WARNING! Long read!
Thats a pretty good explanantion, but to loose weight you have obviously got to go below you calorie/fat allowance and to make sure your doing it right measure how big your arms are chest, belly, legs etc and also take before and after pictures to see how far you come, you'll also need to work out your BMI (Body mass index) and RMR (Resting metabolism Rate) and your calorie allowance as EVERYONE is different. Then once you nail diet and dont go over and do alot of training/cardio you'll drop it in no time! :slayer:
I tend to ignore BMI as it isn't a particularly accurate indicator. It's good as a starting point but once you start to train and gain muscle mass it loses it's importance.
As I have said and no doubt will keep saying diet is the key. As you correctly pointed out you have to be below your calorie allowance. Below is how to work out your daily macros (can be quite confusing so if anyone wants help with it, you know where I am!)
Taken from bodybuilding.com forum:
BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate): This is the amount of calories you need to consume to maintain your body if you were comatose (base level)....
TEE (total energy expenditure)
LBM - Lean body mass
How much do you need?
There is a multitude of things that impact a persons MAINTENANCE calorie requirements
- Age and sex (males generally need > females for any given age)
- Total weight and lean mass (more lean mass = more needed)
- Physiological status (eg: sick or injured, pregnant, growth and 'enhancement')
- Hormones (eg: thyroid hormone levels, growth hormone levels)
- Exercise level (more activity = more needed)
- Daily activity level (more activity = more needed)
- Diet (that is - macronutrient intake)
Estimating Requirements
The simplest method of estimating needs is to base your intake on a standard 'calories per unit of weight (usually kilograms)'. Typically:
- 26 to 30 kcals/kg/day for normal, healthy individuals with sedentary lifestyles doing little physical activity [12.0-14 kcal/pound]
- 31 to 37 kcal/kg/day for those involved in light to moderate activity 3-5 x a week with moderately active lifestyles [14-16 kcal/ pound]
- 38 to 40 kcals/kg/day for those involved in vigorous activity and highly active jobs [16-18 kcal/ pound].
For those involved in HEAVY training (eg: athletes) - the demand is even greater:
- 41 to 50 kcals/kg/day for those involved in moderate to heavy training (for example: 15-20 hrs/ week training) [18.5-22 kcal/ pound]
- 50 or above kcals/kg/day for those involved in heavy to extreme training [> 22 kcal/ pound]
There are, however, a number of more complex formula which calculate a baseline BMR, which you multiply by an 'activity variable' to give TEE.
1/ Harris-Benedict formula:
Particularly inaccurate & derived from studies on LEAN, YOUNG, ACTIVE males in a COLD lab MANY YEARS AGO (1919). Notorious for OVERESTIMATING requirements, especially in the overweight. IF YOU CAN AVOID IT, DON'T USE IT!
For MEN: BMR = 66 + [13.7 x weight (kg)] + [5 x height (cm)] - [6.76 x age (years)]
For WOMEN: BMR = 655 + [9.6 x weight (kg)] + [1.8 x height (cm)] - [4.7 x age (years)]
2/Mifflin-St Jeor:
Developed in the 1990s and more realistic in todays settings, but it still doesn't take into consideration the differences as a consequence of high BF%. Thus, once again, it OVERESTIMATES NEEDS, ESPECIALLY IN THE OVERWEIGHT.
For MEN: BMR = [9.99 x weight (kg)] + [6.25 x height (cm)] - [4.92 x age (years)] + 5
For WOMEN: BMR = [9.99 x weight (kg)] + [6.25 x height (cm)] - [4.92 x age (years)] -161
3/Katch-McArdle:
Considered the most accurate formula for those who are relatively lean. Use ONLY if you have a good estimate of your bodyfat %.
BMR = 370 + (21.6 x LBM)
Where LBM = [total weight (kg) x (100 - bodyfat %)]/100
So to convert BMR a TOTAL requirement you multiply the result by:
1.2 = Sedentary (Little or no exercise and desk job)
1.3-1.4 = Lightly Active (Little daily activity & light exercise 1-3 days a week)
1.5-1.6 = Moderately Active (Moderately active daily life & Moderate exercise 3-5 days a week)
1.7-1.8 = Very Active (Physically demanding lifestyle & Hard exercise or sports 6-7 days a week)
1.9-2.0 = Extremely Active (Hard daily exercise or sports and physical job)
How Accurate are they?
Although these (sometimes) give rough ball-park figures, they are still 'guesstimations'. Most people still OVERESTIMATE activity, and UNDERESTIMATE bodyfat & end up eating TOO MUCH. So - use these as 'rough figures' and monitor your weight/ measurements for 2-4 weeks. IF your weight is stable/ measurements are stable, then you have likely found maintenance.
Using the Above to Recalculate Based on Goals
You will need to DECREASE or INCREASE intake based on your goals (eg: lose or gain mass). And instead of using 'generic calorie amounts' (eg: 500 cals/ day), this is calculated on a % of your maintenance. Why? The effect of a given calorie amount on an individual is going to be markedly different based on their size/ total calorie intake. For example - subtracting 500 cals/ day from a 115# females 1500 total intake is 1/3rd of her total cals but 500 cals/ day for a 215# male on 3500 total intake is only 1/6th of their total... And it will result in markedly different effects on their energy levels and weight loss. Generally:
- to ADD weight: ADD 10-20% calories to your total from above
- to LOSE weight: SUBTRACT 10-20% calories from your total from above
Then monitor your results and adjust as required.
NOTE: IF YOU ARE LESS THAN 18 YRS OF AGE - THESE FORMULA WILL NOT BE ACCURATE!
There is an energy cost associated with growth / inefficient movement / high surface area:mass ratio.
As a teenager I would also STRONGLY suggest you don't obsess on calories and macros! Eat well, exercise regularly, and have fun while you can!
Macronutrient Needs
Once you work out the above, you can work out how much of each macronutrient you should aim for. This should NOT be based on a generic RATIO of total calorie intake such as '30:40:30 or 40:40:20 Your body doesn't CARE what % intake you have for macronutrients. It works in terms of SUFFICIENT QUANTITY per LEAN MASS or TOTAL MASS. This is one of the areas that is MOST often confused - so to try to make it as simple as possible:
1. Protein: Believe it or not - Protein intake is a bit of a controversial issue. In this, the general recommendations given in the 'bodybuilding' area are nearly double the 'standard' recommendations given in the Sports Nutrition Arena. And to run through BOTH areas......
GENERAL sports nutrition /most studies out suggest that in the face of ADEQUATE calories and CARBS then the following protein intakes are sufficient:
STRENGTH training -> 1.2 to 1.6g per KG bodyweight (about .6 / pound)
ENDURANCE training -> 1.4 to 1.8g per KG bodyweight (about .8 / pound)
ADOLESCENT in training -> 1.8 to 2.2g per KG bodyweight (about 1g / pound)
BUT they also acknowledge that protein becomes MORE important in the context of LOWER calorie intakes, or LOWER carb intakes.
Some general 'bodybuilding' guidelines would be as follows:
- If bodyfat UNKNOWN but AVERAGE = 1-1.25g per pound TOTAL weight
- If bodyfat KNOWN = 1.25-1.5g per pound LEAN weight
If you are VERY LEAN or if you are on a LOW TOTAL CALORIE INTAKE then protein becomes more important - so:
- Average bodyfat, lower calorie intake = 1.25-1.5 per pound total mass
- Bodyfat known, lower calorie intake = 1.33-2 per pounds lean mass
If you are VERY OVERWEIGHT, VERY INACTIVE, and NOT on a lower calorie diet then you can decrease slightly BELOW the above levels:
- overweight or high calorie intake = ~ 1 x LEAN mass to 0.8-1 x total weight in pounds
Anecdotally, most find the HIGHER protein intake better for satiety, partitioning, and blood sugar control. So UNLESS you are specifically guided to use the GENERAL sports nutrition guidelines, I would suggest the BODYBUILDING values.
2. Fats: Generally speaking, although the body can get away with short periods of very low fat, in the long run your body NEEDS fat to maintain general health, satiety, and sanity. Additionally - any form of high intensity training will benefit from a 'fat buffer' in your diet - which acts to control free radical damage and inflammation. General guides:
Average or lean: 1 - 2g fat/ kg body weight [between 0.45 - 1g total weight/ pounds]
High bodyfat: 1-2g fat/ LEAN weight [between 0.45 - 1g LEAN weight/ pounds]
IF low calorie dieting - you can decrease further, but as a minimum, I would not suggest LESS than about 0.35g/ pound.
Note 1: Total fat intake is NOT the same as 'essential fats' (essential fats are specific TYPES of fats that are INCLUDED in your total fat intake)...
3. Carbs: VERY important for athletes, HIGHLY ACTIVE individuals, or those trying to GAIN MASS - Carbs help with workout intensity, health, and satiety (and sanity). But there are no specific 'requirements' for your body. Carbs are basically used by most as 'the extra stuff'.
For 'general folk' to calculate your carbs you just calculate it from the calories left over from fats/ protein:
carb calories = Total calorie needs - ([protein grams as above x 4] + [fat grams as above x 9])]
carbs in grams = above total/ 4
If you are an athlete - I would actually suggest you CALCULATE a requirement for these as a PRIORITY - then go back and calculate protein / fat:
moderately active: 4.5 - 6.5 g/ kg (about 2 - 3g/ pound)
highly active: 6.5 - 9 g/ kg (about 3 - 4g/ pound)
PRACTICAL EXAMPLE:
I weigh 155lbs (70kg) with 7.5% bodyfat (very skinny
)
BMR = 370 + (21.6*LBM)
Where LBM = [total weight (kg) * (100-bf%)]/100
LBM = [70*(100-7.5)]/100
= [70*(92.5/100)]
= 70*0.925
= 64.75kg
BMR = 370 + (21.6*64.25)
= 370 + 1398
= 1768
Multiply your BMR (1768) by your ACTIVITY FACTOR. For me it is around 1.5, giving a total of 2652.
Take this total and ADD 10-20% to gain mass and SUBTRACT 10-20% to lose weight. Since I am trying to gain weight my caloric intake for the day would be 3182 calories.
Now that we know how many calories to eat we need to work out where they come from.
Protein - I am going to use the recommendations for the 'bodybuilding' bit, and since I am lean with little bf% I will be using 1.5-2 g/lbm which gives 96-128g of protein a day which is 384-512 calories from protein. (multiply by 4)
Fat - I am lean so I will be using around 0.7g per lb so 108g of fat which gives 976 calories from fat (multiply by 9)
Carbs - As suggested calculate from the remaining calories.
Total calories - ([protein grams*4]+[fat grams*9])
3182 - (384+976) = 3182 - 1360
= 1822
Divide this by 4 to calculate the grams = 455g (using minimum protein, 96g)
If we use the maximum protein value (128g) the results are:
3182 - (512+976) = 3182 - 1488
= 1649, divide by 4 = 423.5g
So there we have it...quite mathematical but it's not too hard once you get stuck in.
Calories - 3182
Protein - 96-128g
Fats - 108g
Carbs - 423-455g
