I’ll start off with some stats and then get into my issues:
I’m 6’2, 230lbs, 31 yrs old, male, skinny-fat and haven’t seriously lifted in like 7 years, and want to put on maybe 10lbs of muscle before worrying too much about dropping fat. However, I don’t want to add more fat, and that’s where I could use some help.
I plan on eating 3,000 calories / day over 6 meals (biggest in the morning, smallest in the evening) made up of 50% carbs, 30% protein, 20% fat; meals calibrated at mathfood.com; weighing everything.
I guess my question is this: Is this the best way to go about putting on size without adding extra fat? Should I get into supplements yet or is that too advanced? If so, what?
Any advice is welcome!
Thanks,
Most times 20% of calories from fat is too low for optimal testosterone production. 30% is a better minimum figure, in general.
Best fats are beef, macadamia, coconut, and olive. Fats to really avoid are “vegetable oil,” sunflower, safflower, soybean, etc unless high-oleic versions. Chicken and pork fats are poor sources.
Supplementation is by no means too advanced, but it’s also possible to progress at this point without it. There is a lot of information on the site.
On average, how much fats would you recommend? I’m 5’4 and 167lbs at the moment but three weeks out from contest prep. I am talking about in the offseason, after my show.
Usually a minimum of 30% of calories from fat, or in gram figures, a minimum of 80 g/day. More is sometimes better, to 40% of calories.
This is both for testosterone production and because (neglecting alcohol and “fiber”) total calories inevitably come from protein, fat, and carbs. So if protein is at a given and suitably high figure, then the remainder is some balance between carbs and fat. Some do well on high carbs, but many do better with carbs moderated, for example 200-300 g/day. Fat must then make up the balance, and this often will be well above the minimum figures.