Duration of Your Cut
There is not any precise rule for how long you should cut; the length depends on many things, from your goals to how good you are feeling. Over 16 weeks, however, it may be possible that efficiency will slowly decrease, as you will increase muscle loss (supposing you are maintaining a large deficit). The bigger the deficit is, the shorter the length of a cut should be.
Generally, it is possible to safely lose around 1 pound per week, which is around 12 pounds in 16 weeks!
If you lose more than this, do not hesitate to slightly increase your caloric consumption; it’s quite possible that you are losing as much muscle mass as fat. Conversely, if your weight loss slows down (less than half a pound per week), you can gradually decrease your consumption of carbohydrates (from 60 to 40, remove a fruit, etc…)
The other key-factor is your ability to maintain your training strength- if you notice a large decrease in strength, do not hesitate to eat more. It’s always better to have a longer cut that will limit the amount of muscle lost rather than a shorter one. Now we don’t want to lose all the muscle, do we?
It may be interesting, for example, to start with a 12 week cut, have a full break of 4 weeks, and then start again.
Pay great attention to your body’s signals, such as tiredness, hunger, mood… basically, learn to figure out when it’s time to stop.
Most of my cuts have lasted anywhere from 8 to 12 weeks, I then have breaks of 4 weeks during which I eat at maintenance in order to regulate hormone levels (which are reduced during a cutting period) and to feel better.
Cutting and Weight Fluctuations
Losing weight is not a linear process; while you will notice rapid weight loss during the first weeks, there will be variations over time. This is normal, nitrogen balance and water movement leads to weight fluctuations, but if you maintain your deficit, there is nothing to worry about as the weight loss still goes on!
Monitor your weight on a regular basis- every 15 days or so. Stepping on the scale everyday is useless, as there are many factors which lead to weight fluctuations. Also pay attention to your shape, you should become more lean through time.
Refeed
While a cut is in progress, temptation always sits around: you will be tempted to pig out on food. But rest assured, you won’t have to maintain this deficit for weeks and weeks. We will explain how in a controlled-manner, you will be able to eat more, and enjoy.
Depending on your level of body fat, and where you currently stand in your ongoing cut, it’ll be possible to incorporate one or two days a week when you will eat at maintenance or maybe even more (sometimes I eat 3500 calories on those days).
These intakes are aimed to ease the psychological strain imposed by your cut, making you even more motivated to move forward. Careful though, these days are not meant for you to eat for two and lose control.
For people who are already lean (sub-10% bf) refeeds also help to restore hormone levels which regulate weight, but for this your refeed will last more than two days.
Now, speak your mind.
Deficit and Dietary Supplements