How Many Calories Should I Eat to Get Ripped

rgharwood

I am looking to lose body fat, and build muscle, but I am confused by how many calories I should take and what macro percentages to use.

Here are my stats: I am a 5'10" 160 lb (73 kg) Male and I am moderately active.

Currently I am consuming 1900 calories/day which includes 40% carbs, 40% protein and 20% fats

Thank you so much for helping me!!!

Supertact

You need to be in a surplus to gain muscle not a deficit.

blaccoffee

The Diet section in this link is a great guide. Follow it and don't be afraid to have a few cheat days
http://liamrosen.com/fitness.html

Depending on your goal you can adjust your macros.
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/macro-math-3-keys-to-dialing-in-your-macro-ratios.html

http://scoobysworkshop.com/bulking-up-and-gaining-muscle/

Good Luck!

chrs86

You should be eating about 160 grams of protein based on your weight. I was trying to lose a few pounds but gain lean muscle so I was eating 4-5 times a day with no more than 30 grams of carbs per meal. I wouldn't worry about the amount of calories as much as hitting your protein goal and keeping carbs low. This was all based on information I received from my trainer at the gym. Good Luck.

rgharwood

In order to lose body fat though don't I need to be in a deficit? Can I not do both lose body fat and gain muscle at the same time?

Wetcoaster

no

SnuggleSmacks

You should be eating about 160 grams of protein based on your weight. I was trying to lose a few pounds but gain lean muscle so I was eating 4-5 times a day with no more than 30 grams of carbs per meal. I wouldn't worry about the amount of calories as much as hitting your protein goal and keeping carbs low. This was all based on information I received from my trainer at the gym. Good Luck.

Completely incorrect. The only way to lose weight is to have a caloric deficit. Period. For weight loss it doesn't matter if the calories come from carbs, protein or fats. For body composition, it matters, but strictly for losing bodyfat, the only thing that matters is calories, so it's wise to count them.

Sorry to tell you but your trainer is feeding you bull$hit.

MKEgal

Oh, man... I am really up too late & need to get to bed.
I misread that last word as 'raped', and the question made no sense at all.

rgharwood

So if I cannot do both at the same time, how do I know when I should switch from losing body fat to gaining muscle?

cajuntank

So if I cannot do both at the same time, how do I know when I should switch from losing body fat to gaining muscle?

So when you get to under around 15% (for guys), you could assess then. See provided link discussing p ratio.
http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/muscle-gain/calorie-partitioning-part-1.html

In essence, you will have a greater propensity to add more muscle (when you are in a caloric surplus) than fat if you are in the 10-15% bodyfat zone give or take and not taking into account genetics. Above 15% and below about 8% your p ratio will be at greater propensity to add more fat than muscle...again not taking into individuals genetics as some do this better and some do this worse than others.

MagnumBurrito

Oh, man... I am really up too late & need to get to bed.
I misread that last word as 'raped', and the question made no sense at all.

You probably had the same reaction as your profile pic.

OP, here you go: http://leadingmuscle.com/2014/07/12/how-to-build-muscle-lose-fat-get-abs-cut-and-bulk/