I am new to counting macros and am trying to lose weight while gaining muscle. I'm wondering if I should I be calculating MACROS for the weight I want to be or the weight I'm at now. I want to 60lbs lighter, but muscular. I am not interested in PEDs, no offense, just not for me. Looking to do this naturally and want to calculate the macros correctly.
New To MACROS... HELP
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Send0
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well you first calculate the required caloric deficit required for your weight loss. You estimate this based on your current weight today.
Then your protein should be calculated at 1g -1.5g per lb of bodyweight... multiply by 4 to get the number of calories this makes up, subtract this from the calories required for the deficit.
Then with the remaining calories, add carbs and fat as you see fit. Carbs are worth 4 calories per gram, and fats are worth 9 calories per gram.
Does this make sense?
CJ
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Basically counting calories and protein is what's important. Carbs and fats aren't as important, just don't do any weird fad diet.
Eat quality, nutritious foods that you like, in amounts that add up to a calorie deficit. Try to lose 0.5-1.0% of your bodyweight per week.
If you keep your protein high, and exercise, then the weight loss should be mostly fat and water.
Might I add this to finding maintenance most accurately.
You can use inline calculators to get in the ball park of what your maintenance calories should be.
Don’t try to lose weight for a week or two. Or gain it. Track what you currently eat with zero changes accuratley. Then boom, you know exactly what your baseline is.
Then from there you can cut 3500 calories spread throughout the week, or an average of roughly 500 calories a day to loose a pound of fat per week.
Just know as your weight goes down and you eat less, your maintenance will to and it will be necessary to adjust in time. But don’t freak out if progress stalls for a short time only. So don’t over adjust is what I mean.
You can use inline calculators to get in the ball park of what your maintenance calories should be.
Don’t try to lose weight for a week or two. Or gain it. Track what you currently eat with zero changes accuratley. Then boom, you know exactly what your baseline is.
Then from there you can cut 3500 calories spread throughout the week, or an average of roughly 500 calories a day to loose a pound of fat per week.
Just know as your weight goes down and you eat less, your maintenance will to and it will be necessary to adjust in time. But don’t freak out if progress stalls for a short time only. So don’t over adjust is what I mean.
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I've heard to use lean body mass rather than total bodyweight for protein calculations. so like a 180lb pretty lean guy would be using the same amount of protein if you slapped 150lbs of extra fat added on him.
Send0
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The problem is the vast majority of people, even experienced ones, can't say with any certainty how lean they actually are.
More protein never hurts, it often time helps (especially in a cut), but less protein could set you back in regards to muscle loss or even just impact your ability to recover in between training sessions.
Personally for a cut, I'd rather have more of my calories come from protein than other macros.
Remember, the amount of calories needed for a cut is based on total body weight. So in turn macros should be calculated against total body weight.
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Well the calories are based on total bodyweight because a larger body still requires more energy. Same muscle amount on a larger, fatter body would need the same protein. But yeah either way I like to go way over this number just to be sure. definitely doesn't hurt
I like to base it off ideal body weight. So if a 5’6 female weighed 300 lbs, let’s say with some muscle on her and not too lean ideal would be 150 lbs. I’d say 150 grams of protein for her.
So even though her lean body mass may be less, you’re covering your braises and a touch more protein may be beneficial like sendo said, and at worst if she falls short of protein by 15-20 grams in a day here and there then no sweat.
CJ
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If he wants to lose 60 lbs, I'd suggest a harder cut, not the standard 500 calorie deficit.
Having that much extra fat allows for a more aggressive calorie deficit, without much issue, besides hunger.
Eating mostly lean meats and veggies, he can drop weight quickly.
Having that much extra fat allows for a more aggressive calorie deficit, without much issue, besides hunger.
Eating mostly lean meats and veggies, he can drop weight quickly.
Pinkbear
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Easy mode
Protein- 1 gram per pound of bodyweight you wanna be
Fat - 50-100g just try and keep it below 100g
Carbs - fill the rest of your calories with this.
Carbs and cardio are the only thing you will need to adjust. Eat the same Carbs for a week. Did your weight go up or down? If it went up take away 50g of carbs a week.
I don't recommend dropping below 100g of carbs, unless you wanna go keto. But if you hit 100g of carbs a day and still not losing weight, up the cardio instead of dropping calories.
Protein- 1 gram per pound of bodyweight you wanna be
Fat - 50-100g just try and keep it below 100g
Carbs - fill the rest of your calories with this.
Carbs and cardio are the only thing you will need to adjust. Eat the same Carbs for a week. Did your weight go up or down? If it went up take away 50g of carbs a week.
I don't recommend dropping below 100g of carbs, unless you wanna go keto. But if you hit 100g of carbs a day and still not losing weight, up the cardio instead of dropping calories.
The 500 wasn’t a recommendation but an example.
I see why it seems like that though. It was kinda a fill in the blank for what you want out of it. Want more, cut more.
I wouldn’t shoot out the gates crazy though honestly. Not more than 2 lbs a week or so unless it just super easily happens. Not unless he knows his body well, which I doubt he does due to the nature of the question.
Do you have any lifting experince?
Send0
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even if he does, that sentence he wrote is a pipe dream really. He doesn't want to use PEDs, which is fine... but most people cannot even gain muscle while in a cut and using PEDs, and natties have even less hope of muscle retention... let alone gaining muscle mass.
He needs to pick a single goal and target it specifically. Either lose fat, or put on muscle... trying to do both will just have him spin his wheels
I agree that he should focus on one goal at a time.
But I also wouldn’t be surprised if he is totally new to lifting and had diet on point, that he puts on a small amount of muscle during the cut.
Or if he once had a legitimate amount of muscle and took off for a long time then he’d build a little back too in a cut.
I wouldn’t want him planning on it though. Was just curious if he’s ever lifted or what he does.
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Sounds like he's way overweight. I'd be willing to bet with high protein and lowish-moderate carbs he's stack on some weight while losing some fat.
Send0
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and when someone is very overweight, in a deficit, and a newbie... how does they tell if they gained muscle while losing fat?
I prefer to give people realistic expectations, and if the exceed them then that's great. But just like all those "1st cycle transformations" you see, it can happen but it's not likely.
Better to focus on a single goal and target it like a rabid dog.
Diesel59
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To add to the obvious protein focus, I'll say limit your fat intake to .3 grams per pound of bodyweight. So if you weigh 240 pounds, then eat around 80 grams of fat per day. Before I started tracking, I was eating over 100 grams of fat per day and wasn't even realizing it.
You can get a ton of protein with limited fat by eating chicken breasts, canned tuna, 99/1 ground turkey, 96/4 ground beef and other lean sources.
You can get a ton of protein with limited fat by eating chicken breasts, canned tuna, 99/1 ground turkey, 96/4 ground beef and other lean sources.
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