First Week Cutting Question

TechnoFreek

Hey all,

Sick of hovering around the ten and a half stone mark I made a concerted effort to eat more and bulk over the past few months.
Seems successful enough, putting on almost nine pounds in around ten weeks.

Clothes starting to get a bit uncomfortable so I want to do a slow cut. My plan was to stabilise my weight for a couple of weeks I.e. eat maintenance calories, then slowly reduce weight by dropping a hundred calories for the first couple of weeks then another hundred if needed and so on.

I started a week ago and as I'm prone to losing weight quickly, the scales have me concerned that although I'm aiming for maintenance in week one, I could be losing too fast.

Day 1 (end of bulk start of cut) - 11st one pound
Day 5 - 11st one pound
Day 7 (today)- 10st 13 and a half pounds

Weights all recorded at same time in morning after overnight fast.

Could I really have lost 1 and a half pounds that quickly? Is there anything else at play in the first week of a cut. While my calories may not be perfectly at maintenance, they definitely aren't 500 a day under.

Any advice much appreciated. Thanks

Blacktie.

Initial weight loss is usually a drop in water weight. Reducing your calories means reduced carbs and I assume reduced junk so you won't be as bloated.

Mellor

Drink a pint of water and re-weigh yourself. Should resolved the issue.


The reality is 1.5 lbs is nothing. I'd swing double that in a day easily.

TechnoFreek

Thanks for the reassurance lads. Much appreciated.

I'll stick to the plan so

New Goat

Mellor wrote: »

Drink a pint of water and re-weigh yourself. Should resolved the issue.


The reality is 1.5 Ibs is nothing. I'd swing double that in a day easily.

I'd drop 1.5 pounds after a decent poop

TechnoFreek

Day 8 today. Ten stone 12.
3 pounds loss in the first week.
Start panicking yet or still other factors at play like water weight?

Blacktie.

TechnoFreek wrote: »

Day 8 today. Ten stone 12.
3 pounds loss in the first week.
Start panicking yet or still other factors at play like water weight?

If you're cutting weight this all sounds pretty good to me so what's there to panic over? If you're not feeling overly hungry or tired and you still have energy for the gym and your lifts haven't suffered you have nothing to worry about.

TechnoFreek

Only reason I'm concerned is that i could be losing muscle at that rate.
By as you say, I'm fairly full all the time and lifts are still OK, struggling a bit but no decrease yet

Blacktie.

Unlikely right now tbh. Keep protein high and lift heavy. If nothings suffering then you're golden.

TechnoFreek

Blacktie. wrote: »

Unlikely right now tbh. Keep protein high and lift heavy. If nothings suffering then you're golden.

Sound advice, I'll recheck protein. I'm technically only aiming for maintenance this first week to then start slowly cutting.
Maybe I'm just sitting a little under as it is.

Zillah

I have read that you'll usually have a bit of a sudden drop in the first week from glycogen stores being depleted due to the deficit. I started a cut at 90kg, and was at 88kg in a week. It then took two more weeks to get to 86.5. On the graph there is a sudden drop which then levels out quite quickly.

It might also literally be less food/poop being carried around as your meals are smaller now