Calories to Consume?

[theapprentice]

I am a 20 year old male and I wiegh 160 and I am 5' 10". I was confused after reading Diesels post about only eating 1600 calories a day when my bmr is 1800.

For a 20 year old shouldnt the BMR be a little higher at around 2000-2500. I mean I dont really know any accurate way to calculate my BMR.

But most sights say the average for a 20 year old is about 1800kcal. So Im assuimg that if I eat 1600 calories and then Jog for about 30 minutes Im losing about another 300 calories.

So that means that eating 1600 calories a day and then jogging on top of that would mean that I am eating about 600 kcal (jogging included) less from a 1800kcal BMR. Assuming that my BMR is 2000. Then I am at a loss of 700kcal a day.

700 x 4 (on days jogging, BMR = 2000kcal) = 2800
400 x 3 (Days not jogging, BMR = 2000kcal) = 1200 +
---------------------------------------------------
7 days = 4000 calories less a week which is about a 1 lb and 500 extra calories.

Knowing your BMR is very important to calculate your caloric intake for a diet so you can estimate how much weight you lose a week.

Is my math right?

 

[A-Unit]

Re:

What you burn is based on composition and activity level.

BMR, or basal metabolic rate, is the base rate of calorie burn of your body needed to sustain life. From there, calculations add activity level factors. BMR is normally low, and most of the burn goes to the ORGANS and processes necessary to sustain life, such as cell regeneration, growth of the body, life (blood pumping, heart beating, lungs breathing, etc), and digestion.

In order of "burn"...it's...

[1] Sustenance of life.
[2] Activity
[3] Body composition

Resting muscle burns only a smaller amount than resting fat, and yes, resting fat does burn SOME calories just to sit there, but not enough to be factored into your calorie requirements. NOW, if you're active, and a LOW % bodyfat, you'll burn more calories than someone of the same WEIGHT, although different in body composition. A fat person, obese if you will, 250+, and just fat, who tries to go INTENSE, will burn alot, too, because it requires much more EFFORT to get the body up and going and to sustain that intensity, than someone who is conditioned to do that. Moreover, moving more weight will generate more calorie burn. A lighter person will burn less calories because there's less to move. Much like inertia, a fat person needs more "get up" to go, than a lighter person. Make sense.

The calorie target isn't perfect. Find your BMR, and then add some activity factor to it based on your daily activity level, and then add in expected burn from exercise and lifting. If I find one, I'll post it. I have some at home, but I'm posting without the advantage of my notes and books and don't want to be incorrect. I'm sure you can GOOGLE the equation. Nonetheless, and example would be...

-BMR of 1600
-Activity level based on moderate work, classes, school, etc (I.e. Not a desk jockey, or KBJ) This might add a few hundred calories to your burn.
-Lifting or running burned calories, which might hit 250+.

So if you're the normal hs or college student, and you want to GAIN muscle, you'd eat 2,000+ calories. One, you have to fulfill your calorie needs JUST to live and grow. Two, you have to fill back in what you burn running classes, skipping meals, playing at gym, running/walking to classes (some older people don't want near as much as students do nowadays). Three, you have to add back what you burn LIFTING or RUNNING or PLAYING sports. Four, you THEN have to account for WHAT amount of muscle you want to add to your frame. And these calories should be FAT and PROTEIN. Perhaps 80% should be protein. So if you're adding 500 calories beyond what you need to live and breathe and be alive for your schedule, then 80% or 400 calories goes to protein, and that would equate to 100 more GRAMS of protein. ALSO, factor in that your BASE diet is centered on FATs, PROTEINs, and CARBs, you'd be pushing 200-300 grams per day.

Whatever the pundits say on calorie consumption of MORE carbs rather than protein are wrong. If you're hyper active, like FOOTBALL, basketball, etc, you'll consume whatever you can, because your athletic burn will likely be OVER 4,000 per day, so it doesn't matter what you consume, ONLY THAT YOU GET MASSIVE AMONTS OF CALORIES TO REPLACE WHAT YOU BURN AND ADD BACK WHAT YOU WANT to GROW and get stronger.

Does this make sense why so few of you grow to your potential?

[] You focus on workouts that add little to your overall size and strength.
[] You don't eat enough, or understand how calories impact your size and performance.
[] You eat the wrong kinds of calories. Carbs won't add size. They first act to replace energy and place a minor role in bodily functions, but they don't hold a candle to building muscle. They are useful in post workout consumption to replace lost calories quickly, and prevent cortisol production that would seek to breakdown muscle that would be used to replace sugar stores, but that's it. Most glycogen is stored in the liver and muscle cells. And it's burned quickly whenever it is used.

1. Account for calories of living daily. This should still mean eating 1 g. of protein PER pound of body weight. Then add in good fats, some carbs and vitamins.
2. Account for what you burn doing your exercises, taking into account your goal. If you're dropping weight, chop off 250 calories and then work the rest off. You might not even have to chop calories. Starvation is the last resort. Just increase activity and you won't feel punished. If you're adding weight, add 300-500 calories. It's not a precise science, but just eat a bunch more of the good stuff, and check your bf. If it's creeping up, then work it off. Or cut back THOSE extra calories. Anytime you push below what your body wants to maintain, IT will cut back bodyweight AND stop dropping fat as quickly.

Once you get, it's quite easy to manage your weight. Most of the obesity in America is attributable to a larger diet focused on Carbohydrates coupled with a decrease in activity levels. That's a HUGE gap. If people consumed MORE fat + protein, they'd feel fuller so they'd be less likely to consume MORE protein and fat. Yet, carbs only bring the hunger pains on, so it's a cycle. No activity. Eat carbs. Get hungry, eat more carbs. No activity. etc, etc.



A-Unit

 

[theapprentice]

can

Can I eat 1600 calories and do cardio and weightlift and increase my ratio of protein to everything else, this way I lose fat and I can build muscle at the same time?

 

[theapprentice]

wow thats alot more

THats alot more than I consume. I eat about 2000 calories a day and I maintain my weight.

 

[simon]

Yeah, you kinda need to eat a lot to gain muscle. On 1600 calories you'll probably shrink.

 

[mrRuckus]

You say "whatever the hell that is" but think you eat way more than it? How can you know that?

Lots of people think they eat a crapload but if they calculate it it's not really that much.

 

[theapprentice]

hmmm

What I am trying to do is lose my belly fat because I am skinny fat. I was trying to think of a way that I could lose fat but keep and put on some more muscle.

I was thinking of eating about 1600 kcal and doing cardio and weightlifting and moving my diet toward more protein maybe 50% protein.

This way I lose weight by eating 1600 kcal and running, and I gain muscle by eating the protein and working out.

 

[Warboss Alex]

What I am trying to do is lose my belly fat because I am skinny fat. I was trying to think of a way that I could lose fat but keep and put on some more muscle.

I was thinking of eating about 1600 kcal and doing cardio and weightlifting and moving my diet toward more protein maybe 50% protein.

This way I lose weight by eating 1600 kcal and running, and I gain muscle by eating the protein and working out.

you won't be gaining ANY muscle on 1600kcal! all you'll succeed in doing is shutting down lipolysis (fat burning) and your thyroid, gym perfomance will go to hell, switching to protein as an energy source and you'll end up skinnier fat.

I haven't read the whole thread but if you want to recomposition your body then you must starting big and clean, while doing lots of slow fasted cardio (so as not to interfere with strength gains) to directly torch the fat, timing your carbs, drinking your green/white tea and staying active to keep the metabolism up.

How many carbs and calories depends on whether you want to lean more towards muscle growth or fat loss during your recomposition, i.e. if you want to gain a little muscle and lose a lot of fat then you'll need a stricter diet, if you want to gain more muscle and have just a little fat to lose then your diet can be more relaxed. But please, for the love of pete, eat something.

 

[6-heads lewis]

thanks for the details a-unit, i was struggling to make sense of this myself.

 

[A-Unit]

Re:

For guys that are "skinny Fat", go the gym. Girls dislike the MOSt super-skinny guys, and if there's ONE guy lowest on the evolutionary totum pole it would be the super skinny fat guy, or super skinny guy. At least if you've got SOME belly fat, and add muscle, you have muscle, strength, and energy. But surely NO man should be consuming 1600 calories, unless you're retired, or in a nursing home. 1600 calories is far too low for males past their teen years.

IF you succeed at being skinnier, your accomplishment isn't great because THEN you will inevitably add some fat when you go to put muscle on, NEGATING all the time and energy that was devoted to building muscle. Initially, adding fat isn't easy, just like adding muscle isn't easy. When you get both going, it becomes very easy. They're like freight trains. Once you begin building muscle, you can do it easier. And once you set a goal to lose fat, you can do that as well. It's just the initial inertia necessary to get started that requires the MOST effort of you.

At least if you start getting into the habit of SHAPING your body based on your life, you can end up somewhere better than where you are. Get lifting. Get exercising. Be active. Eat right. Learn to cook GOOD meals, that maybe you can use for treating the ladies to also.

As Alex said, going to lot won't stimulate anything but FAT accumulation, because you'll shut fat burning down, and enter into catabolism. Your body will literally pillage your muscle, decrease organ size, and slow your activity level down further. Your energy will therefore be slower, and you won't WANT to lift heavy when the time comes. A little bodyfat with muscle is BETTER than no bodyfat and NO muscle. That much I can guarantee of women, if nothing else. A girl would go with a somewhat beefier linebacker, than she would the super scrawny, no fat guy.

And with added muscle, when you're active, you'll be able to chop off more fat, because your active muscle will burn more given your increased weight and the increased calorie demands of muscle over fat.

Calorie calculation should really only be estimated unless your ultimate goal is pro-bodybuilding, even then we can't account for calories burned doing unexpected activities, playing with cousins, kids, or other people, randomly running errands, have sporadic sexual trists, etc, etc. Life is obviously unpredictable, so we can't accurately identify calorie burn. WE CAN estimate calorie consumption based on GOALS, and at least TRIGGER the necessary physiological protocols to MAKE certain things happen. Even 500 calories per week does not guarantee a linear progression of weight gain, or weight loss. It's a moving target. As you drop 1 pound, then 2, then 3, etc, the hormonal changes also accompany your weight changes. The body will reach new levels of calorie requirements in either direction.

FOR now, if you're of average body size, with no noticeable muscle, or at least nothing on you that makes someone think WOW, or a woman to say you LOOk athletic, a guy should target...

-1g of protein per lb of bodyweight and adjust accordingly (upward, in time)
-make carbs less than 25% of total calories
-fill in the blank with fat grams.

Why 25% carbs?

For starters, the body isn't MEANT to use SUGAR as energy, it only does so in America b/c we train it to consume that. Stored bodyfat is MEANT for the gap between energy burned and energy consumed IF one ever exists. FOr most, there's no gap. Furthermore, sugar beyond 25%, which is all carbs are, triggers fat storage and muscle atrophy. Even if you're consuming BIG calories, BIG grams of carbs will more readily convert to FAT/ADIPOSE tissue b/c they are not precursors to muscle. Sure, they are needed by the body in total for certain processes, but in the basic diet, a few fruits and vegetables will suffice ALL the necessary carbs you need. If you're sluggish in the gym, then up the carbs, and make sure you consume them AROUND the gym time. But outside that time slots, when you do it, do it considering its "cheating", or that for some reason you crave it knowing you might be lacking in carbs. Don't deny the diet and your response system, but don't make it the staple that so many people do.

If you have TOO much carbs, then to maintain a certain look, you'll have to cut fat OR protein, which will further impact growth, recovery, and your overall appearance. Protein CAN strain the kidneys, BUT, you have to have it WITH something. Not protein alone. Have protein WITH fat or carbs, in a large quantity when you do. Excessive protein can lead to poisoning, and early explorers would get sick on PROTEIN only diets, lack in fat or carbs. That's why deer meat was so beloved, b/c it contained a good balance of fat and protein. And many guys can identify this poisoning because it leads to diarrhea, sickness, bloating, etc. If you consume a WHEY only shake with nothing else, it hardly feels good. I've done it, and had it, before I realized and read what it was. Never again.



A-Unit

 

[Warboss Alex]

For guys that are "skinny Fat", go the gym. Girls dislike the MOSt super-skinny guys, and if there's ONE guy lowest on the evolutionary totum pole it would be the super skinny fat guy, or super skinny guy. At least if you've got SOME belly fat, and add muscle, you have muscle, strength, and energy. But surely NO man should be consuming 1600 calories, unless you're retired, or in a nursing home. 1600 calories is far too low for males past their teen years.

IF you succeed at being skinnier, your accomplishment isn't great because THEN you will inevitably add some fat when you go to put muscle on, NEGATING all the time and energy that was devoted to building muscle. Initially, adding fat isn't easy, just like adding muscle isn't easy. When you get both going, it becomes very easy. They're like freight trains. Once you begin building muscle, you can do it easier. And once you set a goal to lose fat, you can do that as well. It's just the initial inertia necessary to get started that requires the MOST effort of you.

At least if you start getting into the habit of SHAPING your body based on your life, you can end up somewhere better than where you are. Get lifting. Get exercising. Be active. Eat right. Learn to cook GOOD meals, that maybe you can use for treating the ladies to also.

As Alex said, going to lot won't stimulate anything but FAT accumulation, because you'll shut fat burning down, and enter into catabolism. Your body will literally pillage your muscle, decrease organ size, and slow your activity level down further. Your energy will therefore be slower, and you won't WANT to lift heavy when the time comes. A little bodyfat with muscle is BETTER than no bodyfat and NO muscle. That much I can guarantee of women, if nothing else. A girl would go with a somewhat beefier linebacker, than she would the super scrawny, no fat guy.

And with added muscle, when you're active, you'll be able to chop off more fat, because your active muscle will burn more given your increased weight and the increased calorie demands of muscle over fat.

Calorie calculation should really only be estimated unless your ultimate goal is pro-bodybuilding, even then we can't account for calories burned doing unexpected activities, playing with cousins, kids, or other people, randomly running errands, have sporadic sexual trists, etc, etc. Life is obviously unpredictable, so we can't accurately identify calorie burn. WE CAN estimate calorie consumption based on GOALS, and at least TRIGGER the necessary physiological protocols to MAKE certain things happen. Even 500 calories per week does not guarantee a linear progression of weight gain, or weight loss. It's a moving target. As you drop 1 pound, then 2, then 3, etc, the hormonal changes also accompany your weight changes. The body will reach new levels of calorie requirements in either direction.

FOR now, if you're of average body size, with no noticeable muscle, or at least nothing on you that makes someone think WOW, or a woman to say you LOOk athletic, a guy should target...

-1g of protein per lb of bodyweight and adjust accordingly (upward, in time)
-make carbs less than 25% of total calories
-fill in the blank with fat grams.

Why 25% carbs?

For starters, the body isn't MEANT to use SUGAR as energy, it only does so in America b/c we train it to consume that. Stored bodyfat is MEANT for the gap between energy burned and energy consumed IF one ever exists. FOr most, there's no gap. Furthermore, sugar beyond 25%, which is all carbs are, triggers fat storage and muscle atrophy. Even if you're consuming BIG calories, BIG grams of carbs will more readily convert to FAT/ADIPOSE tissue b/c they are not precursors to muscle. Sure, they are needed by the body in total for certain processes, but in the basic diet, a few fruits and vegetables will suffice ALL the necessary carbs you need. If you're sluggish in the gym, then up the carbs, and make sure you consume them AROUND the gym time. But outside that time slots, when you do it, do it considering its "cheating", or that for some reason you crave it knowing you might be lacking in carbs. Don't deny the diet and your response system, but don't make it the staple that so many people do.

If you have TOO much carbs, then to maintain a certain look, you'll have to cut fat OR protein, which will further impact growth, recovery, and your overall appearance. Protein CAN strain the kidneys, BUT, you have to have it WITH something. Not protein alone. Have protein WITH fat or carbs, in a large quantity when you do. Excessive protein can lead to poisoning, and early explorers would get sick on PROTEIN only diets, lack in fat or carbs. That's why deer meat was so beloved, b/c it contained a good balance of fat and protein. And many guys can identify this poisoning because it leads to diarrhea, sickness, bloating, etc. If you consume a WHEY only shake with nothing else, it hardly feels good. I've done it, and had it, before I realized and read what it was. Never again.
A-Unit

A-Unit,

Man, you've never posted up anything wrong. But where do you find the patience? lol.

Keep it up!

Alex