Thread: How to maintain energy while cutting

Hi all, I am brand new to this forum and this is my first post - thanks in advance for any of your suggestions here.

After a very unsuccessful bulk for 2 months (I did not gain a single pound -- but did this with a PT, clean diet, careful training, etc.), my PT decided to do a cut now, then try bulking again once I lower body fat. On my bulk I was at 1800 calories per day + 2 cheat meals per week. weight lifting 4x per week. Cardio 4x per week.

I am now on this new cut and a week in and just feel like crap. I am totally exhausted because we are keeping the same weight lifting schedule and adding another day of cardio. I am on 1200-1300 calories -- very low carb -- a day now and just wiped out. Honestly, my PT gave me a diet plan for this but when I added up the macros it didn't even come to 1100 calories so I added a couple of healthy extras to bring me up to 1200-1300.

It's only a week in -- down .5/.75 pounds, so hard to tell if it will be successful, but Im already so exhausted all the time. I am trying to time my workouts in the early AM right when I'm allowed to eat some carbs and healthy fats so I have the energy to push through, but after that, I'm spent and it's getting harder every day to wake up (I'm usually the complete opposite - early bird full of energy to go kill it).

For reference I'm 5'3 / 112lbs / guestimation 20-20.5% bodyfat currently. Age 42 (not sure why my icon says different).

Just looking for insights on if what I'm feeling in terms of fatigue is normal, if there's anything I can do to keep up my energy, and if adding a little carbs would totally derail the plan if I stay within the calorie deficit? Is it too a high a deficit? I feel like I'm going nowhere fast. Thanks so much in advance everyone!

I'm just curious, why did you think that 1800 calories was a "bulk" diet? Those are at or very near cutting calories, even for someone your size and your level of activity. And 1200 calories is extremely low, even for someone your size.

Recommend you post a photo, because we can't give good advice without seeing one since people's self assessments aren't always the best information to go off of. You can upload one to an image hosting site if you need to and post the link, and you can black out or cut off your head if you have any privacy concerns.

wow, pt's really can be idiots