Writing your own cutting diet

This is version 2 of this article, I originally wrote this for people wanting to drop weight for summer however as now is a time where a lot of people are looking to lose weight and get fit and healthy I have added a few things. This is not just about losing weight though at the end you will have been eating healthy foods and exercising for 12 weeks that is enough time to make a dramatic change to anyone’s physique and health.

As summer is the time most people want to look good, now is the time to think about just how good you want to look in that bikini or those pair of speedo's..... the earlier you start the diet and training routine the easier it will be and the better the results, crash dieting 2 weeks before a holiday will leave you feeling flat and by the 2nd day of your holiday you'll look no better than before you started.

However giving yourselves a good 12 weeks will leave you looking and feeling a lot better. Here's a quick guide of how to plan your holiday diet:

start with getting your bodyweight in LBS and times by 13 for a starting point of total calories (Why 13 you ask? Well most online calorie calculators will give you a figure close to this and obviously they are all backed by science!), then use a simple macro split of 40/40/20 (protein/carbs/fats). Protein should come from lean sources, carbs from complex sources and fats should be healthy fats. Sugars and alcohol should be significantly lowered. The odd treat is fine but drinking every weekend will slow your progress down by up to a 3^rd, that means you would have to do an extra 6 weeks to get the results!

Weeks 1-2 – drop all junk food slowly and switch to 3 meals and 2 snacks each day over the first 2 weeks, include more fruit and veg, especially green fiberous veg (broccoli, green beans, spinach etc)

Weeks 2-4 – keep your diet the same and hit the gym, 2-3 times a week with a mix of weights as a full body strength routine and cardio (intervals and sprints for up to 20 minutes will yield the best results). Also adding SSCV at the end of weights for 15 minutes will help burn fat.

Weeks 4-8 – each week lower your carb intake gradually, if you start on 300g of carbs per day then each week drop your daily intake by 25g you should only be consuming complex carbs by this point. At this point you could add a couple of steady state morning cardio sessions. By week 8 you will be on 200g Carbs per day.

Weeks 9-12 – again lower Carbs by 50g a day (200kcal total) each week this is when it gets hard in theory but once at this stage you should be well and truly seeing results which will spur you on. Keep training the same, 3 times a week with weights and at least 4 cardio sessions a week: SSCV either AM or post weights or Intervals/sprint sessions. By week 12 you will be on 100g Carbs each day.

Your weights routine should be progressive if you find you are losing strength too quickly then hold the Carbs at the same amount for a week or 2 and ensure you are fuelling your workouts correctly. CV should be in the form of Intervals/sprints and be up to 20 minutes, where you put this is up to you but away from weights would be best.

There's your quick guide to getting your diet started, feel free to write one up and post it on the wall for us to have a look at.