10 Tips to Make Your Shredding Diet Work

When it comes to getting shredded, your diet is priority followed quickly by how you train. The cutting phase is the least popular phase because we have to eat less and shed body fat. Not only that, but we have to eat and train properly so we don’t lose our gains.

I don’t know about you but not being able to eat as much food as I normally can and needing to up my cardio on top of that doesn’t sound fun.

Related - Get Shredded Workout Routine - 8 Week Plan

So in order for someone to reach their goals without doing that, they have to come up with some shortcut or trying some experimental training patterns, diets, and any other tips and tricks they can get their hands on.

Luckily, active bodybuilders can get online and share their advice so people that are trying to buy tickets to the gains train can learn. I’ve found 10 common tips that bodybuilders say can help you make your shredding diet work.

Improve Your Shredding Diet

#1 - More Water

Unless you are a bodybuilder needing to water cycle or watch your intake for the stage, keep drinking plenty of water.

Water can help fight off hunger by chugging a few glasses and filling your stomach up. Sure it’s not eating a container of Oreos, but it does make a difference.

The extra hydration will allow you to train harder, pee more, and burn more calories.

Switching from drinking soda to water has so many advantages — the calorie deficit alone helps many lose a lot of weight. You can drink water as much as you would like; you aren’t drinking calories every bottle of water.

This means you can eat more food.

#2 - You Will Have to Cook Your Own Meals

If you want to have a grasp on your physique, you’re going to have to learn how to cook. It’s a matter of necessity.

Cooking your own food gives you the full picture of what is going in your body. When cutting, you watch your salt and sugars — processed meals are loaded and can hinder your weight loss.

I would much rather eat a pound of chicken breast over a Big Mac and fries.

#3 - Keep up with the Wagon

We are human, so as your cut goes… eventually, you will fall off the bandwagon. The trick is to gracefully fall off — not leap off of the wagon and down a waterfall.

Don’t worry about the cheat. By that, I mean don’t catastrophize it. You screwed up and ate something you know you shouldn’t have. Don’t do it again and move on.

When you cheat on yourself, don’t say “okay I’ll start my diet again tomorrow or Monday.” That’s just giving you a pass to cheat again. Instead, make a mental note you cheated, ask yourself what you could have done differently, and go about your day.

Keep your head on the goal and be very clear with yourself what you need to do every day to ensure your success.

#4 - Building Muscle Helps

Muscle burns calories, so when you have more you burn more.

Lifting weights and increasing your lean muscle mass helps you increase how many calories you burn at rest. Simply put, having more muscle means you burn more calories.

Simply running your calories off is going to result in a body that’s thinner but no more aesthetically pleasing than before — think “reshaping” your body.

#5 - Try High-Intensity Intervals

By now you know how many calories you can eat in order to lose weight.

Performing high-intensity intervals for your cardio session will burn more calories and give you an afterburn effect so you essentially burn more calories longer.

This helps make up for the days that you may have eaten more calories than you should have.

#6 - No Processed Sugar

Choose foods high in protein and fiber when on a cut. The natural sugars in fruits are okay to eat, but not the refined sugar in pretty much everything else.

Eliminating this processed sugar means you can eat more food. More chicken, more fish, more beef. I’ll take 8 ounces of pork loin over an Arizona Iced Tea.

#7 - Caffeine in Moderation

Caffeine could be a necessity for you during your cut. In order to stay alert and not feel the effects of a calorie deficit, drink or take a caffeine supplement to help.
Studies suggest keeping your daily intake of caffeine under 400mg of caffeine.

#8 - Get Enough Protein and Fiber

Out of everything you can eat, protein is going to be the most important for your shredding diet. The carbs may be what you miss the most, but the body needs protein to build muscle and keep your metabolism stoked.

Fiber is another important food group for a cut. Raw veggies add volume to your diet and it is a great way to snack without eating a bunch of calories.

One head of broccoli is 50 calories.

#9 - Be Conscious of Calories When Cooking

I’ve lost a bit of weight. If you want to read about my journey, check out how I’ve lost 120 pounds twice now.

One thing many of my friends criticize me of is my use of olive oil in pretty much every meal. They think you get fat from fats. I’ve found it to be quite the opposite.

The problem comes when you calculate your calories, have your food ready to cook, and you load up the pan with some butter or olive oil. Did you count those calories or were you hoping they just weren’t there?

The only thing you have to do to be able to eat more fats, enjoy flavors, and have some great food is you have to get into the habit of measuring and logging your food.

It is fun to eat homemade pork fried rice and then later on having some country fried pork tossed in General Tso and on a potato. Can you tell I need to go to the grocery store? Anyway, my weight is lower and I feel great.

Measure out the fats you are going to use and I promise it will be okay. Use a crapload of cheese, just log it and understand that you are taking calories away from other macros.

#10 - You’re Going to Be Hungry

We all know what being hungry because we are bored feels like. It just calls our name and gives us something to do.

But have you ever been hungry? The kind where your stomach may gurgle for upwards of 15 seconds straight? The kind that you feel like your stomach actually is smaller inside now.

The unfortunate thing about a shredding diet is you’re going to be hungry. There’s not much you can do about it. Although, ensuring you eat enough protein, fiber, and fats will keep you feeling satisfied for longer.

At the end of the day, you know what you have to do to achieve your goals. These tips can help you achieve your goals, but you’re the one that’s going to have to put in the work.