what's your maintenance calorie intake?
Discussion
After spending ages on my fitness pal scanning in barcodes of what I eat with exact amounts in...... I eat 4500 calories a day and haven't put a pound on in last 10 days! (Except fluctuations during the day)
Hopefully im loosing the fat and replacing it with muscle.
Any other PHers have a bizarre maintenance intake?
Hopefully im loosing the fat and replacing it with muscle.
Any other PHers have a bizarre maintenance intake?
I'm eating between 2300 and 2800 a day now (depending on my training). I suspect that I ought to eat over 3000 but I'll visually monitor things and decide as I go along. Given that 6 months ago I was eating 1500-1700 calories, eating towards my current daily target is much more satisfying. 
Hoofy said:
I'm eating between 2300 and 2800 a day now (depending on my training). I suspect that I ought to eat over 3000 but I'll visually monitor things and decide as I go along. Given that 6 months ago I was eating 1500-1700 calories, eating towards my current daily target is much more satisfying.
1500-1700 
my breakfast is 2000cals! 
Hoofy said:
Hm. Ok, a lot of that is liquid but still...
I just had 600cals for dinner and I'm stuffed. (Noodle soup and veg.)
Yes easy to get off to gym after full of energy also the body takes out the liquid when digesting. So far im horny as fI just had 600cals for dinner and I'm stuffed. (Noodle soup and veg.)
k (brazil nuts help test levels) and ive hit my pb on deadlift again and nearly beat it! 
Not a lot, I hate it with a passion now.
I had a day off today, one of very few over the last 6 months.
Massive bowl of crunchy nut cornflakes
sausage sandwich from the burger van
Beans, burgers and baked potato for tea
Crap this evening.
How come rubbish tastes so good, anyone tells me different is lying.
Tuna on ryvita is nasty
chichen breast after chicken breast .....
oat meal.... just like the Matrix meal.... spludge
Salad, yes it's nice to start with but jesus the farts are terrible.
Hoofy, HOOFY, HOOOOOOFFFYYYYYYYY ..... where is my kebab.....
I had a day off today, one of very few over the last 6 months.
Massive bowl of crunchy nut cornflakes
sausage sandwich from the burger van
Beans, burgers and baked potato for tea
Crap this evening.
How come rubbish tastes so good, anyone tells me different is lying.
Tuna on ryvita is nasty
chichen breast after chicken breast .....
oat meal.... just like the Matrix meal.... spludge
Salad, yes it's nice to start with but jesus the farts are terrible.
Hoofy, HOOFY, HOOOOOOFFFYYYYYYYY ..... where is my kebab.....
Juanco20 said:
I've started lifting properly since Christmas
Christmas Day I was 11 stone 7
Today I am 12 stone 8
I'm eating just over 3000 calories a day. A bit worrying but body fat is still well under 10%. I'm assuming ill reach a point where 3000 calories stops putting weight on?
Possibly but not likely for a while. Christmas Day I was 11 stone 7
Today I am 12 stone 8
I'm eating just over 3000 calories a day. A bit worrying but body fat is still well under 10%. I'm assuming ill reach a point where 3000 calories stops putting weight on?
Well done on the weight gain, newbies can often gain weight fast!
One question, how do you know what your body fat is?
Lee
According to all sorts of BMR calucators my maintenance should be 2066cals. I tend to aim for eating around 2000cals while lifting and doing the cardio. I might eat a little lower on days where I'm doing nothing,
Breakfast I'll tend to have a decent bowl of bran flakes. Lunch I'll make a tuna or fried egg sandwich. Dinner I just try and eat a sensible portion.
I still eat the odd junk/fast food here and there, I just make sure it's not too many calories otherwise I then eat a lighter dinner.
When I joined the gym for the first time at the very start of december I was at 97kg/217lbs.
Weighed myself the other day and I'm around 205lbs. I guess I must be doing something good, so I'll stick to what I'm doing. Maybe I'll be a little stricter with calories or decide to burn more calories and see if I make better progress. Nonetheless I'm still enjoying it, and would rather sweat my arse off in the gym and have some flexibility with what I can eat.. then not go and have to limit more of what I eat.
Breakfast I'll tend to have a decent bowl of bran flakes. Lunch I'll make a tuna or fried egg sandwich. Dinner I just try and eat a sensible portion.
I still eat the odd junk/fast food here and there, I just make sure it's not too many calories otherwise I then eat a lighter dinner.
When I joined the gym for the first time at the very start of december I was at 97kg/217lbs.
Weighed myself the other day and I'm around 205lbs. I guess I must be doing something good, so I'll stick to what I'm doing. Maybe I'll be a little stricter with calories or decide to burn more calories and see if I make better progress. Nonetheless I'm still enjoying it, and would rather sweat my arse off in the gym and have some flexibility with what I can eat.. then not go and have to limit more of what I eat.
Ordinary_Chap said:
Possibly but not likely for a while.
Well done on the weight gain, newbies can often gain weight fast!
One question, how do you know what your body fat is?
Lee
Well I'm slightly worried that only 3000 calories is putting weight on me so quickly, given I've always considered myself a hard gainer. According to those calculators, my maintenance calories should be around 3000. How can some peoples maintenance calories be as low as 2000? Do they lie in bed and not move all week Well done on the weight gain, newbies can often gain weight fast!
One question, how do you know what your body fat is?
Lee
Current daily intake looks a bit like this (just over 3000):
Breakfast - Instants Oats with whey shake + banana = 600 calories
Mid morning - 2 hard boiled eggs = 150 calories
Dinner - 4 x wholemeal rolls with chicken + can of tuna = 850 calories
Pre workout - Instant oats with whey = 500 calories
Post workout - Hurricane XS shake + banana = 300 calories
Tea - Different everyday but usually Salmon, Steak, Chicken curry or something on those lines = c600 calories
Bedtime snack - Two slices toast + 1 scoop whey shake = 300 calories
Fairly healthy, maybe too much bread in there but plenty of protein and very little processed food.
I've got some of these cheap calipers. Far from accurate I know, but they show me as being about 8%. Probably a bit higher than that if done more accurately but it gives a rough guide I guess
Juanco20 said:
Ordinary_Chap said:
Possibly but not likely for a while.
Well done on the weight gain, newbies can often gain weight fast!
One question, how do you know what your body fat is?
Lee
Well I'm slightly worried that only 3000 calories is putting weight on me so quickly, given I've always considered myself a hard gainer. According to those calculators, my maintenance calories should be around 3000. How can some peoples maintenance calories be as low as 2000? Do they lie in bed and not move all week Well done on the weight gain, newbies can often gain weight fast!
One question, how do you know what your body fat is?
Lee
Current daily intake looks a bit like this (just over 3000):
Breakfast - Instants Oats with whey shake + banana = 600 calories
Mid morning - 2 hard boiled eggs = 150 calories
Dinner - 4 x wholemeal rolls with chicken + can of tuna = 850 calories
Pre workout - Instant oats with whey = 500 calories
Post workout - Hurricane XS shake + banana = 300 calories
Tea - Different everyday but usually Salmon, Steak, Chicken curry or something on those lines = c600 calories
Bedtime snack - Two slices toast + 1 scoop whey shake = 300 calories
Fairly healthy, maybe too much bread in there but plenty of protein and very little processed food.
I've got some of these cheap calipers. Far from accurate I know, but they show me as being about 8%. Probably a bit higher than that if done more accurately but it gives a rough guide I guess
4 Wholemeal rolls, chicken and a can of tuna for 850 calories? How did you get to that number?
Anyway your diet is pretty decent and should be good for a lot more growth.
I value BMR but its only a guide, we are all actually quite different from what the calculated number may suggest. I think its a good starting point and then figuring out what works for you is the key. Some main gain or lose body fat on maintenance calories.
Lee
Ordinary_Chap said:
I'd hazard a guess you're underestimating calories.
4 Wholemeal rolls, chicken and a can of tuna for 850 calories? How did you get to that number?
Anyway your diet is pretty decent and should be good for a lot more growth.
I value BMR but its only a guide, we are all actually quite different from what the calculated number may suggest. I think its a good starting point and then figuring out what works for you is the key. Some main gain or lose body fat on maintenance calories.
Lee
The rolls are 150 calories each. The chicken in there doesn't total much over 150. The tuna is 150. So around 850-9004 Wholemeal rolls, chicken and a can of tuna for 850 calories? How did you get to that number?
Anyway your diet is pretty decent and should be good for a lot more growth.
I value BMR but its only a guide, we are all actually quite different from what the calculated number may suggest. I think its a good starting point and then figuring out what works for you is the key. Some main gain or lose body fat on maintenance calories.
Lee
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