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An aggressive cut is just what it sounds like: precisely and quickly losing body fat for a short window of time, usually after bulking.
I wouldn’t recommend doing anything aggressively, whether cutting or bulking.
Also, this guide isn’t an extreme approach to “lose as much weight as possible,” but rather a guide for people who want to go through a fat loss phase fast while avoiding the negative effects of aggressive weight loss.
I understand people’s nature to want quick results sometimes. I also understand that most people don’t want to feel restricted for long periods of time.
And no matter how people say, “You can diet without feeling restricted,” let’s be honest, there’s still a level of restriction involved.
So, this guide is going to cover everything from calorie intake, nutrition requirements, and level of physical activity.
It will cover everything you need to know and do to lose as much healthy weight as possible while maintaining muscle (and your sanity).
Before we get into the guide, you need to know if this guide is for you.
Who is an aggressive mini cut for?
Before you start an aggressive fat loss phase, you need to be sure that you fit the profile of a person for whom rapid fat loss is suitable.
First, let’s start with who an aggressive cut isn’t good for:
- You’ve been weight training and bulking and want to go on a final cut to reveal your muscle mass.
- You think you can maintain your new slimmer body after aggressive weight loss.
If you fit any of these profiles, then an aggressive mini cut isn’t the way to go. If you lose weight too fast after bulking, you’ll end up losing lots of muscle.
And if you aim to lose weight quickly to achieve your permanent goal of a slim body, this isn’t for you.
9/10 times, you’ll just revert to your old eating habits and regain all that weight.
Let’s see if you fit the profile:
- If you’ve taken the bulk a bit “too far.”
- Someone who wants to lose weight quickly for an event.
- You’re overweight and want to lose some weight quickly.
- Someone who can stay disciplined and consistent (for at least a month).
- You’re willing to track your meals.
If you fit at least three of these criteria, then you will gain lots of value from this guide. Remember, to follow an aggressive guide, you need to be ready to go all out.
You must do what is required to follow the guide. You will wake up some days not wanting to diet or exercise but you have to.
Your mind will come up with excuses, but you must ignore them. Take this as a challenge that, if you complete it, will change who you are as a person.
You will become the kind of person who sets hard goals and crushes them.
All that being said, let’s go through the things you need for an aggressive mini-cut.
Essentials for an aggressive mini-cut
For an aggressive mini-cut to be successful, you need to be precise with how you measure your key metrics, which are: calories eaten and energy burned.
Here are the essentials:
1. Nutrition and steps tracker app
If you want to lose weight quickly and precisely, then you need a fitness app.
For an aggressive cut to work in a short time, you need to track your meals and count your steps.
2. A food scale
A food scale paired with your calorie tracker app completes the nutrition logging process. Precision is key here so you will have to measure every meal.
If you don’t know how to track calories, check out this post.
3. Gym membership
I’m a huge fan of bodyweight workouts; however, they won’t burn the same calories and help you build muscle as lifting weights.
And remember, we’re looking for speed here while minimizing muscle loss.
Guidelines for an aggressive mini-cut
We’ll be getting into the meat and potatoes (cringy saying) soon. Before diving in, let’s establish a few rules for the cut.
1. Calculate your calorie maintenance
You need to calculate your body’s baseline calories. This simply means the amount of calorie intake your body requires to maintain its weight.
It’s pretty simple to calculate. Get your current weight in pounds (lbs) and multiply that number by 14.
So, if I weigh 190 pounds, my maintenance would be 190 x 14 = 2660 calories.
Calculate yours and record it.
2. Prioritize protein
You need foods high in protein if you want to retain muscle and if you want to feel fuller from your meals.
You need to hit around 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight.
So, if you weigh 150 pounds, you would ideally be eating 150 grams of protein per day.
However, I understand that tracking your protein will be difficult, especially if you’re a beginner.
So, if you don’t want to track your protein, then just mentally make it a priority to reduce carbs and increase protein.
3. Only a single cheat meal per week
You asked for aggressiveness, so this is what aggression looks like. You only get one cheat meal per week and that’s even stretching it.
Whatever day of the week you decide to have your cheat meal, you must save calories for it.
What do I mean?
If your calorie deficit is 2000, for example, you must save room for your cheat meal in this number.
That may mean eating very little throughout the day until your cheat meal.
4. No sugary beverages
No sugary drinks are allowed within this cut. They add on lots of wasteful calories. In an aggressive diet, every little calorie matters.
Think of cutting out drinks as a way to add more food to your plate.
5. No eating out except for your cheat meal
Eating out regularly is one of the major reasons people struggle to lose weight. There are too many extra calories unaccounted for.
This guide allows you to eat out once a week for your cheat meal.
6. Tell a friend about your goal weight (optional but very helpful)
This isn’t a must, but it sure helps a lot. Telling someone about a goal you want to achieve increases the likelihood of success.
After all, you won’t want someone close to you to see you as a quitter who can’t hit their goals, right?
If you have read through the essentials and guidelines for this mini cut, you’re confident you fit the profile, and you’re ready to give it your all, then you’re ready.
Let’s dive into the guide.
Week 1
This is an aggressive cut so there is no window for easing into it. Once you make up your mind, then it’s time to go in… hard.
Calorie deficit
Start with a 500-calorie deficit. So, go back to your maintenance calories and subtract that number by 500 calories.
For this example, we’ll be starting with a deficit of 2000 calories per day, with 2500 calories being our maintenance.
This is your starting point for the first week.
- You must weigh and log every food that goes into your mouth as accurately as possible.
- Make sure you eat foods high in protein and fiber. This combination of nutrients will keep you feeling fuller than if you were eating high-carb foods.
- Then pick a day for your cheat meal, but remember, your cheat meal must fit into your calorie deficit. You may have to save calories for it.
Physical activity
Aim for 5–6k steps
Pay attention to your steps per day. For the first week, you want to aim for around 5–6k steps at least 3 days a week to increase the rate of fat loss.
You will have to increase this number weekly, so it wouldn’t be wise to start very high. You will notice that I put step count and cardio separately and this is on purpose.
If you want to cut weight quickly, doing a mixture of slow-state and high-intensity cardio is great for increasing your rate of fat burn.
Pick your cardio (2 times a week)
If you’re subscribed to a gym, the best thing you can do for cardio is run on the good old treadmill.
Run for 30 minutes at a decent pace, ideally before resistance training.
However, if you’re going slow or even walking, you will have to bump that time up to around 60 minutes.
Resistance training (1 hour sessions, 3 times per week )
It’s time to lift weights. This is essential for retaining or even slightly growing your muscles.
So, try to hit muscle groups like your arms, chest, back, legs, and core.
Here’s a great workout schedule:
| Day | Workout |
| Monday | Resistance Training (Arms, Chest, Core) – 1 hour |
| Tuesday | Cardio (Treadmill Run or Walk) 30–60 minutes |
| Wednesday | Resistance Training (Back, Legs, Core) – 1 hour |
| Thursday | Rest or Light Activity (e.g., Yoga, Walking) |
| Friday | Cardio (Treadmill Run or Walk) 30–60 minutes |
| Saturday | Resistance Training (Arms, Chest, Core) – 1 hour |
| Sunday | Rest or Light Activity (e.g., Walking, Cycling) |
Week 2
In the new week, your calorie intake will go down and your activity levels will need to go up.
Calorie deficit
New week, new calorie deficit.
Remember, you went on a calorie deficit of 500?
This week, you have to cut it by another 250 calories, making it a deficit of 750.
Following our previous example, our new calorie deficit would be 1750 calories.
As the calories start to get lower, you may want to change your eating schedule. Most people see great results with intermittent fasting.
Delay the time before you have your first meal and focus on eating fewer meals per day, but in high volume, to keep you feeling full.
Physical Activity
Up your steps to 8k
Aim for 8k steps for at least 4 days a week at a faster pace. The more weight you lose, the harder it will be to lose even more weight.
This is why we start low and gradually increase the intensity.
Cardio (2 times per week)
You can choose to increase your running time to 45 minutes or increase the difficulty.
You can do this by running in an inclined position or at a faster pace.
If you don’t like running and decide to do another form of cardio, find a way to measure it.
By measuring it, you will know how to increase the duration or intensity.
Resistance training
Maintain the same routine from the previous week.
Week 3
Calorie deficit
In the third week, you’ll be reducing your calories by yet another 250 calories. In our previous example, our new calorie deficit would be 1500.
Your diet becomes really strict at this point, so you have to find ways to make it sustainable for you.
This is where intermittent fasting comes into play.
Here’s an example of how I manage tight diet plans:
I don’t eat any food till around 2 pm, having only black coffee in the morning. I eat a very filling meal that will keep me satisfied till night, around 8 pm. Then I have another filling meal.
Sticking to a diet like this is easier if you’re busy throughout the day.
Physical activity
Increase step count to 10k
If you hit the 8k steps from the previous week, 10k will be relatively easier for you as it’s just an additional 20-minute walk.
Hit 10,000 steps 5 days out of the week.
Cardio (3 times per week)
The same as week 2, however, this time increasing the number of days to 3. Additionally, you have to increase the duration or intensity yet again.
Resistance training
Maintain the same routine from the previous week.
Week 4
Calorie deficit
The last week of the mini cut will be the toughest. You will cut your calories by another 250 calories.
This leaves our ongoing example at 1250 calories.
Physical activity
Increase step count to 12k
You’ll be cranking the difficulty up really high this week. It’ll take you around 2 hours of walking to hit 12,000 steps.
The faster your pace, the quicker.
However, you don’t have to do all this at once. You can separate it into four 30-minute walking sessions spread throughout the day.
Cardio (4 times per week)
Same as the previous week, except for longer durations and/or harder variations.
Resistance training (4 times per week)
Maintain the same routine from the previous weeks, doing your workouts after cardio.
So, that’s it for the guide. If you follow all these steps for 4 weeks, I can guarantee you will lose a ton of weight.
What to do after an aggressive mini-cut?
You can’t just immediately go back to your old habits.
If your old habits lacked any exercise or consciousness with food, then you will quickly gain back the weight you worked so hard to lose.
Here’s a quick guide to getting your body back to baseline:
- Calculate your new maintenance calories at your new weight.
- If, after the cut, you now weigh, let’s say, 150 pounds, you want to multiply that number by 14. This will give you your new maintenance calories.
- Eat your maintenance calories for 2 weeks while gradually reducing cardio.
