Body Fat Question

ghazariansevak

I can't seem to get this right - I'm 70kg, and probably around 19% body fat. I want to lose 4% body fat and gain 2 kilos of pure muscle. I'm 39, male, generally active. What should be my caloric intake per day? and how would I divide the macros in percentage portions? No need to be super accurate, but just an idea please!

ghazariansevak

Sorry, also 172cm height.

SweatLikeDog

There's no precision in the numbers. If you want to lose fat and gain muscle at the same time, your best bet is a mild calorie deficit with high protein intake and regular weight training. A mild calorie deficit is 10-15%. A high protein intake is 1g/ lb of target body weight. Your percent body fat is only as accurate as how you measure it and if your goal is more of a look than a number, then google what 15 percent body fat looks like.

Retroguy2000

Are you a new lifter?

If so, a moderate calorie deficit + frequent lifting + high protein. Say 250-500 daily deficit.

If not a new lifter, a small calorie deficit + frequent lifting + high protein. Say 200 daily deficit. Or, do a higher deficit to lose fat faster, but don't expect to gain muscle during that time. Retaining it should be your goal during that period.

You can estimate your current TDEE with an online calculator, or even better, if your weight has been stable recently then just calculate what your usual calories are, and that's your TDEE.

neanderthin

Eat at your current maintenance or a little above and lift like hell that eventually puts you into deficit territory from that added lifting until progress stops, then, do that again until those no gains are seen again and you've plateaued, rinse and repeat. Every 3 weeks eat at maintenance for a while, 3 weeks to a month to give your body a break.

tomcustombuilder

ghazariansevak wrote: »

I can't seem to get this right - I'm 70kg, and probably around 19% body fat. I want to lose 4% body fat and gain 2 kilos of pure muscle. I'm 39, male, generally active. What should be my caloric intake per day? and how would I divide the macros in percentage portions? No need to be super accurate, but just an idea please!

you need a calorie deficit in order to lose fat and you need a calorie surplus to add muscle so you need to pick one and focus on that.

With your stats, I would definitely look more into adding muscle and lose the fat later once you have more muscle on your frame

AnnPT77

Is your priority the fat loss or the muscle gain? Those two goals are somewhat in tension with one another: Calorie deficit limits muscle mass gain (possibly prevents it depending on the size of deficit and other details). Calorie surplus favors muscle gain, but tends to add at least some fat. Recomposition (adding muscle mass at stable weight) is a possible option, but takes even more patience.

That priority will determine whether you set calories to lose weight, gain weight, or maintain current weight.

Once you decide that, the process would be to put your stats into your MFP profile, get a calorie goal, test-drive it while logging carefully for 4-6 weeks (whole menstrual cycles for women), then adjust calorie goal based on actual experiential results. (Calorie calculators, MFP, fitness trackers and whatnot just give you a starting estimate not an answer.) Don't try to lose or gain weight fast. A quarter kilo per week either way (or slower) would probably be good.

I'm sure you know you need a good progressive strength training program.

You can get a research-based protein recommendation here:

https://examine.com/guides/protein-intake/

If you were materially overweight, you could use goal weight in the calculator (mostly mention this for possible other readers, since you're at BMI 23.7).

Fats, maybe 0.3-0.45g per pound of bodyweight.

Use those gram goals and some arithmetic to find the right percents for protein and fats.

Carbs are more flexible. If they help your energy level, eat relatively more of them. If they spike your appetite, eat relatively less of them. Balance calorie goal with the carbs, or with extra protein or fat as appropriate. To the extent you eat carbs, things like veggies, fruits, and whole grain will likely do you more favors nutritionally and with appetite.

But I'm not a registered dietitian, personal trainer, or any kind of expert, beyond trivial sports nutrition info in my coaching education. Mostly, I'm just some random idiot on the internet who cares about nutrition for my own purposes.

But you asked for "an idea", right? That's another idea.

Best wishes!