What is the difference between «cutting» and weight loss?

Author: Timko Ilya - master of the whole project and fitness trainer.
2014-10-15

Weight loss occurs when a person seeks to decrease their body weight.

"Cutting" refers to the process of aiming to reduce only subcutaneous fat while preserving muscle mass. However, when you reduce subcutaneous fat, weight loss is inevitable, just like in regular weight loss.

On the other hand, the overwhelming majority of people looking to lose weight also aim to reduce weight solely from subcutaneous fat. This is because both men and women derive beauty and shape from muscles. Everyone who has even a little understanding knows this.

So it turns out that cutting is just a variation of weight loss. Ideally, they should be the same. It can simply be stated that "cutting" is generally a more professional method of weight loss. Furthermore, the term is more pleasant to the ears of athletes. After all, most of them don’t want to lose weight, but they must lose weight to attain definition.

And since "cutting" and weight loss are fundamentally the same, the diets and training methods also apply to both. The only difference is that professional diets for weight loss are more protein-rich because athletes value their muscles and don't want to lose them. Ordinary people don't value their muscles as much because they didn't acquire them through strenuous workouts, but rather through simply gaining excess weight. Even if you do nothing and just gain weight, you will also slightly increase your muscle mass along with the fat.

Therefore, if you want to simply lose weight but value your muscles, you can confidently say: - I am cutting! But if you don't care about your muscles and just want to lose weight at any cost, then it's no longer cutting, but simply losing weight. However, there are fewer and fewer such people these days.

Exercise Programs for "Cutting" and Weight Loss

By the way, most of my "cutting" (definition) plans do not significantly differ from my weight loss plans. In both cases, weight needs to be reduced. Just in the case of definition, you typically need to lose weight slightly (3-5 kg), while weight loss plans may require more than 5 kg. Well, that’s all relative. This is achieved by the fact that definition plans are typically more focused on maintaining muscle mass. Conversely, weight loss plans focus more on fat burning.

If you look closely, you will find that some plans are present in both sections and can be equally effective for both definition and weight loss. This is because, physiologically speaking, "cutting" is nothing more than proper weight loss.

Diet Plans for "Cutting" and Weight Loss

Just like the training plans, these two types of diets fundamentally do not differ from each other. More accurately, they should not differ with the correct approach. However, many people who lose weight not only reduce their caloric intake but also lower their protein intake. As a result, both fat and muscle are lost. In any sensible weight loss diet, there should be enough protein to preserve muscle.

Here are some diet examples:

• Women's Weight Loss Menu
• Men's Weight Loss Menu

Conclusion

As I mentioned at the beginning of the article, "cutting" is simply professional weight loss. Many might disagree with me, but from a physiological standpoint, there’s no difference.

Therefore, don’t lose weight just for the sake of losing weight at any cost. Instead, lose weight correctly. In other words – cut. Then, beneath the thin layer of subcutaneous fat, you’ll reveal muscular definition rather than bones. Good luck!