(5 Minutes)

Let's dive in to a bit more technical jargon…

Regardless of if we're cutting, or building, the first step requires establishing a "maintenance" intake. There are a TON of macro calculators out today and some which are semi-effective.

However, they often lack several important variables.

Mainly they lack the foundation that metabolism is dynamic and we must first calculate a maintenance number (the number of calories an individual maintains their body weight). Then we would simply ask the client to track their food for 1-2 weeks and while we look at their intake and set either a deficit, or surplus from there.

One problem…

People are full of shit and will report inaccurate data.

So what do we do? Well, I'm going to break down what I feel is the best calculation method…

  1. First, we multiply our body-weight by 10 (this is if calculating in pounds). For KG, we would use the multiplier of 22. This is going to give us a rough estimate of BMR, which stands for our basal metabolic rate. In other words, the number of calories our body expends just to "keep the lights on".
  2. Once we have this number, we need to assess our TDEE, which stands for our total daily energy expenditure. We're going to utilize the chart below to estimate this.
  3. Remember, we often overestimate our activity levels. We need to count activity outside of our training. This does contain a large amount of individual variability, which is why adjustments during the diet phase and cutting phase are so important. 
    • We have this variability metric built in. As people differ vastly. So these numbers will give you a starting point, but adjustments and feedback are CRUCIAL. 
  4.  Let's look at an example. Say Jim is a programmer and a bodybuilder. Let's assume Jim weighs 92KG, trains 3-6 days a week, and is otherwise sedentary.
    • We would take Jims BW of 92 x 22 = 2024 
    • We take this basal number and multiply by 1.3 – 1.6, and end up with 2630 – 3240 kcals.
  5. The best route at this point is to just choose a number between this range and see how you progress.
    • If you maintain weight, you've found maintenance. If you gain weight your in a surplus, and if you lose weight, you've hit a deficit.

Are you ready to find the "maintenance" for your body? From there we can work together on a targeted and customized plan tailored to you and your fitness goals. You can do this!! I can help you. Lets start the conversation.