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exphys88
06-23-2012, 12:17 AM
Determining Macros to Lose Fat

The more I’m involved in the health and fitness industry, the more I realize that there are very few absolutes in this field. A particular diet that is an excellent cutting diet for one person may be an impossible diet for someone else to follow. Or, a diet that results in dramatic fat loss for someone may be a slow burner for another. In my opinion, the perfect cutting diet is the one you’re most likely to stick with. I’m going to show you a simple way to determine how much calories, fat, protein, and carbs you should eat to be able to burn off fat and minimize lbm loss. All while still being able to eat foods of your choice.

The “must-haves”
I am of the opinion that there are no “bad foods,” nor “good foods,” just foods that are “everyday foods,” and foods that are “sometimes foods.” Although, I give clients a wide choice of foods to choose from, there are some “must-haves” that I recommend, and I recommend these because I believe that following these will result in better health.
• At least 2 servings of fruit a day
• At least 5 servings of vegetables a day
• Mostly whole grains
• Lots of healthy fats: avocado, fish, olive oil, flax seeds
• Lots of Legumes: Beans, nuts, seeds
• Lots of good protein: Fish, poultry, beans, lean beef, eggs
• At least 100-150 grams of carbs per day

How much carbs?
Carbohydrates are incorrectly labeled as bad, and are usually demonized by bodybuilders, but in reality, they should be eaten on a regular basis as long as you stick to the more nutritious ones. ie, whole grains, legumes, fruit.
Although, I approve of carbs, I do limit them when cutting. Not because carbs cause fat gain, but because when we eat high protein we stay satiated for longer, allowing us to be able to tolerate a caloric deficit better. Additionally, eating high protein while cutting will help minimize lbm loss. Since fat loss is entirely dependent on being in a caloric deficit, we usually don’t have enough calories to be able to eat high protein and high carbs; so logically, replacing some carbs with protein is the best decision.

How much Protein?
Although there are no studies on the protein requirement of aas users (that I’m aware of), I would hypothesize that they require more than an athlete that does not use aas. I generally recommend an intake of 1-1.5 grams of protein per 1 lb of lbm.

How much Fat?
I like to keep fat intake to .35-.5 grams per lb of lbm. Eating a good amount of healthy of fat is not only healthy, but will help keep you feeling fuller for longer and prevent over eating at the next meal.

Calculating your macros
1. The first step is to determine your BMR and multiply it by your activity factor. Basically, this will tell you, based on how active you are how many calories you can eat and remain the same weight. Theoretically, if you eat less than this, you’ll lose weight. Eating 10-20% less calories than this will result in fat loss at a healthy rate.
The equation I like to use is the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, and there are plenty of sites that will calculate this for you using this equation.
2. The next step is to determine how much protein you need to intake. I start off with 1 gram per 1 lb of lbm. You then multiply the number of grams of protein by 4 kcals. This gives you the amount of calories your protein provides.
3. Next, you determine your fat intake starting off with .5 grams of fat per lb of lbm. Multiply the grams by 9 kcals to determine how many calories you’ll get from fat.
4. You now have the amount of calories you should be eating for fat loss, and you have the amount of calories that you will get from protein and fat. The remaining calories that you are allowed to eat will come from carbs. You divide this number of calories by 4 and you have the amount of carbs in grams that you should eat.
5. The last piece is finding the correct foods that will provide these macros in their correct amounts. I personally use fitday.com to do this. They have a massive amount of foods to choose from and its very user friendly, you can even put in your own foods for quick reference.

Example
• 30 year old male, 6’0”, 200 lbs, moderately active.
• BMR=1900
• BMR X Activity factor=2950 cals
• 20% reduction=2350 cals
• 200 grams of protein=800 cals
• 100 grams of fat=900 cals
• 160 grams of carbs=650 cals
• 800+900+650=2350 cals

I am in no way making the claim that this is the best way to go about cutting, it’s just what has always worked for me, and I think it’s a way to cut in a sensible, healthful way. Most diets will work if you follow them and are consistent. The most important part is to be in a caloric deficit.

exphys88

HomeGrown
06-24-2012, 04:55 AM
Nice read

teddybear
06-24-2012, 11:35 PM
Nice read , I have been cutting differently been eating
100-125 g. of carbs a day
400+g of protein a day
? on fats(as leanly as possible)(I boil most meats,and steam my fish)
been working for me.

exphys88
06-25-2012, 10:32 AM
Nice read , I have been cutting differently been eating
100-125 g. of carbs a day
400+g of protein a day
? on fats(as leanly as possible)(I boil most meats,and steam my fish)
been working for me.
Nice. The best cutting diet is the one that you're most likely to stick with. For example, I'm not a huge fan of keto diets, but lots of guys/gals find success with them, so more power to them. There is definitely more than one way to do things, and people can find good health with all sorts of different diets.

Fit Guru
06-25-2012, 02:47 PM
when working with a new client on a contest prep or just a "get lean" diet,i go a minimum 16 weeks.every 2 weeks COULD be the start of a new diet trend.From my experience 2 weeks gives me a pretty good idea of what direction were going.Ive been doing it so long i can just look at someone and know where to go.When you attend a bodybuilding show you can see right away the people who were A:Stubborn and refused to change
B:Poorly coached
C:Just missed their peak
ive judged in the NPC for 24 years and you see alot of the same faces and the biggest mistakes you see is in the "veterans" who think "i got this"

exphys88
06-25-2012, 02:56 PM
when working with a new client on a contest prep or just a "get lean" diet,i go a minimum 16 weeks.every 2 weeks COULD be the start of a new diet trend.From my experience 2 weeks gives me a pretty good idea of what direction were going.Ive been doing it so long i can just look at someone and know where to go.When you attend a bodybuilding show you can see right away the people who were A:Stubborn and refused to change
B:Poorly coached
C:Just missed their peak
ive judged in the NPC for 24 years and you see alot of the same faces and the biggest mistakes you see is in the "veterans" who think "i got this"

If that's you in your avatar, then you obviously know how to get very lean! I've never been below 10% bf, and frankly don't want to. I enjoy food and beer too much, lol. I like 10-12%, it allows me to look good and still have a social life; I'm not a professional bber, obviously.

And, yes 2 weeks is usually the amount of time for a "review of progress."

Fit Guru
06-25-2012, 04:57 PM
Hey no one can stay in the single digits long. Nor would you want to unless it was your "living". Ya gotta live life too huh?? Lol

teddybear
06-25-2012, 07:24 PM
Your probley correct about the best diet is one you can stick to"exphys" Its amazing at how hard it is for ALOT of people to stick to a diet.I have always said loseing weight is one of the toughest things a person can do.

zedhed
06-28-2012, 03:34 PM
^^^Bro you just aint a kidding on that.^^^

Rayca
07-10-2012, 07:48 PM
Hello! Thank you...I've run the gamet this year. I tried low carb, high protein/low fat, high fat, blah, blah. I gotta say, this is one area I think guys are completely different than gals. Age is a HUGE factor in diet, as well as metabolism. I am finally back to where I started and am most comfortable with, 3 squares, with a basic vegetarian diet. Lots of veg., fruit, beans/legumes, some grain and good fats, occasional eggs and fish. Way back in the day, when I was a bodybuilder, I didn't eat much protein at all. I was lucky to get 2 small chicken breasts a day. No breakfast either but tons of rice, rice, rice. I was lean and very cut with lots of muscle volume. I've done some research on protein and women and it's thought that we need less than men so I figure I'm getting about .8-1g per LBM of protein per day. So many people do bodyweight rather than LBM. Big difference there. I'm just not so sure it's quantity of protein vs. making sure you hit the essential aminos as clean as you can get them. I'm experimenting so I'll have to see. Genetics play a big role, too.--Nice post.

exphys88
07-10-2012, 08:38 PM
Thanks rayca. I like your style of eating, and I bet your body does too.
Once I'm done w this cut down to 10% I'm going to shoot for 8-10 servings of fruits and veges/day. Mostly veggies though. I just don't have enough cals in a day to do it right now.

Fit Guru
07-12-2012, 06:10 PM
I add in pineapple early in the day and it works good. A few pro bodybuilder friends of mine do the same.

bubblegumanimals
07-12-2012, 06:52 PM
good stuff. I'm doing my first cut ever at the moment. Really only trying to bring myself down to about 10% because I gained way too much fat over the past year trying to eat. Really though I have no clue what the hell I'm doing haha.
Diet currently (workout days only)
1. 2 whole eggs, 8 whites, 1.5 cups oats with cinnamon and a cup of black coffee
2. prewo: 2 scoops universal milk and egg with 50 g carb
3. Post wo: 2 scoops universal milk and egg with 75 g carb
4. 8 oz tilapia or swai with 1 cup rice and green veg
5. same as 4
6. 10 oz tilapia or swai

off days I run a keto diet. I'm down about 20 lbs. At 230 from 250 ish. Bf is unknown but I know I'm still at about 15% since abs are not visible.

Fit Guru
07-21-2012, 12:21 AM
Bubblegum how much cardio?