I’m officially starting my cut for the summer. It’s not for any specific competition, just a personal goal. I realized I’m low on groceries, so it’s off to the store with Reshawna to stock up on macro-friendly foods. Tracking macros is key for this cut.
Reshawna lives with us here in Florida. Hopefully, she’s up for a grocery run! Steph is busy editing a video. She recently did a 10,000 calorie cheat day challenge in Germany which was pretty insane!
Before we head out, I’ll take my morning supplements: a multivitamin and two omega-3 fish oil capsules.
While at the store, I’ll check what we already have at home to avoid duplicates. Although, you can never have too many bananas, even on a cut. I’m excited to be cutting again after a long period of intuitive eating.
My goal for this cut is two to three servings of fruit and two to three servings of vegetables daily. Frozen vegetables are my preference for convenience. I anticipate my carb intake will remain relatively high even while cutting.
I’m still planning a podcast with a vegan diet expert to address some points raised in the Vegan Gains video. It’s been a scheduling challenge, but we’re aiming for May.
During a cut, I like Trop50 juice. It’s less sweet and lower in calories. Reshawna prefers the full-sugar version. Reshawna will be leaving in a few days for a month, so we’ll have to manage our training remotely. She’s close to 1,000 YouTube subscribers! Check out her channel, she makes great videos.
This is the grocery haul. It’s not a huge amount since I’m starting the cut and want to see how my meals shake out. I’ll freestyle it initially. Today’s plan is to get back, get some work done, and then hit the gym.
Back at the house, it’s time to get reacquainted with MyFitnessPal and update my goals. My goal weight is 164 pounds, aiming for a loss of 1.5 pounds per week.
Let’s call this the “Six-Minute Diet” plan. My macro approach is semi-intuitive and flexible, targeting 2,400 calories per day with a 100-calorie buffer on either side. My protein goal is 0.8 grams per pound of body weight, which is about 150 grams for me. Fats are 20% of total calories, around 50-60 grams daily. Carbs fill in the remaining calories. I prioritize protein and total caloric intake. Fats are a minimum target rather than a strict limit, and carbs are flexible.
To determine caloric intake, use online calculators or a simple estimate of body weight multiplied by 10 to 12. Fine-tune based on weekly weigh-in averages. Track your weight first thing in the morning on an empty stomach. If weight maintains, you’ve likely found your maintenance calories. Adjust accordingly for weight loss or gain.
My weekly weight loss target is 1 to 1.5% of body weight, which translates to 1.5 to 3 pounds for me. Three pounds is a bit fast, so I expect a faster loss initially due to water weight, settling into 1 to 1.5 pounds later. Generally, avoid exceeding 1.5% weekly weight loss to minimize performance impact, nutrient deficiencies, and muscle loss.
My calorie deficit is typically 15-20% of maintenance calories, not current calories. Estimate maintenance calories using body weight times 16. From there, calculate the 15-20% deficit. These are rough figures and individual results will vary.
My current weight is around 180 pounds, and my target is 160-165. This means an estimated 8-10 week cut, aiming for July. I’ll then transition to a lean bulk, aiming for 165-166 by August. Future videos will cover micros, cardio, training, and the fundamentals series with Reshawna.
My pre-workout meal is a small deli meat sandwich with oven-roasted turkey, cheddar cheese, mixed greens, raspberries, Asian medley frozen vegetables, and Trop50 orange juice.
I also have a pre-workout shake with a blend of casein and whey protein and a banana. I’ll add Prolific pre-workout before heading to the gym.
Post-workout, I’ll have another protein shake with peanut butter protein powder. Followed by ground turkey and rice. I weigh my meat cooked and multiply by 1.3 for tracking in MyFitnessPal to account for weight loss during cooking. This is generally accurate for most meats like chicken and turkey.
At the end of the day, I’m at 2,100 calories with 300 left. I’ll have another bag of frozen vegetables and some ground turkey to round out the day. I’ll share the final macros on screen. Let me know if you’d like me to cover specific topics related to my training and diet in future videos!
