Eating to gain muscle

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jbrewer49
jbrewer49 Posts: 4
in Food and Nutrition
I've been eating fairly healthy & exercising 4-5 times a week steadily for 2.5 years. I've been eating around 1200 cals/day avg. Now I can only exercise 4 days a week which includes cardio each day along with 2 days weights and 1 day Pilates. I'm really cleaning up my diet even more (cutting out most added sugar ...my weakness). My question is how many calories should I be eating to gain muscle. By eating clean I hope to keep the fat gain to a minimum. I don't feel like I need to lose lbs but firm up instead. Everything I've been reading or calculating (Cunningham equation) says I need over 2000 cals/day. I haven't hit 1700 today and I've been forcing myself to eat. Suggestions??

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  • clobercow
    clobercow Posts: 337 Member
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    Yeah.

    What are your macros like?

    If you cant get the calories in "clean" then get them "dirty"
  • cmeiron
    cmeiron Posts: 1,599 Member
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    Everyone's intake needs will be different - there is no one-size-fits-all number of calories needed. You need to figure out your TDEE and eat above it to gain muscle (plus lift, obviously). If you're eating at a deficit it won't happen. You can use any number of online estimators to get a general idea of your TDEE if you don't know it - but they're all estimates and you'll likely have to tinker with your intake for a while until you find your true maintenance (and then bulking) intake level. Here's one TDEE tool you can try as a starting point: http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/bmr/ (tip: put your current weight in both the "current" and "goal" weight sections) This will give you your BMR as well as TDEE estimates (it will depend on your activity level).
  • BarackMeLikeAHurricane
    BarackMeLikeAHurricane Posts: 3,400 Member
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    Clean vs. dirty is irrelevant. Eat TDEE + 200 to 300 calories.
  • AJ_G
    AJ_G Posts: 4,158 Member
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    Eat TDEE +10% for a clean bulk with minimal fat gain
  • jbrewer49
    jbrewer49 Posts: 4
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    My tdee says 1773 so I guess I just need to force myself to eat more. The only macro I really keep count of is protein and I aim for 1g per pound I weigh. Thanks everyone.
  • dbexpert
    dbexpert Posts: 1
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    Nuts, beans, fish, chicken,sweet potato,avocado.....good protein/good fat/good calories. Try to eat more often, maybe 6 or 7 meals. Good Luck!!
  • clobercow
    clobercow Posts: 337 Member
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    Donuts, cake, pie, pizza milkshakes... Drool... You have a problem most want to have.
  • AJ_G
    AJ_G Posts: 4,158 Member
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    My tdee says 1773 so I guess I just need to force myself to eat more. The only macro I really keep count of is protein and I aim for 1g per pound I weigh. Thanks everyone.

    Try to eat at least .4g/lb body weight of fat every day. Important for nutrient absorption, brain function, and hormone regulation

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