I’m 39, 141 pounds, and I estimate my BF to be about 20%. Using the above TDE calculator, I determined that my maintenance calories were 2287 per day. I am in a building phase, so for that I added 500 cal per day.
I am currently eating between 2700-2800 calories per day and my macros are broken down as follows.
I am trying to keep this building phase as lean as I can throughout summer then may loosen up slightly over the winter, but I am really finding it hard to hit these calories and keep the fats in my goal.
This is my first time ever to be over 140 pounds in my life. When I started my TRT journey in March, I was 132 pounds. I have steadily increased my weight since then, but I feel like it has started to plateau. Nearly 10 pounds in a month and a half is very good, in my opinion. I have kept progress pictures, and I feel like most what I have put on is lean mass. I am always looking to learn and grow from other individuals here.
Is there a reason you’re trying to keep the fats where they are? You could try lowering your carbs a bit and increasing fats. It could really open things up for you.
Admittedly, I don’t know a lot about nutrition. I’m just trying to keep them lower with the thought of trying to stay leaner. I’m also trying to get rid of a little lower belly pooch while doing this, so I don’t want to add more fat.
Consumption of dietary fat does not equate to addition of bodyfat. Though it’s true that dietary fat is the easiest macro to convert to fat compared to carbs or protein, it’s not true that the sheer consumption of it as a macro means the increase of bodyfat. I’ve been following Vince Gironda’s Maximum Definition diet for 5 weeks, which is a diet of only meat and eggs (with 1 carb meal every 7 days for me) and I’ve been LOSING fat this way. Robert Sikes is a natural professional bodybuidler that has been ketogenic for over 7 years, has fats as 70+ % of his daily calories, and was at one point the leannest human on earth, measured at something like 4% bodyfat on a dexa.
All this to say: don’t fear dietary fat. You definitely have room to play with it.
@arkansasnurse You could start with moving 5% of your carbs over to your fats, giving it a go for a couple of weeks, and adjusting from there. Maybe you then move another 5% in that direction, ending up at 35% for both carbs and fats. It’s about finding the sweet spot where you don’t feel extremely constrained and you’re progressing.
Sadly, there’s no clear cut answer as to do this for the absolute best results. You have to test things out. But if you’re struggling right now to stay inside of a certain macro box, then it’s time to think about shifting the box a bit, especially when your goal is to add some lean mass.
Below is an example of a full day of eating for me. I know I could have cleaned up my dinner some but we haven’t been grocery shopping so I didn’t have a lot of options at the house. On the weekend, we mail prep lunches and dinners for the week. My breakfast is usually the same thing every morning. I could probably do away with the breakfast bar but I find that an easy way to get over 200 cal and a lot of carbs pretty easily. The Kodiak granola is also a bit higher in fats. Those are the two main processed fats that I eat for breakfast.
I appreciate everyone’s advice so far and will think about adding 5% fat and taking away 5% carbs. What you were looking at right now as a current caloric intake of 2511 per day. I haven’t increased my calories on the app yet. But there are days where I can’t hit 2500 calories and maintain the macro percentages.
If this is the goal, ever consider mixing some honey in with your yogurt and oats? You could use some almond butter as well. Could also put that on the bagels.
I note very little unprocessed animal protein with this approach. That salmon at lunch is awesome: I’d love to see some eggs at breakfast, and for that snack to NOT be marshmallows and beefsticks.
There’s nothing magical about macro percentages. Getting your protein goal will help with building muscle, and from there you have carbs and fats for energy. Unless you are attempting to become ketogenic, it’s not the biggest deal where your energy is coming from.
Agreed, I grab a quick marshmallow for the carbs/calories/no fats. The beef stick isn’t every day, maybe once a week. It was a last ditch effort one night trying to get in all my stuff.
I eat like this every day, if that’s what you’re asking. If your asking what time of day, I train between snack and dinner, although the “snack” bucket is used throughout the day for things that don’t pertain to the normal breakfast/lunch/dinner.
If this is the case, your breakfast makes no sense to me. You won’t be training until the end of the day, but you’re eating your biggest carb meal at the start of the day. You don’t need that fuel at that point.
I’m not a carb user in general, but if I was, I’d time it around the training. I’d eat the majority before and after the training. The lunch or dinner you’re eating would be a better breakfast choice for me. Breakfast would make a better post training meal, especially with how many simple carbs are in it.
Solid progress, man — 10 lbs up with mostly lean mass is no joke, especially at 39. That macro split looks pretty dialed in too. If fats feel tight, maybe swap in some calorie-dense options like nut butters, eggs, or olive oil — they add up quick without blowing your carbs.
Plateau might just be your body adjusting — stay consistent, maybe bump 100 cals if needed, and keep tracking pics. You’re definitely on the right track.
