Intake Amount - Cutting/Gaining Lean Muscle

[dd2000]

Hi everyone,

My goal this winter is to get rid of my fat hanging around (mostly in the stomach region). I'm currently 5-11" 195 lbs. At the same time, I would like to pack on some lean muscle due to the fact that I still have a somewhat small frame (toothpick legs for eg).

I'm currently doing physical training (weight lifting) 3 times per week. the other 3 days I do about 1/2 hr of abs and 1 hr of intense cardio including swimming laps.

Now, i'm confused on what type of intake I should lead. I'm eating very healthy now (wholewheat, high sources of protein, fiber, vitamins, etc). The question is, how much is enough for me to reach my goals? If I eat too much will I halt the fat loss? If I eat too little, will I shrink and become too skinny again, considering that I have a skinny frame already? I grew up a toothpick due to my genetics (dad is skinny, same with my bros). It took me years to pack on the pounds that I have by eating like a cow (unfortunately I did intake a lot of fatty foods)...so now i'm paying the price. I want to lose the fat and gain some mass and i'm willing to work my butt off for it.

I currently do not count calories and grams..but is there a formula I should possibly follow to reach my goals?

Here is an example of my routine for a day:

4:30AM - Protein Shake (2 scoops whey, 2 fruits
5AM-6:30 - WORKOUT
7AM - 2 EGGS + 1-2 whites (omega 3), big glass milk (pro-vit), white bread, fruit
11AM - 1 large can tuna with whole wheat bread, lettuce, cheddard cheese (tuna sandwich)
1:00 - Chicken Risotto (2-2.5 cups) (wholewheat rice) - 2 fruits
4:00pm - natural pb with jam or nutella on white or wholewheat
6-6:30 - plate of whole wheat pasta, 1-2 cups chicken/beef. fruit, veggies.

I don't really eat much after dinner, i'm a bit paranoid of adding more fat before hitting the bed. Any suggestions for the late evenings?

What do you all think?

Thanks

[dd2000]

anyone?

[KingWilder]

First of all....pick ONE goal to focus on. You either want to lose fat or you want to put on muscle. Being that you're a trained individual there is no way to do both (to any significant degree).

My suggestion, if you're serious about losing fat, would be to start tracking your calories. You need to eat less than maintenance - and it would seem you have no idea what that level is at. I would suggest starting at 2600 calories and watch what your weight does after the first week. As long as you're losing the calorie level is fine. If it halts, you need to decrease by 10-20%.

You're going to want protein at about 1.5g per lb LBM (any idea what your body fat% is?) and fat at .5g per lb LBM....everything else you can fill in with carbs

I'm going to assume you're about 18% body fat in which case the recommendation (based on what I stated) would be:

2600 calories
240g Protein
80g Fat
230g Carbs

I would suggest using www.fitday.com or www.caloriecounter.com or www.thedailyplate.com to track

[Unreal]

Pick one like KW said. You got bigger from eating excess calories, not food choices. Eating healthy foods doesn't prevent you from getting fat. You can get fat off "clean" food if you eat enough of it.

[dd2000]

Thanks for the replies,

The thing which confuses me is the fact that many many people have accomplished the fat shredding and also put on muscle at the same time.. Isn't there some diet routine to somewhat accomplish this? I'm really in a tough situation b/c I don't want to lose too much weight. I have skinny legs, arms, etc with a huge stomach. I can shed pounds to get rid of the stomach but i'll become even skinnier and scrawny everywhere else. What if I eat enough for a somewhat "CLEAN" bulking diet with a bit of cardio to keep the nutrition level neutralized..will this work at all? How many calories, protein, carbs, fat must I consume on a clean bulk? Can I increase this level a bit from the calories lost during cardio?

Thanks

[KingWilder]

Who exactly lost fat and gained muscle at the same time? Unless they were total beginners or on steroids this just doesn't happen. Maybe it APPEARED that they became more muscular due to the decrease in body fat. I stand by what I've said already though. Figure out which ONE goal you want to focus on and then you can figure out your diet.

[dd2000]

Thanks a lot,

A few of my friends got good results..but anyway...I have a main question to ask.

I would like to know what the formula is for food intake for bulkers and cutters. In my example being 5-11" 199lbs, what intake should I consume if I wanted to bulk more..or to cut? Do I need to know my body fat first? I'm going to find out tonight, I booked an assessment.

I used the program you guys suggested (fitday) and calculated my intake, and i'm currently averaging in 1 day: Total 3,846 cals 140.8 G Fat, 442.7 G Carbs, 226 G Protein. This is just food alone without my cardio factored in. Also, i've been eating at this level for a while and i'm not exactly gaining or losing weight from it even with weightlifting and cardio.

Thanks

[Lunar Effect]

Who exactly lost fat and gained muscle at the same time? Unless they were total beginners or on steroids this just doesn't happen. Maybe it APPEARED that they became more muscular due to the decrease in body fat. I stand by what I've said already though. Figure out which ONE goal you want to focus on and then you can figure out your diet.

KW - what is your opinion on being able to increase strength during a cut? I have never done a cut personally. I agree that cutting and building muscle appear to oppose one another, but will the drop in calories prevent a continued increase in strength as well?

[KingWilder]

KW - what is your opinion on being able to increase strength during a cut? I have never done a cut personally. I agree that cutting and building muscle appear to oppose one another, but will the drop in calories prevent a continued increase in strength as well?

If you set it up right, strength can be maintained or even increased a little on a cut. The biggest factor on a cut will be volume. It should be lower than when you bulk. I prefer to go heavy weight/low rep with 2-3 sets max. Remember the idea of a cut isn't to build muscle or get [a lot] stronger..just to maintain what you already have.

[Lunar Effect]

If you set it up right, strength can be maintained or even increased a little on a cut. The biggest factor on a cut will be volume. It should be lower than when you bulk. I prefer to go heavy weight/low rep with 2-3 sets max. Remember the idea of a cut isn't to build muscle or get [a lot] stronger..just to maintain what you already have.

Good to hear. So it sounds like I'd be better off reaching my short-term strength goals before embarking on a fat loss program.