@joaa Thanks. I’ve been cutting my calories back for 6 weeks and still working out well and the scale hasn’t changed although my body comp has. Now that I’m 4-5 weeks out from my summer vacation, I’d like to get rid of this lower belly fat without sacrificing too much muscle
@austinsugden I’m short so my maintenance (without any steps added in) is around 1900. I did a 1000 calorie deficit for 4 weeks once (so 900 cals plus calories burned from steps, usually around 400 extra cals from ~15k steps a day) and it got pretty brutal by the end. For you 2lbs a week is probably more manageable than it was for me though. I’d recommend taking more time and going at a rate of 1-2 lbs per week. If you really need to lose the fat quick it works but it will really suck.
On my cut 3 years ago when I went from 82kg to 70kg in 73 days (21% to 9% BF), I was on a massive deficit (1600-1800) while working out 6 days a week.
Near the 6 week mark, or roughly a bit past half way the 73 days, I had horrible insomnia and VERY cranky. It's a crazy feeling, the hunger that carves a hole in your gut and you can't function properly.
If you're thinking of it: Don't do it, cut slow, like 300 cals below TDEE.
@austinsugden The lowest I've done is sub 1600 cals for 2 weeks. It was surprisingly not that bad, training got really tough toward the end but I didn't really lose any strength,
@confusedgirl98 Yeah I started 1500 cals this week and combined with IF, it’s been manageable. I’m not too hungry till after my workout and then stuffed after a couple big meals in the evening. I feel like going down to 1200 wouldn’t be too insane with how full I am but I’ll see how this week goes first.
@confusedgirl98 Just getting ready for summer, I get 2 weeks off and want to be my best version! I’ve been cutting calories for 6 weeks now and I appear to have held onto all my muscle, if not gaining some, so I feel like I could manage a more aggressive cut for a few weeks
@austinsugden I tried 1200 for a few weeks and stopped because I had no energy to even walk. My legs would get so tired after walking for a few minutes... After that I upped my calories again AND cardio do keep losing weight.
@austinsugden yea I was 235, then I went to 210 ish, but within a week I was back to 228. most of it was water and ig just stuff I was holding on to. I"m sure i lost some but not a ton
@austinsugden I tried 1500 cals for a week once, I was so dead it was not worth it, I ended up skipping workouts because I had no energy for them, i remember sitting on the couch watching tv waiting for an okay time to eat my mega chicken and cucumber salad for lunch, but not really expecting to feel satisfied, I was physically full but was not satisfied so I wanted something more/else but couldn’t due to calorie restriction.
I prioritized cardio more over the course of 2 years (in addition to lifting) and was averaging 3.5-4K cals/day with 9-12% BF, made cutting significantly easier because 2.5-3k cals cutting is easier than 1500-2K at least for me.
