I'm a 5' 10" male, age 20, and was wondering how much I need to eat for cutting while maintaining muscle mass? I eat 6 small meals a day and believe my BMR should be around 2100. I was hoping to cut over 1 lb. if not two a week w/ 3 days weights and four to five cardio. I was thinking of 1600 or so w/ around 120-140 grams protein, 1-1.5 gallons water, and want to lose 20 lbs. in the next 3-4 months; does this sound reasonable?

I'm a 5' 10" male, age 20, and was wondering how much I need to eat for cutting while maintaining muscle mass? I eat 6 small meals a day and believe my BMR should be around 2100. I was hoping to cut over 1 lb. if not two a week w/ 3 days weights and four to five cardio. I was thinking of 1600 or so w/ around 120-140 grams protein, 1-1.5 gallons water, and want to lose 20 lbs. in the next 3-4 months; does this sound reasonable?

I have been consistently cutting about 1.7lbs per week for the last 5 months and I have to lift really hard and be very dedicated to hang on to the muscles I have. However, I am in a hurry to get rid of all my fat so muscle mass isn't a priority. If you don't mind slowing down your fat loss a bit then I would suggest 500cals below your BMR + activity level modifier.

If your BMR is 2100 after you factor in your cardio and weight training then 1600 seems fine. If your BMR isn't modified for your activities then I would find out what it is and then subtract 500 from that.