Here is the cutting phase from the AS for BBer’s:
[quote]Dr D wrote:
Cutting Phase
Again, we don’t change the mechanics of the Metabolic Diet in any phase, at least as far as the carb intakes. It’s always 5 days high protein, low followed by 24-48 hours of carb loading. The only thing we change is the amount of calories and fat we eat. Since it�??s important to keep protein levels high (perhaps even higher than when in the other phases since as you lower calories, more protein is oxidized directly for energy, and used to form glucose through the gluconeogenesis) and carbs are already low, we have to decrease the amount of fat we eat during the low carb phase and to a lesser extent through the higher carb phase.
In the Cutting or Definition Phase we’ll be cutting calories as a way of trimming fat off the body. The reason we can do this is quite simple. We�??ve trained our bodies to burn fat as its primary fuel, so as we decrease the caloric intake and dietary fat levels, the body naturally turns to using our body fat as fuel and continues to spare muscle.
Lower Dietary Fat When Adapted
�?� Once fat adapted and you�??re into a cutting phase the amount of fat in the diet naturally decreases. The body then uses body fat as its primary fuel. Thus lipolysis and oxidation of body fat increases.
�?� Protein intake stays the same or increases
As a rule of thumb, you should cut 500 calories a day from your diet the first week. If you were at say 4,000 during the Strength Phase cut it to 3,500 per day during the first week of your cutting. The next week you should drop another 200 to 500 from the daily diet, depending on how many calories you�??re taking in. For example someone taking in only 2000 calories would only cut down 200 calories. During this time you must measure bodyfat weekly. What you want to do is LOSE 1.5-2 POUNDS OF BODYFAT EACH WEEK. Losing 1.5-2 pounds a week will insure that you don’t lose appreciable lean mass as you cut.
If you find at the end of the second week that you’ve lost less than 1.5 pounds during the week, you’ll know you should cut another 200 to 500 calories the next week and continue cutting calories in subsequent weeks, anywhere from 100 to 500 calories until you’re at the 1.5 level. Likewise, if you’re losing more than 2 pounds of bodyfat during the week you’ll know you’ve cut too many calories and will need to adjust them upward.
And you don�??t have to make the cuts in specific calorie increments. You can fine tune how many calories you add or subtract in any amount. The usual progression is to make the changes 500 calories at a time the first time, and then maybe 100 to 500 calories the next few weeks and then 100 to 200 calories at a time as you get closer to your goal.
The important thing to remember here is that it’s not calories we’re really after. It’s bodyfat. Because of this you’ve got to allow for individual variations in calorie count to get that optimum 1.5 to 2 pounds of fat loss. You’ll be doing plenty of experimentation in this phase to find the right caloric intake for you. Though the 500 calorie drops we outlined above seem to be a good general starting point, especially for those starting with the higher calorie intakes, you’re going to have to find what works best for you. Also the calorie levels you eventually drop to will vary according to your initial caloric intake as well as to you metabolism and how you respond to the calorie cuts.
For example, I’ve dropped some bodybuilders on the diet from a 5,000 calorie a day level to 3,000 in the cutting phase. In a few others, I’ve taken them as low as 1,500 to see what happens. If they’re losing a fair amount of bodyfat (remember the 1.5-2 pound guideline), getting leaner and not losing significant lean body mass I’ll leave them at that level until they “lean out”. At that point, I’ll increase calories gradually to the point that they’ll maintain or possibly even lose bodyfat while increasing lean mass again.
Bodybuilders who just want to cut up and are starting at a higher bodyfat level can go directly into the Cutting Phase. They should start at a reasonable daily calorie value, usually15 CALORIES PER POUND OF BODYWEIGHT. Someone weighing 200 lbs at say 17% bodyfat should start at around 3000 calories a day and then follow the instructions above on calorie adjustments needed to maintain the optimum weekly fat loss and minimal loss of muscle mass. Don�??t start too low. You�??ll have plenty of time to lose that bodyfat in the right way. If you start too low the lack of food may be more of a problem than the lack of carbs, and may sabotage your efforts to stick to the diet through the all-important first week.
Keys to Success in the Cutting Phase
1. -Measure bodyfat weekly
2. -Lose 1.5-2 pounds a week
3. -Experiment with caloric intake. Cutting 500 per day the first week and 100-500 per day in subsequent weeks is a rough guideline
4. -Refine your contest preparation
5. -Experiment with foods
Experiment With Foods
Basically, the Metabolic Diet’s “5-day, 2-day” week is almost like getting a person in shape for a contest every week. In the weekend carb loading part of the diet, you’ll find out exactly how many hours you can load up on carbs before you begin to smooth out and lose your contest look.
When you get to your “pre-contest” phase you really won’t have to make many changes. You’ll be doing the same thing you’ve been doing for the last several weeks in the Cutting Phase. You’ll go off the higher fat, high protein diet and carb up to dramatically increase the glycogen and water inside the muscle cell. You want them swollen and big but you’ll cut off the carbs before you begin to reservoir extra-cellular water or fat and smooth out.
During the Cutting Phase, you’ll also want to be refining contest preparation. Play with the kinds of foods you eat on the weekends to see what gives you maximum muscle size. You’ll know on Monday morning if what you’ve been eating is right for you. If it is, you’ll be looking good. Muscles will be huge and you’ll be cut up with a nice, pronounced vascularity.
If you don’t look good, you’ll know you did something wrong. Go back and rework your diet the next weekend and see if you can get some improvement. That’s the beauty of this diet. By the time a contest approaches, you’ve already perfected your contest diet by practicing it during the Cutting Phase.
On the old carb diet, you did this only once. On this diet you do it every week during the “cutting” phase and you become an expert in how to manipulate your body for a contest.
Experiment with high and low sugar foods and percentages of fat intake on these weekends. See what they do for you. Treat each weekend as if your contest were imminent. That way you’ll know what it takes to come into a contest looking your best. You’ll also experience an increase in confidence because you’ll know what to expect from your body and how to get it contest ready.[/quote]
