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Damien · 06-13-2007, 04:24 AM

So I've noticed there have been a fair few questions on the forum lately about cutting and how to burn fat and not muscle. I am the middle of my first real cut and it has been going really well (thanks to a lot of Doug's info). I have been managing to lose about 300 to 500 grams a week with no noticeable muscle size loss, and absolutely no strength loss (if anything, I have still been gaining strength).

So here's a few points that I have learned at that might help you:

- You need to find out what works for you. It took me about 5-6 weeks to get my diet just right before I started getting steady fat losses. I tried different meals, eating carbs at different times, adjusting protein, carb and fat levels etc etc. No one can tell you what to do here, you need to try things out for yourself and measure the results on the scales.

- Write **** down. I wrote down a whole heap of different diet combos that I was using and compared the results. Now I know what works and what doesn't so next time I want to cut it will be a whole lot easier.

- Never workout without post nutrition. After every workout I drink simple carbs and creatine, even cardio, even night workouts. I think this has been a major key in not losing muscle or strength.

- Do ****loads of cardio. I have taken up some old sports as well as taking class at my gym (they're free anyways with my membership). Whic leads me to my next point...

- HIIT works. I now do spin cycling twice a week. 45 minutes of intense calorie burnoff. Not only that, it's actually not that bad and there are plenty of fit women around

- Don't neglect complex carbs and fats. For a period I tested out a lower carb diet and it didn't work for me. I neither lost or gained weight. I am now losing weight while eating about double the carbs I did that week.

- I didn't go ultra strict with my diet on weekends. I still watched what I eat...but a man has to have some sort of social life. I still drunk beer, went out for dinners etc etc etc. I didn't watch what I ate, but I didn't go overboard with it.

- Learn about food. I know a lot more about food that I did 2 months ago. like how many calories it has, what vitamins, fats, etc etc. Read labels, ask on this forum about different foods, and learn how to prepare foods that taste good and don't contain a bucketload of calories.

Well, that's about it. If I think of anything else I'll post. I reckon the most important point our of all of the above is the experimentation. Just like building muscle, you need to find what works for you.

Happy cutting!

Doug · 06-13-2007, 09:19 AM

Nice one Damien, that saves me a lot of typing, I can just link to that post..

Tripper · 06-13-2007, 06:10 PM

Good post Damien...I'm going to experiment with the whole cutting thing in a couple of weeks. I'll definitely be referring to this. Rep+!

brandon85 · 06-14-2007, 07:14 PM

Hey Damien...good tips man...I'm on my 2nd week and I can already start to see improvements in how I feel, my eating habits, and exercise performance. You say you do alot of cardio...do you do it more than 3x a week? So far I've been doing interval running for about 30-40 minutes the 3 days Doug allotted for. Thanks man.

Doug · 06-14-2007, 08:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by brandon85

Hey Damien...good tips man...I'm on my 2nd week and I can already start to see improvements in how I feel, my eating habits, and exercise performance. You say you do alot of cardio...do you do it more than 3x a week? So far I've been doing interval running for about 30-40 minutes the 3 days Doug allotted for. Thanks man.

Nice one Brandon, hope it works ok for you...

Damien · 06-14-2007, 09:16 PM

Yeah I do 6 cardio session including sports. This includes 3 x 45min HIIT sessions on the bike in a class at my gym

brandon85 · 06-14-2007, 09:59 PM

Ok...cool...see with me, I took Hydroxycut Hardcore for about a month during my spring semester in college and ate very little and did alot of running and lost about 15 lbs, which is a dramatic decrease for a short time. But that was because I didn't come across this site and was inexperienced. Anyway I wanted to regain some of the muscle loss I had as well as burn off this fat, but I don't have to lose as much I used to; just my some stubborn fat around my hips and still some in my lower abs; so I was afraid of doing too much cardio to counteract my strength training. Anyway, I like your little tidbit around cheating...I feel so guilty when I do, even on my cheat day!!! I just had a turkey club sandwich tonight for dinner and I felt as if I just committed to murder, but I need to realize that maybe a couple meals a week to enjoy life's food pleasures isn't going to kill me. But thanks Doug for the encouragement, this is definitely a lifestyle I feel really comfortable in and I get alot of compliments of how good of a shape I look at the police station I intern at. Feeling fit is definitely a good feeling

!!! Thanks for all your help and continual posts and tips. I owe alot to you all!!!

Damien · 06-14-2007, 11:00 PM

Nice comments mate

Yeah I am down to the stubborn areas around my stomach and waist. Still moving about a pound or so a week though. Another 4-6 weeks and I should be done...that being said, I go away for 3 weeks soon so thats going to set things back a bit

F4TE · 06-15-2007, 12:41 AM

Just a quick question as i was reading your post, you said after your workout you had carbs and creatine. But in the creatine post it said that having creatine after your workout is pointless? i just wanted to know if there is exceptions or i should be taking my creatine before and after?

brandon85 · 06-15-2007, 01:06 AM

I was told by Doug and so far no problems, to take creatine with simple carbs. I usually take my teaspoon with an 8 oz. glass of grape juice with fiber. It's Welches 100%, so I get the fruit content, the sugar, and the fiber that comes with the fruit. I'm no expert, but based on what I've been told, your body's blood sugar is low, thus pumping that necessary sugar to get those tired muscles back on track is a must. Plus with the added benefits of creatine you're sure to go.

06-13-2007, 04:24 AM	#1 (permalink)
Damien Muscle & Strength Boss Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: M&S HQ Gender: Male Training Exp: 5-10 Years Current Goal: Build Muscle Photos: Damien's Gallery Posts: 9,471 Rep Power: 201	Cutting Fat Without Muscle - My Tips So I've noticed there have been a fair few questions on the forum lately about cutting and how to burn fat and not muscle. I am the middle of my first real cut and it has been going really well (thanks to a lot of Doug's info). I have been managing to lose about 300 to 500 grams a week with no noticeable muscle size loss, and absolutely no strength loss (if anything, I have still been gaining strength). So here's a few points that I have learned at that might help you: - You need to find out what works for you. It took me about 5-6 weeks to get my diet just right before I started getting steady fat losses. I tried different meals, eating carbs at different times, adjusting protein, carb and fat levels etc etc. No one can tell you what to do here, you need to try things out for yourself and measure the results on the scales. - Write ** down. I wrote down a whole heap of different diet combos that I was using and compared the results. Now I know what works and what doesn't so next time I want to cut it will be a whole lot easier. - Never workout without post nutrition. After every workout I drink simple carbs and creatine, even cardio, even night workouts. I think this has been a major key in not losing muscle or strength. - Do loads of cardio. I have taken up some old sports as well as taking class at my gym (they're free anyways with my membership). Whic leads me to my next point... - HIIT works. I now do spin cycling twice a week. 45 minutes of intense calorie burnoff. Not only that, it's actually not that bad and there are plenty of fit women around - Don't neglect complex carbs and fats. For a period I tested out a lower carb diet and it didn't work for me. I neither lost or gained weight. I am now losing weight while eating about double the carbs I did that week. - I didn't go ultra strict with my diet on weekends. I still watched what I eat...but a man has to have some sort of social life. I still drunk beer, went out for dinners etc etc etc. I didn't watch what I ate, but I didn't go overboard with it. - Learn about food. I know a lot more about food that I did 2 months ago. like how many calories it has, what vitamins, fats, etc etc. Read labels, ask on this forum about different foods, and learn how to prepare foods that taste good and don't contain a bucketload of calories. Well, that's about it. If I think of anything else I'll post. I reckon the most important point our of all of the above is the experimentation. Just like building muscle, you need to find what works for you. Happy cutting! __________________ Muscle & Strength Store - Over 5,000 Products Now Available! $5.99 max shipping (free $99+). Up to 70% off retail. Best customer service. NEW: Muscle & Deals on Twitter Get Involved With M&S: Store Blog \| YouTube \| Facebook \| Twitter \| MySpace Training & Nutrition: Goal: Drop 5lbs of fat Calories: 2,700 per day spread over 6 meals Training: 4 day split/SS cardio post workout Supplements:** Protein: Muscle & Strength IsoFUEL (of course!) Pre-workout: Universal Animal Rage Intra-workout: Atomic 7/BCAA XP Muilti: NOW Foods Adam Creatine: Dymatize EFAs: NOW Foods Omega 3-6-9 Liquid

06-13-2007, 09:19 AM	#2 (permalink)
Doug Trusted Advisor Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: UK Gender: Male Training Exp: 20+ Years Current Goal: Build Muscle Photos: Doug's Gallery Posts: 29,814 Rep Power: 1201	Nice one Damien, that saves me a lot of typing, I can just link to that post.. __________________ Doug Not Joined The Forum Yet?? CLICK HERE TO REGISTER. *** My Articles and Workouts Page - Click Here** * My fitness Centre Site - Gemini Fitness Centre * My Nutrition & Diet site - Coming Soon "You can't out-train a lousy diet"

06-14-2007, 09:16 PM	#6 (permalink)
Damien Muscle & Strength Boss Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: M&S HQ Gender: Male Training Exp: 5-10 Years Current Goal: Build Muscle Photos: Damien's Gallery Posts: 9,471 Rep Power: 201	Yeah I do 6 cardio session including sports. This includes 3 x 45min HIIT sessions on the bike in a class at my gym __________________ Muscle & Strength Store - Over 5,000 Products Now Available! $5.99 max shipping (free $99+). Up to 70% off retail. Best customer service. NEW: Muscle & Deals on Twitter Get Involved With M&S: Store Blog \| YouTube \| Facebook \| Twitter \| MySpace Training & Nutrition: Goal: Drop 5lbs of fat Calories: 2,700 per day spread over 6 meals Training: 4 day split/SS cardio post workout Supplements: Protein: Muscle & Strength IsoFUEL (of course!) Pre-workout: Universal Animal Rage Intra-workout: Atomic 7/BCAA XP Muilti: NOW Foods Adam Creatine: Dymatize EFAs: NOW Foods Omega 3-6-9 Liquid

06-14-2007, 11:00 PM	#8 (permalink)
Damien Muscle & Strength Boss Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: M&S HQ Gender: Male Training Exp: 5-10 Years Current Goal: Build Muscle Photos: Damien's Gallery Posts: 9,471 Rep Power: 201	Nice comments mate Yeah I am down to the stubborn areas around my stomach and waist. Still moving about a pound or so a week though. Another 4-6 weeks and I should be done...that being said, I go away for 3 weeks soon so thats going to set things back a bit __________________ Muscle & Strength Store - Over 5,000 Products Now Available! $5.99 max shipping (free $99+). Up to 70% off retail. Best customer service. NEW: Muscle & Deals on Twitter Get Involved With M&S: Store Blog \| YouTube \| Facebook \| Twitter \| MySpace Training & Nutrition: Goal: Drop 5lbs of fat Calories: 2,700 per day spread over 6 meals Training: 4 day split/SS cardio post workout Supplements: Protein: Muscle & Strength IsoFUEL (of course!) Pre-workout: Universal Animal Rage Intra-workout: Atomic 7/BCAA XP Muilti: NOW Foods Adam Creatine: Dymatize EFAs: NOW Foods Omega 3-6-9 Liquid

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06-13-2007, 06:10 PM	#3 (permalink)
Tripper M&S Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Ontario, Canada Gender: Male Training Exp: 1-2 Years Current Goal: Build Muscle Photos: Tripper's Gallery Posts: 787 Rep Power: 13	Good post Damien...I'm going to experiment with the whole cutting thing in a couple of weeks. I'll definitely be referring to this. Rep+!

06-14-2007, 07:14 PM	#4 (permalink)
brandon85 Coming Up The Ranks Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: philly Gender: Male Training Exp: 2-3 Years Current Goal: Cut Fat Photos: brandon85's Gallery Posts: 112 Rep Power: 5	Hey Damien...good tips man...I'm on my 2nd week and I can already start to see improvements in how I feel, my eating habits, and exercise performance. You say you do alot of cardio...do you do it more than 3x a week? So far I've been doing interval running for about 30-40 minutes the 3 days Doug allotted for. Thanks man.

06-14-2007, 09:59 PM	#7 (permalink)
brandon85 Coming Up The Ranks Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: philly Gender: Male Training Exp: 2-3 Years Current Goal: Cut Fat Photos: brandon85's Gallery Posts: 112 Rep Power: 5	Ok...cool...see with me, I took Hydroxycut Hardcore for about a month during my spring semester in college and ate very little and did alot of running and lost about 15 lbs, which is a dramatic decrease for a short time. But that was because I didn't come across this site and was inexperienced. Anyway I wanted to regain some of the muscle loss I had as well as burn off this fat, but I don't have to lose as much I used to; just my some stubborn fat around my hips and still some in my lower abs; so I was afraid of doing too much cardio to counteract my strength training. Anyway, I like your little tidbit around cheating...I feel so guilty when I do, even on my cheat day!!! I just had a turkey club sandwich tonight for dinner and I felt as if I just committed to murder, but I need to realize that maybe a couple meals a week to enjoy life's food pleasures isn't going to kill me. But thanks Doug for the encouragement, this is definitely a lifestyle I feel really comfortable in and I get alot of compliments of how good of a shape I look at the police station I intern at. Feeling fit is definitely a good feeling !!! Thanks for all your help and continual posts and tips. I owe alot to you all!!!

06-15-2007, 12:41 AM	#9 (permalink)
F4TE Coming Up The Ranks Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Ontario, Canada Gender: Male Training Exp: 6-12 Months Current Goal: Build Muscle Photos: F4TE's Gallery Posts: 171 Rep Power: 5	Just a quick question as i was reading your post, you said after your workout you had carbs and creatine. But in the creatine post it said that having creatine after your workout is pointless? i just wanted to know if there is exceptions or i should be taking my creatine before and after?

06-15-2007, 01:06 AM	#10 (permalink)
brandon85 Coming Up The Ranks Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: philly Gender: Male Training Exp: 2-3 Years Current Goal: Cut Fat Photos: brandon85's Gallery Posts: 112 Rep Power: 5	I was told by Doug and so far no problems, to take creatine with simple carbs. I usually take my teaspoon with an 8 oz. glass of grape juice with fiber. It's Welches 100%, so I get the fruit content, the sugar, and the fiber that comes with the fruit. I'm no expert, but based on what I've been told, your body's blood sugar is low, thus pumping that necessary sugar to get those tired muscles back on track is a must. Plus with the added benefits of creatine you're sure to go.