**Cutting** Should I drop my calories and carbs on my non training days?

Training Days:

-500 calorie deficit -- About 2200 calories/day
-84 grams Fat
-154 grams Carbs
-176 grams Protein
-35%/28%/37%

My bodyweight is 160, so my protein intake is ample.

I lift monday-friday with the nutrition above. Saturday and Sunday are my off days and I don't know how I should adjust my diet.

1.) Should I drop calories, since I am not expending as many calories as on my lifting days, or should I keep them the same to recover? I know it is typical to keep calories the same on off days for bulking, but I don't know if I should do it when cutting or not.

2.) If I should cut calories, I'm simply going to cut out carbs, as I don't need the excess energy on these days. I was thinking 100ish grams of carbs on off days. The only issue I face is potentially not having enough energy for my workout on monday mornings, so I was thinking maybe go low carb on Saturdays and go back up to my training day carbs on Sunday to prepare for my workout Monday morning.

I'll rep quality posts, negging any IIFYM bullsh!t.

 

**Cutting** Should I drop my calories and carbs on my non training days?

Firstly, at 5'8" and 160 pounds, cutting doesn't seem advisable.

1. Average caloric intake will determine bodyweight. Therefore, variability in caloric intake is function of personal preference.
2. Again, it's up to you.

Regarding your closing line "I'll rep quality posts, negging any IIFYM bullsh!t.", I'm very tempted to neg you. Seriously.

 

**Cutting** Should I drop my calories and carbs on my non training days?

Both are acceptable approaches, though I recommend keeping calories the same for simplicity. However, if you're on the fence then there's nothing stopping you from trying both options and going with the one that you prefer.

 

**Cutting** Should I drop my calories and carbs on my non training days?

Not something we could personally answer considering it's all dependent on how your body would respond to such an idea.

IIFYM.

 

**Cutting** Should I drop my calories and carbs on my non training days?

I don't cut calories on off days. But then again I only have one off day a week. I think the best plan of attack is to experiment. Eat at your regular calorie levels every day and track your progress. If your not losing a pound a week, then cut calories. My main concern with cutting calories too quickly is that you'll lose weight too fast, causing muscle loss.

 

**Cutting** Should I drop my calories and carbs on my non training days?

I don't cut calories on off days.

 

**Cutting** Should I drop my calories and carbs on my non training days?

That's fine, the fact is 80% of threads in the nutrition section these days will have someone shouting IIFYM. I don't prefer to diet that way and I don't want people doing that in my thread; it isn't beneficial to me and it hasn't answered my question. That being said, thank you for your input.

My thoughts exactly, I'm unsure if my body is burning more calories repairing and need the extra calories, or if dropping them will just create a greater deficit, leading to muscle loss.

 

**Cutting** Should I drop my calories and carbs on my non training days?

Care to explain why IIFYM is an inferior way of dieting (for body compisition)?

 

**Cutting** Should I drop my calories and carbs on my non training days?

You don't want to turn this into an iifym debate

I cut my calories on non workout days as well. Works pretty well for me

 

**Cutting** Should I drop my calories and carbs on my non training days?

I presume he believes that a diet should not meet micro/macronutrient sufficiency, should not have appropriately calibrated energy intake and should not be composed in the vast majority from whole and minimally processed foods.