. I'm going to joing the Gold's Gym close to my office, so I'll start lifting during the day as soon as my injuries are healed. Right now, with not being able to lift much, my muscle mass and strength are dropping. I think the product "M" is actually helping me to retain more than if I weren't taking it. My muscles still feel full and hard...that is a great feeling. My legs were so pumped after running last night...I looked like I was walking around on tree trunks!
Whenever you start cutting though, you risk losing strength..that's a given. I have not noticed it too much yet for me, but I will soon as I focus more on definition and maintaining the muscle I have. Cardio is when it gets tricky, 'cause as you start decreasing the amount of food your taking in, and expending more energy in doing more cardio, you risk burning muscle. I am hoping that between the EAA's, Nitro and Cuts..and I am still gonna finish my tub of storm...I should maintain most muscle. I want to weigh in heavier this time. Last show I was 101lbs..felt a bit scrawny actually..LOL
You have a goal weight then or you dont care? I try to just go by how I look, cnditioning is what wins shows..but if I start getting down to that 105 mark before zero carb week..I may just wind up looking close to how I did last show, with better legs hopefully.
Whenever you start cutting though, you risk losing strength..that's a given. I have not noticed it too much yet for me, but I will soon as I focus more on definition and maintaining the muscle I have. Cardio is when it gets tricky, 'cause as you start decreasing the amount of food your taking in, and expending more energy in doing more cardio, you risk burning muscle. I am hoping that between the EAA's, Nitro and Cuts..and I am still gonna finish my tub of storm...I should maintain most muscle. I want to weigh in heavier this time. Last show I was 101lbs..felt a bit scrawny actually..LOL
You have a goal weight then or you dont care? I try to just go by how I look, cnditioning is what wins shows..but if I start getting down to that 105 mark before zero carb week..I may just wind up looking close to how I did last show, with better legs hopefully.
The last time I got really cut I was at 219. Believe it or not, I gained strength the whole time I cut. I gained reps on every lift and increased weight. Honestly, I felt like I even gained muscle. Did I really gain muscle, I don't know, but that is the way I felt. I'm expecting to be in the range of 240-260 this time around. I want to start lifting hard again ASAP, but with both wrists injured...not sure when I'll be able to do that. I didn't do any cardio the last time I cut either. Just dieted and lifted...hard. It seemed like every day I had more strength and more definition. I know I'm not the norm on that. I'm not doing a show, so I don't get as cut as you will have to. I'm sure if I had to drop down to that % BF, I might feel differently.
Well then, you certainly are an exception to the rule..whatever the rule may be..we are all different. But if you weigh that much and still remain hard, cut and strong..shit..you need to be on that stage and show the world what your made of. Sounds to me like your truly gifted and you should be strutting your stuff on stage. Now I really want to see how you look..pm me a pic if you can!
Well then, you certainly are an exception to the rule..whatever the rule may be..we are all different. But if you weigh that much and still remain hard, cut and strong..shit..you need to be on that stage and show the world what your made of. Sounds to me like your truly gifted and you should be strutting your stuff on stage. Now I really want to see how you look..pm me a pic if you can!
At 6'4" I will still look long and lanky at 240-260. I'd need to be hard and ripped at 290-300 to strut my stuff on stage.
Tonight is basketball night. As much as I like being strong, I like to be able to use it. There is nothing like having "functional strength". Plus, getting to push people around inside the paint is like getting to fight without getting arrested! I'm looking forward to seeing how my energy level holds up for 2 hours of hoops. I can afford to have buffalo wings after we get done playing too.
Toni being bad ha ha ha ha . Kill em sledge I have not shot ball since winter hit I am can not wait to show of the new wheels and arms this summer ha ha ha throw them bows dog tripple double right...
Basketball went well last night. Good energy levels all night. I certainly had a double double...not sure about a triple. There were some new faces on the court last night too..always fun to break in the new guys to the rules in the paint. It was a good cardio workout/total body workout. I didn't weigh in this morning. The next time I post my weight will be Monday.
TufffGuY
03-09-07, 4:28 pm
bro u play basketball lol i didn't think any1 played around this forum, i play for my basketball team im also a post i get a pretty good leg workout playin it
Jaymafin
03-09-07, 4:55 pm
man I am jealous you can survive on that few carbs. I cycled down to 50 grams on an active rest day and after 40 minutes of cardio at night i almost passed out. had to gram a gatorade to stay upright. keep up the good work bro. keep it Animal.
bro u play basketball lol i didn't think any1 played around this forum, i play for my basketball team im also a post i get a pretty good leg workout playin it
Yes, I still play hoops. It is a great workout and it is fun too. If you are going to do cardio...why not make it something fun? I can only spend so much time on a treadmill without getting bored.
man I am jealous you can survive on that few carbs. I cycled down to 50 grams on an active rest day and after 40 minutes of cardio at night i almost passed out. had to gram a gatorade to stay upright. keep up the good work bro. keep it Animal.
If you have problems on low carbs, you might not be getting enough fat in your diet. Some people do have a hard time with a low carb diet though. I had so much energy last night, I felt like I was wired!
Jaymafin
03-09-07, 5:08 pm
i see you get the almonds and cla anything else. I try to focus on the almonds, cashews, avacados, and a couple omega complex pills a day. any advise otherwise?
i see you get the almonds and cla anything else. I try to focus on the almonds, cashews, avacados, and a couple omega complex pills a day. any advise otherwise?
I'll eat peanuts as a snack when my almonds start to run out.
I stay away from avacados right now. I love them and I'll add them as a side dish as I start to add carbs. They are fairly low carbs at 12 carbs per 8 oz of avacado. I eat a lot of tuna and sardines for the omega 3's...I also take omega 3 caps as you say. I'm taking Product "M" right now, Animal-Pac too.
Very, very important to take your Animal-Pac when cutting. I take 2 per day right now and I will untill the cut is over. I try to eat balanced meals, but I know I'm not getting what I need.
Keep the majority of your meats lean, but don't be afraid of throwing in a steak once in a while. You need the fat to produce testosterone!!! I eat a lot of chicken, lean pork, and tuna. I take a few other supps and I'll go into that in more detail on Monday.
Peace,
SLEDGE
I just completed my weekend cooking and I wanted to go over the work that I do every week to prepair for the coming week.
Shopping:
2 whole large chickens 4.00 per---total 8.00
1 dozen eggs 1.00 dozen---from local farmer
10 cans tuna .49 per can---4.90
1 large carton egg beaters---5.50
1 small carton egg whites---2.50
2 large packages broccoli---1.75
3 medium zuchini----.99
Total---------under $20.00
This will be my breakfasts and lunches for 1 week...with enough for a couple dinners. I have some corned beef brisket and cabbage for dinner this week. I'll stop and pick up some salad and have a couple dinners out. Who says that eating a lot of protein has to be expensive.
All meals are cooked and sitting in the fridge/freezer for when it is time to eat, or ready to take to work.
Weighed in a 286.9 this morning. Loss so far of 18.1 lbs. I knew my losses would start to taper off, and it is now going to be a pretty steady loss from here. I'm still happy with the way things are going. I ate pretty well over the weekend, no cheating so far. I am getting geared up for St. Patricks day so I had corned beef and cabbage over the weekend. Thank God that is on my diet. I haven't missed having corned beef and cabbage on St. Patty's day in over 20 years.
Breakfast-7-8 eggs, 1 sausage patty
Snack-1/4 cup almonds
Lunch-1 chicken leg/thigh quarter with 2 cups broccoli/zucchinin mixed
Snack-1 can tuna with mustard with 48 grams protein in water
Dinner-8 oz Corned beef brisket and 2 cups boiled cabbage
Post workout-2 tbsp Natural peanut butter and 48 grams protein with water.
I did 30 minutes of cardio for 2.44 miles. Also did a fairly short leg workout. Finished with 2 tablespoons of natural peanut butter and 48 grams protein in water. Energy level was excellent.
Today's diet
Breakfast-7-8 eggs, 1 sausage patty
Snack-1/4 cup almonds
Lunch-1 chicken leg/thigh quarter with 2 cups broccoli/zucchinin mixed
Snack-1 can sardines with 48 grams protein in water
Dinner-8 oz Chicken breat, 2 cups broccoli
Post workout-2 tbsp Natural peanut butter and 48 grams protein with water.
You like your Peanut Butter huh Sledge? Personally, for cutting..I would stay away...although its a good fat, its alot of fat..fat is fat, no matter how you look at it. Your trying to cut fat...you dont need the PB...much rather have some lean meat or fish. You can eat loads of whitefish (cod fillets, tillapia, mahi mahi, tuna, orange roughy, swordfish, halibut, shrimp and even lobster too), and get more out of it as opposed to a tbs or 2 of PB.
I love PB, but totally give it up when I diet...especially if I am limiting myself to 20-30g cleans fats per day. You have no idea how bad it kills me to make my son a PB and J sandwich for lunch for school and not lick that knife clean!
Just a suggestion..you know your body best..maybe you respond better to more fats in your diet.
IronLeague
03-13-07, 1:55 pm
Cut the PB... Cut the sausage man this isn't i-hop....cut the almonds as well. What's up with the leg-thigh quarters? Switch to checken breast... SARDINES??? Don't you want some fish with your salt can? Try Cod, Orange Ruffie, Talapia, or Flounder..
Respect,
IronLeague
You like your Peanut Butter huh Sledge? Personally, for cutting..I would stay away...although its a good fat, its alot of fat..fat is fat, no matter how you look at it. Your trying to cut fat...you dont need the PB...much rather have some lean meat or fish. You can eat loads of whitefish (cod fillets, tillapia, mahi mahi, tuna, orange roughy, swordfish, halibut, shrimp and even lobster too), and get more out of it as opposed to a tbs or 2 of PB.
I love PB, but totally give it up when I diet...especially if I am limiting myself to 20-30g cleans fats per day. You have no idea how bad it kills me to make my son a PB and J sandwich for lunch for school and not lick that knife clean!
Just a suggestion..you know your body best..maybe you respond better to more fats in your diet.
I will consider dropping the PB and the tuna/sardines if or when weight loss starts to really lag. I am trying to keep my fat intake a little higher right now so my energy level doesn't drop off too much. I'm trying to make sure that most of my fats are healthy fats. Eventually I'll drop the sausage patty in the morning. Just enjoying it while I can. I do respond well to a low carb, high protein, high fat diet for weight loss. I know you have a lot more experience with getting cut than I do, so I'll listen to everything you have to say. Thanks Toni!
Cut the PB... Cut the sausage man this isn't i-hop....cut the almonds as well. What's up with the leg-thigh quarters? Switch to checken breast... SARDINES??? Don't you want some fish with your salt can? Try Cod, Orange Ruffie, Talapia, or Flounder..
Respect,
IronLeague
Convenience IronLeague, convenience. I respond very well to a high protein, higher fat, low carb diet when trying to lose weight. OK, so I could drop some sodium...that will come. Thanks for the advice..I'll certainly up my intake of White fishes as my cut progresses. I use the sardines for the high omega 3's for right now. So far, I've lost over 16 lbs. I'll do what I'm doing for now, but as I start to lean out, I'll have to really clean my diet up.