When shifting from a bulking diet to a cut, do you guys think it's most sensible to cut calories quickly and dramatically or to gradually reduce them slowly?

Also, when coming off a cut and going back to more generous calories and a diet for growth do you think it's sensible to build back up slowly or just start shovelling the food down?

Or doesn't it matter?

Similar question about manipulating carbohydrate percentage, if you reduce it when cutting do you drop/re-introduce them slowly or quickly?

I'm inclined to say a slow transition on everything. Increase cals too much too quickly and you'll get fat quickly, reduce too much too quickly and you're going to leave no room for a gradual reduction.

Carbs is a bit more complex imo, short term spikes and dips can impact positively, but increasing/decreasing too much long term will just mke you gain fat/lose muscle.

It also depends a lot on the individual.

Depends on your metabolism.

Is this a general conversation or do you need some specific advice?

Craig wrote:Depends on your metabolism.

Is this a general conversation or do you need some specific advice?

General conversation. I'm of the view like Karlos that a slower transition is better in all circumstances, but there aren't many satisfactory studies to support/refute the idea and many people just seem to drop and raise calories overnight. My instinct and limited understanding tells me that calorie deprivation for a while sets the body up to store kcals as soon as energy intake increases dramatically, and that when reducing kcals suddenly the metabolism suddenly slows to 'starvation mode' to cling onto to energy stores and ditch metabolically expensive muscle protein. Making the transition more slowly would allow a more 'situation appropriate' metabolism in both cases.

I've always done slow changes either way, although never go on either extreme bulks or cuts with only modest calorie changes so am a bit lacking on practical understanding of cut/bulk diets. Just doesn't feel good to aggressively bulk/cut for me. I also have a fairly fast metabolism though and maybe that's why I never seem to have issues with bodyfat (highest I've every been is just under 14%)... might not be down to doing things gradually at all.

If you have a fast metabolism you need to cut gradually but at the end of the cut you have a key oppertunity to put on muscle fast with a quick turn around.

If you have a slow metabolism you must bulk slowly but you can take advantage of your bodys unwillingness to give up muscle with a quick turn around on the cut for two weeks, get some serious fat loss, then up the cals before the body adjusts and add cardio.

Both work in practice not sure about the whole study thing.

My view is if you going to do it, just bloody well do it - so fast for me every time.

Id go at it fat reason being if ou have been dieting hard for several weeks you will be depleted and will suck up gains so might aswell mak the most of it by going at it good gunz

Maybe after a week or two of blasting shit out it re consider te sittuation and scale things back a fraction...but for me....im with the old Pirate above