Need help figuring out food intake amounts/percentages

**dvldog4c** · 01-14-2010, 04:51 AM

Hey everyone, Im new to body building and I have a couple of simple questions concerning my diet.

I weigh 145lbs, and my best estimate for body fat is between 8 and 12%. I'm naturally like that, and consider myself a hardgainer. I've been doing a lot of research and I cannot seem to find consistent information on how much of which macro-nutrient I should be eating. Some places say 0.8g of protein per pound of bodyweight, other's say 1.0g, and others say 1.5g.

I've also heard I need to consume about 2500 calories a day to gain weight/mass, but I've also heard I should be eating a macro ratio of about 30p/45c/25f

The problem is 30% of 2500 is about 188g of protein, which is more than the recommended 1g per pound of weight some places recommend. Since protein can get expensive, I would like to know exactly how much I should be eating so that I'm not wasting it and/or stressing out my kidneys (or will sufficient water consumption avoid that problem?)

How much of which nutrient should I be eating? Is 2500 calories sufficient to bulk up? Should it be more? Less? I would also like to clean/lean bulk so I maintain my BF%.

Any advice would be appreciated, thanks!

**FMJ** · 01-14-2010, 07:21 AM

There are no hard numbers when it comes to gaining weight. It has much to do with your metabolism. You'll need to get a pall park figure of what your caloric needs are by using a bmr calculator. Then you'll need to consider your activity level.
Once you've found those numbers, add 500 calories and see if you start to gain. You need a calorie surplus to make any gains. Give it a good few weeks of consistant diet and training before adjusting. If by the end of 4 weeks you haven't gained weight, add 500 more calories and repeat the process. It's important to use additional methods to gauge your progress other than just your bathroom scale.
A measuing tape and possibly calipers will help determine if you're gaining mass or just getting fat, though you'll have to come to terms with the fact that you can't bulk without gaining some fat. You'll have to cross that bridge when you come to it.
To gain muscle, higher than recommended protein consumtion is essential. 30% is a good start. Some may recommend even more than that.
Save yourself some trouble and read Cowpimps sticky threads on putting together a training program, for that matter, read all the stickies in the training forum and you'll be much more informed to reach your goals.
Eating the perfect diet is only half the battle. An effective training routine is critical to making the most of what you eat.
Others will no doubt reply as well, tons of intelligent folks here that can give you the very best chance for success.
Good luck.

**Merkaba** · 01-14-2010, 11:17 PM

unfortunately what most people don't want to hear: You need to track your intake. Just make it part of your day. This is the only way to know for sure where you're at. FitDay - Free Weight Loss and Diet Journal is a good site.

**FMJ** · 01-15-2010, 12:32 PM

Agreed! Sorry, I really should have mentioned that too. Very important to know exactly what you're eating. Thanks Merkaba.

**dvldog4c** · 01-16-2010, 03:34 AM

Yeah, agreed. That's how I found out I was eating as little as I was in the first place. I've designed a meal plan for myself and so far I've stuck to it fairly closely.

I must admit, it's challenging eating so much more food than I'm used to, but my training has significantly increased my metabolism, and eating small frequent meals has helped as well.

Now I've just go to stick with this for a few weeks and see if it's allowing my workouts to be productive

Thanks for the help guys!

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