Cut fat while keeping muscle

[jaydee]

I'm sure this question gets thrown around a lot on here but I wanted an answer specific to my case.

I'm pretty much a "fat skinny" person with a 90cm waiste. I estimate my body fat to be about 25%.

So I had been bulking and basically just trying to put on weight, knowing that if I keep lifting weights, the extra fat will get burnt off. That was until I realized just how high my body fat is compared to what is healthy.

I never had this problem when I was younger.... I would have about 10% fat and the concern was not having ENOUGH fat.

Now I'm at the opposite end and trying to find a balance where I can burn fat but retain my muscle.

Lately I've simply been lowering my daily carbs by about 20g per day every week and I am now at a point where the fat is certainly coming off, but so is all my muscle.

How should I approach this? From a person who's never really had to "cut" before.

 

[jaydee]

I would estimate that I'm losing about half a pound to one pound a day at the moment. But that's fat and muscle by the looks of it.

My aim is to get to about 12% body fat and see where I'm at before starting to up the callories again.

Am I just going a bit too hot with cutting the carbs?

Protein intake is about 1g per pound per day.

 

[doubleaa]

If your at a gram per lb you shouldn't be loosing muscle. If u still think so then go to 1.5g a lb.

 

[jaydee]

Yea I've always had great results on 1.5g per pound but trying to keep the protein a bit lower this time just to see if it can be done. People are telling me anything over 1g per pound is just wasted and a bit taxing on the kidneys. Personally I think certain body types need more protein and respond better.

However I may need more just while cutting. But then it seems whatever callories i give up in carbs Im just adding in protein.

The only other thing I've changed is I've gone from a one body part a week bro split to a 4 day split where I'm hitting each muscle nearly twice a week. Not sure how this could lead to such quick muscle wasting.

My only other theory is that what i thought was muscle, was actually just fat lol.

 

[jaydee]

Regarding the protein intake and frequency of hitting each muscle group, I am hardly getting sore the next day after a workout at all. The only time I get sore is if I incorporate a new a body part.. like I just added in legs last week, got sore for 3 days then was good to go again with legs.

It seems like I am recovering ok.

 

[doubleaa]

Yea I've always had great results on 1.5g per pound but trying to keep the protein a bit lower this time just to see if it can be done. People are telling me anything over 1g per pound is just wasted and a bit taxing on the kidneys. Personally I think certain body types need more protein and respond better.

However I may need more just while cutting. But then it seems whatever callories i give up in carbs Im just adding in protein.

The only other thing I've changed is I've gone from a one body part a week bro split to a 4 day split where I'm hitting each muscle nearly twice a week. Not sure how this could lead to such quick muscle wasting.

My only other theory is that what i thought was muscle, was actually just fat lol.

Everyone does respond differently and for most prople 1.5 g for cutting is overkill but some might need that. I get 1.5 to 2 g but im bulking .....will be tell im 245. You could be right on it being fat rather than muscle too. Bot being sore also dosnt nean your overtraining. Rmeber you grow when u rest not work

 

[Easyroller]

muscle doesnt just magically disappear overnight bro youre losing fat quit worrying if youre not starving yourself and are actually getting protein in youll be fine

 

[jaydee]

OK if that's the case then for the last two months of lifting, I've put hardly any muscle on at all and a lot of fat.

 

[Easyroller]

OK if that's the case then for the last two months of lifting, I've put hardly any muscle on at all and a lot of fat.

Building muscle is a super slow process and its done in tiny increments dude. You could bulk 50lbs and only have put on 8-10 lbs of muscle if lucky...

 

[jaydee]

Thanks easyroller.

Any thoughts on frequency of hitting each muscle?

 

[Easyroller]

Thats completely upto you I do a 4 day split normally something along the lines of chest, back, legs, shoulders/arms, rest, repeat.

 

[jaydee]

So a 5 day split?

I'm doing essentially workout A then a day off then workout B then a day off then repeat.

So I'm working out every second day and switching from workout A to workout B.

 

[Easyroller]

I feel like a pile of poop on rest days so I dont like them a lot but take them when necessary.. What do your workouts consist of on those days you workout? I dont see any point in taking a rest day after every workout day unless you were doing total body on those workout days? If youre doing an upper lower split I would do two days back to back working out 1 day rest

 

[jaydee]

Yea I'm basically cutting the body in half and doing one then having a day off then the other then a day off. Big compound movements.

I might try going to a 3 day split. Was thinking about doing that anyway.

 

[jaydee]

Sorry I mean a 2 day split. Im adding the rest day into the split when I shouldnt be.

So I'll do split A, split B day off repeat.

 

[doubleaa]

Upper, lower 2 off, upper lower 1 off reapet is what i do.

 

[doubleaa]

Chest and tris, dead and legs 2 off back and bis, little bit of everything then 1 off

 

[Gojiraz]

If you're content with a slower cut, pretty much the slower the better for preserving or obtaining muscle. General guidelines are: keep your caloric deficit low (~500 cal) and adjust when necessary, the higher the caloric deficit the higher the muscle loss (if you're even losing muscle); keep training sessions short but frequent; keep meals periodic to ensure protein/glucose blood plasma is normal.

It's not your fault, because everyone in the body building community spreads this idea of "you're losing muscle", but I can ensure you a lot of it is hysteria. A lot of strength loss is due loss in the health and quantity of motor neurons/fibers, not necessarily loss in muscle; Also obviously your body has less energy to expend. "Flattening out" is a component of reducing your carbs, this is what is making your muscles "LOOK" smaller. As you reduce carbs, you're reducing glycogen stores and intramuscular water; The muscle's volume is ~70% water.

So here's what I would recommend trying out. You could Introduce refeed days, but before doing that I would just focus on replenishing carbs after workout. Treat every post-workout meal as a mini carb load, trying to have the meal as close to the end of the training session as possible. There is this fallacy that protein intake post training is most important, hence everyone and there mothers having a post workout protein shake. While this is not wrong, you do not need too much protein after working, only enough to decrease cortisal. The real focus should be carb replenishment. I guarantee if you time your carbs before and after working out you should see an increase in muscle fullness and even performance. Also just beware of the anti-carb hype, you can cut on higher carbs than what a lot of people recommend. I'm not trying to flaunt my goals, but I went from 250lbs (~35% BF)(18 y/old) to 167 lbs (lowest weight) to currently 183 lbs (11% BF (BOD POD test))(21 y/old). I've tried every diet(s), drug(s) and training protocols out there, and while everyone reacts differently to different things, the low carb diet did nothing but decrease my performance (which translates to muscle preservation/gains) and my welfare. For ME, I'd actually increase my carb/protein % and reduce fat % in diet. Calories are what is key for successful weight loss.

EDIT:
Also, how old are you? You said this never was a problem when you were younger. You could go to an endocrinologist to check hormone levels. I know when I get older, the second my test starts to drop I'm hopping right on TRT.

 

[Power_house90]

Sorry I mean a 2 day split. Im adding the rest day into the split when I shouldnt be.

So I'll do split A, split B day off repeat.

Bro plain and simple... You aren't working out enough to but on size! You are resting as much as you are working out and that is not a good thing. You should do chest and tri, back and bi then legs and shoulders and then repeat that will get you where you want to be brother! Every five to six days take a one ta two day break and then start all over! Good luck brother! I'm not trying to hate I'm just simply trying to help.

 

[Greg Bretz]

I would for sure incorporate BCAAs into your diet or you can afford them also you want to avoid too much cardio because that will turn your body catabolic ( where your body is eating away you your muscle) muscle will burn more fat that's a fact so what I do for my clients is but them on a strength regiment something like 4 sets 6-10 reps and because of the gain in muscle more fat is burned as energy. Also be sure that you have a high protein high fat low carb diet, and eat 6 meals a day.