View Full Version : Caloric Maintenance?
Hey guys, ive done some research, found a few calculators but i havent found a realistic way to compute my maintenance levels.
Im a 26 year old 205 pound 6'0 male.
The research that ive done has led me to believe that my maintenance level is 2700-2800 calories a day.
The weird thing is, im eating about 1900-2100 a day 170-220 grams of protein in a rough 40/40/20 split. When i weigh myself im not losing a single pound, in fact, the last time i weighed myself i was 211, the heaviest ive been in the past five months of working out.
I am doing heavy resistance training with my bowflex home gym and changing up my routine every two weeks as per the instructions. Once or twice a week i hit up the gym and add a routine of bent over rows, deadlifts and squats in addition to the bowflex exercises. I am supplementing with creatine monohydrate, omega 3 fish oil caps and whey protein.
I have not calculated my body fat levels since i began my weight routine in September but when i started, i was 28%.
Im not sure if im still in a fat burning state as i havent really seen any noticeable gains. The only gains that are noticeable is that my back is straightening out a little bit and im getting some definition in that area.
Im wondering exactly where i should be eating calorie wise. When i first lost in excess of 100 pounds i ate like an Ethiopian. I was eating probably 50 grams of protein a day and i was skinny fat to the extreme.
This time around im trying to take things super slow, ie not eating at a huge deficit and focusing on proper supplementation and tons of protein and complex carbs to keep my energy up. Im well aware of the fact that its all a numbers game and i would like to be as accurate as possible if that is indeed possible!
Thanks in advance for any help anyone can offer!
I have not calculated my body fat levels since i began my weight routine in September but when i started, i was 28%.
Not sure how you calculated your BF, but a cheap, easy, accurate method is to use an Accumeasure:
http://www.accumeasurefitness.com/
That will allow for fairly accurate measurements that will you to track changes in LBM from BF, which may account for the scale not changing quite how you thought it should. ;)
Will,
I used one of those horrific electronic handheld calculators that most popular gyms have.
I averaged three different readings on a M/W/F split.
I figured an average taken at the same time of the day on three different days would be at least somewhat accurate and a good starting point.
Will,
I used one of those horrific electronic handheld calculators that most popular gyms have.
I averaged three different readings on a M/W/F split.
I figured an average taken at the same time of the day on three different days would be at least somewhat accurate and a good starting point.
As I said, get an accumeasure. The handheld calcs, scales, etc use BIA, which is essentially worthless outside a well controlled research setting.
Will,
Does loose skin affect the skinfold measurements?
I read a little of the documentation on the website and my question didnt seem to be answered there.
Will,
Does loose skin affect the skinfold measurements?
I read a little of the documentation on the website and my question didnt seem to be answered there.
No doubt, lose skin would have some effects, but the product was well researched (I read their published research and compared the product to the Lang medical calipers which are the gold standard and used in all the studies using calipers to test BF) and no doubt, they would account for the effect. It's still an estimate based on a formula, vs something like a DEXA scan, but it's going to be a much more accurate estimate then those scales and such using BIA methods which really just test hydration levels, which is why the figures can swing to all over the place day to day.
Derek_Connor
12-28-09, 13:29
Magz,
your 40/40/20 split, I assume that is Protein/Fat/Carbs?
If so, on a 1900-2100 calorie diet, 280-420 calories is from carbs? So thats approximately 70-105grams of carbs a day..
I'd venture a guess as well you are intaking alot of water during workouts and through out the day?
When did you start Creatine? How many days in gym a week?
Let me know if I am off on any of this, and sorry for the 20 questions, just getting a background.
I'd definitely invest in a better set of calipers, or even spring for a true water dunk. I've been looking for that myself in JAX lately.
let me know the scoop on the above...im interested to see your responses..
Magz,
your 40/40/20 split, I assume that is Protein/Fat/Carbs?
I had read it as P/C/F. That's usually how the ratio is written, but he may have it different. ;)
Derek,
Sorry for the delay in responding, been busy with a ton of crap lately.
My ROUGH intake is a 40/40/20 split of Protein, Carbs and fat.
Im eating a ton and i mean a ton of chicken breast, tuna, whey protein, turkey and skim milk for my protein sources. For carbs im rocking fresh fruit, brown rice, that barilla plus pasta, whole grain/whole wheat bread and oatmeal, not the instant crap but the whole oats. I dont even cook the stuff, i just slop some milk in there and eat it like cereal.
For fats im getting it from peanut butter, whatever is in my protein source and olive oil.
Im doing a M/W/F split on my bowflex, roughly 30-40 minutes per day of various routines outlined in the included manual.
Im also hitting the gym once or twice a week depending on how sore i am to do a quick routine of bent over rows, deadlifts and squats. I will also sometimes add in the leg press or a calf routine depending on what im doing with my bowflex that particular week.
Ive been on Creatine since December 3rdish so less than a month. Im taking 5mg's a day with about a cup of grape juice.
I did NOT load and i tend to drink my creatine mixture over the course of the day. I always take the creatine post workout but again, its usually spread out over the course of about six hours while im at work so i dont get all "swoll" immediately post workout. :)
Im also drinking roughly 1-2 gallons of water a day as im peeing every 30-40 minutes. Urine is crystal clear 95% of the time with zero odor so i think my kidneys are handling everything just fine.
My only concern at this point is that im using a little more caffeine than i would like and ive heard that caffeine has very negative effects when it comes to creatine absorption.
I bought the generic creatine mono at GNC but i think once i run out of what ive got im going to get some creapure as per Will's recommendations. I find it very hard to dissolve the powder that ive got right now in my water and ive also read that non dissolved creatine is generally turned into creatinine and flushed right out of the body.
Conversely, ive also read that you can take creatine in its powder form direct and it will function the same...not sure which is true but i tend to believe the former instead of the latter.
As far as getting calipers goes i think im going to invest in a set when i get some spare change. I will tell you guys that the mirror is finally showing some results as i can actually feel stomach muscle and i can literally pull loose skin, not loose skin AND fat but just loose skin off of my stomach. Its both a good and a bad feeling but at least its progress and i know for a fact im not going too fast this time around as i feel rested, strong and healthy.
The only downside to all of this is that im finding myself always stuffing my face and im always full. Its really hard to eat 400 calories worth of chicken breast in a sitting lol. I never thought i would complain about eating but when you literally sit down and stuff yourself with an entire head of brocolli and then down some lean protein you start to wonder what the hell you're doing to yourself. :P
I can see why people gain weight, its SO easy to eat calorie dense (ie mostly unhealthy) foods and alot of them.
Derek_Connor
12-30-09, 17:04
Good Scoop.
Could you try 40/20/40 instead?
40% carbs is a bit up there when trying to drop body fat..anyone else agree?
And the stall in weight recently could easily be attributed to the starting of creatine on the 3rd..
Derek,
Even before starting the creatine i didnt appear to be losing any weight.
My actual scale weight was hovering in the 205 range regardless of what i was doing.
Im thinking this has been attributed to noob gains in lean body mass and the way im eating.
I lifted heavily for about a year to two years while losing well over 100 pounds but the problem i ran into was that i was NOT eating enough protein to sustain the growth of muscle which was why i didnt put on any mass and became skinny fat. I was also lifting six days a week repeating a three day split workout twice in one week...too much. I never gave myself any time to grow.
This time around im eating like a horse lol.
As far as changing around my macro ratios im not even sure how i could begin to eat that much fat to get the acceptable level of calories. Also, like i said that guideline above is just a very rough outline of how im eating. I dont want to be on a specific diet for the rest of my life, i just want to eat a certain way to maintain a certain physique and weight. Matt (from the magpul classes) commented that i was less pear shaped than i was so at least someone is noticing some changes. :)
IF i ever decide to go absolutely nuts, ie cut into the 10% body fat range then i will go hog wild with the diet but right now im focusing on a lifestyle change that i can stick to. I fooled myself into thinking the first time i lost weight i was performing a lifestyle change but what i found out was that what i was doing was not sustainable.
Dos Cylindros
12-31-09, 21:42
What is your goal?
I ask because if you want to cut body fat and maintaiin strength there is a very simple formula. I will give you my background so you know where I am coming from. I was in very good shape all through school, but when I became a cop I let myself go. It culminated when I weighed 291 lbs and had a body fat of 28% (I am six feet tall). I was lifting wieghts heavily at this time and pounding weigh and various other "supplements." Sure I could bench alot, but had no cardio stamina at all, and pound for pound was not strong even though I could throw up more than 300 lbs. I vowed to get back into shape, and began research.
First I changed my diet. This is simple, the only supplement that is worth taking is wiegh protien (IMO). As far as diet goes, 5 to 6 small meals a day and never skip breakfast. Plenty of whole grain, fruit and veggies as well as lean protien in the form of beef, turkey, chicken and tuna. When you shop, avoid any food that has the following ingreedients; Enriched flours of any kind, high fructose corn syrup, any hydrodgenated oils. Pay particular attention to breads as most brands use enriched flours, stay with true 100% whole or stone ground wheat. At the beginning I consumed about 2000 calories a day spread out over five to six meals every two and a half to three hours. Pack your food (I do it every day in a patrol car, so there is no excuse). I also significantly cut down on alcohol consumption.
Second, and at the same time I totally revamped my excersice routine. I dropped weight lifting almost entirely and switched to plyometric and body wieght excercises (push ups, pull ups, crunches etc) and I began a dedicated running program.
Three years later I weigh 174 lbs, went from a 44" waist to a 32" waist and have a body fat percentage of 9.5%. I can still bench close to 300 lbs and can do 20+ dead hang pull ups on demand (15 in full uniform on a good day) and I can run 7.5 minute miles for five miles straight on demand. I just finished my first half marathon in sub two hours and am training for a full marathon. My resting heart rate went from 80 plus to 60 BPM and I know I am in as good and likely better shape than anyone I may run into on the street.
Supplements were meant to make you big, the unfortunate part is if you don't count them as part of you caloric intake, or don't expend enough energy through the day you get fat (you may also get muscle). proper diet, alot of cardio and realistic strength training will help you cut fat and not loose muscle. I know plenty of guys who can bench 400 plus, but can't walk up a flight of stairs without sucking wind. How much you can bench means nothing if it's not tempered with diet and cardio. As far as cardio in concerned, there is no substitute for running.
The "average" healthy adult male should be between 16 to 18% body fat. Over 18 is considered overweight. Some people don't fit into this obviously, but they are mostly pro athletes like NFL linemen and are the exception and not the rule. I certainly don't intend to sound preachy, but cutting fat without loosing mucsle is really very simple.
A few good references would be the book eating for life by Bill Phillips and www.freedieting.com. The last has a bunch of calculators to help you figure out calorie intake, and the first has great information about the proper diet.
Good luck to you. Anyone can do it, I did.
Good question and good info, thanks for contributing.
To answer your question, my goal is fairly simple. I want to be in the best shape possible to support my somewhat active lifestyle. I spent five years of my life sitting on my ass in front of a computer playing videogames, im done with that crap now.
I spend the majority of my time working, shooting and being outdoors.
Ideally, strength to me is vitally important as it makes life easier. Pushing, pulling, picking up, setting down, just doing every day activities is easier. You know what im talking about. Picking anything up and trying to move it when you're 300 pounds absolutely sucks. You find yourself fatigued immediately due to a lack of strength and a horribly under developed cardiovascular system.
Right now, my goal is tempered by the fact that i still have alot of fat, alot of loose skin and im somewhat knock kneed, not terribly but its enough to make running uncomfortable. When your thighs slap together and chaff unbelievably it makes going for a run somewhat of a chore. :)
Im working with weights primarily right now to build a muscular structure that will support my bones and improve my posture. Im trying to do away with my hunch back and im attempting to fix other minor issues. Its going to take time.
I do NOT want to be big. I see a ton of guys that are muscular that have no functional strength and coordination. I also think its disgusting looking when you cant touch your own head or shoulders so i think ill avoid falling too deep into the whole body building thing.
So to sum it all up, my long term goal is to maintain an effective weight, whatever that may be with a maximum amount of lean body mass, minimal fat, functional strength and good cardiovascular health.
Right now im working on building muscle and burning fat at the same time. Im trying to go about doing it the right way this time, ie not sloughing the fat and muscle off by creating such a huge calorie deficit that im essentially starving myself.
Im also not pushing myself to cardiovascular extremes six days a week.
Dos Cylindros
01-01-10, 14:06
Cool, it sounds like you have a realistic goal, as good cardio and lean mass are deffinately the way to go.
My maint. calories are now at about 2600 to 2700 a day, which keeps mebetween 174 and 180 give or take. High fiber and protien are diet staples, as well as avoining the ingredients I listed in my last post. I am actually not opposed to a bowflex, as they tend to focus on developing strength over a wide range of movement as opposed to the limmiting more focused gains provided by free weights and other machines.
As far as the loose skin, I went from 291 to 174 and I don't have any to speak of. When you maintain the muscle mass, and even add some it will fill in the skin. I do have a little "sag" when hunched over or in a pushup position but that is my little reminder of how I used to be and a motivator to never go back. I also STRONGLY agree that developing a diet plan that is a lifestyle change as opposed just a diet to cut weight is the only effective way to make sure the weight does not come back.
Good luck to you.
Dos,
Thank you very much man. Eventually ill post up some progress pictures. I dont know if i have any from back when i was pushing 300 but ill see what i can dig up.
I figure in another six months ill be alot closer to where i want to be as the last five months have been fairly incredible from a transformation perspective. Ive never had as much muscle as i do now on my frame. Ive also never seen strength increases like im seeing during my resistance training. Im still fighting my spare tire but i figure its only a matter of time before it goes away for good.
Its pretty cool when you can actually do a chin up and a string of pushups and FEEL strong throughout the motion.
One thing that made this decision easier for me was a realization. Food is fuel. Fuel your car with bottom of the barrel low octane fuel and you're going to receive shit performance. Put top quality race fuel in that bad boy and you're going to be burning rubber.
Same principle with your body. Enjoy what you put into your body but remember, the quality of what goes in counts tremendously.
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