Lose Fat While Maintaining weight?

foxxjoe
foxxjoe Posts: 2 Member
edited November 18 in Goal: Maintaining Weight
5 months ago my goal was to gain muscle. I went from 195 to 225lbs. Right now I'm at 13% BF , I would like to bring that number down to 9%.

According to the app my daily calories should be at 3200 (if maintaining) 40P/30F/30C (320 grams of protein!!) it was impossible to reach that amount of protein daily without going over fat and other nutrients at least for me. So I tweaked it to 2200 at (205 grams protein) 40P/40F/20C. Now it seems 2200cal is a little bit of calories for my size and/or the amount or workout I do. I'm 32 years old, 6' 4", 220lbs. I do strength training 6 times per week (CrossFit). Other activities on Sundays like Mountain biking etc...

Do you guys have any suggestions?

Replies

  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    Would suggest dumping the idea of setting macros by percentages - as your numbers show you can end up with pretty horribly skewed and unpalatable amounts of protein.

    So if you think of protein and fat as minimum goals (there's room for personal preferences):
    Fat in range 0.35 - 0.4g per lb of bodyweight.
    Protein in range 1g per lb of lean body mass to 1g per lb of bodyweight.

    Once those minimums are met carbs/fat/protein fall wherever suits you.
    Gives you much more flexibility day to day while still hitting the important essential macros of protein & fat. Should give enough room for plenty of carbs to fuel your workouts.

    Calories seem far too low at 2200 for your size and amount of exercise but you will have to experiment to find what actually works for you. Bet it ends up closer to 3200 than 2200 though!

  • foxxjoe
    foxxjoe Posts: 2 Member
    sijomial wrote: »
    Would suggest dumping the idea of setting macros by percentages - as your numbers show you can end up with pretty horribly skewed and unpalatable amounts of protein.

    So if you think of protein and fat as minimum goals (there's room for personal preferences):
    Fat in range 0.35 - 0.4g per lb of bodyweight.
    Protein in range 1g per lb of lean body mass to 1g per lb of bodyweight.

    Once those minimums are met carbs/fat/protein fall wherever suits you.
    Gives you much more flexibility day to day while still hitting the important essential macros of protein & fat. Should give enough room for plenty of carbs to fuel your workouts.

    Calories seem far too low at 2200 for your size and amount of exercise but you will have to experiment to find what actually works for you. Bet it ends up closer to 3200 than 2200 though!


    Thanks a lot sijomial! That's really helpful. 2200 is definitely low!

  • gemmamummy
    gemmamummy Posts: 185 Member
    Sijomial is right, protein doesn't need to be that high. I've been doing a recomp for a year, no weight loss, but seen a decrease of 5% body fat. Yes 2200 kcal is waaaay to low for your stats. I'm a 4'11, 100lb woman and I am maintaining on 2000 kcals. I'm aiming for 100g protein a day. I've read in plenty of places that once we meet our protein goal (up to 1g per lb of body weight) any excess protein is just excreted. Considering how expensive I've found protein rich foods, its been much easier, cheaper and enjoyable to fill the additional cals with carbs and fats.
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,267 Member
    I agree...in the summer I can lose on 2200 and I am 150lbs...

    the calcs for fat and protein are what I use as well...I eat min 113 grams of protein a day. Fat is higher but normally don't hit it and carbs for my energy...gotta love those.
  • GunnarHamundarson
    GunnarHamundarson Posts: 7 Member
    edited May 2015
    Consider the body can only assimilate around 30 grams of protein in 3 hours, you end up stressing your kidneys. I tried doing 300 grams of protein before (at 250 lbs) and my joints hurt like hell. Think of a gas tank that holds only so much; well, your tank only holds so much protein for 3 hours. Sure, you can eat more protein, but you are wasting money and food. If your activity is that high, you can up your carbs and certainly pack in more calories.

    However, if my goal were to preserve as much muscle and burn through fat, I would reduce my carbs to 200-300 grams, at most and keep my protein at 180grams at 225lbs, and be hitting the weights like crazy. I would limit my cardio to 30-40 minute sessions a few times a week, at most.

    That is just what works for me but, keep track of what you are trying, record the results, and do what works for you. That much protein is bad news, though, IMHO.

    By the way, with 200-300 grams of carbs, you know the calories are really as low as you can go at 225 lbs, without going over about 3-4 lbs of weight loss (hopefully, all of it being fat). But, you can go lift for a couple hours and recover. Doing a lot of cardio under these constraints is just asking for burnout or an injury, though.
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