Need calorie/macro advice for bulk

ddzubow
ddzubow Posts: 65 Member
in Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
I'm on my first bulk and having trouble gaining. I am doing Beachbody's Body Beast program and using it's formulas, which put me at a recommended 3000 calories/day with a macro split of 50c/25p/25f (375, 188, 83). My stats are 5'-9", 171lbs, approx. 15% BF (this is a guess - I haven't measured - which I'm sure could be part of the issue). I've been doing the program for nearly 3 weeks now, and although I don't always hit my macros right on, I'm always within 5-10% of my calories and hit my minimum protein & fats.

The main problem that I think I'm having is that the Body Beast calorie calculations don't take into account any exercise outside of the program, and I walk a minimum of 5 miles every day & bike a few miles each day for my commute to work. I'm looking for any recommendations on how I should adjust my calories/macros because of this extra activity.

Thanks!

Replies

  • NRBreit
    NRBreit Posts: 319 Member
    Your cardio/activitiy level might require some additional cals. I am 6'1" 177 lbs. right now gaining at approx. 1lb. per week on 3,000 cals with similar macros to yours. Our BF% is in the same range too. I do 3-4 workouts per week averaging 45 mins. each. I will occasionally run 3.5 miles (25-30 mins), but no more than once per week when bulking. You can try bumping up the cals by 250-500 and see if that gets the scale moving. Once you see the scale moving, you can fine tune cals up or down.
  • ddzubow
    ddzubow Posts: 65 Member
    Thanks, I kind of knew in the back of my head that I needed to up my calories, but after spending months losing weight, it's definitely a mental hurdle to eat so much. I think I'll jump up 300 calories for a couple of weeks and see where that gets me.
  • nonrg
    nonrg Posts: 73 Member
    I'm also doing a tight bulk right now, using a 40c/30p/30f approach, eating 2800 calories a day and it seems to be working pretty well. I weight 199lbs at 6'1". I always lean towards getting more protein to support weight lifting. I'd also do as stated above and add calories slowly to off-set the cardio until you see the results you want not just on the scale but in the mirror as well.
  • ohh_danielson
    ohh_danielson Posts: 5
    Yeah with the calculations not taking into account any extra exercise you do, its not going to be accurate.

    There are some calculators/macros that let you put in daily activity levels such as walking, jogging,weight lifting etc. Maybe google some TDEE/BMR calculators and do a few to get a rough idea, and go from there.
    Like you probably know, you probs just need to up the calories a little.
  • Live4theLift
    Live4theLift Posts: 329
    Calculate your TDEE and go from there, all the extra exercise may just have you at maintenance
  • ddzubow
    ddzubow Posts: 65 Member
    After calculating my TDEE on several websites, it does seem like my maintenance is right around 3,000 calories - which obviously makes sense with the results I've had over the last few weeks. Thanks for the input!
  • DEUS
    DEUS Posts: 4
    Ramp it up 250 for a few weeks and you should see a change, everyone is different it's all about finding what works best for your body. Let us know how you get on, good luck!

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