Download WEEK SEVENTY-THREE :: What Are The Best Foods For Cutting? In the

WEEK SEVENTY-THREE :: What Are The Best Foods For Cutting?
In the world of bodybuilding, cutting generally refers to the process of losing fat while retaining as
much muscle as possible. It generally entails a combination of cardiovascular activities with a lower
carbohydrate and calorie diet. While cutting may sound easy, we will see the importance of
understanding its dietary aspects to achieve the quickest and best results.
What are the 20 best foods for cutting? Explain why.
With dieting to lose as much fat and as little muscle as possible, a controlled diet is essential. Meal
frequency, size, and contents should all be planned ahead of time to make sure that this control is
maintained throughout the diet. With time, the body will adapt to this constant change in consumption
habits by burning fat stores.
The calories we eat come from three basic types of macronutrients: proteins, carbohydrates, and fats.
While the idea is to reduce overall caloric consumption, the ratios and types of calories and foods can
also play a role in helping burn excess fat.
Proteins
Ultimately, digested proteins aid the body in the task of rebuilding muscle tissues by providing it with
amino acids. There are foods considered complete proteins which contain all the amino acids the body
needs, and there are incomplete ones which lack some amino acids that the body cannot produce by
itself. Proteins that come from animal sources tend to be complete.2
The goal in this department with regard to cutting is to simply eat enough complete proteins to meet the
body's requirement for maintaining muscle mass. This tends to be a minimum of one gram per pound
of body weight, and will tend to be around 40% or more of the calories in a cutting diet.
Carbohydrates
The glucose from carbohydrates we digest are the body's main source of energy. For cutting, it's
important to eat just enough of this nutrient to allow for your body to actually start turning to fat stores
for energy. However, when this intake is too low, the body can start breaking down and using muscle
tissue for energy, which is not desired. A good percentage of total calories to think about for losing fat
might be around 40% or less because, as we will see, carbohydrates are more readily stored as fat than
other macronutrients.
With carbohydrate intake quantity now considered, we also need to look at how different types of food
effect the levels of glucose in our blood. High Glycemic Index (GI) foods tend to raise blood glucose
and insulin very rapidly, while low GI foods produce a smaller fluctuation over a longer time. Insulin
is a hormone that allows glucose into cells which they use to create ATP energy. The problem with
eating too many high GI foods is that they produce a spike in blood glucose and insulin at times when
the body may not need energy. If this is the case, the glucose will get stored as fat with the intention of
using it for energy at a later time of need. With this in mind, most carbohydrates chosen for cutting
should have a low GI.
There are also fibers, which are carbohydrates that our body cannot digest.3 These are important in
helping move waste out of the body, and should definitely be included in the diet. Fruits, vegetables,
and whole grain products are high in fiber and can help satiate hunger without adding many calories.
Fats
While fats have a higher caloric density than either protein or carbohydrates, they are necessary for
some human bodily functions. Some vitamins are fat-soluble, meaning that they are only digested,
absorbed, and transported in conjunction with fats.1 Fats are also our main source of essential fatty
acids, which are a requirement for our metabolism that our body cannot make on its own.
Aiming for around 20% or more fat calories on a cutting diet is a good idea. Try to stay away from
excessive saturated and trans fats.
Water
Although not technically a food, it should be mentioned that the body needs between one and seven
liters of pure water per day to function properly.1
THE LIST (moderate relation: better foods listed first)
The following foods were chosen to provide a balanced and relatively simple diet for someone
attempting to cut their fat levels. Most of the foods require little preparation or are bought in a form
ready to eat, saving the time and the stress involved.
1) Hemp protein
–Not as widely used as many protein powders, but has many benefits.
-Provides essential fatty acids in a favorable ratio.5
-Provides well-balanced array of essential amino acids, and relatively high levels of branchedchain amino acids that are important in the metabolism of exercising muscle.5
-Has a high fiber and antioxidant content.
-Easy to mix with shakes or other things, just add some water.
-Tastes good, too.
2) Oatmeal
–Plain and simple source of low GI carbohydrates and fiber.
-Easy to make in the microwave.
3) Eggs (yolk)
-Egg yolks have good fat and proteins.
-Contains cholesterol: it's a precursor for the synthesis of steroid hormones, and sex hormones.
So the body does have uses for it, just don't go overboard, one yolk a day is probably sufficient.
4)
5)
6)
7)
Eggs (whites)
-The whites of eggs have protein of the highest quality compared to most foods.
-Can be bought in cartons for simplicity, and even consumed without cooking.
Lowfat Milk
-Contains both whey and casein proteins.
-Whey may increase protein synthesis.
-Casein has a beneficial slow digestion and sustained release of amino acids.
Plain Yogurt
-Excellent source of protein like milk.
-Contains live active cultures that create beneficial enzymes.
Cheese
-A good source of fat and casein protein.
Almonds
-Healthy fats, some protein, and even fiber.
-Easy to take places when traveling and food is not always readily available.
8) Sweet Potatoes
-A good moderate GI carbohydrate source.
-Can be bought in cans, ready-to-eat, for simplicity.
9) Any Rice
-Another simple, yet good source of moderate GI carbohydrates.
10) Honey
–An easily digestible, high GI carbohydrate to help re-fuel glucose stores after exercise only.
11) Lettuce
-Mostly for fiber and to help keep both hunger and calories down.
12) Spinach
-Like lettuce with some additional nutrient bonuses.
13) Broccoli
-Again, fiber and low calories.
-Broccoli contains high levels of indoles, food compounds that help reduce bad estrogen.6
Estrogen is a hormone that can lead to fat accumulation and interfere with muscle growth.
14) Tuna
-Possible to eat straight from the can to get a good dose of pure protein.
15) Turkey
-Similar to chicken, but usually with even less or no fat.
16) Chicken
-Contain a great deal of protein, usually with little fat, meaning less calories.
17) Lean Beef
-Meats have cholesterol, and red meats have additional zinc, both of which may help support
testosterone, a hormone important in preventing fat storage among other things.
18) Beans
-A balanced combination of carbohydrates, protein, and fiber.
19) Apples
-A fruit with low GI carbohydrates, and some fiber.
-Easy to take on the road.
20) Soy
-There's much controversy over soy. There are reports and research on both its health benefits
and its possible harmful effects. You may want to research more on your own before incorporating it
into any diet.
-Soy acts as a competitive inhibitor of estrogen, reducing its effect in our body.7 This would be
of interest to those trying to cut.
-What is not disputed is soy's considerable protein content.
The foods were chosen based mostly on simplicity, avoiding processed foods, and the contents of the
three major macronutrients. Macronutrients are what provide energy, the rest of the micronutrients do
not, but have health benefits. These micronutrients can be taken care of with supplements, as we'll see
in the next section. So, the main things to be concerned about when cutting are the ratio and amount of
carbohydrates, fats, and proteins that are eaten.
Cutting Diet summary: Think simple, think thin.
What are the 5 best supplements for cutting? Explain why.
1) Multivitamin-This will plug any nutritional gaps, and give all the necessary vitamins, minerals
and other stuff not obtained through the diet. This is important as a diet focused on losing fat
may not contain a great deal of variety in food choices, and can thus be prone to deficiencies in
certain micronutrients.
2) Fat Burner-These are worth looking into. Some utilize ways to suppress appetite in order to
help you deal with your lower caloric intake. Others can help with breaking down and
metabolizing fat. There are also some with caffeine content to aid the cutting process. Caffeine
can help keep you going even when low on energy from the diet, and even increase basal
metabolic rate.
3) Creatine-Has no caloric value, so no problem there. Creatine will facilitate additional energy
uptake in muscle tissue.1 This will help a person on a cutting diet keep an intense workout
regimen. Creatine can increase muscle cells' intake of water, allowing for minimal protein
breakdown and excellent growth in size and strength. There may be some water retention, but
the rest of the benefits seem to outweigh this in most cases.
4) Natural Hormone Regulation-Such as Universal Animal Stak 2 or tribulus terrestis supplements
can help take care of the hormonal aspects of keeping the fat off. They can increase
testosterone while inhibiting estrogen and cortisol. We know both testosterone and estrogen
play a role in the storage of body fat, so it may be in our best interest to try to naturally
manipulate these hormones.
5) Nitric Oxide (NO)-Increases blood flow, allowing for muscle pumps and increased nutrient
delivery to muscles. It also has the ability to reduce inflammation, which may help one deal
with the pain of intense exercise. NO is a good supplement choice for aiding recovery and
keeping motivation high.
How does one determine how many calories they should consume when cutting?
For those who had a controlled diet before cutting, the number of calories consumed is simply going to
be around 300 to 500 calories per day fewer than what it was before. This would be for a goal of losing
1 or 2 pounds per week as the body is forced to adapt to having less calories.
For those who did not have a controlled diet before cutting, a basal metabolic rate or resting metabolic
rate needs to be calculated. This will tell how many calories are needed simply to sustain life. These
do not include the calories need to fuel activities, so eating around this amount or a little less may be
enough to facilitate weight loss. The main goal is to create a calorie deficit, where caloric expenditure
is 500 less than required for maintenance. This deficit will allow for a pound of fat reduction in a
week's time. A quick way to estimate caloric needs for fat loss is to calculate about 12-13 calories per
pound of body weight.8
In either case, it might also be a good idea to lower the calorie deficit gradually over a period of time to
get used to eating less. It's important not to have too big of a caloric deficit. Under those conditions,
the basal metabolic rate may actually decrease, muscle mass will be harder to sustain, and the goal of
burning fat will be harder to reach. Having a small calorie deficit is the only requirement for fat loss.
Activity levels, food consumption, and resting metabolism all need to be accounted for in achieving
this goal.
References:
1) en.wikipedia.org
2) www.hsph.harvard.edu
3) www.mckinley.uiuc.edu
4) www.glycemicindex.com
5) www.manitobaharvest.com
6) M & F contributor Chris Aceto, author of Championship Bodybuilding.
7) http://www.drlam.com/opinion/soy_thyroid.cfm
8) www.shapefit.com
9) Freberg, Laura A. Biological Psychology. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2006.