cutting macros

benjonesss
benjonesss Posts: 25 Member
edited November 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
hey everyone, ive been bulking for about a month and a half and i'm ready to start a small cut to get rid of a bit of body fat. i was just wondering if 210 g of protein, 96g of carbs, and 74 g of fats would be ideal for me. i'm 5'3 at about 115 lbs. i'm also 21 yrs old

Replies

  • Nony_Mouse
    Nony_Mouse Posts: 5,646 Member
    Why so much protein? You really only need to be doing ~1g per lb of bodyweight.
  • benjonesss
    benjonesss Posts: 25 Member
    i've gained a good amount of muscle mass in the past 6 weeks
  • livingleanlivingclean
    livingleanlivingclean Posts: 11,751 Member
    benjonesss wrote: »
    i've gained a good amount of muscle mass in the past 6 weeks

    How much weight have you gained?
  • benjonesss
    benjonesss Posts: 25 Member
    no clue. i do not own a scale
  • Nony_Mouse
    Nony_Mouse Posts: 5,646 Member
    benjonesss wrote: »
    i've gained a good amount of muscle mass in the past 6 weeks

    How have you measured that? Cos honestly, it's not very likely to be much in that short amount of time.
  • benjonesss
    benjonesss Posts: 25 Member
    by how i look in the mirror
  • benjonesss
    benjonesss Posts: 25 Member
    how do i set my fitness pal to maintenance
  • livingleanlivingclean
    livingleanlivingclean Posts: 11,751 Member
    benjonesss wrote: »
    how do i set my fitness pal to maintenance

    The same way you set it to eat at a surplus to bulk, or to eat at a deficit to lose weight.
  • Nony_Mouse
    Nony_Mouse Posts: 5,646 Member
    Goals -> Guided set up.
  • benjonesss
    benjonesss Posts: 25 Member
    so i should be eating around 115g of protein
  • Nony_Mouse
    Nony_Mouse Posts: 5,646 Member
    Yes. Also aim for 0.35-0.45g of fat per day as a minimum, the rest can fall wherever you want.
  • benjonesss
    benjonesss Posts: 25 Member
    i'm not trying to jump into a crazy cut and drop my calories a lot right away. i'm trying to take it slow. i'm new to fitness and all of this causes a big headache for me.
  • Nony_Mouse
    Nony_Mouse Posts: 5,646 Member
    benjonesss wrote: »
    i'm not trying to jump into a crazy cut and drop my calories a lot right away. i'm trying to take it slow. i'm new to fitness and all of this causes a big headache for me.

    You're at a healthy weight, towards the bottom end of the BMI scale. Why are you trying to lose weight at all? Recomp (eating at maintenance, engaging in a progressive strength training programme) is probably much better suited to you.
  • benjonesss
    benjonesss Posts: 25 Member
    so what should my macros look like for maintenance? i'm so new to this and tbh have no idea what i'm doing
  • Nony_Mouse
    Nony_Mouse Posts: 5,646 Member
    The same. Treat protein and fat as minimum requirements (ie you want to get to that amount each day, if you have more it's not a problem), make up the rest of your calories however suits you, focusing on nutritious foods for vitamins and minerals, but allowing room for treats/'junk food' if you want it.
  • livingleanlivingclean
    livingleanlivingclean Posts: 11,751 Member
    The same as stated above
    Protein 0.8g per lb
    Fat 0.35-0.45g per lb

    The rest of your calories where you like. Don't overcomplicate it!
  • benjonesss
    benjonesss Posts: 25 Member
    when you say the rest of the calories where you like, do you mean from carbs?
  • Nony_Mouse
    Nony_Mouse Posts: 5,646 Member
    Literally whatever you like. Some should absolutely be carbs to fuel your workouts, but beyond that as long as you're hitting minimums for protein and fat, the rest of your calories can be made up with whatever macro balance suits you. Example - some people find carbs really satiating (ie keeps them full), so they will use the additional calories mostly on carbs. Others prefer more fat for the same reason. Others still find it doesn't much matter to them.

    Basically, eat foods you like within your calorie allowance.
  • benjonesss
    benjonesss Posts: 25 Member
    so when i want to drop the calories after i see that i'm not losing weight, should i cut carbs?
  • MegaMooseEsq
    MegaMooseEsq Posts: 3,118 Member
    benjonesss wrote: »
    so when i want to drop the calories after i see that i'm not losing weight, should i cut carbs?

    Cut from anywhere you have excess calories, so long as you maintain a minimum amount of fat and protein. That might be carbs, that might be somewhere else.
  • Nony_Mouse
    Nony_Mouse Posts: 5,646 Member
    benjonesss wrote: »
    so when i want to drop the calories after i see that i'm not losing weight, should i cut carbs?

    Again, why do you think you need to lose weight? You're a male with a BMI of 20. If you have extra fat, recomp.
  • benjonesss
    benjonesss Posts: 25 Member
    so what should bulk macros look like? do protein and fats stay the same during bulk and cut?
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    Have a read of this - I think it will be very helpful for you.....

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/819055/setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets/p1
  • sardelsa
    sardelsa Posts: 9,812 Member
    benjonesss wrote: »
    so what should bulk macros look like? do protein and fats stay the same during bulk and cut?

    Many people do it that way and increase carbs, others may play around with it more. I do tend to lower protein a bit and increase fat a bit (from cutting levels) and make up the rest in carbs. As long as I hit minimums I don't fuss about it too much.
  • Muscleflex79
    Muscleflex79 Posts: 1,917 Member
    benjonesss wrote: »
    hey everyone, ive been bulking for about a month and a half and i'm ready to start a small cut to get rid of a bit of body fat. i was just wondering if 210 g of protein, 96g of carbs, and 74 g of fats would be ideal for me. i'm 5'3 at about 115 lbs. i'm also 21 yrs old

    a 6 week bulk?
This discussion has been closed.