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Cutten is a commonly used method among strength trainers and fitness enthusiasts to reduce body fat and get a tighter, more defined body. Especially with the summer or a photo shoot in the prospect, many people decide to cut. Although the idea seems simple - eating and more exercise - there is much more to it to effectively cut without losing muscle mass. In this blog we explain what exactly cuts entails, how you can best tackle this, and why the right food and training are crucial to achieve your goals.
Cutten is a term used in the fitness world to describe the process where you deliberately reduce your calorie intake to lose body fat and get a slimmer, more defined body. This is especially popular among bodybuilders and fitness enthusiasts who want to improve their muscular definition after a bulking period. The purpose of cutting is to lose fat without handing in muscle mass, which requires a careful balance between food, training and recovery. It is therefore very important to know how many calories you need to lose weight. You can make this calculation online at different calorie calculators. Note: this is always an estimate! You have to try, evaluate and adjust it again to make permanent progression.
The difference between cutting and bulking revolves around your calorie intake and the purpose of your fitness program. With bulk you consume more calories than you burn to build muscle mass, while when cutting you eat fewer calories to lose fat. These two processes are closely connected and are often alternated to maximize both muscle growth and fat loss. This is also called the "bulk vs cut" cycle, where you first build muscles (bulk) and then lose fat to improve your muscles (cut). You want to show what you have built up during the bulking.
With cutting it is crucial to keep a close eye on both your macro and micronutrients. Macronutrients - proteins, carbohydrates and fats - supply the energy and building materials that your body needs. During cutting, the focus is often on higher protein intake to prevent muscle loss, while reducing the amount of carbohydrates and fats to lower your calorie intake. Proteins are important when building and repairing muscles.
Micronutrients, such as vitamins and minerals, play an essential role in your overall health and performance. Ultra Processed Foods often contain few micronutrients and can lead to shortages that negatively influence your performance and recovery. That is why it is important to opt for nutritious, unprocessed foods rich in essential nutrients while cutting. No cake, candy and fast food!
During cutting you can regularly suffer from a feeling of hunger. This is partly caused by ghrelin, a hormone that is responsible for stimulating your appetite. To suppress this feeling, you can choose foods rich in fiber and proteins, because they give you a full feeling for longer. Drinking enough water and spreading your meals throughout the day can also help to control your feeling of hunger. In addition, caffeine can feel hungry suppressing. You simply eat less and a feeling of hunger is part of it. You won't die.
It is tempting to cheat during a cut now and then with a calorie -rich meal or snack. Although it is important to stick to your diet, a planned cheatmeal can sometimes even offer benefits. A cheatmeal can give your metabolism a temporary boost and helps mentally to maintain your strict diet. However, it is important to plan your cheatmeal and to ensure that it has no negative effect on your overall progress. And does it happen, right? Too bad then. The next day, just continue where you had left.
When cutting it is important to choose meals that help you keep your calorie intake under control without missing essential nutrients. Hereby a nutrition plan of 2250 kcal with meals from Prep the Food incorporated to give you an example that is possible. Please note: for one this is a perfect schedule to lose weight, but for the other this is a schedule to arrive. This of course depends strongly on the total number of calories you need.
Nutrition plan: 2250 kcal
| Meal | Quantity | Product | Calorie | Proteins | Carbohydrate | Fed |
| Breakfast | 3 pieces | Egg | 234 Kcal | 18g | 1.5G | 16.5G |
| 2 slices | Whole grain | 138 kcal | 7g | 24g | 2g | |
| 1 pieces | Avocado | 220 kcal | 3G | 12g | 20g | |
| Lunch | Prep Measure | Chicken wraps | 418 Kcal | 23.3G | 42.6G | 20.2G |
| Dinner | Prep meal | Pasta bolognese | 576 Kcal | 31.5G | 79.2G | 14.8G |
| 1 piece | Prep Brownie | 205 Kcal | 7.4G | 28.2G | 11.5G | |
| Snack | 50 g | Almond | 304 Kcal | 9.3G | 5.2G | 26g |
| 1 piece | Mandarin | 176 Kcal | 1g | 44G | 0G | |
| Total | 2271 Kcal | 100.5G | 235.2G | 94.5G |
This plan allows for three meals, which is manageable for most people. You also have two small snack breaks. You can choose to replace the almonds with something else, as almonds alone contain 300 calories. here more examples of food schedules.
To keep up your cut for a long time and to stay effective, it is important to monitor your progression and adjust your diet if necessary. A cut can vary in duration, depending on how much fat you want to lose, but usually a cut takes between 6 and 12 weeks. However, cutting too long can lead to muscle loss, a delayed metabolism and a disturbed hormone balance. Consider techniques such as Intermittent Fasting to control your calorie intake and to minimize hunger feelings.
Simple answer: no. It's not necessary to do cardio while cutting. It's recommended to incorporate some cardio into your training plan, but you can still get super lean without it. If you're only looking at the number of calories you burn during cardio, it's unnecessary. You can also simply not eat the calories you burn during cardio. Cardio can be used to eat more without hindering your progress. For example, you might have eaten 500 calories too much while dining out with friends or family. Because you're so dedicated and want to continue making progress, you can choose to schedule a cardio session where you burn those 500 calories again. That way, it won't hinder your progress.
During cutting it is essential to maintain your muscle mass, and you do that by continuing to do strength training. Although cardio can help to burn extra calories, you must ensure that your strength training remains the focus to prevent muscle loss. Because your body is in a kind of "survival mode", your body burns everything it doesn't need. Because you do strength training you help, remind your body that you need those muscles to keep it up. And so you keep muscle mass during the cut. Compound exercises such as squats, deadlifts and bench presses are effective to train multiple muscle groups at the same time, so that your muscles remain strong and defined.
With the right balance between food, training and recovery you can successfully cut and lift your body to a higher level. Use this blog as a guideline to put together your own cut schedule and integrate the meals of Prep The Food for optimum food during your cut.
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