Before proceeding with a fat loss phase per our Nutrition Blueprint, it’s important that you’re actually READY for fat loss. Note that your readiness goes far beyond simply “wanting to lose weight”…there are several physical, behavioral, and habit-driven prerequisites that must be in place before entering a calorie deficit. Be sure to brush up on our Pre-Dieting Checklist before starting your cut.
Now that you’re in an optimal position to initiate fat loss, let’s review some key elements of cutting so that you can manage your expectations accordingly…
Fat loss is the most rigid nutritional phase.
Meaning it requires the most discipline and provides less wiggle room that maintaining or bulking. That said, it is NOT AT ALL true that you can’t still enjoy foods you love while cutting! Quantities and portions of those foods might just need to be adjusted and you’ll want to plan ahead more.
For example, you might not be surprised to learn that I enjoy some form of cookies every single day! When I’m in maintenance, that might be a mega cookie from a local bakery, or 4 double stuffed Oreos…but when I’m cutting, I’m more likely to enjoy half of that mega cookie or 2 Oreos.
I still encourage you to intentionally plan fun things into your day so that you can eliminate extreme restrictions and avoid perpetuating any restrict > binge patterns.
Speaking of planning ahead…
It will be your greatest ally when cutting. If you’re not already in the habit of doing so, start plugging your meals into your food diary one day in advance. Don’t take this too seriously – it can be a simple 5 minute exercise while you’re vegging on the couch at the end of the day.
You don’t have to pre-log every single thing you’re going to eat, but even logging just 2-3 meals and/or snacks ahead of time will create a lot more structure into your day and will make staying accountable/sticking to your game plan much easier.
It’s always easier to eat food that you already logged, as opposed to logging as you eat. The common denominator of the those most challenging cuts I’ve seen across all fat loss clients is neglecting planning ahead.
There are sacrifices to getting lean.
Our bodies are not designed to thrive in a calorie deficit, so we can expect certain biofeedback markers to take a hit. Specifically, as you get deeper into your fat loss phase, you might experience:
- Decline in gym performance/strength
- Muscle mass loss*
- A hit to sleep quality
- Energy dips
- Decreased sex drive
*Note that muscle mass loss is best minimized through a high protein diet, so it’s important to prioritize your protein target, as prescribed by the Blueprint! In fact, if protein is kept consistently high enough, it’s likely that you preserve existing muscle mass with minimal loss.
There will also be social sacrifices.
No…we’re not asking you to hermit yourselves. Balance can still exist! You will likely just need to be more selective about what you say “yes” to. Before cutting, you need to be prepared to possibly drink less alcohol, say “no” to more meals out than you ordinarily might, spend more time prepping food at home, track your intake on the weekends, etc.
If you’re not prepared to commit to some of these habit adjustments, you will need to accept the sacrifice those choices may have on your cut.
You WILL fuck up at some point!
You’ll probably overeat at some point. You might get a little too drunk and slam a few slices of pizza you didn’t account for. You might nosh on some snacks in the pantry and forget to log them. You might have a weekend getaway in the middle of your cut and choose not to track.
THIS IS ALL EXPECTED, NORMAL, AND OKAY! It’s all a part of the learning curve!
Consistency is where the magic happens – in ALL phases of nutrition. But when you’re by and large consistent and adherent throughout your cut, isolated instances of overeating or not tracking or “fucking up” will NOT derail your progress. That’s a promise.
Finley Funsten, creator of the MADabolic Nutrition Blueprint
