sphenocide
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- Jun 11, 2025
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We’ve all heard it, “just be in a 500 calorie deficit bro.”
And yeah, maybe that’s good if you’ve got 1000 years to get lean. But who the fuck wants to be in a deficit forever?
The optimal way to cut, in my opinion, is to go as fast as possible while still preserving lean tissue. That sweet spot is losing 1% of your body weight per week.
Step 1 – Find Your True Maintenance
To do this properly, you need your real maintenance, not some random calculator guess.
Start by figuring out your sedentary maintenance based on your stats. Then, add the amount of calories you burn through activity like walking, training, whatever, to that number.
That gives you your true maintenance (not estimated bullshit).
Example:
If your sedentary maintenance is 2200 and you burn 300 through steps, your real maintenance is 2500.
Step 2 – Set Up the Deficit
Now that you know your actual maintenance, subtract enough calories to lose 1% of your body weight per week.
If you weigh 171 lbs, that’s roughly 1.7 lbs per week.
This guide isn’t for obese users, losing 1% a week when you’re obese is harder and more stressful. But since you’re from looksmax.org, I doubt any of you are obese anyway.
If you’re too lazy to do the math, just use AI to help you out if you’re an iqcel.
Step 3 – Don’t Get Skinny Fat
We’re not trying to lose muscle. To avoid ending up looking soft, stick to a proper training routine. Do at least 3x a week of strength training with progressive overload.
You also need to be eating around 1.1–1.2g of protein per pound of body weight to preserve lean tissue.
For the rest of your macros, do what fits you best. Personally, I like a moderate fat, higher carb setup for better training performance and pumps.
Step 4 – Appetite Control
If you struggle to stay in your calories, here are ways to make it easier:
- If you’re broke: Use caffeine. Simple and cheap.
- If you need more help: Nicotine works but can mess with your health indicators, so be careful.
- If you’ve got money: Go for a GLP-1 agonist like retatrutide, it’s insanely effective for appetite suppression.
You don’t need any of these. They’re just tools. You can still reach your goals without using them, it just comes down to how disciplined you are.
TLDR:
- just be in a calorie deficit bro
- Lose 1% of body weight per week
- Keep protein at 1.1–1.2g/lb
- Train 3x per week minimum with progressive overload
- Base your deficit on true maintenance
- Leverage appetite suppressants
And yeah, maybe that’s good if you’ve got 1000 years to get lean. But who the fuck wants to be in a deficit forever?
The optimal way to cut, in my opinion, is to go as fast as possible while still preserving lean tissue. That sweet spot is losing 1% of your body weight per week.
Step 1 – Find Your True Maintenance
To do this properly, you need your real maintenance, not some random calculator guess.
Start by figuring out your sedentary maintenance based on your stats. Then, add the amount of calories you burn through activity like walking, training, whatever, to that number.
That gives you your true maintenance (not estimated bullshit).
Example:
If your sedentary maintenance is 2200 and you burn 300 through steps, your real maintenance is 2500.
Step 2 – Set Up the Deficit
Now that you know your actual maintenance, subtract enough calories to lose 1% of your body weight per week.
If you weigh 171 lbs, that’s roughly 1.7 lbs per week.
This guide isn’t for obese users, losing 1% a week when you’re obese is harder and more stressful. But since you’re from looksmax.org, I doubt any of you are obese anyway.
If you’re too lazy to do the math, just use AI to help you out if you’re an iqcel.
Step 3 – Don’t Get Skinny Fat
We’re not trying to lose muscle. To avoid ending up looking soft, stick to a proper training routine. Do at least 3x a week of strength training with progressive overload.
You also need to be eating around 1.1–1.2g of protein per pound of body weight to preserve lean tissue.
For the rest of your macros, do what fits you best. Personally, I like a moderate fat, higher carb setup for better training performance and pumps.
Step 4 – Appetite Control
If you struggle to stay in your calories, here are ways to make it easier:
- If you’re broke: Use caffeine. Simple and cheap.
- If you need more help: Nicotine works but can mess with your health indicators, so be careful.
- If you’ve got money: Go for a GLP-1 agonist like retatrutide, it’s insanely effective for appetite suppression.
You don’t need any of these. They’re just tools. You can still reach your goals without using them, it just comes down to how disciplined you are.
TLDR:
- just be in a calorie deficit bro
- Lose 1% of body weight per week
- Keep protein at 1.1–1.2g/lb
- Train 3x per week minimum with progressive overload
- Base your deficit on true maintenance
- Leverage appetite suppressants
