My (semi) diet, looking for corrections or affirmations! Please :)

[tomv]

G'day and cheers for reading,

I'm 17 and have only seriously got into lifting about 2-3 weeks ago. I'm currently doing a workout every other day down at the gym which basically works my entire body. The workout can be fooooooooound... here.
(http://www.wannabebigforums.com/showthread.php?t=83383)
I'm currently using this workout in an effort to improve body strength and form all over before beginning to split my workout into individual parts.

I've been reading (basically trolling lol) a lot! of threads in this part of the forum and i just want to get a few things down pat before i begin to commit to any sort of diet (hey i don't wanna do crap wrong! >_< worked too hard to lose the fat :P). As stated i'm only 17 atm 6'1 on the ground, weighing 198 lbs with about 18% bf. I'm pretty sure i'm a mesomorph (because of my fat loss and bone structure).

Onto the diet!

First off, most posts or threads recommend approximately 3000-5000 (12000-20000 kJ?) calories a day for a brand new lifter looking to simply bulk muscle, and i was thinking of leaning more towards the lighter end of the scale as i'm still trying to drop my BF a bit without really trying to cut. I work out 3-4 times a week (I also ride for about an hour on a pushbike on these days to and from the gym) and from what i understand i should reduce my carb/calorie intake on the off days correct? I'm not quite sure how many grams of protein/carbs i should be getting in comparison to my bodyweight though... It's all confusing and i really have made an effort to read and understand posts by others on the forums (before anyone flames "Go read noob")

Another thing i don't quite understand is the calorie breakdown. Do proteins contribute to my calorie count? I understand carbs do... right?

Oh one last thing, as a beginner do i need to worry about when i get my proteins/carbs? Pre or Post workout? I usually just eat a buttload of chicken/eggs when i get home but from what i've read the pre workout food is more important and should be hi-carbs and protein.

I'm not using supplements really at the moment though i may start making some of those awesome protein bars by hahn =D (they sound ace.)

Thanks for all of your help guys =D

[dissipate]

First off, most posts or threads recommend approximately 3000-5000 (12000-20000 kJ?) calories a day for a brand new lifter looking to simply bulk muscle
your caloric intake need to be tailored to you.


and i was thinking of leaning more towards the lighter end of the scale as i'm still trying to drop my BF a bit without really trying to cut.
so are you trying to bulk or drop bodyfat or aiming for recomposition? it's difficult to bulk and lose bodyfat at the same time.. though some brand new lifters are able to do that (recomposition).


I work out 3-4 times a week (I also ride for about an hour on a pushbike on these days to and from the gym) and from what i understand i should reduce my carb/calorie intake on the off days correct?
depends on whether you're bulking/cutting etc.


I'm not quite sure how many grams of protein/carbs i should be getting in comparison to my bodyweight though... It's all confusing and i really have made an effort to read and understand posts by others on the forums (before anyone flames "Go read noob")
at least 1g protein per lb bodyweight. fat 20-25% total cals. carbs the rest, or if you want less carbs then up protein and fat to take up the cut out carbs.


Another thing i don't quite understand is the calorie breakdown. Do proteins contribute to my calorie count? I understand carbs do... right?
yup definitely.. everything contributes to your caloric count.


Oh one last thing, as a beginner do i need to worry about when i get my proteins/carbs? Pre or Post workout? I usually just eat a buttload of chicken/eggs when i get home but from what i've read the pre workout food is more important and should be hi-carbs and protein.
some people here will say yes, pre and post-workout nutrition is important. what i think is it depends on the individual and what activity the individual is performing. high GI carbs after working out doesn't go well with me; i workout on an empty stomach and eat only about 3-4 hours later most of the time. if i did something involving endurance.. like running 10k or playing a long ultimate/hockey/whatever match then i'd have a meal soon after. maybe it's best for you to try things out and see what works for you.


I'm not using supplements really at the moment though i may start making some of those awesome protein bars by hahn =D (they sound ace.)
that's fine.. supplements aren't really necessary if you're eating right. multi-vitamins and fish oil caps wouldn't hurt, if you have some money to spare.

[tomv]

thanks much for the response dissipate, i've decided to cut down for the moment actually from about 18% bf to approximately 12% and then go a good solid bulk to get my LBM up so all that muscle shows nice and lovely :). My BMR is 2240cals atm. I guess it's more recomposition for the moment as i'd still like to get some muscle gains or at least retain what i have at the moment but for now the main priority is dropping the excess body fat. any recommendations upon new info?

cheers

[dissipate]

no problem tom :)

how did you arrive at your BMR? results produced by formulas help in that they give you a starting point...

so if you want to try for recomposition, i'd say eat at around 2240cals everyday for a month while tracking bodyfat and weight, and adjust accordingly.

what sort of food do you eat btw?

[Mercuryblade]

Dissipate pretty much nailed everything in his post.

Put some legwork into your routine. The more lean muscle mass you put on- the more calories it takes to maintain your weight, the less work you need to do to keep the fat off.

[tomv]

got the BMR from this body analysing machine at the gym, so i'm imagining it analysed my body composition and just drew it from the results.

I'm managing to eat pretty healthy at the moment, chicken, some salads, bread every now and then, just general healthy food. No takeout or anything. I'm not entirely sure what to eat on a cut at the moment but i'm probably going to read some posts on teh forums and try and draw up a diet from that.

[Built]

Cutting info in the link in my sig.

[dissipate]

ok tom. note that body composition machines are off lots of times so the results they give can be a little disappointing sometimes.

built's cutting info (the red link) covers pretty much everything on how to cut, and there's a link to food suggestions on that page. her Baby Got Back program is also fantastic, you might like to give it a shot (though first concentrate on no/little weight and correct form for as long as it takes).

btw where are from? i noticed you've been posting your weights in kg...

[tomv]

aaah built how i love the (in the most platonic, appreciative, worshipping way). I was actually going to use your info already, you shall be my shiny muscular beacon into fitness and a good body :).

I'm from Australia lol, i get in a rush sometimes and forget to convert sorry =P.

[dissipate]

haha no problem, i'm in perth. which part of australia are you from?

[tomv]

Sydney