How much to consume??

K soo yaaa im very very very confused when it comes to how much i should eat a day as in terms of:
1. calories
2. fats
3. carbs
4. proteins
I weigh about 208 lbs. 6 feet tall i have decent muscle mass already i strength train 3 times a week and do HIIT 3 times a week on the days i dont lift... At the moment im not trying to bulk up soo much but im jst trying to get defined & toned cuz i have a decent amount of muscle but i dont know how much to eatt i dont wanna make a mistake & end up losing my muscle mass in pursuit of a more defined body is there anyway i can find out how much to eat? if i just wanna get toned bt keep building muscle or keep my muscle at its constant size??
If anyone can help i'd really appreciate it... keep in mind im not trying to lose weight .. more focused on losin' that body fat bt dont wanna lose muscle

every body here has a different opinion, you need to find what works best for you, you need to experiment and find what works. You have asked three times a got a bunch of diff. opinions it is up to you and your body.

Ok my husband who is 6 feet and started at 195 (similar to you) had the exact goal as you.  To cut fat but not lose his hard earned muscle.  He is now 167 and about 8% body fat (he is still cutting)but maintained his muscle mass (while gaining strength) with the following over the past 4 months:

Ate 1800 to 1900 calories a day (according to CC this put him in a 500 calorie deficit) spread out over 5-6 small meals.  His macros are 20/40/40 (this fluxuates a bit from 20/38/42 to 20/42/38), eats his body weight in grams of protein (minimum: 190 grams of protein/day) 

Lifts 2X a week, splits.  day#1: bi/tri/deltoids, day#2 :back/chest. day#3: legs.   Does HIIT once (sometimes twice) a week.

Most important thing: eat 30g protein 30 minutes before and 30 m after a workout, especially on weight days.  Protein is your key to maintaining muscle while you are in a calorie deficit -- When cutting:  if you have a bad day (eat too many carbs/fats), I would say it is better to go over your calories a bit (only eat a 300 calorie deficit) to make sure you get your 200g of protein. 

Also eat a slow burning protein source like lowfat cottage cheese right before bed.  If you are really hardcore you would set your alarm and eat some in the middle of the night too.  This will help prevent your body from catabolizing your muscles during the night.

You can gain strength on a high protein calorie deficit (and you should!) -- your muscles can become more efficient.   You will not gain mass though but just maintain.  After you finish cutting to a fat% you like I would then recommend bulking for a few months, if you want to gain lean mass. 

For a bulk: Eat CLEAN!!!! (Don't eat burgers and call it bulking) but a clean 100-200 calories over maintence, again with small meals and lots of protein (as much as 2.5X your body weight).

Good luck,  I have been very impressed with the results of the diet and hope you will too.  You just need to be really anal about getting your protein and don't "crash" diet keep your deficit around 500 or smaller, by going slowly you will minimize muscle loss.

Oh in case I didn't emphasize.  (I was reading some of your other post about cardio versus weights).  You absolutely need to lift heavy 2-3X a week while cutting, so your body knows it needs to hang on to that muscle. 

I treat cardio as a tool to make my caloric deficit.

Oh and schedule 1 cheat meal a week to keep you sane --  a chocolate bar or a piece of pizza.  Don't go nuts on your cheat meal and eat a king size meal with a shake.   But do allow a controlled slurge.   The diet will take a while but you should start seeing results within 4 weeks.   However, it will be a 3-6 month road, if you want to do it right.   And scheduled cheats make it easier to "stay the course."   Plus the guilt always helps me get through the rest of the week.

Fri: my husband always has pizza, me: chocolate or icecream. 

BTW: I am on the same diet and workout as my husband (obviously with lower calories though  (I net 1370) and have also had great results.

If you have other Qs just ask. 

ANITHER PROPONENT OF A HIGH PROTEIN DIET! YAH!!!!!!!! It is so good to hear others that are using it and it is working, i seem to run into resistance a lot about it. Congrats on you and your husbands progress!

Thanks alot. that was a very helpful answer ill try it out and get back to you. =)

Bodyscience -- I have been so happy to see your post about protein too.  It is funny how against it people are.  All your comments on cc are so nice to see -- for a while I felt like I was the only one on this site that was pro-protein.  (I had been hanging out in the diet forum)

I have to admit, though, that before I tried it I was one of the biggest skeptics.  Now I can't promote it enough.

krazyjoker818 -- yes please keep me updated (pm me)

i only take whey protein shakes on workout days about 100g of whey protein 50 before and 50 after.... so on the other days there is no chance of me reaching 200 g of protein.. lol Should i be taking protein shakes on the days that i dont strength train??(if so then i shud be taking it everyday??)

First -- you can do 200g of protein, trust me (even w/o whey).  And you need to do this everyday.   On weight days the only difference is you want to make sure that some of that protein is properly timed around your workout.

I usually have whey 5 days a week.  But make my protein levels everyday regardless.  My hubby may sometimes have two a day, but he often makes his protein w/o any.

I recomend a variety of sources of proteins, some are slow digested, other fast, some more/less balanced than others.... For lots of info go to bodybuilding.com  (it's a God send)

Don't get your protein from any one source, mix it up.  Here are my suggestions and recipes to solve the protein problem:

*chicken/turkey breast: boiled, roated, BBQ, sliced on a sandwich with WW bread,  oh and ground 99% fat free turkey mix with some garlic powder and make a hamburger patty? and  there are lots of calorie free poultry rubs out there

*Fish: tuna, canned and steak (you can also get tuna steaks in a pouch - they come with some low calorie flavor good/fast/cheaper than fresh fish) or tilapia (Cosco has giant cheap bags of talapia) or salmon

*Boca or gardenburgers (soy burgers) - check the nutrition not all brands and flavors have the same protein punch per calorie.  (you can cook them in your toaster and little ketchup and you have a great pre-workout snack).  Again go to Cosco for these.

*eggs - I usually eat 9 whites.  (Only 15 calories per white and like 3.5 g protein and cheap.) My husband eats 12-18 whites. 

*1% or nonfat cottage cheese- great bang per buck, 80 calories in a 1/2cup and like 14g of protein,  my husband like his with PB mixed in -- I like it plain and usually eat it as my bedtime snack.  It is great with fruit too, canned or fresh (cantelope or pineapple is a fav.)

*whey protein - a must, different brands have different amounts of protein per scoop and calories so do your research I like the chocolate ones and strawberry flavored (very yummy).

*whole grains - my favorite oat bran mmmmmMMM so good just drizzle a little honey on it.  more protein per calorie than just oatmeal and I think it tastes better.  plus it helps keep you regular (if you get my drift) which can become an issue if you are eating a lot of protein.  (I also eat dried fruit regularly to combat this)


*beans, nuts and legumes -- good source of fat and medium source of protein, just watch your serving size.


*protein bars ? I make my own,

I don?t follow a recipe just make it up as I go along  the basics are like this:

1.5 cups oat bran, 1.5 cups oats, 4 egg whites, I whole egg, 2/3c cottage cheese, 4 scoops whey protein, some splenda to taste, lots of cinnamon, lots of vanilla or almond extract, sometimes a little honey.  Baking powder and baking soda are optional ? use it for a bread like bar, for a thick heavy bar leave it out.

To the above recipe I then make many variations: 1) use chocolate whey and add some PB 2) mash up a cooked sweet potato or yam and add it 3) grate some carrots and add some raisins 4) orange zest and currants 4) cinnamon and dried apple 5)use sugar free, fat free pudding mix for flavor, add dried cherries, apples, nuts anything you can think of

Just write down what you add and calculate the calories and protein content on cc.

The dough should be a thick past, bake it at 350ish for 5-10minutes on a cookie sheet (2tbs scoops yield about 12 ?bars? and are usually around 150 calories and about 10 grams  of protein)  you will have to calculate it for your exact recipe though.  Oh be sure to grease the cookie sheet, alternatively use cupcake pan. It is done when a toothpick comes out clean.  I usually freeze the bars (the go bad fast at room temp ? all that protein! Mold loves them), I bring one with me to work for second breakfast. 



 

Great thread folks, thanks...

I just started increasing my protein within the past 10 days and I already see the difference....I had been low at 80-99 for months then upped it to an average of 117...but now I'm going for 140g...My wgt is 143.5 (down 34 lbs)and I'm actually feeling lean...and my lifting strength has improved...Wish I had done this sooner...oh well, better late than never...

Thanks again :)

Thanks Jem599,  glad to hear of your success

I am sooo glad I read this topic. I was only trying to get 60-80 grams a day. I will definitely be upping that number from now on! Thanks!