Utterly confused - a little help please!

**DoubleAces** · 09-17-2013, 10:55 AM

Hi guys!

I've been working out for exactly 2 years now. I started out at 29.7% bodyfat and 34% lean muscle and as per todays measurments i am at 23.1% and 37.4% lean muscle (6 months ago i was at 21.7% bf and 38.4% lean muscle). Now while the machine doesn't always tell you the correct numbers, I still feel like i'm at a standstill (visually tho i can see myself improving, though not at the pace i would like to). I'm 99% sure that my biggest issue is nutrition.

My weight currently is 84.7kg, I'm 178cm tall and I'm about to be 32 years old. According to calculations my BMR is around 1850 and currently I do 3 days of lifting in gym and 2 days of cardio (1h each day). Would that be considered moderately or very active? If moderately then i should eat around 2400 calories per day and if very active then around 2800 calories per day. Here's where I get confused in the first place - I can't figure out to my satisfaction how many calories should i be eating to get leaner.

To my second (and perhaps main) question. I came across this article: simplyshredded.com/the-bodybuilding-bible-a-complete-list-of-63-rules-to-grow-by.html - sorry I can't post a proper link as this is actually my first post

It seems like a very very good article and a lot of the things in there I already am doing. But how in the world am I going to fit all those different things that I am recommended to eat into a let's say 2400 calorie diet!? Not to mention there are timings you have to consider, like pre-workout, post-workout, before going to bed, waking up etc. I can't exactly eat whatever I want whenever I want. But according to this I should eat the following:

At least 2g of protein per kg of bodyweight (from meat, dairy, fish, shakes ... ), slow carbs (whole grain pasta or rice around 5g per kg of bodyweight), 5 or 6 servings of vegetables, fruit, fiber (i usually prefer whole-grain bread) etc ...

I mean mother of god ... i can't come up with a meal plan to include all this and still stay within around 2400 calories, unless each meal becomes kinda ridicilous. Also like I said before - some meals are quite strict (like pre- and post workout meals and before going to bed). And also while doing all this, I have to keep the nutrients within proper range which in itself becomes problematic considering the ~2 and around 5g per kg protein/carbs rule.

I wake up at 7 am and my meals are (at least I do my very best to try and keep them like this) at 7, 10, 11, 16 (pre-workout), 18:30 (post-workout shake), 19:30 dinner, ~22 before bed meal.

I feel like i'm doing something fundamentally wrong considering that in 2 years I am still at 23% bf. It's kinda frustrating, but luckily it motivates me to try even harder and do things properly. Just need some help figuring out what properly is.

Thank you for reading and any help is highly appreciated!