Need Macros for cutting advice

MrVictus1

Hi all!

Wondering if anyone can help.
I’m looking to put some muscle on but also to drop my body fat percentage.
I’m currently doing the B.U.F.F Dudes 12 week workout plan and into last three weeks.
All is good for the workout but the dieting isn’t the best.
My stats are:
6ft4, 86kg (190lbs) and based on an online calculator I’m about 22% body fat.
I’ve changed my calorie intake to 2300 (maintenance is apparently 2800)
Have been trying to consume lots of protien in a day with macros set to 40% protien, 40% carbs and 20% fats.
Is this the recommended for trying to gain some muscle and lose the weight?

Cheers for the help

AnnPT77

Here are some inputs to your thought process:

https://examine.com/nutrition/how-much-protein-do-you-need/
https://examine.com/nutrition/protein-intake-calculator/

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/819055/setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets/p1

(I'm not guaranteeing that those sources agree ).

WarningWARNING: Everything after this is just my opinion!

If I were you, I'd figure:

(1.00-0.22) x 190lbs (sorry, I'm USA-ian) = 167.2 lbs lean body mass (LBM).

(The 22% from a calculator is quite likely to be inaccurate, but also probably close enough for government work).

I like 0.8-1g per pound of LBM for protein (but some people would say more, see links above), so I'd target 134-168ish grams as a minimum for protein. More is peachy.

For males, .3g fat per pound of body weight might be OK, so 0.3 x 190lbs = 57g minimum fat, maybe (prefer MUFA/PUFA, get good Omega-6/Omega-3 balance, blah blah blah). 0.35-0.45 might be a better plan for women. More is peachy, once more.

Carbs, meh. Just see how they affect your appetite and energy level, and adjust accordingly.

A minimum of 5 servings (80g-ish each) of varied, colorful fruits and veggies would be good, and 10+ is better, maybe quite a bit better, for fiber and micronutrients (vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals - even some science hasn't yet discovered we need ).

More protein or fat than minimums is fine, as long as one doesn't drive out the minimum of the other, or short the fruits/veggies. Sometimes people find they need different details for satiation, more fat for good digestive throughput (more pointedly, for constipation avoidance with high fiber), fewer carbs to curb appetite, more carbs to sharpen up energy. . . who knows - experiment . . . bodies can be weird, learn yours.

None of this opinion stuff is important for fat loss, that's pretty much all about calories. Minimum protein is important for muscle gain (and some people would advocate more than I do, for sure). Everything else is about nutrition, health, satiation, energy level . . . so play with it, and don't forget important things like tastiness, social connection, practicality . . . !

Best wishes!

MrVictus1

Thank you so much! This was very helpful 😊
I will look to setting up my macros properly with this info and hopefully can get the desired results.

Perhaps you’d be able to help with the use of BCAAs and Creatinine?
I currently have been drinking one scoop 5g of BCAA+ with 1 scoop 5g of creatinine to drink during my workouts.

I get up at around 5am and have oats with a scoop of whey protein then about 30mins to an hour later I start my workout.
Should I be consuming more of these two and before the workout?

Thank you again!

AnnPT77

MrVictus1 wrote: »

Thank you so much! This was very helpful 😊
I will look to setting up my macros properly with this info and hopefully can get the desired results.

Perhaps you’d be able to help with the use of BCAAs and Creatinine?
I currently have been drinking one scoop 5g of BCAA+ with 1 scoop 5g of creatinine to drink during my workouts.

I get up at around 5am and have oats with a scoop of whey protein then about 30mins to an hour later I start my workout.
Should I be consuming more of these two and before the workout?

Thank you again!

I can't help with BCAAs and creatine (I think you mean? Creatine is a supplement; creatinine is a kidney-related biochemical waste product thingie, I believe). I'm a big "food before supplements" kind of person (weird that way), but you'll find threads here about both those things, if you use the search function.

Also, I think the Examine.com site (that I linked for protein info, above) may have some information about those supplements. That's a really good site, but the in-depth info is sometimes subscription-only, because that's their business model (they don't accept outside ads).

On the question of food timing: It's generally quite unimportant, in the grand scheme of things, outside of effects you personally might feel. (Examples: I found I need more calories/carbs for breakfast before rowing than I do before spin class, otherwise I'm ravenous afterward; and I'm one of the people who hits the wall fast if I try to do intense fasted workouts, even though others have the opposite experience).

Elite athletes who are trying to squeeze out that last 0.05% of performance improvement, and even some recreational endurance athletes (marathoners, triathletes) may need to consider nutrient timing. Most of us regular folks are better served by spending our time and energy on learning more about training, working harder at training, or dialing in better basic nutrition (starting with calories and macros), beyond considering how timing of eating makes us feel.

Just my opinions, as always. Best wishes!

JBanx256

MrVictus1 wrote: »

Perhaps you’d be able to help with the use of BCAAs and Creatinine?
I currently have been drinking one scoop 5g of BCAA+ with 1 scoop 5g of creatinine to drink during my workouts.

Should I be consuming more of these two and before the workout?

Thank you again!

If you're consuming adequate protein, there is zero need/benefit to taking BCAA's. All you're doing is wasting your money on making your water taste (presumably) better.

5g of creatine (NOT creatinine) is perfectly fine; that's not one of those things where the more you take, the better/more dramatic results you get. No reason to load it either, just stick with 5g/day.

Also, as @AnnPT77 said, at this point you really don't need to "major in the minors."

MrVictus1

Hahaha my apologies! Damn phone must have auto corrected them 😂
Thank you very much for the advice! You have both been super helpful!
I’ll look into the website more and see what it has to say as well but glad to know that food timings aren’t as important 😁