6 Week Cutting Diet For Less Fat And More Gains

If getting ripped was easy then everyone would be doing it but the truth is… it takes guts and determination.

A cutting diet plan should be tailored to each individual according to their TDEE (Total Daily Energy expenditure) and it’s easier than ever to get this information. Calculators can literally provide you with what you need to start and thankfully, we’ve got some for that purpose…

Now, how shredded you want to be, depends on your own ideal of what you should look like. But for most people, anything under 10 percent body fat could be considered ripped!

However, your diet will need to be on point and it’s worth it… so, are you ready to crush your limits and break barriers in order to look like a Demigod?…

Here we’ll provide you with some amazing information about diet (calories, macros, and food choices)….

What is the Purpose of a Cutting Diet?

A cutting diet will shed body fat in a way that will really allow your muscle mass underneath to show through. And we look bigger when we’re leaner.

Sometimes we gain excess body fat from a bulking diet or we just let our eating habits get out of hand.

But if you’re under 18-20% body fat, then sticking to a routine fat loss diet is the better option. Simply because this 6-week cutting regime should get you to a diced-level of body fat and it’s intense!

Cutting Diet Basics

There are only a few things you need to focus on when cutting…

Calories
Macros
Food types

Calories

Now, the whole “If it Fits Your Macros” (IIFYM) thing is controversial and there’s some truth to it. But thermodynamics and research have concluded that a “calorie is a calorie” regardless of its macronutrient composition. (1)

Losing weight is a matter of burning more calories than you consume or by burning more calories through physical activity to create a caloric deficit.

Now, since one pound of body weight equals roughly 3500 calories. You’d need to burn 500 calories per day to lose one pound every week which is a safe number. But, if the goal is to keep muscle, this is about the limit. (2)

You cannot lose body fat at a rapid rate and still keep your hard earned muscle. And you will still lose a small amount of muscle regardless of how slow you cut!

But that’s why it’s important to follow the 500 calories a day rule. This will ensure you lose the least amount of muscle tissue possible during your cut.

But, you’ll be pleased to know that eating lots of protein and taking certain supplements can help you to preserve your muscle while cutting (We’ll get into that shortly).

And you’ll need to know your maintenance calories which will give you a starting point to work from. Now, your maintenance calories are how much you need to stay at your current weight.

So, you’ll cut 500 calories per day from this number and arrive at a deficit for effective cutting.

Here’s our calorie calculator where you can determine how many calories you need to consume daily based on your needs.

To lose weight and keep muscle:

Determine your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE) and daily caloric maintenance number.
Eat 500 calories less than the maintenance number or exercise to burn the 500 calories.

Macros

Do macros matter? Of course, they do! But, the ratio depends on your goals. If you’re just trying to shed weight then calories overall are more important. However, if you want to preserve and even slightly build muscle tissue then they matter big time.

Protein, carbohydrates, and fat are the three macro nutrients which are the most essential nutrient your body needs to function at optimal levels. (3)

Protein is the most important macro for muscle growth and it needs to be high during a cut to preserve muscle. Carbs are your main energy source (Unless you do keto) since they can breakdown fast enough to be utilized for energy during high-intensity activities. (4, 5)

And fats are essential for hormone maintenance, cholesterol levels, and they provide energy as well.

Check out our macro calculator to determine how much protein, carbs, and fat you need daily to keep your muscle mass and lose weight effectively. (6)

But generally, protein should be around 1-1.2 grams for every pound of body weight, fat should be around 0.2-0.25 grams, and carbs can make up the remainder of macro intake.

Food types

Clean foods are always the best route when dieting to keep calories low and maintain good health. This is because, whole, natural foods are often lower in calories, and they will allow you to train without feeling like complete garbage.

Processed, junk foods will zap your energy levels and this will interfere with your progress.

Now, IIFYM is based on eating essentially anything as long as it fits your macros, but you have to consider your health, and energy levels when consuming these foods. However, there’s no arguing the point of processed foods in relation to health because it’s clearly not good for you if consumed frequently.

Best Cutting Foods

Here are some awesome nutritional choices to add to your shopping list…

Grass-fed Beef
Chicken/turkey breast
Fish (Salmon, Halibut, Sardine, etc.)
Dark leafy greens (Kale, spinach, collard greens)
Low GI fruits (Cherries, Grapefruits, Apples, Strawberries)
Avocadoes (Health fats)
Eggs (Good fats and protein)
Tofu
Tempeh
Grains (Quinoa, oats, brown rice, etc.)
Legumes (Soybeans, chickpeas, lentils, etc.)
Low-fat dairy (Cottage cheese, low-fat milk/skim)
Nuts/seeds (Almonds, walnuts, chia seeds, pumpkin seeds)
Quality protein powder

The quality of macronutrients and calories are why these foods should be a staple in every cutting diet. These options will provide you with clean energy and you’ll have high-quality nutrients to aid your cutting efforts.

But, these foods also provide essential micronutrients in the form of vitamins and minerals; which are essential for good health. (3)

Best Cutting Supplements

Being in a catabolic state is sure to break down your muscle tissue. This sucks and you don’t want to lose the gains you’ve busted you’re a*s in the gym for.

These supplements will help you in your journey…

Whey Protein powder
Glutamine
Arginine
BCAAs
Creatine
ZMA

Whey protein increases muscle mass, strength, and reduces training recovery time according to science. And according to studies, glutamine is a promising aid for muscle strength, power, and positive changes in body composition. (7, 8, 9)

Now, arginine increases nitric oxide in your body which opens up blood cells to allow more nutrients to flood in. And this can help preserve muscle mass. (10)

While BCAAs are the building blocks of protein and leucine is the most important branched-chain amino acid for muscle protein synthesis. (11, 12)

Creatine is one of the most studied substances and it’s proven to be effective. It increases ATP (Energy) in the muscle cells and allows you to push harder and train heavier. (13)

Now, ZMA consists of zinc, magnesium, and B6, and it’s used by a lot of people to improve sleep quality. (14)

Sleep is non-negotiable when it comes to makes gains as it’s an important process for recovery.

Cutting Diet Plan

So, we’ve created an awesome cutting diet with high and low carb days. And we’ve constructed a meal plan for 3 days low carb and 1 day of high carb eating. This is called carb cycling.

What is Carb Cycling?

So, carbs are the one macronutrient which gets a lot of hate. But they aren’t the bad guy here. The carb quality is important and since we need them for physical activity, we can back off when we don’t need as much.

When we train, our bodies utilize carbs in the form of glycogen in our muscles. Well, if we don’t use them up, they get stored as fat in the liver.

So, carb cycling will allow you to maximize them when needed. But the high carb days are used to replenish the glycogen stores in the muscles. (15)

Carb cycling improves insulin sensitivity, allows you to keep more muscle mass, and reduces bad food cravings.

Days 1-3

Use the calorie and macro calculator to determine your portions of each food since everyone is different and we couldn’t construct a one-size-fits-all cutting diet plan.

Follow this plan for 6 weeks and see how it works for you…

First meal:

Whole Eggs
Rice cakes
Berries
One serving green superfoods

Pre-workout meal:

Chicken breast
Half avocado
Mixed vegetables

Post-workout:

Whey protein shake
10g Coconut oil

Post-workout meal:

Chicken breast
Half Sweet potato
Greens

Snack:

Protein bar

Dinner:

Ground meat of your choice
Mixed vegetables
ZMA (Natural sleep aid)

Day 4

First meal:

Whole Eggs
Oatmeal
Berries
One serving green superfoods

Pre-workout meal:

Chicken breast
White rice (Jasmine)
Mixed vegetables
10g Coconut oil

Post-workout:

Whey protein shake
Banana
10g Coconut oil

Post-workout meal:

Chicken breast
Whole Sweet potato
Greens

Snack:

Protein bar and plain yogurt

Dinner:

Ground meat of your choice
Salad with olive oil and fat/sugar-free dressing
ZMA

Final Thoughts

This information should be all you need to attack your cutting diet. You’ll start to see the muscle you didn’t know existed and/or you’ll just uncover what you had before.

Cutting fat requires a strategy but it doesn’t have to be rocket science and you can achieve your goals by following a good plan.

Calories and physical activity are the core components of any cutting diet, but a good macro ratio will ensure you maintain muscle tissue while losing body fat.

Make sure you’re fueling up and follow the diet plan according to your caloric and macronutrient numbers by using the provided calculators which are a very convenient tool to aid you with your goals.