How much time it takes to 'cut'

[trojandogg]

Hey guys

I am just trying to set a realistic time frame for my goals and ran into a question. I know this is a pretty general question and i know its different for everyone but i was wondering how much time one should take to properly "cut" weight. This would not necessarily be cutting for a show but for i guess you can look at it that way. Is there a general rule for every % of BF you want to cut, how long that should take? I am currently right around 20% BF and eating/lifting like crazy. I would eventually like to cut to around 10%. How long should it take to cut that weight (without loosing muscle)?

Thanks

[Big R]

12 to 18 weeks is pretty normal, depending on the individual.

[VanillaGorilla3]

no exact time can really be set. Its an inverse relationship, but the reality is,YOU are the biggest variable and not really something to easily factor for. Give yourself 20 weeks and see what happens.

[trojandogg]

thanks Big R and vanilla

I realize i am the major variable in this equation but i was just curious about how much time i should expect. I have done it in the past but i dont think i have cut properly (too quickly for a race or whatever) and lost some muscle mass on the way. I am trying to avoid that this time.

[SNRose07]

I was 230-235 and was show ready at 183 in about 5 months taking it nice and slow. SO I was about 20% bf too. You could get to 10% in about 1/2 that time if you do it right. Nice and steady 2-3lbs a week.

[Big R]

I'm not a nutritionist, but FWIW in my experience I feel like really long, "strict" cuts eventually become very costly for muscle without having some period of eating at maintenance, or periodically upping calories to rev up your metabolism. So adjustments may be needed along the way. The key to success is consistency and determination, though, so as long as you stick to a plan that works, you will get there.

[trojandogg]

I was 230-235 and was show ready at 183 in about 5 months taking it nice and slow. SO I was about 20% bf too. You could get to 10% in about 1/2 that time if you do it right. Nice and steady 2-3lbs a week.

SNRose..

Its funny you say that, cause my goal is to get to about 230-235 before i start cutting. I am curious tho, how tall are you cause your avatar is pretty sick!

[Ken "Skip" Hill]

I'm not a nutritionist, but FWIW in my experience I feel like really long, "strict" cuts eventually become very costly for muscle without having some period of eating at maintenance, or periodically upping calories to rev up your metabolism. So adjustments may be needed along the way. The key to success is consistency and determination, though, so as long as you stick to a plan that works, you will get there.

I feel exactly the opposite that you do. Longer diets are easier and spare muscle when done correctly. The fastest way for the OP to lose muscle would be to try to get show ready in 12 weeks at 20% body fat.

Everyone is definitely different but by-and-large, the longer the diet the better.

Skip

[Big R]

I feel exactly the opposite that you do. Longer diets are easier and spare muscle when done correctly. The fastest way for the OP to lose muscle would be to try to get show ready in 12 weeks at 20% body fat.

Everyone is definitely different but by-and-large, the longer the diet the better.

Skip

I expressed myself so poorly I should probably stop posting.

What I really meant to say was that I feel there's something like a dose-response curve to fat-loss vs. time on a calorie restricted diet, and that in my experience a series of shorter cutting cycles vs a long (I'll define this as 6+ months) continuous cutting cycle would yield better results, unless you employ periodic resets.

But frankly, I would probably defer to you as I agree with what I know of your approach. And I would also agree a 12 week cut from 20 to 10 might be dangerous for re maintaining muscle mass.

[trojandogg]

I feel exactly the opposite that you do. Longer diets are easier and spare muscle when done correctly. The fastest way for the OP to lose muscle would be to try to get show ready in 12 weeks at 20% body fat.
Skip

Skip.. knowing that everyone is different, i was just wondering how long you (as a professional) would say is average to properly cut? Keep in mind i am not cutting for show (at least not at this time) and going from ~20 to ~10% BF. Thanks!

[proplanner]

I'm not a nutritionist, but FWIW in my experience I feel like really long, "strict" cuts eventually become very costly for muscle without having some period of eating at maintenance, or periodically upping calories to rev up your metabolism. So adjustments may be needed along the way. The key to success is consistency and determination, though, so as long as you stick to a plan that works, you will get there.

How about 1000g of carbs every Sunday to stop your metabolism stagnating??

Have been cutting since May 8, started at 266, now at at 210, and strength is holding or still increasing. and BF decreasing slowly but surely every week. Working with Skip and really believe the weekly Skipload can keep the bf/weight loss train on track.

[Ken "Skip" Hill]

Good point on the Skiploading helping to keep the metabolism from stagnating, ProPlanner.

I think there are different options that can be employed to keep you progressing, R, I agree with that. A reset or maintenance type of plan for a week is certainly a viable option. I also agree that long term restricted caloric diets are terrible and incredibly ineffective a large majority of the time.

That being said, I misunderstood the OP as I thought he was wanting to get close to show ready. If he plan is to go from 20 to 10% then it likely wouldn't take as long. However, I still subscribe to the "longer is better" approach because if going from 20 to 10 percent, it is very possible that you could grow at the same time if you take a longer approach as in the case of ProPlanner. If you just strip it off as quickly as possible then the chance of holding muscle decreases but so does any chance of increasing muscle mass.

I HATE numbers but it is not uncommon to lose a percent of body fat per week if everything is going well and the plan is efficient (diet, supplementation, cardio, etc.). Can you do that week in and week out? Not everyone.

Skip

[liftweights]

Sammich is slacking so I'll post here for him.

Exactly 176 days, 8 hours, 30 minutes, 10 seconds.

[v1hyp]

My last show I prepped for about 6 months losing about a pound or two each week. Worked well for me

[Big R]

How about 1000g of carbs every Sunday to stop your metabolism stagnating??

Have been cutting since May 8, started at 266, now at at 210, and strength is holding or still increasing. and BF decreasing slowly but surely every week. Working with Skip and really believe the weekly Skipload can keep the bf/weight loss train on track.

Totally on point.