Calorie requirements

[Boomster]

Hi all,
when calculating your daily calorie intake, when you specify your weight should you really put in your target weight? The reason i ask is because i weigh 210 lbs with about 20%BF if i want to lose the fat surely i would require less calories? If i use 210lb in the equation it works out roughly 3400 cals a day (to bulk) wouldnt this just maintain the fat aswell?

 

[Emma-Leigh]

Hi all,
when calculating your daily calorie intake, when you specify your weight should you really put in your target weight? The reason i ask is because i weigh 210 lbs with about 20%BF if i want to lose the fat surely i would require less calories? If i use 210lb in the equation it works out roughly 3400 cals a day (to bulk) wouldnt this just maintain the fat aswell?

Calculate off lean mass (you don't need to feed your fat cells) - then calculate your maintainence and slowly decrease/increase from there.

If you want to lose weight you decrease by ~10% at first, wait and see how you react... then decrease by 10% again if required etc etc. Same for bulking but you increase.

So 210 at 20% you would want to lose weight first (no point in bulking if your BF is that high - that is just asking to turn yourself into a fatty-fat-fat) your maintainence is probably something around 3000 cals/day (if you are moderately active)... More if you are very active... So start at that calorie level and adjust as required.