You need to figure out your BMR (this is the basal ********* rate of your body... which means if you were to do nothing all day, your body would burn these many calories)
Once you've figured out your BMR, you need your TDEE (this is your total daily energy expenditure, it's based upon your activity level)
BMR (men and women) = 370 + (21.6 X lean mass in kg)*
In order to figure out your BMR, you need to know what your lean body mass is.. so, in turn, u need to know what your body fat percentage is...
If you don't know your body fat percentage, go to your gym and get tested (please don't use electronic scales to get your bf checked, they're horrible)
if you cannot find a gym to get tested at, please post up a picture for estimates on the forum
Total weight x bf in decimal form = total bf weight
Total weight - total bf weight = total lean body mass
if your total lean body mass is in lbs, u can divide it by 2.2 to get it in kilograms..
For example..
I am 6'4 275lbs at 14% bf... so I would multiply 275 by .14 (converted from percent to decimal)= 38.5lbs
275 - 38.5 = 236.5lbs lean body weight
236.5 / 2.2 = 107.5 lean mass in kg
370 + (21.6 x 107.5) = 2692 BMR (this is high for the average person, I'm a big guy)
TDEE
Once you have you BMR, you need to calculate your TDEE, this is simply done with some multiplication...
you can multiply it by an activity number to figure out your daily caloric expenditure, be honest here as this is the very cornerstone of your diet, if you are between two of the below activity levels then just multiply by a number in between them
To determine your total daily calorie needs, multiply your BMR by the appropriate activity factor, as follows:
If you are sedentary (little or no exercise) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.2
If you are lightly active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.375
If you are moderatetely active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.55
If you are very active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days a week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.725
If you are extra active (very hard exercise/sports & physical job or 2x training) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.9*
Once you have your TDEE, we can make some simple choices.
If you're going to bulk start by adding 500 calories to your TDEE.
So, if I had a TDEE of 3000 calories, I would start my bulk at 3500 calories
If you're going to cut, you want to reduce your calories by 15 to 20%*
So, again if I had a TDEE of 3000 then I would start my cut at about 450 to 600 calories below my TDEE
Here are some simple tips for setting up correct macros:
For bulking, you want to keep two things high, protein and carbs. For example, at a 3000 calories bulk I would personally have my macros look like this
250-300g protein
300-350g carbs
70g fats
Now you have to fill out six meals a day. Divide the protein by 6 and average each meal to that number, at 300g 6 meals would average about 50g per meal.*
Divide your carbs into 5 meals; at 300g carbs you would need 60g carbs per meal. The last meal of the day should never have carbs. It reduces natural growth hormone production as you sleep.
When bulking on cycle keep in mind the calorie increase happens quicker.. i like to add about 150 calories (roughly) every other week after my initial 500 calories above my TDEE.. this ensures that your eating at the higher level of your bodies needs.. So that is correct guys, if you start at 3500 calories, expect to end around 4300-4500 calories
If you want to cut the ideal rule of thumb is to follow a PRN or as needed basis on the carbs. Carbs should be focused on breakfast, pre, and post workout
Ideally, your macros at a 2500 calorie cut should look like this
300g protein
150g carbs
80g fat
Again, divide the protein evenly throughout the day. Divide the carbs evenly into breakfast, pre, and post workout. Fill the rest of the meals with fats to get the necessary 80g fats that you need.