Hi gals
I am very curious to know how many calories (and the macro split if you follow one) that you (the females :)are consuming during cutting/fat loss....
Are there any techiniques that you are applying that are working well for you?

I am a bit stuck in a rut and just wondering what is working for YOU!

Thanks!

I compete in martial arts and I recently started to cut down for an upcoming tournament. I wasn't making the progress that I wanted, so I started working with a dietician to ensure that I would make weight.

I was progressing on the plan that I was following (I went from about 20% bf to 15%), but then my cut stalled. I was only getting about 1500 cal (not enough) at about 65/25/10 c/p/f. My training is really intense, so the 1500 wasn't enough to maintain quality training and cut at the same time.

The new plan I'm on is completely different from any way that I've ever eaten. I weigh around 115lbs, 13%bf, and take in around 1750 on training days and 1650 on my non-training day. This is still a little low - I'm losing around 1.5/wk, which is fast, but the tournament is coming up soon and I still have a little more to go. I don't plan on maintaining this weight after the competition though, it's too low.

The current macro break down is about 40/30/30 c/p/f. I started following this plan, with more calories than before, and have started making a lot more progress. I have over 50g of fats a day (from good sources like natural PB, almonds, avocados, etc)- over 1g fat/kg bodyweight - which is more than I've ever eaten, but it is surprisingly working better than I ever thought. My protein intake is about 1.3g/ lb of body weight.

Honestly, when I saw this plan- I thought there was no way that it would work out, but I'm getting better results than ever and I haven't been hungry, at all. I actually had to force myself to finish some of my meals.

I compete in martial arts and I recently started to cut down for an upcoming tournament. I wasn't making the progress that I wanted, so I started working with a dietician to ensure that I would make weight.

I was progressing on the plan that I was following (I went from about 20% bf to 15%), but then my cut stalled. I was only getting about 1500 cal (not enough) at about 65/25/10 c/p/f. My training is really intense, so the 1500 wasn't enough to maintain quality training and cut at the same time.

The new plan I'm on is completely different from any way that I've ever eaten. I weigh around 115lbs, 13%bf, and take in around 1750 on training days and 1650 on my non-training day. This is still a little low - I'm losing around 1.5/wk, which is fast, but the tournament is coming up soon and I still have a little more to go. I don't plan on maintaining this weight after the competition though, it's too low.

The current macro break down is about 40/30/30 c/p/f. I started following this plan, with more calories than before, and have started making a lot more progress. I have over 50g of fats a day (from good sources like natural PB, almonds, avocados, etc)- over 1g fat/kg bodyweight - which is more than I've ever eaten, but it is surprisingly working better than I ever thought. My protein intake is about 1.3g/ lb of body weight.

Honestly, when I saw this plan- I thought there was no way that it would work out, but I'm getting better results than ever and I haven't been hungry, at all. I actually had to force myself to finish some of my meals.

If you don't mind me asking, what is your workout routine?

I really don't think that this is what you were expecting, but here goes:

My workout routine is very intense and it's geared towards peak performance - I'm trying to qualify for the national team in my sport. I train for about 25 hours/wk. If you really want to know about that I can post it, but it is quite long as you can probably imagine. In a nutshell: I lift for 45-60 mins 3x/wk. I do 3 tough workouts on MWF usually consisting of some type of high intensity intervals - for instance- :30sec hard, :30 sec easy on a bike or elliptical. One of those workouts would be 2X(5,4,3,2 minutes) of that cycle. With 90 sec rests in between each of the segments. I also do a lot of plyometric exercise and sprinting. I do abs/pushups/calf raises daily and run for 30 mins (3.5-4 miles - I ran XC and track in HS and a bit in college) 6 days per week.
The rest of my workout time is spent doing kicking drills on the heavy bag or targets and sparring.

Surprisingly, I did work full time this summer and managed to complete all of it. It's all a matter of wanting it and making - not finding, time to train. I'm in school now (getting a degree in Kinesiology), so it's a little easier to find time. I really wouldn't recommend that much training to anyone or any of my clients (I am a certified personal trainer), but I've been training for years and am competing on an international level. I'm very serious about my training, but I also know my body well enough to know when I start to do more than I can handle and am smart enough to back off.

I'm not sure what your goals are, but if you're trying to get in better shape, drop a little weight, look better - you can accomplish that with FAR LESS activity than what I do. I've seen pretty significant changes just by changing the type of cardio that I did. I had an injury a while back that made it difficult to run, so I spent my time on a bike. I noticed a difference in my body when I made the change. At least with my experience, 30 mins on a bike didn't equate to 30 mins running.

Ok, so my program is a bit more "normal." 25 hours per week in training! You go girl!!!

I'm three weeks into my spring cutting program and am 5'3", 115lbs and about 15% bodyfat. I ended my bulking program at 120lbs at the end of February. My goal is 110lbs 10-12% bodyfat by the end of May. Here's my current program:

Nutrition:

Average 1500 cals/day. I usually zig-zag my calories so one day I might have 1200 and the next 1800. I'll save my 1800 days for my heavy training days! I break that up into 4-6 300 cal meals and try to eat every 2.5 to 3 hours. Always a combo of lean protein, carbs and I try to add in healthy fat when I can! I try to eat at least 20g protein per meal. An average day may look like this:

Meal 1:
1.25 cups kashi cereal
1/2 protein bar (I like advant edge or carb solutions)
2 tbs creamer and coffee

Meal 2:
3/4 cup oatmeal sweetened with splenda and cinnim.
1/2 cup cottage cheese

Meal 3:
3 oz. chicken
3 oz. yam
1 cup mixed veges

Meal 4:
10 almonds
1/2 protein bar
4 oz. plain yogert

Meal 5:
smoothie made with 1/2 cup soy milk, 1/2 banana, 1 scoop whey and water.. possibly adding a tbs. flax or peanut butter
sugar-free pudding

My workout plan:
4 days per week in the gym with a 4 days split. I'll pick two bodyparts per workout and lift HEAVY usually doing 4 sets of 4-10 reps. I follow each workout with 40 min cardio.

2 days per week tai chi. I take private lessons one day per week and work the other day on my form and do some MAJOR stretching.

So far I've lost 5lbs in three weeks which is a bit faster than I want. But, I'm sure it'll slow down in the next week or two and I should be able to reach my goal by the end of May... just in time for swimsuit season!

Hope this helps!!