need calorie counting tips

[fendertele]

The calorie counting thing is where im heading for cutting... im using lyfsum


However im confused by a lot of things...


My height and weight are 6ft2 and 18 stone... so right off the bat im heavy but have made a lot of gains the past 2 years, however im not fat, my shoulders are much wider than my waist and my waist and stomach are pretty defined when water weight is dropped... but again I don't know my bmi so cant know for sure what my muscle to fat ratio is.

Then there is my exercise... I lift heavy every set... and do a lot of sets without rest.. I look at it as high intensity lifting.. sweat pouring etc... along with 15 mins light jogging and 15 mins of walks/sprints.

So calculating my exercise calories is going to be a bitch.

That's basically it... am I better trying the calorie counting or just mirror watching and upping lowering cardio as I see fit ?

thanking you.

[hardyboysare]

I don't really see a problem.

Use this to calculate your calories and macros:-

https://forum.bodybuilding.com/showt...hp?t=173439001

Based on my calculations you can easily start at 2500 calories and then adjust depending how much weight you lose in the next few weeks. Exercise doesn't actually burn that many calories weight training included so just run with a set number and adjust as you go.

If after the first couple weeks you are still losing more then 1% of your total body weight then increase calories by a couple hundred.

I personally always advise counting calories if you are trying to lose weight unless you have some form of mental aspect that its not advise or your a adolescent. Less chance for errors.

[fendertele]

I don't really see a problem.

Use this to calculate your calories and macros:-

https://forum.bodybuilding.com/showt...hp?t=173439001

Based on my calculations you can easily start at 2500 calories and then adjust depending how much weight you lose in the next few weeks. Exercise doesn't actually burn that many calories weight training included so just run with a set number and adjust as you go.

If after the first couple weeks you are still losing more then 1% of your total body weight then increase calories by a couple hundred.

I personally always advise counting calories if you are trying to lose weight unless you have some form of mental aspect that its not advise or your a adolescent. Less chance for errors.

I find after one of my huge sessions I can eat like a horse for a day or two... and if I don't I feel ill... when I say like a horse consuming 2500 calories just as a recovery meal... and I seem to have slowly been dropping weight... so I would say on lifting days my calories are closer to 5k and on off days 4... and still been losing fat.

So 2500 seems mega low.

[hardyboysare]

I find after one of my huge sessions I can eat like a horse for a day or two... and if I don't I feel ill... when I say like a horse consuming 2500 calories just as a recovery meal... and I seem to have slowly been dropping weight... so I would say on lifting days my calories are closer to 5k and on off days 4... and still been losing fat.

So 2500 seems mega low.

So you eat twice the amount of an average male and still are losing fat then great you now know your calories you eat 5000 calories then eat 4000 calories workout days ad 3000 rest days (or average it out as 3500 calories everyday) and you should lose 2lbs a week.

Just for the record 5000 calories is around half the amount the strongest men athletes in the world eat so I guess it is possible for a recreational lifter to lose weight on that amount but my gut feeling says no unless you have a very highly active job as exercise doesn't burn much calories as shown in this chart (You are looking at the EAT part exercise activity thermogenesis):-



https://jissn.biomedcentral.com/arti...1550-2783-11-7

Why not start off by spending a week or two counting everything you eat/ drink normally and then you will have an estimated consumption of calories then just deduct 500-1000 calories depending on the required fat loss.

As for 2500 being mega low. I am 6ft 2 and 13.5 stone I am eating around 2000 on my cut and my bulk is only 3000 so its is kinda normal range for the normal weight training male.

[fendertele]

So you eat twice the amount of an average male and still are losing fat then great you now know your calories you eat 5000 calories then eat 4000 calories workout days ad 3000 rest days (or average it out as 3500 calories everyday) and you should lose 2lbs a week.

Just for the record 5000 calories is around half the amount the strongest men athletes in the world eat so I guess it is possible for a recreational lifter to lose weight on that amount but my gut feeling says no unless you have a very highly active job as exercise doesn't burn much calories as shown in this chart (You are looking at the EAT part exercise activity thermogenesis):-



https://jissn.biomedcentral.com/arti...1550-2783-11-7

Why not start off by spending a week or two counting everything you eat/ drink normally and then you will have an estimated consumption of calories then just deduct 500-1000 calories depending on the required fat loss.

As for 2500 being mega low. I am 6ft 2 and 13.5 stone I am eating around 2000 on my cut and my bulk is only 3000 so its is kinda normal range for the normal weight training male.

Yeah my jobs isn't highly active, there is some walking but nothing major.... I just go so hard when im at the gym. I've probably done 3 sets in the time folks are still on their first set... then this distance increases as I continue... then hammer the sprints etc... just got a lot of energy but yes I've went down a waist size in the last few months with this set up... I just wanted a more concrete way of knowing im not cutting too much etc...

is it the extra 5 stone that makes the difference on what im eating possible as we are both the same height...im not ripped but im quite low fat can see all the indentations on my arms legs.. and ab area looks good when im not bloated..

ill set it at 4k workout days and 3k off days as mentioned and see how it goes cheers.

ohh forgot to mention there is a body fat machine in the gym I might have a look and see if I can figure it out!

[rjoylo2008]

To put 5k calories into perspective. It is equal to a whole large pizza, two beef, bean & cheese enchiladas, a whole medium size cheesecake, six assorted donuts, four chocolate cupcakes and two personal size bags of potato chips. I know because I once calculated that for a food challenge. Point is, if you can eat that everyday and still loose weight you are very special and not like the rest of us mere humans. Yes, more sarcasm mixed with jealousy.