Too little calories?

docbrox87
docbrox87 Posts: 50
in Fitness and Exercise
Hey all,
So I'm looking for advice on calorie intake. I'm 5'4, 59.4kg and sitting at about 18% body fat. My aim is to try and attain a more athletic build. At the moment I'm consuming 1550 calories which according to my fitness pal leaves me in a 300 calorie deficit (before exercise) to try and lower my body fat. I work out 5 days out of 7 (crossfit, boxing, running, metafit) and I have a few questions:

1) In order to lose more body fat, I thought I needed to be in calorie deficit. But to build more muscle, don't I need to be eating over my maintenance?

2) If that's the case, should I be eating the extra calories only on workout days?

Sorry if these are silly questions! I just think my methodology of "Less cals in = better body" is probably a bit too simple/old school!

Any help is much appreciated! :happy:

Replies

  • Smashley1947
    Smashley1947 Posts: 129
    Add more weight lifting

    which is perfect for a more athletic build.
  • docbrox87
    docbrox87 Posts: 50
    Thanks for the advice! I do quite a bit of weightlifting but I'm having to cut back at the moment as I've bust my shoulder! :( goin 2 c a physio today so fingers crossed thatll get sorted!
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    18% bodyfat is fairly low for a woman, so it sounds like you need to bulk and cut a few times to get more muscle if you dont feel like you look athletic as you are?
  • stt43
    stt43 Posts: 487
    If you are a beginner and you eat around maintenance or a small deficit then you can gain some muscle for around the first 6 months if your macros and workout are good.
    If you eat in a deficit on days you don't work out, and a surplus on days you do, then it's just going to average out, so by the end of the week you'll just be around maintenance or something.
  • blouises16
    blouises16 Posts: 2 Member
    What exercises do you to to get such a great body fat percentage?! and whats your diet?
  • kagevf
    kagevf Posts: 509 Member
    Hey all,
    So I'm looking for advice on calorie intake. I'm 5'4, 59.4kg and sitting at about 18% body fat. My aim is to try and attain a more athletic build. At the moment I'm consuming 1550 calories which according to my fitness pal leaves me in a 300 calorie deficit (before exercise) to try and lower my body fat. I work out 5 days out of 7 (crossfit, boxing, running, metafit) and I have a few questions:

    1) In order to lose more body fat, I thought I needed to be in calorie deficit. But to build more muscle, don't I need to be eating over my maintenance?

    2) If that's the case, should I be eating the extra calories only on workout days?

    Sorry if these are silly questions! I just think my methodology of "Less cals in = better body" is probably a bit too simple/old school!

    Any help is much appreciated! :happy:

    Your BMR is: 1316 - dont eat less than this

    Your TDEE is: 1925 - you can eat as much as this

    1500ish set by MFP sounds about right for your weight loss which gives you 400ish deficit from your TDEE

    youre aiming to gain muscles? check out stronglifts 5x5.

    eating at 1900ish and lifting heavy will set you up in a nice recomp.
  • docbrox87
    docbrox87 Posts: 50
    What exercises do you to to get such a great body fat percentage?! and whats your diet?

    Lol well I'm not sure I trust the body fat % (it was skin fold measurement and I know that's not the most accurate! but gettin this checked again in a couple of weeks). For exercise, I used to do a lot of sports and have always loved running so I do a mix of long distance and sprint training. i also do crossfit, metafit and lots of HIIT stuff which has helped melt off a few more lbs of fat!
    Diet-wise I guess it's quite paleo - I eat chicken, turkey, looooooots of veg, avocado, nuts and stuff like that :)
  • docbrox87
    docbrox87 Posts: 50
    18% bodyfat is fairly low for a woman, so it sounds like you need to bulk and cut a few times to get more muscle if you dont feel like you look athletic as you are?

    Yeh I'm not sure how accurate the 18% is - that was from skinfold but looking into getting hydrostatic weighing done just out of interest! I'm not entirely unhappy with my current physique but would like a little more muscle. I've heard the terms cutting and bulking a lot on here but just very unsure of how best to go about it! Have you any pointers? :D
  • docbrox87
    docbrox87 Posts: 50
    Hey all,
    So I'm looking for advice on calorie intake. I'm 5'4, 59.4kg and sitting at about 18% body fat. My aim is to try and attain a more athletic build. At the moment I'm consuming 1550 calories which according to my fitness pal leaves me in a 300 calorie deficit (before exercise) to try and lower my body fat. I work out 5 days out of 7 (crossfit, boxing, running, metafit) and I have a few questions:

    1) In order to lose more body fat, I thought I needed to be in calorie deficit. But to build more muscle, don't I need to be eating over my maintenance?

    2) If that's the case, should I be eating the extra calories only on workout days?

    Sorry if these are silly questions! I just think my methodology of "Less cals in = better body" is probably a bit too simple/old school!

    Any help is much appreciated! :happy:

    Your BMR is: 1316 - dont eat less than this

    Your TDEE is: 1925 - you can eat as much as this

    1500ish set by MFP sounds about right for your weight loss which gives you 400ish deficit from your TDEE

    youre aiming to gain muscles? check out stronglifts 5x5.

    eating at 1900ish and lifting heavy will set you up in a nice recomp.

    Thanks so much for the advice! I'm off to check out the stronglifts :D
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    18% bodyfat is fairly low for a woman, so it sounds like you need to bulk and cut a few times to get more muscle if you dont feel like you look athletic as you are?

    Yeh I'm not sure how accurate the 18% is - that was from skinfold but looking into getting hydrostatic weighing done just out of interest! I'm not entirely unhappy with my current physique but would like a little more muscle. I've heard the terms cutting and bulking a lot on here but just very unsure of how best to go about it! Have you any pointers? :D

    if you want more muscle then you need to be eating to a surplus - about 300 cals above maintenance, getting plenty of protein and do a decent heavy lifting programme. (cardio isnt necessary as it just means you have to eat more) you should aim to gain about 0.5lb per week, half of which should be muscle... after a period of time (generally 12 weeks or longer) you can then 'cut' by eating slightly below maintenance to lose the fat you have gained and tra da, you should have more muscle!
  • docbrox87
    docbrox87 Posts: 50
    18% bodyfat is fairly low for a woman, so it sounds like you need to bulk and cut a few times to get more muscle if you dont feel like you look athletic as you are?

    Yeh I'm not sure how accurate the 18% is - that was from skinfold but looking into getting hydrostatic weighing done just out of interest! I'm not entirely unhappy with my current physique but would like a little more muscle. I've heard the terms cutting and bulking a lot on here but just very unsure of how best to go about it! Have you any pointers? :D

    if you want more muscle then you need to be eating to a surplus - about 300 cals above maintenance, getting plenty of protein and do a decent heavy lifting programme. (cardio isnt necessary as it just means you have to eat more) you should aim to gain about 0.5lb per week, half of which should be muscle... after a period of time (generally 12 weeks or longer) you can then 'cut' by eating slightly below maintenance to lose the fat you have gained and tra da, you should have more muscle!

    Thanks for this :) Sorry for all the stupid/basic questions but I'm new to the muscle building stuff - always been a cardio junkie but the results have really plateau'd! So should the 300 calories over maintenance be eaten everyday? And should that come from mainly protein/carb?
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    18% bodyfat is fairly low for a woman, so it sounds like you need to bulk and cut a few times to get more muscle if you dont feel like you look athletic as you are?

    Yeh I'm not sure how accurate the 18% is - that was from skinfold but looking into getting hydrostatic weighing done just out of interest! I'm not entirely unhappy with my current physique but would like a little more muscle. I've heard the terms cutting and bulking a lot on here but just very unsure of how best to go about it! Have you any pointers? :D

    if you want more muscle then you need to be eating to a surplus - about 300 cals above maintenance, getting plenty of protein and do a decent heavy lifting programme. (cardio isnt necessary as it just means you have to eat more) you should aim to gain about 0.5lb per week, half of which should be muscle... after a period of time (generally 12 weeks or longer) you can then 'cut' by eating slightly below maintenance to lose the fat you have gained and tra da, you should have more muscle!

    Thanks for this :) Sorry for all the stupid/basic questions but I'm new to the muscle building stuff - always been a cardio junkie but the results have really plateau'd! So should the 300 calories over maintenance be eaten everyday? And should that come from mainly protein/carb?

    Yep, every day. Your calories should be a balance of carbs, protein and fat 40/30/30. Check out the 'gaining weight' forum for some good links and stuff.

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