Need to adjust my numbers. Can someone help?

raven56706

currently my numbers are TDEE. I have begun today to change up my workout schedule to 6 days a week. Any advice on what my numbers should be? im looking to burn fat and gain some muscle.

my numbers:
age:35
height: 5'7
weight: 201lbs
work a desk job but i workout at 5am in the morning.

My diary is open if you want to look at what im currently on. I want to lose 30lbs but i know i will gain weight because of muscle.

My workout is weights one day and cardio the next. for 6 days

any advice would be great.

hassankarimi82

Don't get lost in numbers. There is no formula.

Fat loss - calories deficit
Muscle gain - calorie surplus

These are conflicting goals.

raven56706

ok how about losing fat and sculpting body?

hassankarimi82

If you want to lose body fat then its simply down to being in a calories deficit. You are already eating pretty low calories, so its just being consistent and doing it slowly. Aim to lose 2 pound per week, anything more is not fat. Reduce the amount of carbohydrates you eat and increase the amount of protein and fats. Reducing carbs to 50 - 100 grams per day. Protein and fat will build, maintain and repair muscle and it will also keep you satisfied. Drink plenty water.

In terms of muscle gains, lift heavy weights and progressively overload. Get plenty of sleep.

cmriverside

Yeah, I agree - don't get stuck on the minutia. You have 30 pounds to lose. Stay in your calories (set your goals to "lose 1 pound per week") - continue on your exercise routine, and relax! It is a process, not a perfect calculation.

You'll be okay.

raven56706

true but i also dont want to eat very little. I want to make sure im eating enough to stay within the deficit. My numbers now are according to 3 days of working out.

hassankarimi82

You are already eating very little. Don't be concerned with numbers. Count carbs, not calories. Protein & fats are essential (amino acids - omegas), there are no essential carbohydrates. Up your protein & fats and cut your carbs to 50g. You can still eat a lot of food, its not about starving yourself but keeping yourself satisfied and choosing quality foods.

cmriverside

raven56706 wrote: »

true but i also dont want to eat very little. I want to make sure im eating enough to stay within the deficit. My numbers now are according to 3 days of working out.

So set your calories to lose 1/2 pound if you're hungry. Eat a little more but not a lot more. Part of this is intuitive. When I am in weight-loss mode, I'm going to be a little hungry between meals. When I eat, I'm going to eat until I feel it, not until I'm stuffed. I give myself a set number to eat for exercise. I gave up trying to find the "correct" number, and I just started logging one hour of any kind of exercise as XXX number of calories. That way I am consistently eating the same amounts.

Consistency over a long period of time is what works for me. Logging food is the most important thing, and then studying the trend. This is an experiment that only you can perform. I don't like to over-think it too much, the body doesn't turn on a dime - it is a long-term process.

raven56706

cmriverside wrote: »

raven56706 wrote: »

true but i also dont want to eat very little. I want to make sure im eating enough to stay within the deficit. My numbers now are according to 3 days of working out.

So set your calories to lose 1/2 pound if you're hungry. Eat a little more but not a lot more. Part of this is intuitive. When I am in weight-loss mode, I'm going to be a little hungry between meals. When I eat, I'm going to eat until I feel it, not until I'm stuffed. I give myself a set number to eat for exercise. I gave up trying to find the "correct" number, and I just started logging one hour of any kind of exercise as XXX number of calories. That way I am consistently eating the same amounts.

Consistency over a long period of time is what works for me. Logging food is the most important thing, and then studying the trend. This is an experiment that only you can perform. I don't like to over-think it too much, the body doesn't turn on a dime - it is a long-term process.

so you are saying to go by MFP's numbers and not TDEE's/IIFYM numbers correct?

hassankarimi82

Make your own numbers over time and adjust them. You are unique so you have to work out what works for you. It probably took me a year or so to figure it out for myself, then I understood it and it works for my goals. Its kinda like driving a car. You will just understand it one day.

cmriverside

hassankarimi82 wrote: »

Make your own numbers over time and adjust them. You are unique so you have to work out what works for you. It probably took me a year or so to figure it out for myself, then I understood it and it works for my goals. Its kinda like driving a car. You will just understand it one day.

^^THIS.

raven, it doesn't matter which way you do it. MFP/TDEE/raven's way. . . it is a process of you figuring out which one you want to use. I have always used MFP's numbers and they work for me. Some people prefer eating a set amount every day - I'm not consistent enough with my exercise to do that, plus I like tracking exercise separately here on the site. Like I said, I picked a XXX number for my exercise and I use it per hour, regardless of the type of exercise I use. It's not a huge number, I just like the exercise tracking.

Keep good records, adjust as you see fit. This is your deal to figure out.

heybales

At least get a jump start on possibly more accurate numbers to do the math with.

Calories obviously matter since even comments made above about eating in deficit - therefore counting carbs and not calories won't exactly work out.

No need to take forever to figure it out either. Make it reasonable deficit and the math can be used to figure out how much deficit must have been in place for the amount lost. Make it unreasonable and lose muscle mass and the formula won't work.

Just TDEE Please spreadsheet - better than 5 level TDEE charts.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1G7FgNzPq3v5WMjDtH0n93LXSMRY_hjmzNTMJb3aZSxM/edit?usp=sharing

In case you do like the static daily eating goal, compared to dynamic that MFP would be doing depending on workouts.

Oh - and you can't gain muscle nearly fast enough to offset fat loss if eating in a decent deficit.
At maintenance, sure a slow trade, but you still need wait to come off.
So you won't be gaining that fast any muscle, 1 lb every 8 wks perhaps if a really good program and really strong workouts.

Only suggestion is don't let the cardio be too intense to ruin focus on the beneficial lifting. There's a reason one of the HR zones is called Active Recovery - aids repair, which a good lifting session can take 24-48 hrs in a diet to do.