Thread: Carbs in Cutting Program

I have looked at a number of different cutting programs and they all show a different amount of oats and brown rice and when they should be consumed. I know the amounts depend on your size. I am currently about 182 pounds and about 5'-10". I don't know my body fat but I am about 10 pounds above my goal. Could someone give me sugestions on how many carbs I should be consuming and when.

It really depends what kind of cut you want to be on... low carb, carb/calorie cycling, or simply "clean eats at a deficit". Amounts depend not only on your size, but on which of the above you choose.

It can also be expressed as a percentage of your calories/macros, which you'd derive either the general way (by figuring out your maintenance from a formula based either on your bodyweight or your lean bodyweight) or more precisely, from your known maintenance if you've kept records. Then you can subtract from that to get a "cutting total" (anywhere from 10-15 calories per pound or so, depending again on a lot of factors) and divide that out to get your percent calories from protein, carbs and fats.

That's a good starting point, if you haven't anything better in mind. Start around the higher end of the caloric range. For cutting, a good starting range of macros is -- again, generally -- around 40-50% carbs (go for the higher if you are naturally leanish, the lower if you tend to be chunky); around 30-40% lean protein; 20% fat (derived mostly from the amounts in the protein, and supplemented with fish oil or other EFAs).

Do the math, and that will give you your daily totals. Many people find that they cut better if they eat their carbs (the complex, oat/brown rice type ones) in meals early in the day (and optionally post-workout), and keep the last two or three meals to fibrous carbs (veggies) only (which you don't really need to count unless you're eating truly gut-busting amounts of salad). So once you've got your totals, divide the protein up evenly by your chosen number of meals. Divide the carbs up by your chosen number of early-day meals (three, four, whatever). Distribute the EFAs any way you like, and there you have it.