5 Differences Between Weight Loss and Cutting
Cutting and weight loss are different approaches and have different results. Which is better?
Cutting and weight loss are similar as you lose weight in both, but technically, they’re very different.
Weight loss is the “mainstream” approach, adopted by anyone and everyone.
Cutting was something that only bodybuilders and athletes did until recently.
Read on to find out which option is best for you.
The Workout Routine
Weight Loss
I said weight loss can be adopted by anyone and everyone because it’s the easier choice.
Any form of exercise is acceptable as long as it burns calories.
Hoover your car, walk through the park, or do some pullups, it doesn’t matter. What’s important is that calories are burnt, and enough of them.
That’s why cardio is so big in the weight loss community, you can efficiently burn hundreds of calories an hour while watching a TV show, so it’s no surprise why weight loss is a popular choice.
Cutting
You can do cardio whilst cutting as it’s a great tool. But one form of exercise that is non-negotiable in a cut is resistance training.
You have to give your body a reason to keep hold of your muscle mass, otherwise it’d slowly wither away.
Weight training is the best course of action due to its scalability. But callisthenics or even resistance band training may suffice if you’re just getting started.
You could see why cutting was only done by bodybuilders and athletes until recently as you’d need an effective weight training and cardio routine, which is what’s covered in Cutting Concepts, and much much more.
The Food Choices
Weight Loss
Here’s a subjective benefit of the weight loss approach, you can eat whatever you want.
You could stick to your usual diet while portion-controlling your food to lose weight, as long as doing so results in a calorie deficit.
Eating healthier comes with additional benefits, but to lose weight, it isn’t necessary.
This is good for those who don’t want to invest time in their nutritional health.
Cutting
In a cut, you do have the freedom to make food choices, but there are some requirements.
Most importantly, it’s maintaining a high protein intake.
As you’re weight training intensely for multiple days a week, your body requires the amino acids from protein to repair muscle fibers.
Otherwise, you’d suffer from soreness and risk losing muscle mass. Not good.
The Progress Monitoring
Weight Loss
The theme of weight loss is keeping it short and simple, and it’s the same when it comes to progress monitoring.
As the name suggests, the most important metric when it comes to weight loss is the weight loss.
As long as the scale is going down, you’re doing well.
Another typical measurement in this approach is belly circumference, which is the area most people want to target (although it’s not possible to target specific areas for fat loss, which is another topic entirely).
Cutting
Now, you do want to measure your weight, belly circumference, and arm circumference (if you want to get into it) in a cut, but that isn’t the only focus.
We want to maintain or even increase strength in resistance training whilst we lose weight (or more specifically fat).
You’d use this as an indicator or proxy to gauge whether you’re maintaining muscle mass or not.
Whilst not directly correlated, it makes some sense to assume that if strength is steadily going down, muscle mass likely is too.
The Weight Lost
Weight Loss
Your only goal is to lose weight, you don’t care, or think to care, about where you’re losing weight from.
Most people who engage in weight loss will want to lose fat, but they’ll likely lose muscle too since they don’t engage in any muscle-retaining activities.
So there’s a high probability you’d lose both muscle and fat if you stick to the typical weight loss approach.
Cutting
From the onset, those on a cut had the goal in mind to lose fat whilst retaining as much muscle as possible, and if they programmed and timed everything properly, they’re likely to achieve that goal.
If all the cutting conditions are met, a person on a cut will predominantly lose fat.
The End Result
Weight Loss
If you don’t rush the process, you’ll feel healthier and happier, accomplished and proud.
Clothes will fit better and you won’t have to struggle to find the right size.
However, the major drawback is the decreased muscle mass.
Since you’d proportionality lose both muscle and fat, you’d appear like a smaller version of your prior self, whether that’s okay or not depends on your personal goals.
Cutting
You’d get all the benefits from the weight loss approach and a lot more.
Firstly, your body will appear more athletic and you’d be relatively stronger.
Secondly, you get additional benefits from resistance training, both physically and mentally.
Your joints will be healthier, bones will get stronger, your mind will be clearer, discipline will have strengthened, and the list goes on.
Cutting is the more challenging route, but the results reflect the difficulties you put yourself through.
Takeaway
Weight loss is good for those who want a more laid-back approach, it’s by no means easy, but it requires less thought than cutting.
Cutting is multidimensional, there are more moving pieces which you have to monitor and control, but the results are far greater.
You could start with weight loss principles and then gradually crossover into cutting as you gain more experience.
If you want to skip the learning curve by trial and error, see Cutting Concepts and get straight to results.
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