How to know how much to eat to shred wieght but keep muscle..

[newbebuilder]

New to all this so be easy!!! I am 39 yrs old....I lift everyday for 1/2 hour and then cardio for 1/2 hour..thats all the time i have in the afternoon...was thinking of doing cardio 1/2 in morning and afternoon to help lose more fat...I am 6 foot tall and 263lbs..pretty muscular except for stomach is a big boat of fat....enough about me..

thinking about competing in ametur contest somewhere...might be crazy, but i always wanted to do it and why not..

here is what i eat....dont know if i am eating too little, to much or what but been stuck on 265 the last 4 months...stinks..

Meal 1 6:30am
1 cup of oatmeal
2-scoops of %100 whey isolate
1-bannana
40-ounces of black coffee
2 tablespoons of flaxseed
or
1 cup of oatmeal
1-scoops of %100 whey isolate
6-egg whites with 2 yolks
2 tablespoons of flaxseed
40 ounces of black coffee.

Meal 2 9am
Apple
maybe ostrim meat stick

Meal 3 12am
1-6oz chicken Breast
3-Cups of Brocolli or 1/2 can of green beans and 1/2 can whole kernel corn

Meal 4 3pm
2-scoops of %100 whey isolate=52 grams protein and 4 carbs
fiber one bar

go work out and right after i have 2-scoops of %100 whey isolate protein

Meal 5 6:30-7pm
Fish or chicken or samon or tuna steak=6 onces
3 cups of Brocolli or 1/2 can of green beans and corn...
Yam

10PM good night

I also take about 11 vitamins in the morning in a pak and glutamine in the morning and after lifting with protein...
I also take a metabolism booster throughout the day and drink 15-20 glasses of water...

want to cut the fat away fast, but dont know if i am eating to much, to little or what i am doing wrong.......any help is appreciated...maybe my whole diet is whacked...dont know....

is 3 protein shakes aday...to much???????

[Cachexic]

Trial and error. There's only one way to know if you're losing muscle mass.

One day you'll walk into the weight room, lay down on a bench, throw some weight up and you realize...."oh ****, this is the same weight I was 8-9 repping three weeks ago. But it's really hard to push it up more than 3-4 times now. I think I'm getting weaker."

Lost strength does NOT necessarily mean lost muscle. It does mean you are GOING to lose muscle though if you keep doing what you're doing.

[newbebuilder]

Do you or anyone think i am eating to little or too much to be losing weight??? Currently this is my main goal is to shred weight fast, but dont know if i am eating to little or too much???

[BeastAndPower]

It's depends on how much physical activity u do to determine if it is too much or not. Also three shakes is too much bro.

[Teflon_Don]

Do you or anyone think i am eating to little or too much to be losing weight??? Currently this is my main goal is to shred weight fast, but dont know if i am eating to little or too much???

2500 calories per day would be a good place to start.