MFP Calorie Recommendations

recodeexistance

Hi, just wondering if it's worth me overshooting MFP calorie recommendations (the same way i would overshoot my TDEE when trying to bulk?), or if this is just going to push me towards more fat /unhealthy weight gain? Thanks!

lynn_glenmont

What is your real goal? What did you tell MFP was your goal when it was gathering information to give you the calorie recommendation?

In general, small deficits when cutting help you preserve muscle while losing fat, and small surpluses when you're bulking help you to limit fat gain while you build muscle.

jjpptt2

Are you trying to bulk? If so, overshooting will increase the chances/rate of weight and fat gain. How much so depends on your actual surplus. But overshooting your TDEE AND overshooting your calorie intake is double dipping. Unless there are health reasons to gain weight, I'd do one but not both, personally. At least until you have a better handle on what you're doing and what numbers you are working off of.

recodeexistance

Yeah, i'm looking to bulk. Main reason i'm asking, is that i'm worried how quickly i'm gaining weight. I've been eating a surplus (mainly clean foods, the occasional takeaway/soda type stuff limited), along with lifting heavy in the gym (stronglifts 5x5.), and i've gone from 9 stone 9lbs to last weigh was 10 stone 9lbs in somewhere between a month and two months.

Don't get me wrong, i'm loving that the weight is going on, but i'm a little worried that it's too fast (research says 4lbs max a month , 2lbs of it would be muscle gain?). So not sure whether it's because i'm quite often overshooting MFP's reccomended calories by a few hundred, and that the recommendation is probably a surplus on my TDEE already?

Hope that made sense.

PAV8888

If you told MFP that you wanted to bulk your recommendation contains the recommended surplus.

Of course MFP's numbers are estimates. And your logging prowess plays a role too.

Add up how many calories you've told MFP you've eaten. Divide by number of days. Compare to your weight change. Is it as expected?

Are you gaining faster than you ought to be based on what you've eaten? Then adjust your goals and intake

Are you gaining as expected based on how much over you've eaten... then just adjust your intake.

It SOUNDS as if you're bulking a little bit too fast for optimum.

I don't think a lean bulk can be called lean if it is exceeding a lb a week...

AnvilHead

https://bodyrecomposition.com/muscle-gain/muscle-gain-math.html/