Plan to cut bf % and gain muscle?

I don't know the answers to most of your questions, but I do know it doesn't matter what time of day you eat. It's how many calories. I have to eat a bedtime snack every night ( I can't sleep if I'm even a little bit hungry) and it hasn't hurt my attempts to lose weight. What does hurt is going over the calories.

Questions 1,2,3 will be setup for by MFP after you enter all your weight, age, level of activity and set your goals on how much you want to lose per week. MFP will also give you the protein %, fat % and carb % for everything you eat and give you all the stats at the end of the day. Then if you keep your food intake at the goals set by MFP you will lose weight.

Exercise is a big deal, I added the Map my Walk app on my phone to track my walk every night. The app send the exercise data back to MFP and you can see exactly where you stand for the day. Depending on your weight is how many calories you will lose walking, but I found with a leisurely walk I can burn off 400+ cals in 45 min/each night. That means 400 more cals you get to eat!

You are much better off to consume most of your cals during the day when you are active. Also depends if you are diabetic, and have to manage your sugar swings and eating every few hours is optimum. I was advised by people much smarter than I, eat big breakfast, medium lunch, and small dinner due to activity levels after eating and works for me.

You did not mention your exercise plan, and how hard you train changes when you eat and how much.

Good Luck

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I am not sure how I wound up on the gaining weight site but I am also looking to lower my body fat percentage. Keeping in mind I am a woman and won't give any specific amounts therefore, it's my experience that this is how you lower your fat and gain muscle - 1. Lifting heavy weights for short reps. You should not be able to lift for more than 6 reps. If you can, use more weight. Muscle will burn fat on its own. 2. Limit cardio. I am assuming you are just looking to firm and not lose a large beer gut since you are on the gaining weight site. In that case, I would not do more than a 12 minute cardio session per workout. Something intense. My training used to like the moving stairs machine. Watch running. It wittles you away. 3. Eat a low sugar diet. Note I said sugar not carb. YOu should eat (in this order) veggies, lean protein (chicken, turkey, fish, seafood, eggs, tofu, pork, sirloin), low fat dairy like yogurt, string cheese, skim milk; fruit (3 servings a day), and fats (almonds, avocado, oil, etc). Any processed foods - gone. Limit anything that is made of flour or sugar.

You really should consult a trainer on this topic though.

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Edit: Sorry this was so long! Avoiding chores by stalking forums!

Hi everyone and thank you in advance for answering my questions

My goal is to cut body fat and gain muscle, more so to lose body fat. I have some general questions below but if anyone could please explain to me more about cutting body fat while building muscle that would be great!

1) How many calories per day should I be aiming for?

2) Once I find the above number of ideal calories per day, how do my daily activities factor into that?

3) What should my protein %, fat % and carb % look like when I reach the end of the day?

4) Can I setup the myfitnesspal app to help me with the above?

5) Is it okay to consume some of your calories at night?

1) Calories burned is different for everyone. Two guys both 5'10" weighing 170 pounds may very well need different caloric intake due to metabolism, LBM, activity level, etc... The MFP app does a decent job calculating what you need. Input your info and goals, and start with that number. Monitor your weight loss, and adjust your calories as needed.

2) I always eat more on days I work out. I'm hungrier, and my muscles need more fuel since they are working harder. If you want more muscle, there is no reason to starve those muscles when you need energy the most!

3) Generally you want to start by getting your protein intake to roughly 1 gram per pound you weight. That may be 30% of your total calories, it may be more, may be less. Some people may tell you more, some people say you don't need that much, but it's a great starting point.
You'll hear different opinions on carbs/fat intake. If you don't eat enough fat, your diet will hold you back. Anything less than .25g per pound is probably not enough. While dieting, carbs are the easiest to take out. They aren't necessary vital, and they won't leave you feeling full for as long. That said, they give you energy, and I can certainly tell when I am carb deprived when I'm at the gym lifting.

4) That's what MFP is there for! Hit the menu button on the top left of your screen, and navigate to goals. Under nutritional goals you can modify your calories AND your macro goals. Track all your foods properly in your diary, and you will even get a nice pie chart showing how you are doing for the day and week. I would be lost without the MFP app!

5) The time of day you eat is much less important than the amount/quality of calories you consume. This eating after eight making you fat stuff you hear is a myth. People who lose weight when they stop eating after eight generally are eating one less meal than they were before they cut the late night meal. I'm in a different situation as I am currently trying to gain weight, but I intentionally eat before bed. Keeps me from waking hungry at weird hours!

Ok, tried answering your questions the best I could, here's some more advice. Follow the 80/20 rule. 80% of your progress comes from 20% of your efforts. So eating the proper amount of calories alone will get you 80% of the results you desire over time. Eating the right foods (veggies, complex carbs instead of simple ones, lean meats -think chicken, fish, etc- fall into the 20% and will give you stronger results. That extra 20% may help you lose one more pound over a two month period (random number, not a typical result). BUT maybe adhering to a very strict diet causes you to give up. Was it really worth it for that extra pound? Remember, you are trying to create a body you will keep forever. Change your eating habits in a way that you can maintain for life.

Building muscle while cutting fat isn't easy, and generally only happens for beginning lifters. I began lifting in March (yes, I'm a big noob!) and have increased my measurements in my arms, legs, and chest while my waist continued to shrink. If you aren't a beginner to lifting, you won't be so lucky. Cut too fast and you won't be so lucky. Roughly a pound per week worked for me.

If you aren't in the gym already, start today! Simple pushups/pullups aren't going to get you the results you want. Find a good lifting program and stick with it. Stronglifts 5x5 is very popular for beginners. I don't use it, but it always gets brought up, and for a good reason. Just find something that you enjoy so you can stick with it.

So to recap, watch you weight and adjust your calories as needed to get the results you want. Eat healthy, but don't obsess over every little thing you eat. Find a gym and use it.