As long as I hit my Macros do Calories matter?

[dav619]

Hi guys,
Basically as the title suggests, as long as I hit my macros does the amount of calories I have matter.??...

I'm hitting 1.5 of protein and 0.5 of healthy fats, the only thing is I need to do a cut quickly.

I'm going to Australia in 2.5 months and I'm more interested in not looking like a whale on the beach. Therfore if I reduce the calories to the minimum whilst keeping my macros up, will this still give me a chance of retaining some muscle for when i hit the beach?

I'm not expecting to gain muscle, simply hang on to as much as possible whilst shifting around 20 pounds.

Thanks guys,
Dave

[Unreal]

Yes. The calorie is king. He determines just about everything.

[dav619]

I know that calories are vastly important, my question is, to lose alot of weight in a fairly short amount of time, is it best to still hit my macros in the smallest amount of calories?

I've heard that if you starve yourself of calories too much your body adapts to the amount your on. Is this true?

Thanks,
Dave

[dav619]

I know that calories are vastly important, my question is, to lose alot of weight in a fairly short amount of time, is it best to still hit my macros in the smallest amount of calories?

I've heard that if you starve yourself of calories too much your body adapts to the amount your on. Is this true?

Thanks,
Dave

[seK]

I know that calories are vastly important, my question is, to lose alot of weight in a fairly short amount of time, is it best to still hit my macros in the smallest amount of calories?

Sure if you want to lose weight (Fat and Muscle) and be generally unhealthy.

[Y0yo]

If you're looking to lose weight quickly try PSMF diet.

[Steele]

Make sure your body knows it isn't starving, lift heavy and stick to your macros. Some people say that 1500 is the minimum you should be consuming per day to limit muscle loss whilst keeping fat loss high. Might wanna stick some HIIT in there 2/3 times a week

If you are looking for that extra bit of definition, cut caffiene and minimise sugar on your diet a month before the holiday, as in keep it really low, substituting it with better carbs. Both these have diuretic effects; they increase water retention. And as we all know, fat cells are 50% water! Not a long term solution of course, but it will help (;

-Steele

[dav619]

Thanks for the replies!

I had considered the SPMF diet - does anyone know more about this without having to buy the book?

I have done a search but I'm struggling to find any threads that lay it out in laymans terms, ie how much carbs can you take in?

Thanks,
Dave

[seK]

Hi guys,
Basically as the title suggests, as long as I hit my macros does the amount of calories I have matter.??...

I'm hitting 1.5 of protein and 0.5 of healthy fats, the only thing is I need to do a cut quickly.

I'm going to Australia in 2.5 months and I'm more interested in not looking like a whale on the beach. Therfore if I reduce the calories to the minimum whilst keeping my macros up, will this still give me a chance of retaining some muscle for when i hit the beach?

I'm not expecting to gain muscle, simply hang on to as much as possible whilst shifting around 20 pounds.

Thanks guys,
Dave

Don't crash diet when you don't need too. You are not obese and you are not trying to lose that last bit of BF. Just go on a nice healthy cal deficit diet making sure you are getting a steady loss, you will be rewarded in the end while also keeping your sanity.
Also stay away from people who state things such as

Some people say that 1500 is the minimum you should be consuming per day to limit muscle loss whilst keeping fat loss high.

that is an insane assumption.

[JustLost]

I know that calories are vastly important, my question is, to lose alot of weight in a fairly short amount of time, is it best to still hit my macros in the smallest amount of calories?

I've heard that if you starve yourself of calories too much your body adapts to the amount your on. Is this true?

Thanks,
Dave

Sort of. With extremely reduced calories, metabolism slows down. A good approximate rule of thumb is to not take calories below 10 * bodyweight, and I like to keep at least 100 grams carbs as well, because I (like most people) feel like crap on fewer carbs. OTOH, some people, especailly as they get leaner, find they have to take calories (and carbs) even lower to lose weight.

When you talk about hitting your macros (protein and fat) with the least calories, you're really talking about a low carb diet. Let's take a 200 pound person at 15% BF for an example:

lbm = 200 - (200*.15) = 170

protein = 170 * 1.5 = 255 grams = 1020 calories
fat = .5 * 170 = 85 grams = 765 calories
subtotal ( p + f) = 1785

subtotal + (100 grams carbs = 400 cals) = 2185 = 10.92 cals/pound of bodyweight. I think that's a reasonable minimum. Add another 50 or so grams of carbs on workout days.

Thanks for the replies!

I had considered the SPMF diet - does anyone know more about this without having to buy the book?

I have done a search but I'm struggling to find any threads that lay it out in laymans terms, ie how much carbs can you take in?

Thanks,
Dave

I'd recommend against doing a PSMF, especially if you're not willing to buy the book.

http://rapidfatloss.lylemcdonald.com/[/url]]I want to make the point again (since my critics tend to be a little slow on the uptake) that, in almost all of the situations I’m going to describe, my ideal is that individuals take the sane and slow approach to fat loss, set up a reasonable diet, lose weight/fat over an extended period until they reach
their goals.

But to answer your question: zero carbs, and close to zero fat.

[Steele]

I never advised him on kcal intake, nor did i *assume* anything. Get your facts straight. Also, if he were to completely misintepret my post as you did, he would assuredly note the word 'minimum'.

'Minimum', cf:
the smallest possible quantity

-Steele

That is an insane assumption.

[seK]

I never advised him on kcal intake, nor did i *assume* anything. Get your facts straight. Also, if he were to completely misintepret my post as you did, he would assuredly note the word 'minimum'.

'Minimum', cf:
the smallest possible quantity

-Steele

Your post clearly stated the assumption that the OP could maintain muscle mass and lose fat while only consuming 1500 cal's daily. That is an assumption and an insane one at that. You can’t make that kind of statement without knowing anything about him.

[Steele]

Wrong once again.

Make sure your body knows it isn't starving, lift heavy and stick to your macros.

Sound advice, ask anyone. You may wish to re-read the first sentence of that post, twould appear to be something you have missed.

Some people say that 1500 is the minimum you should be consuming per day to limit muscle loss whilst keeping fat loss high.

'Some people say'; alluding to a collective of individual known or unknown sources that have passed judgement on a similar topic. There is no implication of my referencing him to adhere to this guideline, the 1500kcal figure is given with an eye to safety.

Your post clearly stated the assumption that the OP could maintain muscle mass and lose fat while only consuming 1500 cal's daily.

This takes my post completely out of context, stating it was an 'assumption' and carried implications it was mine, both of which are incorrect.

That is an assumption and an insane one at that

Another fallacy. It was not an assumption,; this is irrefutable.

You can’t make that kind of statement without knowing anything about him.

First an assumption, and then a statement? Interesting.

-Steele

[JustLost]

Your post clearly stated the assumption that the OP could maintain muscle mass and lose fat while only consuming 1500 cal's daily. That is an assumption and an insane one at that. You can’t make that kind of statement without knowing anything about him.

And more to the point, ANY number given as an absolute with no reference to BW/LBM is just plain silly.

[Steele]

Without wanting to alienate myself from other members of these boards, please read the above response.

-Steele

And more to the point, ANY number given as an absolute with no reference to BW/LBM is just plain silly.

[seK]

Yes Steel it is irrefutable that he can sustain mass and lose fat while taking a minimum of 1500 cal's a day.
Also you cannot state an assumption.



I apologize to the OP for letting this thread get out of hand.
JustLost gave some accurate advice I would start your research from there.

[manowar669]

dav619,
In 10 weeks, you should be able to cut 20 pounds safely, without a crash diet. Unless your bodyfat is very high, this should be adequate.

[Steele]

Stating/the implication of 'I win'/'You lose' is generally the loser's last gambit. Hoping for some kind of a reprieve?

In a word, owned. In the accusative, of course.

-Steele

Yes Steel it is irrefutable that he can sustain mass and lose fat while taking a minimum of 1500 cal's a day.
Also you cannot state an assumption.



I apologize to the OP for letting this thread get out of hand.
JustLost gave some accurate advice I would start your research from there.

[seK]

Stating/the implication of 'I win'/'You lose' is generally the loser's last gambit. Hoping for some kind of a reprieve?

In a word, owned. In the accusative, of course.

-Steele

No I was more trying to gage the maturity level, which was adequately displayed by this exact post.

Send me a PM if you want another reply as to not clog the boards with this useless crap.

[Steele]

It must rate pretty high compared to your grammar level tbh =) Dismissing something as 'crap' does not mean it holds no truth.

/dismount soapbox

-Steele

[dav619]

Can anyone who has hijacked my thread with a slanging match kindly f(ck off unless they are prepared to give comments / opinions that may be of use to me

Now seK what is this JustLost? a thread, person, book?

thanks,
Dave

[JustLost]

Can anyone who has hijacked my thread with a slanging match kindly f(ck off unless they are prepared to give comments / opinions that may be of use to me

Now seK what is this JustLost? a thread, person, book?

thanks,
Dave

I'm a person, I think.

He's referring to my post right before the pissing contest. That's pretty much the formula for realistic minimum calories.

Also, take a look at this post:
http://www.wannabebigforums.com/show...52#post1290352

[Built]

Make sure your body knows it isn't starving, lift heavy and stick to your macros. Some people say that 1500 is the minimum you should be consuming per day to limit muscle loss whilst keeping fat loss high.

Careful with blanket calorie considerations Steele - this varies tremendously from person to person, and especially between sexes - I know some very tiny little women who maintain on 1400-1500 a day, and they're very well fed on this. All 4'10" of them.

You really have to go by the individual. You can use online calculators as rough guides, but ultimately, if you don't track your calories, you simply do NOT know what YOUR body needs.

[Y0yo]

Don't crash diet when you don't need too. You are not obese and you are not trying to lose that last bit of BF. Just go on a nice healthy cal deficit diet making sure you are getting a steady loss, you will be rewarded in the end while also keeping your sanity.
Also stay away from people who state things such as that is an insane assumption.

The PSMF is a good way to kick start a diet. He's looking for something to get him ready in 2.5 months. Why not PSMF to kick start the diet and then head to Oz?

[seK]

The PSMF is a good way to kick start a diet. He's looking for something to get him ready in 2.5 months. Why not PSMF to kick start the diet and then head to Oz?

For his goal it isn't worth the loss in training effectiveness. When you go on PSMF you drastically lower your training intensity.