Losing fat, gaining muscle. Correct Calories, macros..

Nikkimaxim

I've been trying to figure this out..i lost my weight on 1500 calories a day and under for the past 3 months. Now I'm just trying to lose more fat and gain muscle.my tdee is 2077...i think starting at 10% below tdee which is 1870 calories, should be alright, right?..im scared to gain back my fat though lol..should I still be doing cardio?..if so, how much, how often?? How often should I be lifting?
what should my macros be?..ive been told 40%protein, 40%carbs, 20% fat..what do you think? With my macros set that way, it gives me a limit of 224 grams of carbs, 224 grams of protein and the rest fat..does that seem high? I'm trying to get down to about 18% body fat. Lets say I will be doing strength training 5 days a week, cardio 3-5 days a week. What routines and eating habits have you been following that help you out???
Any advice is welcome..I'm ready to get this going already!! Lol

Nikkimaxim

Or should I start at 20% below tdee, then.work my way up?

Glucocorticoid

To avoid spinning your wheels, you should pick a goal. Because it's impossible to both in most situations.
So choose either muscle gain while limiting fat gain or fat loss while limiting muscle loss. Simply because you pick a goal doesn't mean you are stuck with it forever, you can cycle between them.

TheFitFireman

Pick one or the other, I'd suggest losing the fat first and then building the muscle, it's not realistic to try and do both.

crisanderson27

To avoid spinning your wheels, you should pick a goal. Because it's impossible to both in most situations.
So choose either muscle gain while limiting fat gain or fat loss while limiting muscle loss. Simply because you pick a goal doesn't mean you are stuck with it forever, you can cycle between them.

This.

Also, forget percentages. .80-1g of protein per pound of body weight, .35g/lb fats, and whatever else you like to fill the remainder to your chosen deficit. If you choose to cut, I'd suggest starting at 15-20% below TDEE. If you choose to bulk (as much as you can anyhow), 10%-15% over would be a good percentage to limit fat gain. If it doesn't work, your TDEE is off, and you should increase your intake until you start gaining.

For working out, I'd recommend full body workouts 3x a week. Moderate/light cardio after lifting if you feel like it...but I would rather not see that myself. If you must do cardio, I'd suggest 2-3 days a week, for less than an hour. Rest is critical to gains in strength, as well as fat loss. More does not equal better!

Sarauk2sf

^^ the above.

However, I just want to point out, that your numbers look high as the % relates to calories, not grams. There are 4 calories per gram of protein and carbs and 9 calories per gram of fat.

For example, my target for protein is about 110g = 440 calories (110 x 4).

Edited for typos