Who is on a cut?

[5hout]

This is the 1st Monday in probably 1.25 years where I have lost weight over a weekend. Also, lowest weight in a while. As per my usual strat I don't weigh in before cutting, but cut for a weekish and then weigh in. 11 lbs down, 217 this morning. Onederland/sub-adult-maledom here I come!

[BostonRugger]

Day 1.

Am hungry. All going to plan so far.

[Cellist]

Still training snatch and clean, 2 times a week. My split jerk sucks, but I learned to squat jerk and hope to eventually get back to splitting. I’m in my 5th week of cutting, down 10 lbs. Following the rp diet app led to some weight gain in the first weeks, but I got used to 1) 4 meals a day including a late night snack which keeps me from evening snacking, 2) preparing and shopping for more simple, one ingredient kinds of filling protein, fat and carbs and no cheese (hard because birthplace Wisconsin, now living in Europe) Since momentum and motivation is very good now and I’m not hungry with the current deficit, plan is to game the app which will demand a period of maintenance, to force it to tack on another month to six weeks to get back to my pre-pandemic waist measurement of 36,5 inches, then go to maintenance levels and probably add in bicycling.

I’m looking to change to Nuckols app when my subscription runs out because it looks like it may be smarter irl meal acquisition.

[Hardartery]

I am on the "Move the in-laws and do a bunch of work on the new house and a bunh of work on the one the are moving out of. The old one lists any day now, the guys doing the remodel work to the new one (Outside of what I am doing) are still not on site but the dumpster showed up today. I've had Taco Bell, Bojangles, ice cream, and some doughnuts. I am down 8 pounds in the roughly 2 weeks since I got here.

[Inverstone]

Now within 5-10lbs. of my goal weight after S.S. fluff and bloat. I wish to actually see (almost?) no belly for the lst time in my adult lifetime by sometime this summer. I have managed to keep most of my muscle and a lot of my strength (80%-ish). I'm even starting to see some minimal definition in places. Started at 253lbs 42 waist in 2015. Down over 110lbs. over that period of time with a 34" =/- now.

I've always been more bodybuilding (with no genetic gifts) than purely strength training alone so happy with a thinner look.

If I'm a bit hungry I know I'm in a deficit. Paper and pencil no apps. Old man old school. I'll maintain for a couple of months or 3 and then "slow bulk" some.
Best part is I now have a training partner/buddy after 2+ years. Hope the plague stays at bay so we can keep this up! Just having someone else to "compete" with has increased my lifts a bit.

[dw]

Now within 5-10lbs. of my goal weight after S.S. fluff and bloat. I wish to actually see (almost?) no belly for the lst time in my adult lifetime by sometime this summer. I have managed to keep most of my muscle and a lot of my strength (80%-ish). I'm even starting to see some minimal definition in places. Started at 253lbs 42 waist in 2015. Down over 110lbs. over that period of time with a 34" =/- now.

I've always been more bodybuilding (with no genetic gifts) than purely strength training alone so happy with a thinner look.

If I'm a bit hungry I know I'm in a deficit. Paper and pencil no apps. Old man old school. I'll maintain for a couple of months or 3 and then "slow bulk" some.
Best part is I now have a training partner/buddy after 2+ years. Hope the plague stays at bay so we can keep this up! Just having someone else to "compete" with has increased my lifts a bit.

Very nice progress.

I think a good rule of thumb for casual cutting, which I have used and seen mentioned elsewhere, is to get in the habit of going to sleep a little bit hungry. That hunger will usually pass by the time you wake up and then you can just follow your hunger cues until the next late afternoon/early evening.

[neandrewthal]

I think a good rule of thumb for casual cutting, which I have used and seen mentioned elsewhere, is to get in the habit of going to sleep a little bit hungry. That hunger will usually pass by the time you wake up and then you can just follow your hunger cues until the next late afternoon/early evening.

There's nothing I hate more than going to bed hungry. I would fast all day so I can eat at bedtime if I had to.

[dw]

I think a good rule of thumb for casual cutting, which I have used and seen mentioned elsewhere, is to get in the habit of going to sleep a little bit hungry. That hunger will usually pass by the time you wake up and then you can just follow your hunger cues until the next late afternoon/early evening.

There's nothing I hate more than going to bed hungry. I would fast all day so I can eat at bedtime if I had to.

Good luck with your cutting!!11

[neandrewthal]

I think a good rule of thumb for casual cutting, which I have used and seen mentioned elsewhere, is to get in the habit of going to sleep a little bit hungry. That hunger will usually pass by the time you wake up and then you can just follow your hunger cues until the next late afternoon/early evening.

There's nothing I hate more than going to bed hungry. I would fast all day so I can eat at bedtime if I had to.

Good luck with your cutting!!11

Lol thanks. I'm halfway through my deepest cut since SS days. I've gotten so autistically regimented with my meals in recent years that I don't have to track anything. I have a variety of items that I eat at the same meal on different days but I've got it down so they are always roughly equivalent. Then just subtract x group of items from meal 2 and cut y from meal 4 etc...

[dw]

I think a good rule of thumb for casual cutting, which I have used and seen mentioned elsewhere, is to get in the habit of going to sleep a little bit hungry. That hunger will usually pass by the time you wake up and then you can just follow your hunger cues until the next late afternoon/early evening.

There's nothing I hate more than going to bed hungry. I would fast all day so I can eat at bedtime if I had to.

Good luck with your cutting!!11

Lol thanks. I'm halfway through my deepest cut since SS days. I've gotten so autistically regimented with my meals in recent years that I don't have to track anything. I have a variety of items that I eat at the same meal on different days but I've got it down so they are always roughly equivalent. Then just subtract x group of items from meal 2 and cut y from meal 4 etc...

I hear you. If I weren't married I would just eat the same high protein low effort meals every day. In fact that's pretty much what I do anyway.

[Inverstone]

If you can't do the same meal choices daily (from a short list menu of different pre-calorie tracked meals) due to family shared meals, etc. at least one can do this with their "extra" in-between meals or meal replacements. Helps to solidify habits and keep things a little tighter.

I've always been an eat before bedtime guy. Hated going hungry while I slept . But... lately I've managed to stop eating most nights by 8-8:30 (bed down usually midnight to 2-ish) and amazingly I've gotten used to it after only about a week. I'm realizing that for me anyway, it's more of a desire/habit than a genuine need.

Agree that if you're feeling a tad hungry (without total obsession) between meals then one is probably in a calorie deficit. I wish I had realized this common sense "thang" years ago instead of thinking I was starving!

If I "must" eat before bedtime then it's limited to a protein shake. Little to no carbs saving them for before and after workouts only. Keeping carbs down at night has REALLY helped for a guy who gains fat just looking at junk food. Damn ancestors.

[augeleven]

I've always been an eat before bedtime guy. Hated going hungry while I slept . But... lately I've managed to stop eating most nights by 8-8:30 (bed down usually midnight to 2-ish) and amazingly I've gotten used to it after only about a week. I'm realizing that for me anyway, it's more of a desire/habit than a genuine need.

I’m the same way with night time feedings. I think it might be physiological, as in if we develop the habit, our body expects to be fed at this time. After a week or so, I can break this habit. But I need to have 100% adherence while developing the habit or the hunger comes back.

[dw]

I've always been an eat before bedtime guy. Hated going hungry while I slept . But... lately I've managed to stop eating most nights by 8-8:30 (bed down usually midnight to 2-ish) and amazingly I've gotten used to it after only about a week. I'm realizing that for me anyway, it's more of a desire/habit than a genuine need.

I’m the same way with night time feedings. I think it might be physiological, as in if we develop the habit, our body expects to be fed at this time. After a week or so, I can break this habit. But I need to have 100% adherence while developing the habit or the hunger comes back.

I may have posted this before but one of the thing you learn from cutting is not to interpret hunger as feeling of the body but as a signal of the mind.

That is, hunger doesn't mean your stomach is empty or your body is starving or anything like that. It certainly might indicate those things, but ultimately it's just a signal initiated in the brain, and it as as transient as any other such signal.

The fact that you can go to sleep hungry and wake up sated is a convincing proof of this.

The converse is that when you start bulking, if you shift from a bigger to a smaller surplus during the same bulk you'll start to feel hungry, even though you're in an energy surplus, because your brain treats the drop in surplus as something to be resisted.

[Inverstone]

augeleven and DW, I agree 100%. If ya see saw the habit doesn't become a habit or homeostasis. The couple of time I didn't stick to the "plan" I found the desire returned strongly right away. Also it's easy to forget that the hunger signaling we feel is very often a need for hydration instead.
The body is easily fooled into thinking that a minor amount of thirst is hunger instead. If I feel strongly on the edge of "cheating" I'll have a cup or two of water with some psyllium seed husk in it for the fiber satiation and cover the hydration issue at the same time. Very useful tactic when the munchies strike near midnight.

[Hardartery]

Down 13 pounds now. I've been below 270 for multiple consecutive days.

[Cellist]

Down 13 pounds now. I've been below 270 for multiple consecutive days.

Congrats! I've also lost 13 lbs, currently 206, but waist measures 38 1/2 which means another round to get to 36 1/2. No real hunger so far. The time of day that's most dangerous for my lifestyle is evenings. The rp app recommends I have the early bird special dinner time, which is sometimes before I'm done with work, and a snack before bed, so I drink some herb tea or diet soda for the 4-5 hours in between instead of having an undefined late meal/bunch of snacks that starts at the end of the working day and gets drawn out until bedtime.

My split jerk technique is also getting a lot better.

[Allentown]

Planning on starting my hot girl summer cut next week/after my weekly check-in on Friday. Weight has crept up to 217 average on maintenance the last few weeks, possibly stress-related. Target will be 205, probably aiming for 1lb/week loss. Goal is once again an attempt to get visible abs.
Waist starting out lower than last cut, around 36.5 (generous) vs 38ish last year.

[BostonRugger]

Day 1.

Am hungry. All going to plan so far.

I hit 230 on the scale this morning. Down 13+lbs in 5wks. Shooting for 20-25 lbs in 10-12 wks, then maintain, then cut to ~200.

[Hardartery]

I have been 260 lbs for 3 straight days. I will likely be up tomorrow and the next day a little, gonna socialize with another couple tomorrow night so likely be in a caloric surplus by the time that's over. I am not tracking anything, and being pretty loose with things and on a slow drop anyway. Apparently I unbroke whatever was keeping the weight on when I was dieting for real. I fly out Monday and will be starting with another round of moveing furniture and boxes followed by more remodel work. I will be doing my first Schluter shower, so that's fun. I am wondering if I come back with abs this time - if the weight loss keeps on.

[Tommy1507]

Finished my cut two weeks ago. Now trying to maintain and started tracking again. Turns out my protein is waaay too high. When cutting i just shooted for 4 high protein meals, whicht turned out to get me into 3g/kg range. Currently i am eating 3000 calories and shoot for P 1,5-2 g, F 1g and rest carbs. Even without whey i am very surprised how much protein i get without even trying to eat high amounts of protein. The cases stronger by science make for lower protein intake seem appealing to me. Personally protein does not seem to be very satieyting for me.