I know this has probably been done to death but i'm new and still refining everything. I'm trying to cut fat. I understand that i need to be getting 1-1.5ish grams of protein per pound. i'm 5 ft 11 at 187 pounds right now and i'm trying to eat roughly 2,000 calories a day. My question is what do i do with the remaining calories other than protein? is it more important to go lower carb higher fat or higher carb lower fat for weight loss?
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another newb question
- Thread starter calaja52
- Start date
Phineas
Registered
Why 2,000 calories? What you need to do is determine your maintenance calories. Track a typical day's food in fitday.com, eat that for a week, weigh yourself before and after, and see if you gained or lost weight. It's not the best method, as that would ideally tale months of careful dieting to determine, but it's better than assuming an arbitrary number of calories.
i've been tracking my calories on fitday already.. i'm doing 2,000 right now because thats where i started and i'm losing about 1 to 1.5 pounds a week right now so i figure why mess with it.. i'm already eating lots of protein and my carbs are a little higher than fat but i've heard of people going the other way. I'm losing now but i'm the type of guy who wont leave well enough alone and i'm always looking for ways to improve so I was just curious. thanks for your help
Phineas
Registered
1 lb a week is a very realistic goal, and 1.5 lbs is certainly do-able, but at that rate you need to ensure everything's in check.
Do you know your estimated lean body weight? How much protein are you consuming? How much fat? You said carbs were higher than fat. I'd switch that up. Lower the carbs, and cycle them between non-training and training days (i.e. carb cycling diet).
For instance, on non-training days make your only carbs come from veges. Even a large amount probably won't bring you any higher than 50g or so. Make sure to consume plenty of leafy greens. Brocolli is great when cutting. On training days eat the same thing but add a grain source, ideally for pre-workout. You don't want to add to much, but enough to (a) fuel your workout and (b) balance out the calorie deficit, as it will drop on training days due to calories burned. I perform cardio after my workouts on the "low carb" days, so I add about 300 calories, 60g carbs worth of grains in my pre-workout meal. Something like a large bagel, or 300-330g potatoes (some types are more carb dense), or 85g whole wheat pasta, etc.
Then, once every 5-7 days (which is a good amount of time if you're running daily calorie deficits of 500-750 calories) have refeeds. These are days where you consume a calorie surplus, with an emphasis on carbs to increase leptin levels in your body (leptin is a hormone that tells the body it's receiving adequate calories...it drops when you diet, and so refeeds are intended to prevent your leptin from dropping too low, which would cause your metabolism to slow down, and cease fat burning). Leptin responds best to carbs. Keep your protein the same, ideally drop the fats to a suggested 50g or less, and consume the rest in carbs. A 500 calorie surplus is probably good enough. However, don't be tempted to binge on crap. This isn't exactly a "cheat meal" day, as refeeds are actually intended to ensure your cut's longevity. The more efficient your refeed the longer and more efficient you can continue burning fat.
Do you know your estimated lean body weight? How much protein are you consuming? How much fat? You said carbs were higher than fat. I'd switch that up. Lower the carbs, and cycle them between non-training and training days (i.e. carb cycling diet).
For instance, on non-training days make your only carbs come from veges. Even a large amount probably won't bring you any higher than 50g or so. Make sure to consume plenty of leafy greens. Brocolli is great when cutting. On training days eat the same thing but add a grain source, ideally for pre-workout. You don't want to add to much, but enough to (a) fuel your workout and (b) balance out the calorie deficit, as it will drop on training days due to calories burned. I perform cardio after my workouts on the "low carb" days, so I add about 300 calories, 60g carbs worth of grains in my pre-workout meal. Something like a large bagel, or 300-330g potatoes (some types are more carb dense), or 85g whole wheat pasta, etc.
Then, once every 5-7 days (which is a good amount of time if you're running daily calorie deficits of 500-750 calories) have refeeds. These are days where you consume a calorie surplus, with an emphasis on carbs to increase leptin levels in your body (leptin is a hormone that tells the body it's receiving adequate calories...it drops when you diet, and so refeeds are intended to prevent your leptin from dropping too low, which would cause your metabolism to slow down, and cease fat burning). Leptin responds best to carbs. Keep your protein the same, ideally drop the fats to a suggested 50g or less, and consume the rest in carbs. A 500 calorie surplus is probably good enough. However, don't be tempted to binge on crap. This isn't exactly a "cheat meal" day, as refeeds are actually intended to ensure your cut's longevity. The more efficient your refeed the longer and more efficient you can continue burning fat.
http://www.ironmagazineforums.com/members/66262.htmlcalaja52, read the link in my - and in Phineas' - sig: *** READ ME FIRST - Homework #1 for Newbies *** - it's all in there.
huh?
MA, Mark Rippetoe wrote a great article aimed at newbs in training, but it was an overall help for anyone looking for a reboot. I felt the same way when reading both of your sig links. I have to say theyre both great refreshers for new trainees and veterans to training.
