Cut - how much to lose and can I still make progress

[AFNick68]

Hi

5'7", 217 lbs. I am reaching the end of a very protracted NLP and in the past few months I have frankly veered into 'dirty bulking'; fast food, pizza, beer on the weekend, etc. I dont think my belly is horrible, but there's definitely a belly where there wasn't one before and it's starting to feel unhealthy. I started the NLP probably around 170, I dont know exactly. I never really weighed myself because I knew I was gaining weight and the lifts were going up. When I stepped on the scale the other day I expected 200 not 217. My pants have gone from 34-36" to now 40" waist.

My current plan is to go into a cut immediately. Any recommendation on how much to lose? I want to just pick a target and get it done in 2-3 months max. I was thinking either just come down to 200 (~15 lbs) or cut until I am back to a 35" waist and those pants start to fit, then move into a cleaner more controlled bulk. Also, is there any reasonable expectation to keep my strength in such a cut, or should I just try to hang on to what I got and expect to lose some. Current numbers are:
Squat 3x5 315
Bench 3x5 220
Press 3x5 160
Deadlift 1x5 350

Thanks.

[Robert Santana]

Clean up the diet and get down to 200 lb. If you simply cut out the junk and eat less calorically dense food options you'll probably lose without even trying.