Macros

tristamdavis
tristamdavis Posts: 21 Member
edited November 20 in Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
Hey, everyone! I am 5'2.5" and 87lbs. I am trying to bulk and am doing crossfit MWF, Kettlebell TTH, and a bit of running because I am training for a 5k Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday. Can anyone advise me on what my macros should look like for my height, weight, activity level, and goal? I do work out daily and sometimes twice daily with the fitness classes but I am completely sedentary at work (5 hours 4 days a week). I feel like my carb goal set by mfp is very high and I can't reach it hardly ever (260 grams) a day. I have no problems hitting protein (103 g) or fats (68 g). Do these macros seem okay or do I need to tweek them a bit? Thanks for all of your help!

Replies

  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    .85 grams of protein per pound of body weight OR 1 gram of protein per pound of lean mass (seen it both ways) .45 grams of fat per pound of body weight, and the rest in carbs. Also, you are going to have a hard time building muscle doing essentially cardio workouts. What is your crossfit routine like?
  • tristamdavis
    tristamdavis Posts: 21 Member
    If I'm only doing .85 grams of protein, what do the carbs and fat raise to? And it's a fitness class that changes daily. The past few times we have done some cardio but we incorporate lifting in also.
  • LolBroScience
    LolBroScience Posts: 4,537 Member
    tristamdavis wrote: »
    If I'm only doing .85 grams of protein, what do the carbs and fat raise to? And it's a fitness class that changes daily. The past few times we have done some cardio but we incorporate lifting in also.

    It depends if you have a preference for fats or carbs, tbh....

    Holding calories constant, you would adjust the macros accordingly.

    1g Fat = 9 cals
    1g Carbs = 4 cals
    1g Protein = 4 cals
  • ankdworak
    ankdworak Posts: 336 Member
    I'd suggest simple math at 50% Carbs, 30 % Protein & 20% Fat
  • LolBroScience
    LolBroScience Posts: 4,537 Member
    IIFYM Calc with the information posted above has your TDEE at 1650 cals/day to maintain weight.

    5'2" Female, 87 lbs, 18 Years Old @ 5 Days Lifting & Exercise per week. Keep in mind that this is a ballpark number though....

    So, ideally you'd want to eat slightly above that as a jumping off point - say 250 cal surplus or a total of 1,900 calories per to gain at a slow pace.

    If you're using the .85g protein/lb that would set you at 74g Protein (296 calories).

    That leaves you with a remaining 1604 calories to split amongst carbs and fat. I would use .30g fat/ lb as a minimum baseline, but beyond that you can dump the remaining cals into more carbs or fats. Make sure you're hitting your fiber minimums as well around 20g fiber.

    http://iifym.com/iifym-calculator/

    Again, it's a baseline so you may need to adjust your calories and macros along the way.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    LolBroScience wrote: »
    IIFYM Calc with the information posted above has your TDEE at 1650 cals/day to maintain weight.

    5'2" Female, 87 lbs, 18 Years Old @ 5 Days Lifting & Exercise per week. Keep in mind that this is a ballpark number though....

    So, ideally you'd want to eat slightly above that as a jumping off point - say 250 cal surplus or a total of 1,900 calories per to gain at a slow pace.

    If you're using the .85g protein/lb that would set you at 74g Protein (296 calories).

    That leaves you with a remaining 1604 calories to split amongst carbs and fat. I would use .30g fat/ lb as a minimum baseline, but beyond that you can dump the remaining cals into more carbs or fats. Make sure you're hitting your fiber minimums as well around 20g fiber.

    http://iifym.com/iifym-calculator/

    Again, it's a baseline so you may need to adjust your calories and macros along the way.

    this..

    I would just add that when bulking you want to be getting majority of calories from carbs....

    but partition them as you see fit...
  • tristamdavis
    tristamdavis Posts: 21 Member
    Thank you! Ndj19 & lolBroScience! That's exactly what I needed to hear! I am however having a problem going above the 74 grams of protein a day... Is the protein number ballpark or should I treat it as I do sugar (NEVER go above)?
  • LolBroScience
    LolBroScience Posts: 4,537 Member
    tristamdavis wrote: »
    Thank you! Ndj19 & lolBroScience! That's exactly what I needed to hear! I am however having a problem going above the 74 grams of protein a day... Is the protein number ballpark or should I treat it as I do sugar (NEVER go above)?

    You don't need to worry about your sugar intake (unless you have some sort of pre-existing medical condition that states otherwise) per say. To answer your question about protein intake, aim for it as a minimum number to hit; if you go over no worries. Don't be afraid of the carbs though as NDJ said. They can be very beneficial for increasing performance, which will yield more successful results on the strength and hypertrophy side.
  • tristamdavis
    tristamdavis Posts: 21 Member
    Is there a a max for my protein? I'm normally getting 100 g daily....
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    tristamdavis wrote: »
    Is there a a max for my protein? I'm normally getting 100 g daily....

    no there is not a max...but since you are bulking the majority should come from carbs..
  • pebbleslaura1
    pebbleslaura1 Posts: 146 Member
    Also trying to gain an stuck about macros so all advice welcome
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