# How to make sure I'm burning fat and not muscle



## T_smith (Jul 1, 2014)

How's it goin guys? I'm currently in a cutting phase. I'm 6'1, current weight is 212, and about 16 percent body fat. I'm trying to get down to 12 percent. The weight has been coming off nicely, but I feel like I might be losing some muscle. It might just be because my carb intake is fairly low, so Im depleted and look flat. I just wanted to hear your guys opinions on my cutting diet and how to ensure I'm not losing any muscle. My diet looks like this.

Meal 1 (right when I wake up):
1/2 cup oats with 1/2 cup blueberries
5 egg whites
Meal 2: 
7 oz chicken
1 cup broccoli
Meal 3:
7 oz chicken
1 cup broccoli 
Meal 4 (45 min pre workout):
7 oz chicken
1 cup brown rice or 5 oz sweet potato
Meal 5 (immediately after workout):
50g whey
1/2 cup fruit 
Meal 6 (45 min post workout):
7 oz chicken or 7oz salmon
1 cup veggies
1 cup brown rice or 5 oz sweet potato
Meal 7: 
5 egg whites
1/2 cup FF cottage cheese

Macros: 351P/ 183C/ 17F/  2200 cals

Supplements:
Multivitamin 
Bcaas (sipped during cardio) 
Fish oils
Whey protein 

Training:
Min: Chest followed by 15 min cardio
Tues: Back followed by 15 min cardio
Wed: Shoulders followed by 15 min cardio
Thurs: Bis and tris followed by 15 min cardio 
Fri: Legs followed by 15 min cardio 
Sat: I'll go by how my body feels. Usually a lighter chest or back workout followed by 15 min cardio
Sun: 30 min cardio 

I do some core work roughly every other day. Cardio is usually stairmaster, walk on incline treadmill, or some boxing work (hitting the bag)

And I do allow myself one cheat meal on Saturday or Sunday. Usually sushi.


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## coltmc4545 (Jul 1, 2014)

Where's the good fats? I'd cut down carbs a little more and replace those cals with good fats. And do HIIT cardio, not steady state.


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## T_smith (Jul 1, 2014)

coltmc4545 said:


> Where's the good fats? I'd cut down carbs a little more and replace those cals with good fats. And do HIIT cardio, not steady state.



Yeah my fats pretty much come from fish oil, salmon, and sometimes I'll switch one of the meals with chicken to tuna. Do you think 150g carbs would be better? Or even drop it to 100? And as far as the HIIT cardio goes, I'm somewhat limited on what I can do. I had acl surgery not too long ago so I can't do sprints or anything like that. But while on the stair master or treadmill, I will do an interval style training. Slower pace for 45 seconds, faster pace for 45 seconds throughout the whole 15 minutes. If you have any suggestions though I'm definitely open to them. I appreciate the response.


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## TheLupinator (Jul 1, 2014)

The rate at which you are losing weight is usually your best indicator. How many lbs and how many inches are you losing off your waist? Measure every 1-2 weeks. This will give you an indicator of the fat / muscle ratio. 


For me it's anywhere from .2 - .4 inches off my waist per week -> this should be equal to about 1-2lbs depending on where I am in my cut i.e. if I'm at the beginning 16-18% then it will be more lbs & less inches. As I get closer to 10% the lbs should be almost all coming off my waist. If you are losing a lot of weight and your waist isn't shrinking, there's a good chance it's muscle. 


The only thing jumping out from your diet is your protein and fat - you won't notice a difference dropping protein down to 250grams and replacing those calories with fats will help your workouts - I mean I do great on low fat / moderate carbs but 17grams of fats just seems drastically low, I'd at least double that. 


Carbs seem fine for now - especially if you are losing weight and your workouts are not going to shit. You can always start carb cycling if you plateau, although I've never had to carb cycle to hit 10% body fat but seems to work for most people.


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## PillarofBalance (Jul 1, 2014)

At 6'1 212lbs and 16% you should focus on gaining more muscle rather than cutting IMO.


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## bvs (Jul 1, 2014)

yeah more good fats as coltmc said, they are your friend not the enemy. also fasted (sort of: protien is ok, just no carbs or fats) morning hiit cardio for 30-50mins works really well.


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## woodswise (Jul 1, 2014)

coltmc4545 said:


> Where's the good fats? I'd cut down carbs a little more and replace those cals with good fats. And do HIIT cardio, not steady state.




^^^^ This.  If you're going to do a ketogenic diet, you need some fats and zero carbs (i.e. no fruit).  If you're going to diet on carbs, then you should have very low fats and higher carbs and I would have complex carbs not fruit which are mostly simple carbs.


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## BigGameHunter (Jul 1, 2014)

Injuries to the legs can make cardio very difficult.  I am currently nursing 2 bad wheels.  Swimming is a good and safe exercise.


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## DocDePanda187123 (Jul 1, 2014)

woodswise said:


> ^^^^ This.  If you're going to do a ketogenic diet, you need some fats and zero carbs (i.e. no fruit).  If you're going to diet on carbs, then you should have very low fats and higher carbs and I would have complex carbs not fruit which are mostly simple carbs.



Fruit is great even on a cut. Lots of nutrients, pretty low cal, high water content, and helps keep you feeling full


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## T_smith (Jul 1, 2014)

TheLupinator said:


> The rate at which you are losing weight is usually your best indicator. How many lbs and how many inches are you losing off your waist? Measure every 1-2 weeks. This will give you an indicator of the fat / muscle ratio.
> 
> 
> For me it's anywhere from .2 - .4 inches off my waist per week -> this should be equal to about 1-2lbs depending on where I am in my cut i.e. if I'm at the beginning 16-18% then it will be more lbs & less inches. As I get closer to 10% the lbs should be almost all coming off my waist. If you are losing a lot of weight and your waist isn't shrinking, there's a good chance it's muscle.
> ...



Sounds good I appreciate the help. If I drop the protein down to 250-300g, take out the fruits to lower the carbs a bit, and do 4 egg whites and one whole egg to the first and last meals, drop the protein sources to 6oz instead of 7, then add in half an avocado to my pre and post workout meals, do you think that would be better? Sorry for the long response, just want to make sure I'm holding onto as much muscle as possible during this cut.


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## T_smith (Jul 1, 2014)

bvs said:


> yeah more good fats as coltmc said, they are your friend not the enemy. also fasted (sort of: protien is ok, just no carbs or fats) morning hiit cardio for 30-50mins works really well.



Unfortunately I can't do fasted cardio in the morning. I work at 4 In the morning so unless I wanted to sacrifice sleep, it wouldn't work. That's why I've been doing it after my weight training. But if you think there's a more efficient way just let me know.


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## gymrat827 (Jul 1, 2014)

up the fats, do 20-25min post WO cardio instead of 15.

Do what you need as far as rest for your injury.  If it doesnt feel good, dont press it, relax and wait.

You should be able to lose a decent amount of BF with just your diet alone.


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## T_smith (Jul 1, 2014)

PillarofBalance said:


> At 6'1 212lbs and 16% you should focus on gaining more muscle rather than cutting IMO.



I'm just cutting naturally for the next 12 weeks before I start my next cycle. I want to come in as lean as possible. Before my surgery I was about 220 and 13 percent body fat. I couldn't train for about 5 months and I lost some muscle and put on unwanted fat. I'm just trying to shed that fat off before I focus on gaining more muscle.


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## T_smith (Jul 1, 2014)

gymrat827 said:


> up the fats, do 20-25min post WO cardio instead of 15.
> 
> Do what you need as far as rest for your injury.  If it doesnt feel good, dont press it, relax and wait.
> 
> You should be able to lose a decent amount of BF with just your diet alone.



Okay I'll up the cardio a bit, thanks man. As far as the cardio goes, I can't really do HIGH intensity intervals, but I can do some moderately intense intervals. I'll usually up the speed for a minute, then back to a steady pace for a minute. Do you think I should stick to doing that?


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## gymrat827 (Jul 1, 2014)

T_smith said:


> Okay I'll up the cardio a bit, thanks man. As far as the cardio goes, I can't really do HIGH intensity intervals, but I can do some moderately intense intervals. I'll usually up the speed for a minute, then back to a steady pace for a minute. Do you think I should stick to doing that?



if all you can do is moderate, thats ok.  you want to go HI and Low, Hi than low.  

it keeps the body in confusion and you burn a shit ton more cals at the end of the day.


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## T_smith (Jul 1, 2014)

gymrat827 said:


> if all you can do is moderate, thats ok.  you want to go HI and Low, Hi than low.
> 
> it keeps the body in confusion and you burn a shit ton more cals at the end of the day.



Yeah exactly. I just didn't no if going moderate intensity, then low intensity would have any significant benefit compared to just staying at a moderate intensity the whole 20 minutes. Since I can't run, I usually just put it on max incline, walk at a normal pace, then walk as fast as I can, then back down to normal pace, back up, etc. Alternating about 45 seconds each throughout the whole cardio session


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## woodswise (Jul 1, 2014)

Docd187123 said:


> Fruit is great even on a cut. Lots of nutrients, pretty low cal, high water content, and helps keep you feeling full



But not if you are on a ketogenic diet.


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## T_smith (Jul 1, 2014)

woodswise said:


> But not if you are on a ketogenic diet.



Yeah I'm gonna drop the fruit


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## TheLupinator (Jul 2, 2014)

woodswise said:


> But not if you are on a ketogenic diet.




Where did he say he was doing keto? I must've missed that. 


If so, then yes drop the fruit. I've done keto, it works, just depends on your goals. I tend to keep my diet more balanced now - much easier to sustain that kind of diet long-term. Plus I do everything high intensity (lifting and heavy bag work) so keto is no good - keto is for fat loss at the expense of performance


For me, the benefit of fruit far outweighs the negatives even when cutting weight.


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## grizzldsealpoacher (Jul 2, 2014)

How about dynamic cardio instead of liss I blew out this or that one to many times to do hiit but I found that heavy farmers walks sleds ropes etc  were a better choice of cardio then running a few miles, and that's one way of assuring the muscle is sticking around ...

good luck


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## T_smith (Jul 2, 2014)

grizzldsealpoacher said:


> How about dynamic cardio instead of liss I blew out this or that one to many times to do hiit but I found that heavy farmers walks sleds ropes etc  were a better choice of cardio then running a few miles, and that's one way of assuring the muscle is sticking around ...
> 
> good luck



That's a good suggestion. I'll try that!


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## kindanewtothis (Jul 5, 2014)

Maybe try jump roping intensely for 1 minute, followed by 90 seconds of brisk walking. Repeat for 15 minutes. Jump roping on softer surfaces (like my deck as opposed to concrete) and with comfortable shoes will prevent any ankle pain. It's easier on the legs/knees too compared to sprinting, but more taxing on the calves.  It's great cardio for cutting, also I think keeping some fruit,like grapefruit, in your diet will go a long way too. I'm a big fan of grapefruit, it has a very low glycemic index and high fiber compared to other fruits,and a host of other benefits relevant to bodybuilding. I can point you to some studies too where just introducing grape fruit into diet resulted in weight loss and muscle mass preservation, compared to "miracle diets", which usually result in dehydration and muscle mass loss. Good luck on your cut.


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## T_smith (Jul 5, 2014)

kindanewtothis said:


> Maybe try jump roping intensely for 1 minute, followed by 90 seconds of brisk walking. Repeat for 15 minutes. Jump roping on softer surfaces (like my deck as opposed to concrete) and with comfortable shoes will prevent any ankle pain. It's easier on the legs/knees too compared to sprinting, but more taxing on the calves.  It's great cardio for cutting, also I think keeping some fruit,like grapefruit, in your diet will go a long way too. I'm a big fan of grapefruit, it has a very low glycemic index and high fiber compared to other fruits,and a host of other benefits relevant to bodybuilding. I can point you to some studies too where just introducing grape fruit into diet resulted in weight loss and muscle mass preservation, compared to "miracle diets", which usually result in dehydration and muscle mass loss. Good luck on your cut.



Thanks for the info. I'll try jump roping and see how it feels on my knee. As far as the whole grapefruit thing goes, I'll try substituting it for the fruits that I'm currently eating. What's the average serving size needed for the affects you mentioned above?


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## kindanewtothis (Jul 5, 2014)

Half of a fresh grape fruit 3-4x a day before any of your meals. If you need help with the macros:

Amount Per 0.5 fruit (3-3/4" dia) (123 g)
Calories 52
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 0.2 g	0%
Saturated fat 0 g	0%
Polyunsaturated fat 0 g	
Monounsaturated fat 0 g	
Cholesterol 0 mg	0%
Sodium 0 mg	0%
Potassium 166 mg	4%
Total Carbohydrate 13 g	4%
Dietary fiber 2 g	8%
Sugar 8 g	
Protein 1 g	2%
Vitamin A	28%	Vitamin C	64%
Calcium	2%	Iron	0%
Vitamin D	0%	Vitamin B-6	5%
Vitamin B-12	0%	Magnesium	2%


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## kindanewtothis (Jul 5, 2014)

T_smith said:


> Thanks for the info. I'll try jump roping and see how it feels on my knee. As far as the whole grapefruit thing goes, I'll try substituting it for the fruits that I'm currently eating. What's the average serving size needed for the affects you mentioned above?



Great, I'd watch some videos first on proper jump roping form if you're new to it. Work up to consistently performing 100-150 repetitions without tripping. Find your 'bounce', it's similar to finding your balance when you first learn to ride a bike. There are plenty of variations (1 foot jumps, side jumps, running in place, double under, etc) too on jump roping and tricks you can incorporate eventually to keep it interesting. Your quickness, explosiveness, coordination, agility, and endurance will improve in only a few weeks.


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## kindanewtothis (Jul 5, 2014)

Perhaps incorporate the grape fruit near your pre-workout meal too. Studies show the folate in grape fruit significantly  boosts energy levels and wards off depression, which is very important, especially when cutting.


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## T_smith (Jul 5, 2014)

kindanewtothis said:


> Great, I'd watch some videos first on proper jump roping form if you're new to it. Work up to consistently performing 100-150 repetitions without tripping. Find your 'bounce', it's similar to finding your balance when you first learn to ride a bike. There are plenty of variations (1 foot jumps, side jumps, running in place, double under, etc) too on jump roping and tricks you can incorporate eventually to keep it interesting. Your quickness, explosiveness, coordination, agility, and endurance will improve in only a few weeks.



Yeah jump roping is something I'm definitely familiar with. Years of boxing and Muay Thai will make you pretty comfortable with a jump rope haha.


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## T_smith (Jul 5, 2014)

kindanewtothis said:


> Perhaps incorporate the grape fruit near your pre-workout meal too. Studies show the folate in grape fruit significantly  boosts energy levels and wards off depression, which is very important, especially when cutting.



How much would you recommend me eating? Half a grapefruit, quarter, etc?


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## JAXNY (Jul 5, 2014)

T_smith said:


> Sounds good I appreciate the help. If I drop the protein down to 250-300g, take out the fruits to lower the carbs a bit, and do 4 egg whites and one whole egg to the first and last meals, drop the protein sources to 6oz instead of 7, then add in half an avocado to my pre and post workout meals, do you think that would be better? Sorry for the long response, just want to make sure I'm holding onto as much muscle as possible during this cut.



NO^^^^^ drop your protein down to 250 or 300?
Youre barley at 250 now. At your hight and weight you should be taking in 300-400 grams of protein. You should be eating about 50g per sitting.  Your breakfast is hurting you. Your breakfast needs to be the largest meal of the day. It will give you energy right off and you have plenty of time to burn it off. TThink about this, you just slept for about 8 hours with no food. You need a big breakfast and 5 egg whites are not going to do much for you. You only have about 3.6 grams of protein in the white and 2.4 in the yolk. (always put 1 or 2 yolks in)  so after 8 hours of no food you're getting less than 20g from 5 egg whites. 
YYou have about 5 grams of protein per ounce of chicken. I would step that up to at least 8g 
Cottage cheese. I stay away from all dairy when I cut but it's debatable. The 50g protein shake post workout and then a solid meal about an hour later is a good move. I do that myself.  
Stair master is going to put you in an anaerobic state and not an aerobic state. It works your leg muscles too much and you don't want that. 
The 6 meals a day you're doing is great,  you can always put a couple of protein shakes in between to get the amount of protein you need.


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## kindanewtothis (Jul 6, 2014)

T_smith said:


> How much would you recommend me eating? Half a grapefruit, quarter, etc?



Half usually is enough, but you could experiment with less and see if you get a similar energy boost, especially if you want to minimize calories from fruit during the cut.


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## T_smith (Jul 6, 2014)

JAXNY said:


> NO^^^^^ drop your protein down to 250 or 300?
> Youre barley at 250 now. At your hight and weight you should be taking in 300-400 grams of protein. You should be eating about 50g per sitting.  Your breakfast is hurting you. Your breakfast needs to be the largest meal of the day. It will give you energy right off and you have plenty of time to burn it off. TThink about this, you just slept for about 8 hours with no food. You need a big breakfast and 5 egg whites are not going to do much for you. You only have about 3.6 grams of protein in the white and 2.4 in the yolk. (always put 1 or 2 yolks in)  so after 8 hours of no food you're getting less than 20g from 5 egg whites.
> YYou have about 5 grams of protein per ounce of chicken. I would step that up to at least 8g
> Cottage cheese. I stay away from all dairy when I cut but it's debatable. The 50g protein shake post workout and then a solid meal about an hour later is a good move. I do that myself.
> ...



Thanks for the info. I've recently been doing 4 egg whites with 2 whole eggs instead of just the 5 whites. I've kept the protein sources at 7oz, but added in an extra 2 protein shakes a day to keep protein high while calories low. I've added one in a little after my breakfast, and I take one in between my 6th and 7th meal. The cottage cheese I just eat for casein protein before bed. I eat it in moderation, and so far it hasn't negatively affected anything. As far as the stair master goes, I've mainly been doing the treadmill on max incline. So I'll cut the stair master out completely from now on. Thanks for the advice, much appreciated.


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## omerfo (Jul 16, 2014)

just learn your body, how it is response to carbs fat and protein and how many you need from each of them . 
when you will learn the best combine to your body you will get bigger and even leaner. 
use the mirror and the measure weight


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