Like most males my age, I feel I need to gain muscle and work to have more visible abs (it’s not like I show them to anyone, I just like being thin). I already have a fairly balanced workout routing consisting of strength training and cardio, but I am not sure as to how many calories I will need to see a maximized effect. The workouts are split up into four sets, and total a span of about two hours daily. Here’s some background information. I was formerly on a weight loss diet, eating 1800 calories a day. Hence reaching my desired body fat percentage and picking up strength training, I have slowly began consuming more calories without losing the visibility of my abs. Right now I take in 2300 and am wondering how far I might be able to go. I’m 17, 5′9, 147 lbs. Any past experiences would help me greatly, any results other’s may have seen would be very useful. I would rather read about first-hand experiences than look it up on an online calculator. I would appreciate some help (except for those darn “copy and paste” answers telling me to visit some weight loss website)!
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I have a first-hand experience for you.
First, go for 1g of protein per pound of body weight. Eat double the carbs, and don’t worry about fat (eat lean proteins and use good fats like olive oil to cook with and you’ll get enough). Calculate how many calories that is, and divide that by 5 or 6…shoot for that many calories per meal 5-6 times a day.
Now, here’s where you need to pay attention to your body. Do you feel bloated? Do you feel hungry? Things like this will tell you that you need to eat less or more, respectively. All our bodies are different. If you notice that you’re well-hydrated but your urine is dark orange/yellow or even a Mt. Dew green color, then you are getting too much protein and you should cut back (try 1g protein per pound of LEAN body weight, which means you need to know your body fat percentage and subtract fat weight from your total weight…example: if I’m 200lbs and 20% body fat, then that’s 40lbs of fat that I have. 200 – 40 = 160, so I should shoot for 160g of protein per day).
I’ve had to do this before and find a happy medium, and since we’re all different, you will as well. As a woman, I was trying to put on serious mass and lose fat (that’s right, not ALL women want to be just “toned”), and was able to get stronger while losing weight and fat by eating about 2800-3100 calories per day. I ate like a 250lb fat man and kept losing weight.
Another option is to change up your workout to help maximize muscle growth. What are you currently doing? You can email me that info.