How a Personal Trainer Starts a Cut

1. I’ve build a solid physique and a sh*t ton of muscle. My body is primed and my metabolism is firing. I don’t have to cut my calories super low to achieve lower levels of body fat. This is key.
2. I have also worked extensively on my relationship with food. I am able to avoid the binge/restrict cycle, even in a cut. I can still go out to eat and am still allowing myself flexibility in my food choices. 
3. My stress levels are moderate, and my home and work life is balanced.

• Nutrition. This is of the utmost importance. Technically, I could do nothing else except make tweaks to my nutrition and I'd already start losing body fat. I’m back to tracking macros, at least for the next 6-8 weeks, after intuitively eating for quite some time. For me, tracking ensures I’m eating the correct amount of protein, fat, and carbs to support my goals, performance, AND ensures I’m in a moderate calorie deficit so I can drop body fat. I'm going to share my numbers with you but PLEASE don't copy these macros for yourself. These numbers work for me because of my body type, metabolism, age, sex, and activity level. These numbers may be too few for you or may actually cause you to gain weight, depending on where you're starting from. I only share these to explain to my female followers who are used to eating very little - you CAN build a metabolism that allows you to lose body fat, and supports eating lots of great of food. My personal "cut" macro breakdown is as follows. 
  
  • Calories: 2000
  • Protein: 130 grams 
  • Carbs: 190 grams
  • Fat: 80 grams

I'll add that this is a pretty moderate and balanced carb/fat ratio. I enjoy fats in the form of olive oil, avocado, nut butters, etc. so I keep my fat relatively high. I also find carbohydrates in the 150-200 range gives me the energy I need to fuel my workouts. I'm eating gluten free right now to experiment with some skin issues I've been having, so carbohydrates are coming primarily in the form of potatoes, rice, fruits, and veggies. 

• Strength training. I’m continuing to strength train as usual, which for me is generally 5-6 days a week for 40-45 minutes. You don't have to train that frequently to see great results, but I like the routine of hitting the gym most days. It's good for my mental health and I enjoy the social aspect of it as well.         
• Steps/Cardio. Right now I’m focusing primarily on making sure I hit a certain step goal each day. When I’m a few weeks out from my trip, I will also likely incorporate 2-3 cardio sessions per week to get me into a little steeper calorie deficit. 

An average rate of weight loss is 1-1.5 lbs per week, assuming you don't have a lot of weight to lose (could be more if so). I haven't decided yet if I'm going to share my body weight openly yet (but I might!). That said, I'll keep you updated on my progress as I begin this process in the week ahead, including how I prep and track my food, and how I get those workouts in, even on busy weeks. 

Still interested in following along? I'd love if you did! Please comment here or on my IG/FB pages to let me know if you will be keeping up on this process!