Is "Cutting" Worth The Effort?
The concept of "cutting weight" is out there a lot. In my practice, I don't typically make it a focus (or even discuss it, really) and that's simply because it is NOT sustainable. I hope you're on this road to learn something more about yourself. I want you to find what makes you feel confident, whether that's through your physique, your strength or a feeling of accomplishment. I want you to stay healthy, pain free and out of a nursing home for as long as possible!
Some people want this knowledge, though. And I don't want to deny that. Cutting is something you do to reach a goal weight, then maintain through consistent lifestyle changes. Being in a calorie deficit, which is required to cut, mandates dedication and discipline. It costs a good amount of flexibility in your diet, you'll likely be hungry at times and you must continue to hit the weights even when you don't feel motivated. For most people, this feels overkill and the reward is not worth the effort.
There are plans that are foolproof. Here's what they have in common:
They repeat simple things over and over again (including food and workouts)
They control the most important variables that impact fat loss (calorie intake, training effort, total caloric output)
They emphasize weight training over cardio to preserve muscle mass
They emphasize Low Intensity Steady State Cardio to increase caloric expenditure (walking, biking, dancing, swimming, etc.)
They include simple repeatable meals with lots of protein. Nutrition is the #1 lever in changing your body fat %.
They DO NOT rely on dietary gimmicks
Track your food in a logging app like My Fitness Pal. This is where eating almost the same thing daily makes tracking very easy. If you eat the same 4 meals or snacks every day, you don't have to track! Since most people don't do that (I certainly couldn't), you'll need to track protein and calories closely. DO NOT forget to include things like cooking oils and butters, small "tastes" of anything and drinks. Everything counts and this is where most people go wrong.
Track progress and recalibrate. After a week of hitting your calorie and protein numbers, ideally tracking everything perfectly in an app, and weighing yourself daily on the scale, you will have all the information you need to plan the next steps! I can help you do this, but it's something you must be 100% committed to for it to work!