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How to Calculate Calories for an Aggressive Mini Cut

How to calculate calories for an aggressive mini cut

What is an aggressive mini cut?

A mini cut is an aggressive style of dieting that drastically reduces calories for a few short weeks – usually 4-6 – to lose weight quickly. This primes our body to begin growing muscle again.

Instead of cutting cycles that are longer, mini cuts allow us to return to a calorie surplus quicker to enable more muscle-building time.

To achieve a mini cut, you eat in a 30% calorie deficit.

For example, if you are currently consuming 3000 calories daily, you’ll reduce calories by 900 and consume 2100 calories a day.

The aim is for a 1% body weight loss each week. However, in the first few weeks, you can lose up to 1.5-2% per week.

Let’s look at how we do this specifically.

Understanding caloric needs

When it comes to your mini cut, one of the most important things to understand is how many calories you need to eat daily.

This information is critical for knowing how many calories you should consume in order to create a calorie deficit and achieve your shredded abs!

So let's look at how to calculate cutting calories.

How to calculate your daily caloric needs

For this, we recommend using the Harris-Benedict equation as it’s one of the most widely used methods for calculating daily caloric needs and is often referred to as a bodybuilding calorie calculator.

It’s often used in bodybuilding where calorie calculators are vital to hitting peak form on show day.

The equation takes into account your age, weight, height, and activity level to determine how many calories you need to maintain your current weight. The equation is as follows:

For Men: BMR = 88.362 + (13.397 x weight in kg) + (4.799 x height in cm) - (5.677 x age in years)

For Women: BMR = 447.593 + (9.247 x weight in kg) + (3.098 x height in cm) - (4.330 x age in years)

Once you have calculated your BMR, you then need to factor in your activity level to determine your total daily caloric needs. The following is a general guideline for activity level:

  • Sedentary (little or no exercise): BMR x 1.2
  • Lightly active (light exercise or sports 1-3 days a week): BMR x 1.375
  • Moderately active (moderate exercise or sports 3-5 days a week): BMR x 1.55
  • Very active (hard exercise or sports 6-7 days a week): BMR x 1.725
  • Extremely active (very hard exercise or sports and a physical job): BMR x 1.9

This can also be used the other way as a bulking calorie calculator.

How to adjust your daily caloric needs

In particular, we’re looking at changing your caloric needs based on activity level and weight loss goals. This is a key point as it should be expected that daily caloric needs will change as you lose weight.

As you shred more fat, your body will require fewer calories to maintain your new weight, so you must regularly reassess your caloric needs and adjust them.

Additionally, if you have a specific weight loss goal from your mini cut after using your cut calorie calculator, you'll need to create a calorie deficit in order to achieve that goal.

So remember, for your mini cut, you drop to a 30% deficit on your current total calories.

Bulk Nutrients Ambassador Jackson Peos with weights

Creating a Calorie Deficit

How to create a calorie deficit for weight loss

To achieve your 30% deficit and nail your mini cut, you need to consume fewer calories than your body needs.

This can be achieved in a variety of ways, such as reducing your calorie intake, increasing your energy expenditure, or a combination of both.

Methods to create a calorie deficit

This usually takes the form of reducing calorie intake or increasing energy expenditure.

Reducing calorie intake can be done by eating smaller portions, cutting out high-calorie foods, or reducing the number of snacks you consume.

It's important to ensure that you're still consuming enough nutrients and not cutting too many calories, as this can lead to nutrient deficiencies and negative effects on your health.

Increasing energy expenditure can be done through exercise, increasing physical activity, or playing sports you love that burn more calories.

You can also think about walking to work, riding, or taking the stairs more often to burn more calories during the day – this can help create your 30% deficit for your mini cut.

Be sure to get your 30% deficit number of calories accurate by using the Harris-Benedict equation as listed above.

Tracking calorie intake and monitoring weight loss progress

Keeping track of your calorie intake and monitoring your weight loss progress for your mini cut is a must. Here are some tips for tracking your calorie intake:

  1. Keep a food diary: Writing down everything you eat and drink can help you keep track of your calorie intake and identify areas where you can reduce your calorie intake.
  2. Use a calorie tracking app: There are many apps available that can help you track your calorie intake and monitor your weight loss progress. Some popular options include MyFitnessPal and LoseIt!
  3. Read nutrition labels: Becoming familiar with the calorie content of the foods you eat can help you make more informed decisions about what to eat.
  4. Measure your portions: Using a food scale or measuring cups can help you ensure you're eating the correct portion sizes, which can help you better control your calorie intake.

Avoiding Common Mini Cut Mistakes

There are many common pitfalls that can be made here, especially if this is your first mini cut.

Common mistakes people make when trying to create a calorie deficit

  1. Skipping meals: Skipping meals can lead to overeating later in the day and can make it more difficult to control your calorie intake.
  2. Cutting calories too quickly: Rapidly cutting calories (more than a 30% deficit) can lead to muscle loss and a slowed metabolism, making it harder to achieve and maintain weight loss.
  3. Not getting enough nutrients: When reducing your calorie intake, it's important to still get enough nutrients to support good health.

Tips for avoiding these aggressive mini cut mistakes

Stick with these tips and you’ll ensure safe, sustainable weight loss.

  1. Gradually reduce calorie intake: Start at a 20% deficit for the first day. Then on the second day, begin at 30%.
  2. Eat a balanced diet: Consuming a balanced diet that includes plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins can help ensure you're getting enough nutrients.
  3. Increase physical activity: Increasing physical activity can help increase your daily caloric burn and support weight loss.

Summarising an Aggressive Mini Cut

To wrap up – a mini cut is a style of weight loss diet that involves reducing calories for a short period of time (4-6 weeks) to get as lean as you can and be ready to add more muscle shortly after.

We recommend using the Harris-Benedict equation to determine your daily caloric needs based on age, weight, height, and activity level and is an accurate way to calculate cutting calories.

Remember: it’s important to regularly reassess your caloric needs and adjust them as you lose weight.

To achieve a 30% calorie deficit, you can reduce your calorie intake, increase your energy expenditure, or do a combination of both. But largely, eating less will be your best start.

On your first day of a mini-cut, eat at a 20% deficit. Start at a 30% deficit the day after.

Keeping a food diary and using a calorie-tracking app can help monitor your progress during the mini cut.

Ben Disseldorp

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