im assuming your goal is to cut which I think it should be, if your maintenance is about 2800 I calculated it to be about that, then your goal should be about a 20% cut (500cals) so your gonna wanna eat about 2300, but make sure you go back up to maintenance every once a week to keep your metabolism strong, since you just started you could probably get away with a little more make sure you lift hard too take advantage of those newb gains. General rule of thumb is to eat a gram of protein/per lb body weight, although some disagree, I think its better to split up into 5/6 meals a day. As long as you stay w/in your cal limit, you stick to a well balanced diet of complex carbs, lean protein, fruits, veggies, lean dairy, and good poly/mono unsaturated fats like peanut butter and tuna/seafood you should be fine 3rd day seems like a goal you should go for about 2300cals and more protein, too much fat most of the days and its ok to have alcohol sometimes as a cheat but stick to water.
Looking For A Little Feedback
- Thread starter mdawson2
- Start date
Keep in mind that this Harris-Benedict Formula is simply a rough estimate and is not purported to be so accurate - i.e. it treat 3 days of exercise as the equivalent of 5 days and the duration of exercise can vary - that you have to adhere to it down to the last calorie. Given you train 5 days a week and some of that is HIIT, you could just as easily be closer to 2,800 or 2,900.
That aside, this formula below is another one ( of many ) you might want to try as it attempts to account for cardio and weight training calories separately. It isn't necessarily any more accurate than the Harris-Benedict Formula mind you, but between the 2, you might have a better handle on what maintenance calorie level seems best suited to your personal circumstances...........
A - Your weight in pounds
B - Take A X 11 = RMR calories
C - Take B X 1.6 for your daily activities calories
D - Number of minutes you weight lift per week X 5
E - Number of minutes you do aerobic cardio, sports etc. per week X 8
F - Add D & E....divide by 7
G - Add C & F to get an estimate of your daily maintenance calories
B - Take A X 11 = RMR calories
C - Take B X 1.6 for your daily activities calories
D - Number of minutes you weight lift per week X 5
E - Number of minutes you do aerobic cardio, sports etc. per week X 8
F - Add D & E....divide by 7
G - Add C & F to get an estimate of your daily maintenance calories
.......to which, you can cut your maintenance calories by 20% or so as starting approach toward helping you shed some fat.
Miterez - further to what mdawson2 has said...in terms of macro nutrients.
The daily protein guideline suggestion of " a gram of protein/per lb body weight " is not a bad place to start. Beyond that, I'd start at somewhere around 25% of your overall daily calories ( net of 20% ) to come from fat, with the remainder - i.e the plug to your total calories for the day - of your calories to come from carbs. If you're doing some intense weight training sessions and HIIT, you're going to be relying on your glycogen stores quite a lot, and carbs are the best to keep those glycogen stores topped up to ensure you perform at your best IMO.
What do you mean by "net of 20%"? I don't understand
Calc your maintenance, reduce it by 20% , then run the numbers ( i.e net of that 20% reduction ) for the macros based on the rough guidelines I mentioned.
Look up "protein requirements for athletes" in a web search to get some tables. These are generally based on grams of protein per pound or kg of body weight per day, although some tables specify lean body weight (i.e. excluding body fat).
The usual numbers are 0.4 to 1.0 g/lb/day. 0.4 is only for sedentary people; those who exercise generally need more. 1.0 is generally listed for strength athletes and body builders, although those at the elite levels may take in even more some of the time. Those looking to lose body fat through calorie deficit while maintaining muscle may need more than others of similar activity level.
1.0 g/lb/day is frequently suggested on these forums because it is an easy to remember number that is enough or more than enough for most recreational athletes, but is not too much for generally healthy people. However, it may be difficult to get that much protein on a calorie restricted diet unless one carefully selects protein foods that don't have a lot of fat and/or carbohydrate "baggage".
Regarding fat and carbohydrate, concentrate on getting the good versions of both, while avoiding the bad versions of both. Good fats come from fish, nuts, and vegetable sources (except coconut and palm oils); avoid hydrogenated oils. Good carbohydrates come from vegetables, whole fruits, legumes, and whole grains; avoid added sugars and limit refined grains. If you are restricting calories, be wary of fried carbohydrates, which are a double whammy of fat and carbohydrates that tend not to induce a lot of satiety.
Wasn't expecting that fast of a replies!
Mdawson2: I agree w/the "too much fat." Once you finally start tracking, it's amazing how much I still need to get a better hold.
Wrangell: Thanks for the other calculator. Understood on your 2nd post.
Phate89: Totally agree. I can't believe how much bad stuff I was eating and how much protein you need to put into the system.
tjl: I'll check it out, thanks.
I'll make these adjustments and if nobody minds I'll post up 8 days from now to get some more critiquing if that's alright.
Mdawson2: I agree w/the "too much fat." Once you finally start tracking, it's amazing how much I still need to get a better hold.
Wrangell: Thanks for the other calculator. Understood on your 2nd post.
Phate89: Totally agree. I can't believe how much bad stuff I was eating and how much protein you need to put into the system.
tjl: I'll check it out, thanks.
I'll make these adjustments and if nobody minds I'll post up 8 days from now to get some more critiquing if that's alright.