Setting Cutting Goals

[skinnychris]

I started the 12 week cutting routine and diet four weeks ago and I am following both exactly. I have reduced my calories from 4200 to 3350 so far.

My fat levels are dropping, but not enough to meet my target of 15% body fat at the end of the 12 weeks.

Have I set myself an unrealistic goal? What sort of goals (such as weekly, monthly & 12 week) would be reasonable?

Me= 37 yrs, 6ft, 178.5 lbs, 18.5% bf now. Was 180 lbs, 18.9% bf.

Thanks.

(Not so) Skinny Chris

[FloridaTitan]

If you've only lost .4% in 4 weeks you are doing something wrong. I think your measurments are off personally. Your calories are much too high. I've got 20 pounds of lean body mass on you and I'm cutting at roughly 2/3 the amount of calories you are.

You need to drop your calories more and need to ramp up the intensity of your workouts and throw in some sprinting/swimming/HIIT.

To awnser your question, you did not set a unrealistic goal. However, the way you are training to achieve these goals are bunk.

Anyone can lose 1-2 pounds of FAT each week easily. Also don't focus so much on the numbers. Numbers aren't as important as the mirror. The mirror never lies.

[Baugh]

[ QUOTE ]
If you've only lost .4% in 4 weeks you are doing something wrong. I think your measurments are off personally. Your calories are much too high. I've got 20 pounds of lean body mass on you and I'm cutting at roughly 2/3 the amount of calories you are.


[/ QUOTE ]

I agree totally. I generally eat about 3500 calories a day when I'm not trying to lose weight. I also have about 40 pounds on you. I'd look back on your calorie calculations.

[skinnychris]

[ QUOTE ]
If you've only lost .4% in 4 weeks you are doing something wrong. I think your measurments are off personally. Your calories are much too high. I've got 20 pounds of lean body mass on you and I'm cutting at roughly 2/3 the amount of calories you are.


[/ QUOTE ]

Thanks for all your comments so far…

Sorry, it does look like my calories are too high. I should have added that I have a super-fast metabolism and have been bulking for the past 11 months on 4000 – 4400 cals. In that time I gained 7.9lb lean and 5.7lb fat. Pretty poor I think.

My diet is taken from this site and hence is completely clean and spread over seven to eight meals a day.

As for my measurements –

All my BF% measurements are taken by a professional trainer with callipers.

I weigh myself using the same scales first thing every morning then average out over the week to remove those daily fluctuations.

Thanks again. I appreciate any comments.

[FloridaTitan]

Looks like you bulked with too many calories. Assuming you gained almost 40% fat on this bulk. You can estimate that you could have clean bulked at about 3800 calories and still made lean muscle gains. SO, applying the not so accurate "add 500 calories a day to you diet to bulk" idea, you could maintain your current weight at 3300 cals, which is actually 50 calories LESS than what you are CUTTING at. So I would recommend bringing the cals down to about 2500-2700. Some people might say that is to low but it really comes down to your training volume and diet. Quality of diet is very important. I'm on Chris Shugart's V-Diet which is low carb medium fat and high protein and has me at 1400-1700 cals a day and am losing fat at an astonsihing rate, haven't lost an ounce of strength or muscle.