Ugh... Offically hating cutting

ok yesterday was the first day of my offical cut, having been bulking with my personal trainer for the last 3 months and having gained about 4-5lb of muscle she finally think's im really to try and find my abb's haha.

And everything was 100% great untill i read my nutition sheet .... what can i say other than UGH!!!! ... it's horrid, she's not got me on food im not sure what it is but it's not any kind of food i''ve every concidered a meal before.

Please someone explain to me HOW!!!! peanut butter, broccolli and a protien shake is supposed to be concidered a meal???

I trust my trainer she's dont amazing thing's with me and my body over the past 3 months but seriously this diet is killer. you'd have to be a robot to enjoy this kind of meal plan, im sure it's very functional and she assured me it works and that if i stick to it ill see my abbs by christmas.

i've worked out the macro's and tbh it all seems fairly reasonable, it's not a starvation diet, im eating lot's of protein, and have cycle for fats and carbs and i can't see anything that jumps out at me that's unhealthy or bad.

But seriously there is not a decent meal to been seen on this thing how am i supposed to stick to it when im not entirely sure i class it as food??

Anyone got any tips how to stay motivated when the food is crappy??

hey Leiela! wow - yeah. that's a good question... I wonder if you could go through the list with her and ask her about the specific parts you don't like. each item on the list is there for a reason: peanut butter = protein+fat (some carbs), so maybe you can substitute every once in a while for some other protein/fat combo (cottage cheese? I don't know - I'm guessing)...

otherwise, you could try adjusting your perspective! :) I know - that's not the easiest thing to do. but perhaps if you try and find the adventure in this - what, 2 month stint before Xmas? - it could be kinda ... fun... ? ok, I'm grasping here. and prob not much help.

in the end I can just offer you my support. actually, I'd kinda kill or die to have a trainer tell me what to do! yours is definitely a luxurious problem!

best of luck!!

what mazz said, even stronger. I doubt the specific food items are magic.  There are probably some principles behind the food selection. Using those principles, you can almost surely substitute foods that make combinations that are more sensible to you.

Peanut butter and broccoli does sound disgusting.  But I often have chard/kale/collards and smoked almonds as a meal with a bit of pepper oil (yum). It could be that there are equivalent switches (chard and almonds vs. broccoli and peanut butter).

Also, you may need to explain to your trainer what you consider a "meal", so she can use her principles to re-organize the foods.   In terms of what you consider a "meal",   it could be that there really are principles that conflict with your understanding of what a meal is. I went to a nutritionist once who believed in food combinations. At a meal you could have veggies and protein OR veggies and carbs but not both.  It's possible that her principles of food combinations conflict with what you think of as a balanced meal.  In that case you might want to go along for the ride til Christmas.

p.s. I think that the  reason the protein/carb thing worked was because it got you to eat fewer calories per meal by eliminating a food, not for any other reason.

Lean = Mean. Watch movies and shows where the main characters are ripped to the Bone.  That movie "300" always helps me for a few days.  Go to war against the weight.  Hate it.  It's the enemy.  Nuke its ass.

Mirror, mirror on the wall.  Be vain.  Examine yourself regularly to remind yourself of both how you look and how you want to look.  Just don't get caught by your significant other, who will make fun of you for staring at the veins in your stomach.

Make nice.  You're committed to this course of action, even it's for a brief time.  That means you now challenge yourself to try to fill up but keep the numbers low.  Your new pals are lettuce, spinach, asparagus, green beans, and water.  Up your water intake drastically.  Every time you're hungry, slam a bottle.  You'll be so busy sloshing around and going to the bathroom, the clock will spin faster to your next "meal" time.

Slow your roll.  When it is time for that small portion of whatever (curds & whey, rabbit food, gruel, pick your snotty adjective), find someplace quiet--no tv, no distractions, then eat small bites.  Take an inordinate amount of time to eat that small meal, and really focus on the fact that you're getting to eat.  And of course, slam a bottle of water right before you sit down to the chow.

Time keeps on ticking, ticking.  Keep a written food log with you.  If you eat it, log it, tally the calories, and be honest with yourself.  I find doing it backwards helps when cutting--if you're on a 60-day cycle or whatever, start each day with the day number, ie "day 12" or "43 days left", put your max daily calories at the top of the page, and as you eat, subtract your intake from your daily max.  It'll help you fight later in the day if you know you can only have 400 more calories before bed.  You'll really hesitate before pouring that half pound of m&m's down the pipe.

Become an elitist.  Notice very overweight folks.  Remind yourself why you're doing this.  Be silently proud of your choice.  You're doing something that a very small percentage of the population is capable of.  That makes you a badass.  It's okay to be a little smug about it, just hide your smug smile so no one else notices you doing it.

Remember it'll end.  Everybody knows best part of cutting phase is when it's done.  There's a finish line.  You can make it.  Eat the rocket fuel your trainer's telling you to eat for now.  You can win this game.  That cheeseburger still cares deeply for you and will embrace you with open arms after this cycle ends. 

Good luck.  Stick it out.

thanks guy,

i hate myself for bieng such a baby about it, i love food but in a good way i've never been one to over eat but i do like to enjoy my meals.

The hardest thing i found with bulking was that i had a set meal plan and that i ate the same thing all every single damn day i sware as much is a used to LOVE a bowl of oatmeal in the mornings after 3 months of eating nothing but i could pretty much kill anyone now just for the mear suggestion of oatmeal.

now cutting i have ANOTHER set meal plan, i don't need to count macro's it's all worked out for me because i eat the same thing every damn day, with no room for anything outside the plan... ugh, im not allowed to add any ingredients other than the odd bit of seasoning, so it's not as if i have much room to tinker with it and turn it into something vaguely resembling food.

the whole idea of the plan seems to be some sort of carb cycle with a carb re-feed once every 18 meals. (1 meal every 3 days) but the rest of the plan is horridly low on carb's, my trainer seems to think i have the body type this plan will work with, and after having such great results with her so far i have no reason to distrust her.

But seriously this food is just not what normal people would call a meal , ok granted it's been along time since i ate the crap that most people eat but i have to admit i do like food that looks like food ... brocolli with peanut butter is not food... peanut butter i get .. it go's on toast, or many many other fab foods hell i've even been known to put it on an apple...... but not on brocolli!!!!! Broccolli i get but do i really need to eat it 6 times a day??? and why am i having it with grapefruit since when did broccolli and grapefruit make a good meal together??

Even the 18th meal re-feed is like something out of a horror film , green beans with sweetpotato and oatmeal??? come on that is not a meal?? i mean what am i supposed to do with that?? do i mash the sweetpotato into the oatmeal?? and what about the grean beans are they decoration for the top????

ok see im going crazy .... this is not funny.... what happened to the good olde day's of meat and 2 veg?? 

I know i know ... i just need to man up and **** stop whining but please is actually having foodstuff's that go's together too much to ask???

I hate cutting too! And I'm doing it too!

Lets be cutting-hating-buddies!

i strongly believe in not being miserable.  i even wish for happiness.  non-meal meals would be just torturous if you're used to having meals.  try to find a restaurant that lists broccoli as an entree for any meal of the day--just ain't happenin.  that's not to say that you can't eat healthier than the average dish served at a restaurant.

but i do think you could work w/the goals of this nutritional plan and make something that works better for you.  some ppl may get a kick out of extreme diets or atypical eating, and others don't.  i would DEFINITELY suggest switching out those meals for ones that you feel more comfortable w/.  the swiss chard w/oil idea from up above sounds great; though personally, i'd suggest a bean or grains to go w/it, you can leave that out if you're low carbing.

i do appreciate what pistolpete21 has to say and agree w/it to some degree.  cutting's no fun, so you just have to keep the goal in mind and psych yourself up for how hot you'll be come christmas.  but i don't think you need to dread every meal for the next two months in order to reach your goals.  when in doubt, they usually don't argue w/tuna/celery/carrots or egg whites/tomato/mushroom.

Yeah I probably should have started with a disclaimer--something like "This is how MY brain works in cutting phase".

My post above contains multiple reasons why I'd probably make a horrible PT.  :)  Going through Army basic probably adjusted my definition of "misery" a bit.  

I do agree though--you should make the nutrition plan work for you.  Additionally, your personal trainer works for YOU.  If you can't choke down their menu, then either ask for suggestions from them for replacements or find an equivalent food you can stand to eat.  It's not like they're gonna take your birthday away if you switch it up a little bit.  When it comes to diet, I'm a firm believer that there's more than one way to cross the finish line.

Well i've had a chat with her and we came to an agreement, i do as im told for 2 weeks, if im really not happy with the results / diet in 2 weeks then she promises to change it.

However she seems pretty confident in her plan i sort of get the impression that she thinks that even though i might hate it that ill get such good results in 2 weeks that i'll suffer the misery for the rest of the cut dispite myself.

I have to admit i know myself alittle too well and she's undoubtedly right if i do start seeing results im likely to suffer the diet, rather than risk changing it and not getting as good results from a new plan.

Oh well i guess it's time to "shut up" and "put up" for the next two weeks anyway.

Oh, I can sooo relate to your original post!  My trainer put me on what she called a "lean out" diet which I followed for 8 weeks in preparation for a 20 yr. high school reunion.  I told her I wanted to look "smokin' hot" for the event and she gave me this meal plan and a workout routine.  Well, after I agreed, I find out this "diet" is eating the SAME THING EVERY DAY.  And no real "substitutions" for anything.  UGGHHH!  She kept assuring me it would get easier and sometimes it was and sometimes it wasn't.  But I kept in my head exactly what pistolpete said about "become an elitist".  And then one day while I was complaining to my trainer she says to me "If this were easy, everyone would be doing it!" and that really hit home with me- it wasn't easy but I DID IT!  And I did what most people don't have the willpower or motivation to do.  So, my advice is that if you can suffer through it, you will be happy with the results.  In the end, the satisfaction you get when you look in the mirror will far surpass the lack of food during this time.  Just keep in mind it's not forever. 

Renee - mind sharing what it was your trainer had you eating?  You look awesome!  Love your new haircut! 

Sure yogagirl! And thanks for the compliments!  Ok here was the menu:

Meal 1: 3 egg whites, 1/2 c. oatmeal, 1/4 c. pineapple, 1/4 walnuts

Meal 2: protein shake, 1/2 banana

Meal 3: 8 oz chicken or lean steak (I did 4 oz.), 2-3 c. veggies, 1/2 c. brown rice

Meal 4: protein shake, 1 piece fruit or a yogurt

Meal 5: 8 oz chicken or fish, 2 c. veggies, mixed green salad w/low cal. dressing

Other tips she insisted on were 1 gallon of water a day (I could never do that!), no artificial sweetners, no salt and no dairy (other than the occasional yogurt for meal 4).  As far as veggies, no carrots, peas or corn.  I was allowed 1 cheat meal per week.  I think that's it!  Anyway, it was drastic measures for want of dramatic results.  I had been calorie counting for about 6 months and lost 18 lbs.  I was at a pretty lengthy plateau when I started this meal plan.  I lost 9 lbs. in about 7 weeks eating like this.  It definately worked for me, however it's not easy (for me) to live like this.  I've gone back to eating "normal" now and have gained back 3 lbs.

That sounds like alot of food to me!   I kind of eat like this, however, I only eat maybe 1 of the things for breakfast, less for lunchand my snacks are either a protein shake or something else, not both.    How tall are you?  I am kind of short 5' 2.5", so maybe that would be too much for me.    I love pineapple!

Ugh yeah i know what you mean,

i eat the same thing for at 4 meals a day, everyday and im quite proud of myself because i've stuck to it for 6 days now, living off pretty much broccolli, chicken, peanut butter and grapefruit, it's killing me, but im sticking to it,

Im off carbs, dairy, fruit(except the grapefruit),  no cheat meals .... ugh it's all just killing me...

oh and the lack of carbs is killing me in the gym, my performance right now is dire, sigh... this better be worth it.

For me, I'm not going to do low carb. Nope. Can't be done. My carbs come from whole grains and sprouted bread and fruits and veggies. But I'm a vegan, and if I gave up carbs along with having already given up meat and dairy and eggs, I'd pretty much being eating salad and protein shakes and I'm not willing to do that for a few lbs.

I'm focusing my cut on calories and keeping protein above 80 a day, minimum.

I love my sanity too much to do otherwise, and it has worked for me before.

yogagirl ~ to answer your question, I'm 5'4".  I think it's a lot of food too.  I tried to follow by the letter at first and found it impossible to stuff all that food down.  I changed it up to 4 oz. chicken and like 1 c. veggies for me.  Plus, and here's the kicker, I HATE veggies for the most part!  I would sit at my lunch and dinner half gagging on them and chasing them with water to get them down!  AND, after the 8 weeks, I kinda don't like chicken anymore!

lol - good for you.  You lost 9 pounds - that is great!  I may try it if I get over my fear of eating that much!!  I am at goal now, but wouldn't mind losing a couple more.... vacation and holidays coming! 

i feel compelled to moderate the opinion that renee328's daily menu is a lot of food.  i'm going to guesstimate renee328's cutting diet at around 1800 calories.  that definitely leaves enough of a deficit, for active ppl w/muscle, to lose weight.

1800 is alot to me.  CC says 1400 for me for maintenance!

i'm assuming that number doesn't include weight lifting.

No - it doesn't include weight lifting.  I am in stage 2 of NROLFW...  but that amt of cals is way too high for someone my size.   The book estimates high,  but does not even estimate that high for me on non-workout days.  I think it suggested 1600 for non-lift days and 1800 for lift days.  For someone trying to cut - that would leave no deficit at all.  Don't you need a deficit to cut?