Same calories on a rest day?

jacknyland258
jacknyland258 Posts: 18 Member
Hi All,

So last summer I lost 3 stone, from 17 stone 3 lbs to now 13 stone 7 lbs. I'm now trying to bulk so my trainer at the gym has put me on a 3,229 calorie surplus +400 calories a day. I previously asked the question 'how to hit my calorie surplus' my issue was I wasn't hitting around 3,000 a day, let alone 2,000... I spoke to a trainer at the gym and some of the algorithms on here can be a bit off, but doing the Maths I should be getting most of it from carbs. 74g is fat and 158g is protein. I eat nearly near my macros for fat and protein each day but don't ever feel the need to eat all my carbs everyday. So if anyone still can explain to me how do I reach this surplus that would be great.

Second question, should I be eating the same amount on a training day and a rest day?

Replies

  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,427 MFP Moderator
    1. http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10326769/are-you-a-hard-gainer-please-read#latest
    2. Eating the same calories daily might make it easier on you, but as long as you don't have huge swings, it shouldn't matter.
  • jacknyland258
    jacknyland258 Posts: 18 Member
    psuLemon wrote: »
    1. http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10326769/are-you-a-hard-gainer-please-read#latest
    2. Eating the same calories daily might make it easier on you, but as long as you don't have huge swings, it shouldn't matter.

    By huge swings you mean?
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,427 MFP Moderator
    psuLemon wrote: »
    1. http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10326769/are-you-a-hard-gainer-please-read#latest
    2. Eating the same calories daily might make it easier on you, but as long as you don't have huge swings, it shouldn't matter.

    By huge swings you mean?

    1000 calories over maintenance one day, follow by 800 below, etc..
  • jacknyland258
    jacknyland258 Posts: 18 Member
    psuLemon wrote: »
    psuLemon wrote: »
    1. http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10326769/are-you-a-hard-gainer-please-read#latest
    2. Eating the same calories daily might make it easier on you, but as long as you don't have huge swings, it shouldn't matter.

    By huge swings you mean?

    1000 calories over maintenance one day, follow by 800 below, etc..

    Got you. And my first question, I know you put a link up but would you possibly just be able to answer it. I meet my fat and protein goals each day but obviously I'm not going to eat all my carbs everyday because 1. I don't always need the energy 2. I don't want to gain too much fat.

    Currently my macros-
    Fat= 74g
    Protein= 158g
  • jacknyland258
    jacknyland258 Posts: 18 Member
    And I'm not reaching my calorie goals.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,427 MFP Moderator
    psuLemon wrote: »
    psuLemon wrote: »
    1. http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10326769/are-you-a-hard-gainer-please-read#latest
    2. Eating the same calories daily might make it easier on you, but as long as you don't have huge swings, it shouldn't matter.

    By huge swings you mean?

    1000 calories over maintenance one day, follow by 800 below, etc..

    Got you. And my first question, I know you put a link up but would you possibly just be able to answer it. I meet my fat and protein goals each day but obviously I'm not going to eat all my carbs everyday because 1. I don't always need the energy 2. I don't want to gain too much fat.

    Currently my macros-
    Fat= 74g
    Protein= 158g

    Macro's won't matter if you can't hit your surplus. If you need 3500 calories to be in a surplus and you only eat 3000 calories, then you won't achieve what your goal is. So don't worry about not putting on fat, because you will also not really put on muscle. You have to be willing to accept some fat gains. Trust the process.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,427 MFP Moderator
    And I'm not reaching my calorie goals.

    And that will drive failure to have noticeable muscle growth.
  • jacknyland258
    jacknyland258 Posts: 18 Member
    psuLemon wrote: »
    psuLemon wrote: »
    psuLemon wrote: »
    1. http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10326769/are-you-a-hard-gainer-please-read#latest
    2. Eating the same calories daily might make it easier on you, but as long as you don't have huge swings, it shouldn't matter.

    By huge swings you mean?

    1000 calories over maintenance one day, follow by 800 below, etc..

    Got you. And my first question, I know you put a link up but would you possibly just be able to answer it. I meet my fat and protein goals each day but obviously I'm not going to eat all my carbs everyday because 1. I don't always need the energy 2. I don't want to gain too much fat.

    Currently my macros-
    Fat= 74g
    Protein= 158g

    Macro's won't matter if you can't hit your surplus. If you need 3500 calories to be in a surplus and you only eat 3000 calories, then you won't achieve what your goal is. So don't worry about not putting on fat, because you will also not really put on muscle. You have to be willing to accept some fat gains. Trust the process.

    But what my question is, is if I hit my protein and fat macros but not my carb macros, can I go over on protein and fat to reach my calorie surplus?
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,427 MFP Moderator
    psuLemon wrote: »
    psuLemon wrote: »
    psuLemon wrote: »
    1. http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10326769/are-you-a-hard-gainer-please-read#latest
    2. Eating the same calories daily might make it easier on you, but as long as you don't have huge swings, it shouldn't matter.

    By huge swings you mean?

    1000 calories over maintenance one day, follow by 800 below, etc..

    Got you. And my first question, I know you put a link up but would you possibly just be able to answer it. I meet my fat and protein goals each day but obviously I'm not going to eat all my carbs everyday because 1. I don't always need the energy 2. I don't want to gain too much fat.

    Currently my macros-
    Fat= 74g
    Protein= 158g

    Macro's won't matter if you can't hit your surplus. If you need 3500 calories to be in a surplus and you only eat 3000 calories, then you won't achieve what your goal is. So don't worry about not putting on fat, because you will also not really put on muscle. You have to be willing to accept some fat gains. Trust the process.

    But what my question is, is if I hit my protein and fat macros but not my carb macros, can I go over on protein and fat to reach my calorie surplus?

    If you want. Like I said, macros matter less than calories. Limiting carbs won't help protect against fat gains though, as carbs don't make you fat.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,427 MFP Moderator
    Also, a bit of semantics, carbs are very much your friend while bulking. It's anticatabolic in nature (due to the quick release of insulin by your pancreas in response to regulation of blood glucose), will also inhibit protein degration and allow the amino acids to drive muscle protein synthesis. Also, if you look at over feed studies, de novo lipogenesis has shown that carbs less likely to convert to body fat as it's more metabolically taxing. What it will do is decrease fat oxidation, allowing fats to convert.
  • the_quadfather
    the_quadfather Posts: 49 Member
    psuLemon wrote: »
    Also, a bit of semantics, carbs are very much your friend while bulking. It's anticatabolic in nature (due to the quick release of insulin by your pancreas in response to regulation of blood glucose), will also inhibit protein degration and allow the amino acids to drive muscle protein synthesis. Also, if you look at over feed studies, de novo lipogenesis has shown that carbs less likely to convert to body fat as it's more metabolically taxing. What it will do is decrease fat oxidation, allowing fats to convert.

    Indeed... also, you will likely find that several carb-rich foods are also calorie-dense, thus helping you reach your goals

    The more complex the carb, the more likely you are to have good fiber content as well.

    Beans, beans, good for your heart. The more you eat 'em, the more you...
  • jdscrubs32
    jdscrubs32 Posts: 515 Member
    psuLemon wrote: »
    Also, a bit of semantics, carbs are very much your friend while bulking. It's anticatabolic in nature (due to the quick release of insulin by your pancreas in response to regulation of blood glucose), will also inhibit protein degration and allow the amino acids to drive muscle protein synthesis. Also, if you look at over feed studies, de novo lipogenesis has shown that carbs less likely to convert to body fat as it's more metabolically taxing. What it will do is decrease fat oxidation, allowing fats to convert.

    Indeed... also, you will likely find that several carb-rich foods are also calorie-dense, thus helping you reach your goals

    The more complex the carb, the more likely you are to have good fiber content as well.

    Beans, beans, good for your heart. The more you eat 'em, the more you...

    I would second what @psuLemon and @the_quadfather said. If you find that eating all the carbs is tough, have a shake that is heavy in carbs to help reach the carbs and overall calorie total. Dont be afraid of carbs on a bulk as carbs are your friend.
  • Gallowmere1984
    Gallowmere1984 Posts: 6,626 Member
    psuLemon wrote: »
    Also, a bit of semantics, carbs are very much your friend while bulking. It's anticatabolic in nature (due to the quick release of insulin by your pancreas in response to regulation of blood glucose), will also inhibit protein degration and allow the amino acids to drive muscle protein synthesis. Also, if you look at over feed studies, de novo lipogenesis has shown that carbs less likely to convert to body fat as it's more metabolically taxing. What it will do is decrease fat oxidation, allowing fats to convert.

    Indeed... also, you will likely find that several carb-rich foods are also calorie-dense, thus helping you reach your goals

    The more complex the carb, the more likely you are to have good fiber content as well.

    Beans, beans, good for your heart. The more you eat 'em, the more you...

    Make people avoid the squat racks. I'm becoming pro at fumigating against people whose presence annoys me.
  • nossmf
    nossmf Posts: 11,630 Member
    Visit your local Fivebucks, I mean Starbucks. Half their drinks are almost 3k calories by themselves.

    As to protein macro, think of that as more of a minimum, not a maximum. Eating more protein than recommended won't hurt at all unless you have a PRE-EXISTING kidney issue.
This discussion has been closed.