Update on my Progress

Good morning cupcakes,

Today is day 5 of my cutting phase. So far, it is going great! I feel so good! Last night I went to Tucanos with my boyfriend and his family. Yes it was not on my meal plan, but I made it work. I made a salad at the salad bar (no dressing) and only asked for meat when the server came around. The place serves little portions of each meat so that you can try them all. I had pork loin, top sirloin, beef tenderloin, marinated beef brisket, turkey wrapped in bacon, and chicken. I drank water with my meal.

Some of you may not know what cutting is, so I'm going to explain a little more (Read this article:Cutting- bodybuilding.com) Cutting is a phase where a person is looking to lose fat. 1 lb of fat is = to 3500 calories. This means it is going to take time to shed fat in a healthy way. More fat to lose= more time to lose it. About 1 lb a week is a healthy weight loss, and this is equal to about 500 calorie deficit a day. At the start of cutting, I had about 10 lbs to lose, so I gave myself 2-3 months to lose that weight. Currently have 6 lbs to go. (Remember to weigh yourself at the same time, and only weigh yourself about once a week. I do not own a scale, so I only weigh myself when I go to my parents' house). "And besides, if your diet is so extreme that you can't stick to it, that in itself is wasted time and effort!"Cutting is used with bikini competitors, figure competitors, etc. to get ready for a competition. Personally, I just wanted to try it out to see what it would be like. I workout and lift weights during the week, and I would like to see the muscles hidden under my body fat. It is also less stress on me, mentally, if I do not have to think about what I am going to eat. Meal prepping works out well with my schedule in graduate school because I do not have time to make food during the week. The meal plan also follows my dairy free and gluten free lifestyle. 

Here is a breakdown of cutting for different individual goals:

• For 10 pounds or less, start cutting 2-3 months ahead.
• For 20 pounds or more, start cutting 4-5 months ahead.
• Add 1-2 weeks for any major foreseeable obstacles.
• If such extended time is not on your side, I recommend at minimum six weeks for any cutting program. Don't leave it to the last minute.

Body building also has some sample cutting programs if you want to check those out:

• Ashley Conrad's Clutch Cut 3 weeks
• Jim Stoppani's Shortcut-to-Shred: 6 weeks
• Jamie Eason's LiveFit: 12 weeks

And as promised, here is my progress picture

Peace, Later Taters!