The 'Lean' of 'Bulk and Lean'

[Aejaxe]

Heya NF, it's been a while since I've posted on here, and things look a lil' different. Hopefully this is the place to post my question.

I've been doing the bulking-up stage, going from 145 lbs to 180ish lbs, and I'm really happy with my results thus far (I have biceps now!). Following Steve's 'Rebel Strength Guide' I've gone 10 pounds above the weight I'd like to settle at, that weight being 170 lbs. However, I'm not entirely clear on how I should lower my calorie intake. I looked at my BMR, and it's currently something like 1900 at my current weight, while a BMR for a guy my size at 170 is around 1800. I'm doing 3+ days of moderate to intense workouts, so I multiplied the exact BMR amounts by 1.55 (HB Equation) and the amounts were 3056 (current) and 2998 (175).

Soooo... yeah, that's pretty much a handful of almonds difference in calories.

My question being this; When I'm trying to lean, should I just maintain my exercise regiment and drop from the normal 3.5-4 thousand calories a day, to three thousand? Is that the correct way to go about this?

[This is Seth]

Yes. Drop a couple hundred kCal per day, but keep your workouts the same. The weight will drop off where it will and you won't suffer the regret able loss of muscle mass that usually accompanies your first "cut" session.

Just don't rush it and go overboard.

[Aejaxe]

Solid advice man. I'll do another day of my normal calorie intake, and drop it down a couple hundred like you recommended.