Nutrition help

[birdhunter]

I'm a 33 yo male, currently at 169.5lbs. I am skinny fat and started cutting by eating 1500 calories. While I did build some muscle and lost fat at the same time, advice on reddit/my own research suggested that I was severely undereating. I then slowly increased my calories to 1750 for 10 days, 2000 for 10 days and recently upped them to 2350. My motive to do this was to recharge my metabolism and then go on a smaller deficit so I can keep recomping. My macros through all these have been P: 45-50%, C: 30-35%, F: 10-20%. Through these changes in calories, my weight has stayed between 169.3-170.2 (so, mostly consistent).

My question now is, shall I keep increasing the the calories until I see a uptick I'm weight or is 2350 good to continue for a cut?

P.S. - The journey from 178lbs (I started working out at this weight) to 169.5lbs has mostly been while eating 1500-1700 calories with high protien diet combined with lifting 5-6 days a week. I lost around 15lbs of fat and gained around 8lbs of lean muscle (results from dexa scan).

 

[mac64]

@birdhunter Skinny fat means you should focus on bulking. Good macros, intense lifting until you have noticeable muscle.

 

[sellom]

@birdhunter I’d figure out your maintenance and stay there and lift for a year. You have a ton of low hanging noob gains to reap. Untrained can recomp well. Put some muscle on, then maybe in a year do a cut to show those muscles.

Getting into lifting on a cut is hard mode and you are going to be fighting fatigue. Easy way to burn out.

 

[jerrymyers]

@sellom Can I ask what recomp is? I hear it all the time but I don't know what it exactly means?
Thank you

 

[mpowell8089]

@jerrymyers Building muscle and losing fat simultaneously.

 

[jerrymyers]

@mpowell8089 Like eating below maintenance and building muscle at the same time? I thought that was cutting?

 

[mpowell8089]

@jerrymyers Usually. At maintenance can work too. Mostly for beginners who have a physique that would fit the 'skinny-fat' description (high body fat percentage and not much muscle, which leaves them looking skinny in clothes and at a body weight that's often not considered over weight).

 

[jerrymyers]

@mpowell8089 Ok got it, that's what I am doing then lol I looked skinny fat and right now I have some muscle and some fat like 20-25%

Thanks for the explanation, appreciate it

 

[johnc101]

@birdhunter sorry if this is above and beyond your question but hopefully this helps.

for a cut - pick the rate you want to lose weight at - then adjust calories every 4-7 days based on how far you're off that rate.

for a bulk - pick the rate you want to make gains at in your training (a reasonable rate based on your experience and training level) and when you can't keep up with that rate - up the calories.

for a recomp - if you have to ask how to do it effectively (like what calorie amount works best) or how to know if it's working, just bulk/cut. it's going to take much longer to know if your recomp is actually working, and realistically there will be a lot of false positives. bb-ing is about figuring out your bodies response to different variables and when things work/don't work - figuring that out fast and making adjustments to get yourself on the right track. only you can do that for yourself - so if you're unsure - just bulk/cut which will give you much faster response time and you can make decisions with more confidence. of course, it can work - but coupled with the above problem, you're also trading off time not spent in a surplus. why spend 10 years doing what you could in 3?

 

[autocad]

@birdhunter Maintain weight and let the gains come (no kidding)