Phase 2 • April – June
Phase 2: The Cut
Reduce body fat while preserving lean muscle. Enter summer looking and feeling your best with a strategic, time-bound deficit.
Reduce body fat while preserving lean muscle. Enter summer looking and feeling your best with a strategic, time-bound deficit.
This is the phase where you reveal what's underneath. The goal is simple: reduce body fat while preserving as much lean muscle as possible. You're in a caloric deficit, which means your body is burning more energy than you're giving it. That difference comes from stored body fat.
Three months is the sweet spot for a productive cut. It's long enough to make significant visible progress, but short enough that your metabolism doesn't fully adapt and stall out.
This is not a crash diet. You're eating strategically, not starving. You spent Phase 1 building the tracking habits and consistency that make this phase work. Now it's time to put them to use.
Rerun the Black Iron Macro Calculator with your current weight as of April 1. Set the goal to "Lose Fat."
Your daily target will be below your TDEE. The calculator sets an appropriate deficit — aggressive enough to see results, moderate enough to sustain for 12 weeks.
This stays high — possibly higher than maintenance. Protein is your muscle insurance policy during a deficit. Do not compromise on this number.
Both will be lower than maintenance. Prioritize carbs around your training sessions for energy and performance. These flex around your protein and calorie targets.
Enter your current stats below. Your goal is pre-set to “Lose Fat” for the cutting phase.
Your cut won't feel the same from start to finish. Here's what each stage looks like so nothing catches you off guard.
You'll likely see a quick initial drop of 3–5 lbs, largely from water and glycogen as carbs decrease. This feels great but it's not all fat. Don't expect this rate to continue.
This is where real fat loss happens. Expect 0.5–1.5 lbs per week on average. Some weeks the scale won't move. Trust the process. If you're hitting your macros, you're losing fat. Water retention, sleep, stress, and hormonal cycles all affect the scale.
You'll be leaner, but energy and motivation may dip. This is normal metabolic adaptation. Hunger increases, recovery slows slightly. Push through — this is why we cap the cut at 12 weeks.
Four non-negotiable principles that keep your cut productive and sustainable.
If you're over on calories, the adjustment comes from carbs or fat — never protein. Protein preserves muscle, drives recovery, and keeps you full. It's the last thing you touch.
Don't add extra cardio to "make up" for a bad eating day. Just get back on plan tomorrow. Compensatory behaviors lead to a bad relationship with food and exercise.
One off day doesn't ruin a cut. One off week might slow it down. Zoom out and look at weekly averages, not individual days. Consistency over months beats perfection in moments.
Sleep matters more during a cut than any other phase. Your body is doing extra work on fewer resources. 7–9 hours is not optional — it's a performance requirement.
Before moving to Phase 3 (Maintain) on July 1, confirm the following.
You've completed the full 12-week cut. Do not extend it — longer cuts tank your metabolism and lead to diminishing returns.
You've recalculated your macros with your current weight, goal set to "Maintain."
You understand that the transition back to maintenance calories is gradual, not instant. You'll reverse diet over 2–3 weeks.
You've taken progress photos and measurements to compare with your starting point.