IIFYM & Protein Advice

meagnarv

Hi everyone!

For about 6 months now I've been trying my hardest to build muscle and strength train. I've seen progress so far, but I am trying to figure out how to be more efficient so I can see maximal results. A friend advised me to macro count rather than calorie count (I try not to calorie count and instead go by Intuitive Eating) so that I can ensure I am getting the optimal nutrition to gain muscle.

It's been hard for me to get all of my protein in and way too easy to overdo the fat. Does anyone have any food advice for what's best to eat to get in protein? I already drink whey after working out, sometimes have eggs for breakfast and from time to time get my protein from chicken and beans. But what fruits, snacks and veggies can help with this too?

How do make sure your macros are balanced at the end of the day?

Also, as someone who at a few points in life had disordered eating, I personally hate what calorie counting does to me psychologically. Do any other strength builders struggle with seeing "the red numbers"?

jas14196

To build muscle the most important factor will be your macro nutrients. You must have a adequate amount of protein.

Start counting macros over calories. Far more important. Minimum amount of protein you need is 1g per pound of bodyweight. BUT highly recommend you increase that for more optimal results. Do 1.5 times your bodyweight in pounds, So if you weighed 120lbs, you would need atleast 180grams of protein DAILY.
Remember, protein is used for two main things, recovery and energy.

Fats, your fat intake will be just as important, get your bodyweight in pounds times it by 0.5, and that is your daily amount of fats you need. so if you weighed 120lbs, you would need 60grams of fats a day.

Carbs, carbs store energy and fats and protein provide energy, energy from fats is more useful as it is a dense calorie.

So simply, your carb intake is something that you have to find out, we all have different carb tolerance. Too start things off, times your bodyweight in pounds by 2. So if you weighed 120lbs, your carb intake should be 240grams of carbs DAILY.

IF you seem to gaining more "fat" then muscle, then simply reduce your carb intake.

As for getting protein is, try Whole meats, chicken breast, eggs, tuna, cheese, cottage cheese, all very cheap options.

Motivate yourself, be positive, all about time consistency.

AJ_G

To build muscle the most important factor will be your macro nutrients. You must have a adequate amount of protein.

Start counting macros over calories. Far more important. Minimum amount of protein you need is 1g per pound of bodyweight. BUT highly recommend you increase that for more optimal results. Do 1.5 times your bodyweight in pounds, So if you weighed 120lbs, you would need atleast 180grams of protein DAILY.
Remember, protein is used for two main things, recovery and energy.

Not necessarily true. You can eat all the protein in the world, but if you're not eating at a surplus, then you won't build any muscle. In the same way, you can eat at a big surplus, but get very little protein and you also won't build muscle. They're both really important. Counting macros IS counting calories. Carbs = 4 calories per gram, Protein = 4 calories per gram, Fats = 9 calories per gram. If you have set macro goals, then by definition you have a calorie goal.