Understanding Cutting
Cutting involves creating a sustained caloric deficit to burn stored fat while implementing strategies to preserve muscle mass. Unlike generic weight loss, proper cutting prioritizes fat loss while maintaining or even building slight muscle through high protein, resistance training, and moderate deficits—typically 300-500 calories below maintenance producing 0.5-1% bodyweight loss weekly.
The challenge: without proper strategies (adequate protein, maintained training stimulus, moderate deficit), muscle tissue breaks down alongside fat. Successful cutting requires: calculate accurate maintenance calories, establish appropriate deficit based on body fat and experience, increase protein above bulking levels, maintain training intensity, incorporate refeed days if cutting extends beyond 8-12 weeks, and track progress through multiple metrics rather than scale alone.
Best for: Lean individuals (men <15% BF, women <25%), beginners
Pros: Minimal muscle loss, better strength retention
Cons: Slower progress, requires patience
Best for: Most people (men 15-20% BF, women 25-30%)
Pros: Good balance, sustainable, noticeable progress
Cons: Requires discipline, some strength decline
Best for: Overweight individuals (men >20% BF, women >30%)
Pros: Rapid fat loss, quick results
Cons: Muscle loss risk, hunger, strength decline
⚠️ Choosing Your Deficit Size
Body fat matters: Leaner individuals should use conservative deficits as they have less fat stores protecting muscle. Overweight individuals can use aggressive deficits initially.
Rule of thumb: Start moderate (400-500 cal), assess after 2-3 weeks. If losing too quickly (>1.5% weekly) and strength dropping, reduce deficit. If losing too slowly (<0.5% weekly), increase slightly. Most natural lifters do best with 0.7-1% bodyweight loss weekly.
Cutting Macronutrients
🍽️ Optimal Cutting Macros
Protein: The Most Important Macro
Increase protein to 1-1.2g per pound during cuts as elevated protein preserves muscle mass by maintaining positive nitrogen balance and increasing satiety. Research shows higher protein prevents muscle loss even with aggressive deficits. Spread across 4-6 meals (30-50g each) maintaining elevated muscle protein synthesis throughout day.
Fats: Don't Go Too Low
Maintain minimum 0.3-0.4g fat per pound bodyweight supporting testosterone, vitamin absorption, and cellular function. Going too low (<0.25g per lb) crashes testosterone 15-30% within weeks, impairs recovery, and makes adherence miserable.
Carbs: The Flexible Variable
Carbohydrates fill remaining calories after protein and fat requirements. Since carbs fuel training, keeping them high as deficit allows maintains better strength compared to low-carb approaches. When adjusting deficit, reduce carbs first rather than protein or fats.
✅ Sample Cutting Macro Calculations
Example: 180 lb male, 17% body fat:
Maintenance: 2700 calories
Moderate deficit: 2700 - 450 = 2250 calories
Protein: 180 × 1.1 = 200g = 800 calories
Fats: 180 × 0.35 = 65g = 585 calories
Carbs: (2250 - 1385) / 4 = 215g
Final: 200g protein, 65g fat, 215g carbs = 2250 calories
Expected: 1.3-1.8 lbs weekly loss, primarily fat with minimal muscle loss.
Training During Cuts
Maintain Intensity, Reduce Volume
Keep weights heavy on main compounds maintaining training stimulus. Don't reduce loads thinking "cutting means lighter weight." However, reduce total volume (sets per week) 20-30% as recovery capacity decreases. Example: 15 sets weekly for chest while bulking, drop to 10-12 while cutting.
Prioritize Compounds Over Isolations
Focus on big compound movements (squat, deadlift, bench, rows, overhead press, pull-ups) maintaining strength as primary indicator of muscle preservation. Reduce isolation exercises if needed managing fatigue.
Don't Add Excessive Cardio
Create 80% of deficit through diet, only 20% through cardio. Better approach: reduce food 400-500 calories, add 2-3 low-intensity cardio sessions (20-30 min) burning ~100 calories each.
Hunger Management Strategies
High-Volume, Low-Calorie Foods
Prioritize filling foods: vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, peppers), lean proteins (chicken breast, white fish, Greek yogurt), high-fiber carbs (oatmeal, rice cakes, beans). These create fullness despite caloric deficit.
Strategic Meal Timing
Distribute calories matching hunger patterns. If mornings not hungry, use intermittent fasting allocating those calories to larger lunches/dinners. No metabolic advantage to specific timing—eat schedule preventing excessive hunger.
Calorie-Free Beverages
Use diet sodas, coffee, tea, flavored water managing hunger between meals. Caffeine (200-400mg daily) provides appetite suppression and energy boost.
🚫 Common Cutting Mistakes
Dropping calories too fast: Going from 3000 to 1800 overnight crashes metabolism and energy. Reduce gradually.
Too low protein: Eating only 0.5-0.7g per lb loses significant muscle. Increase to 1-1.2g per lb.
Excessive cardio, minimal strength training: Creates skinny-fat physique. Prioritize lifting, minimize cardio.
Not tracking accurately: Estimating portions often means unknowingly eating maintenance. Track everything 2-3 weeks.
Scale weight obsession: Daily fluctuations 2-5 lbs normal. Track weekly averages and trend over 2-3 weeks.
The Bottom Line
Successful cutting requires moderate caloric deficit (400-500 cal or 0.7-1% bodyweight loss weekly), elevated protein (1-1.2g per lb), maintained training intensity with reduced volume (20-30% fewer sets), and strategic adherence tools. Track progress through multiple metrics—weekly average weight, monthly photos, measurements, strength—rather than daily scale fluctuations.
After completing cut, reverse diet gradually (add 100-150 cal weekly) returning to maintenance over 4-6 weeks preventing rebound fat gain, then maintain 4-8 weeks before beginning next bulk if muscle building remains goal.