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Zaq
Iron
- Joined
- Nov 16, 2022
- Posts
- 97
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- 264
I’ve decided to pursue an aggressive cut while staying as mindful as possible. Currently, I’m 90kg (188cm / 6ft2) and aiming to drop to 80kg (175lbs) while training at the gym three times a week and practicing a combat sport twice weekly.
The typical concerns with an aggressive cut are long-term malnutrition, muscle loss, hormonal imbalances, and metabolic adaptation. To counter these, I have built a highly nutrient-dense plan that covers every micronutrient, ensuring I get at least 140g protein and 70g fat daily to protect muscle mass and hormonal health. And I have to say, designing this diet was actually a lot of fun! Take a look at the attached images.
Now I’m weighing two options:
Option 1: Stick with the plan at 1600 kcal, which creates a 1000 kcal deficit from an estimated 2600 kcal maintenance. This should lead to roughly 4kg of fat loss per 31 days, meaning I could reach my goal in about 80 days. I’m confident in my discipline and think this aggressive approach is both time-efficient and effective (using 1kg of fat = 7700 kcal for my math).
Option 2: Add 125g of grass-fed ground beef making it 1900 kcal, boosting my protein to around 170g and fat to 90g. This further supports muscle preservation and testosterone/hormonal health. However, I have already hit every single micronutrient target. This option reduces my deficit to 700 kcal, slowing fat loss to an estimated 2.8kg per 31 days and extending the cut to roughly 110 days.
Given all this, I’m leaning toward the aggressive 1600 kcal plan for 2.5 months, then gradually increasing calories to rebuild maintenance. What do you think about this strategy, and if you disagree, what is your case for the 1900 kcal plan if the concerns of malnutrition, muscle loss, and hormonal imbalances are mitigated?
The typical concerns with an aggressive cut are long-term malnutrition, muscle loss, hormonal imbalances, and metabolic adaptation. To counter these, I have built a highly nutrient-dense plan that covers every micronutrient, ensuring I get at least 140g protein and 70g fat daily to protect muscle mass and hormonal health. And I have to say, designing this diet was actually a lot of fun! Take a look at the attached images.
Now I’m weighing two options:
Option 1: Stick with the plan at 1600 kcal, which creates a 1000 kcal deficit from an estimated 2600 kcal maintenance. This should lead to roughly 4kg of fat loss per 31 days, meaning I could reach my goal in about 80 days. I’m confident in my discipline and think this aggressive approach is both time-efficient and effective (using 1kg of fat = 7700 kcal for my math).
Option 2: Add 125g of grass-fed ground beef making it 1900 kcal, boosting my protein to around 170g and fat to 90g. This further supports muscle preservation and testosterone/hormonal health. However, I have already hit every single micronutrient target. This option reduces my deficit to 700 kcal, slowing fat loss to an estimated 2.8kg per 31 days and extending the cut to roughly 110 days.
Given all this, I’m leaning toward the aggressive 1600 kcal plan for 2.5 months, then gradually increasing calories to rebuild maintenance. What do you think about this strategy, and if you disagree, what is your case for the 1900 kcal plan if the concerns of malnutrition, muscle loss, and hormonal imbalances are mitigated?
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