Cutting week: the week wherein your calorie intake has to be in deficit (below maintenance) to shed a few pounds. Being in a calorie deficit is hard because it limits your calories to a certain maximum, also limiting the type of food you can eat for that week. Imagine trying to snack on a 500 calorie bag of chips, with a maximum calorie intake of 1000 cals - that's half your daily intake already!
Snacks that are low in calories are great for cutting weeks because they help reduce cravings and excess snacking, aka they help keep you sane.
Baby carrots
Source: imgkid.com
Baby carrots are my staple when cutting. A medium baby carrot is only around 5 calories; 100g of it is only 35 calories! It's great because carrots are rich in beta-carotene, which is converted into vitamin A in the body. They make great filler snacks in between meals because they are easy to calculate into your macros. Baby carrots also taste sweeter than regular carrots and need not be cut into pieces -- you can simply wash them well (best if organic), or peel them if you prefer, and munch away.
But be careful because eating too much carrots (or other food rich in beta-carotene) can cause your pigmentation to turn yellow or orange, a strange condition known as carotenemia. Don't be too alarmed: this condition is harmless; with reduced beta-carotene consumption, the pigmentation will fade and skin will return back to normal.
Puffed corn
Source: Arrowhead Mills
I always pack a zipbag of puffed corn (sometimes with a handful of almonds) when at work. It's great for mindless snacking (instead of chips/). Since it is mostly comprised of air (puffed) it has limited calories and unlike its fatty counterpart, flavoured popcorn, it comes in a more natural form: free from butter, added salt (too much sodium = water weight and bloating), and other nasties & baddies. Although at first it will seem like an acquired, sort of bland taste, the flavour gets you hooked eventually. The taste is similar to unbuttered popcorn, but less bland and more flavourful.
Puffed corn is also good for people cutting who have ulcer or hyperacidity as it is a basic food and can be something used to put a little something in your stomach in between meals to prevent it from becoming too acidic.
Cold-brew coffee
Cold brew coffee is a great alternative for a caffeine fix (rather than lattes with copious amounts of sugar and milk/fat-laden cream). The process of extraction (in low temperature water for around 12 hours) leaves the coffee without the bitter acids of roasted/brewed coffee. Hence, you don't need to add sugar or milk for it to taste great! It has a nutty and almost chocolatey taste, a great replacement to black coffee (low in calories which makes it a common staple in most gym-buffs' regimen) that can taste too strong or bitter. Cold brew also has high caffeine content and coffee has been proven to help with fat loss. (Bonus: caffeine helps amp you up for a workout!)
