Help a Noob Sista Out - Eating for Growth

DesignatedGinger
DesignatedGinger Posts: 16 Member
edited November 2024 in Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
Like so many others in this forum I am looking to build muscle. I've read through quite a few forum posts as well as articles on the subject but feel a bit overwhelmed. I was hesitant to post anything initially, but I know I could benefit from some pointers that are more specific to my current state.

I have been a cardio junkie for a while now. I am 5'9" and currently weigh 135. At my lowest weight I was 125 and that was after cardio nearly every day and serious calorie cutting. But this of course only goes so far when reshaping your body and does nothing for muscle growth. I also wasn't physically and mentally healthy at that low weight.

Currently I have a lower/upper body split weight plan four days a week with brief cardio (interval) sessions afterward. I have been following this for a few weeks now and I feel comfortable with it as it works well with my schedule while allowing me to push myself and lift heavier weights. I do have a sedentary job but I set walking times throughout the day so I am not sitting for hours. However, when it comes to my caloric intake plus macro breakdowns, I have no idea where I should be at. I've done quite a few calculations based on what I have read and the numbers seem to be all over the place. I am sure my old habits are kicking in as I'm afraid to bump up my caloric intake too high, but I don't want to be overeating where I end up totally back tracking.

Any suggestions?

Replies

  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,432 MFP Moderator
    Do you know how many calories you maintain at? If so, aim for 10-15% above that.

    Macor wise, you want to work it out by grams (or let us know your calories and we can back into the percentages). But you probably want 120g of protein and at least 40g of fats.. leaving the rest to be more fats or carbs.
  • DesignatedGinger
    DesignatedGinger Posts: 16 Member
    psuLemon wrote: »
    Do you know how many calories you maintain at? If so, aim for 10-15% above that.

    Macor wise, you want to work it out by grams (or let us know your calories and we can back into the percentages). But you probably want 120g of protein and at least 40g of fats.. leaving the rest to be more fats or carbs.

    Thank-you for your response! Without exercise it appears I am around 1700 calories. This seems high to me, but what I am used to is much lower. So 10% - 15% would be somewhere in the range of 170 - 255.

    For the macros I've read that paying attention to grams is much more effective than focusing on percentages. Would you agree that is the case?
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,432 MFP Moderator
    DesignatedGinger wrote: »
    psuLemon wrote: »
    Do you know how many calories you maintain at? If so, aim for 10-15% above that.

    Macor wise, you want to work it out by grams (or let us know your calories and we can back into the percentages). But you probably want 120g of protein and at least 40g of fats.. leaving the rest to be more fats or carbs.

    Thank-you for your response! Without exercise it appears I am around 1700 calories. This seems high to me, but what I am used to is much lower. So 10% - 15% would be somewhere in the range of 170 - 255.

    For the macros I've read that paying attention to grams is much more effective than focusing on percentages. Would you agree that is the case?

    Grams are what matter not percentages as it will vary by the individual. Have you started to track calories? If not, I'd baseline your maintenance levels to include exercise and then do a small increase.
  • richardgavel
    richardgavel Posts: 1,001 Member
    On a different aspect, it sounds like you're new to lifting, and as a cardio junkie myself, I would recommend going to a full body workout as opposed to a split routine. There are a number of good ones. I use Stronglifts 5x5 myself.
  • DesignatedGinger
    DesignatedGinger Posts: 16 Member
    That makes the most sense since individual needs vary widely. Yes, I have been trying to track my calories with the information I have had. I'll definitely give that a go in terms of doing a baseline and then increasing as needed.
    richardgavel wrote: »
    On a different aspect, it sounds like you're new to lifting, and as a cardio junkie myself, I would recommend going to a full body workout as opposed to a split routine. There are a number of good ones. I use Stronglifts 5x5 myself.

    Thank-you for the input! It's helpful to get the feedback from someone who has those cardio tendencies! I'll look into Stronglifts too! Clearly you must have had success to recommend it. :)
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,432 MFP Moderator
    DesignatedGinger wrote: »
    That makes the most sense since individual needs vary widely. Yes, I have been trying to track my calories with the information I have had. I'll definitely give that a go in terms of doing a baseline and then increasing as needed.
    richardgavel wrote: »
    On a different aspect, it sounds like you're new to lifting, and as a cardio junkie myself, I would recommend going to a full body workout as opposed to a split routine. There are a number of good ones. I use Stronglifts 5x5 myself.

    Thank-you for the input! It's helpful to get the feedback from someone who has those cardio tendencies! I'll look into Stronglifts too! Clearly you must have had success to recommend it. :)

    If you want, look at the stickies. I have a whole thread of lifting programs to consider.
  • DesignatedGinger
    DesignatedGinger Posts: 16 Member
    That would be a great resource, so I'll look for them too! Though another concern I have is how to incorporate cardio into your weight training routine. I've seen arguments advocating for limited cardio and others not so much. How do either of you include cardio in your weight training - if it plays any role at all?
  • skinnycow1234567
    skinnycow1234567 Posts: 167 Member
    Try adding more protein.How many grams a day are you tracking?
  • DesignatedGinger
    DesignatedGinger Posts: 16 Member
    skinnycow1234567 wrote: »
    Try adding more protein.How many grams a day are you tracking?

    I've bumped up my protein goal to at minimum of 100 grams, but I'm struggling to get close to that level. But that falls to me to do more research on the protein the foods I'm eating. For example, yesterday I was at 81 grams.
  • sardelsa
    sardelsa Posts: 9,812 Member
    DesignatedGinger wrote: »
    That would be a great resource, so I'll look for them too! Though another concern I have is how to incorporate cardio into your weight training routine. I've seen arguments advocating for limited cardio and others not so much. How do either of you include cardio in your weight training - if it plays any role at all?

    Some cardio is fine while trying to gain, but keep in mind you will have to make up for those calories burned by eating more. You really don't want to be constantly chasing your surplus and spin your wheels.

    I personally don't do any cardio when bulking (other than walking and daily activities), mostly because my intake is ridiculously high already there is no way I could keep up with it if I burned more unnecessarily. But that is just me, some people feel sluggish with zero cardio, so you will have to see what works for you.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,432 MFP Moderator
    sardelsa wrote: »
    DesignatedGinger wrote: »
    That would be a great resource, so I'll look for them too! Though another concern I have is how to incorporate cardio into your weight training routine. I've seen arguments advocating for limited cardio and others not so much. How do either of you include cardio in your weight training - if it plays any role at all?

    Some cardio is fine while trying to gain, but keep in mind you will have to make up for those calories burned by eating more. You really don't want to be constantly chasing your surplus and spin your wheels.

    I personally don't do any cardio when bulking (other than walking and daily activities), mostly because my intake is ridiculously high already there is no way I could keep up with it if I burned more unnecessarily. But that is just me, some people feel sluggish with zero cardio, so you will have to see what works for you.

    This is what I would say.. do as much cardio as you like, as long as it doesn't take away from allowing you to hit your calorie goals.


    Also, to clarify, you do realize that adding muscle is going to add fat as well right? I want to make sure you understand bulk... otherwise, we can go down the route out recomp. But that depends if you have a time table as well.
  • richardgavel
    richardgavel Posts: 1,001 Member
    I have separate days for cardio and lifting. I don't try and do both same day, let alone same workout like some do.

    Also, with a 3x a week lift plan, there is always going to be a 2 day break once in that schedule. Try and put your most intense/longest day on the first of those 2 days (for me, that might be my long run).

    Accept the fact that you won't excel/improve a lot at both. Decide which one takes priority over the other.
  • DesignatedGinger
    DesignatedGinger Posts: 16 Member
    psuLemon wrote: »
    sardelsa wrote: »
    DesignatedGinger wrote: »
    That would be a great resource, so I'll look for them too! Though another concern I have is how to incorporate cardio into your weight training routine. I've seen arguments advocating for limited cardio and others not so much. How do either of you include cardio in your weight training - if it plays any role at all?

    Some cardio is fine while trying to gain, but keep in mind you will have to make up for those calories burned by eating more. You really don't want to be constantly chasing your surplus and spin your wheels.

    I personally don't do any cardio when bulking (other than walking and daily activities), mostly because my intake is ridiculously high already there is no way I could keep up with it if I burned more unnecessarily. But that is just me, some people feel sluggish with zero cardio, so you will have to see what works for you.

    This is what I would say.. do as much cardio as you like, as long as it doesn't take away from allowing you to hit your calorie goals.


    Also, to clarify, you do realize that adding muscle is going to add fat as well right? I want to make sure you understand bulk... otherwise, we can go down the route out recomp. But that depends if you have a time table as well.

    Yes, I am aware that it comes with the territory. :) And no time table involved.
  • DesignatedGinger
    DesignatedGinger Posts: 16 Member
    richardgavel wrote: »
    I have separate days for cardio and lifting. I don't try and do both same day, let alone same workout like some do.

    Also, with a 3x a week lift plan, there is always going to be a 2 day break once in that schedule. Try and put your most intense/longest day on the first of those 2 days (for me, that might be my long run).

    Accept the fact that you won't excel/improve a lot at both. Decide which one takes priority over the other.

    I like the idea of putting the most intense cardio on one of those two day breaks. Right, trying to perform well at both will only lead to poor performance for both. Thanks!
  • owa1s
    owa1s Posts: 273 Member
    Protein per gram of ur body weight and fats from range of .4 to .6 and I kept them constant and keep increasing your carbs gradually for more calories and increase ur calories slowly like 250 or 500 and when u don't see results then increase 250 or 500 more and if u see some fat coming in then cut back some calories.
    Hope this helped
  • ijsantos2005
    ijsantos2005 Posts: 306 Member
    Hit your protein goals and aim for a caloric surplus of about 1.0 - 1.5 lbs per month.
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