Question about macros

[Honey]

So I think my bulking diet is pretty solid but not quite perfected, but I wanted to ask a question regarding macro values. Carbs in specific.

I've identified my carb macro to be 315-340 grams a day. My question is, should I be AIMING for that value, or is that just the maximum and therefore anything below it is fine?

I'm afraid that if I start eating 340 grams a day, my body is just gonna start storing it as fat and I'm already putting on the inevitable belly fat.

 

[mickc1965]

What are your protein and fat macros?

 

[Honey]

What are your protein and fat macros?

Fat 80
Protein 200

 

[mickc1965]

I would say if you are concerned that carbs are going to increase belly fat then add some protein and reduce carbs by same amount

 

[Honey]

My concern is am I having enough carbs or not? I only have about 150 at the moment. Should I be having more? Is 340gm a limit or an ideal?

 

[john.patterson]

At your current weight, that does seem a bit high. You should never make drastic changes to your calorie intake, especially if it's information from a calculator. These can often be inaccurate.

If you were to eat 340g carb per day, your total calorie intake would be 2880kcal, which seems a bit high IMO. What were you eating before you started bulking? Also, can you provide us with some other info about yourself (height, age, training experience, estimated bf%)?

 

[Honey]

At your current weight, that does seem a bit high. You should never make drastic changes to your calorie intake, especially if it's information from a calculator. These can often be inaccurate.

If you were to eat 340g carb per day, your total calorie intake would be 2880kcal, which seems a bit high IMO. What were you eating before you started bulking? Also, can you provide us with some other info about yourself (height, age, training experience, estimated bf%)?

My current weight is 72 kgs.

I'm 29 yo, 5'8"
I have a fair amount of training experience. I have a solid workout plan and since starting my bulking diet in March, I've put on 10 kgs. Most of it has been successful muscle, but I've also gained the inevitable belly fat so I'm very cautious of extra carbs/fats. So I'm inclined to stay my body fat is 20% The rest of me is pretty lean.

At the moment I'm operating on 2500 calories a day but I feel like I've plateaued a bit. Which is understandable since that's been my intake for a while now. My question is, should I be increasing my carbs?

 

[mickc1965]

Quick question, your profile states male but profile pic is female, reason for asking is based on your stated body fat of 20%

Edit - have you been at 2500kcals since March?

 

[Honey]

Quick question, your profile states male but profile pic is female, reason for asking is based on your stated body fat of 20%

Edit - have you been at 2500kcals since March?

I'm male. The profile picture is an album cover.

No I started with 2250/2300. And then moved up to 2500. I was very skinny and had to take it slow. I'm still skinny tbh. I'm 72 kgs right now but my frame is just small. I've seen guys at 72 kgs who LOOK enormous. Do I sound crazy?

I chose 20% just going off picture guides I've seen.

 

[mickc1965]

Doing a quick calculation when you started bulking at 136.4lbs (62kgs) your caloric intake of 2250kcals equated to body weight x16.5, currently at 158.4lbs (72kgs) 2500kcals equals body weight x15.78 so you should increase your intake to 2613 to match previous x16.5.

However at 20% body fat I feel you should stop bulking and start cutting back to 10-12% as you are over 15% and will now be more likely to gain more fat than muscle

 

[Honey]

Doing a quick calculation when you started bulking at 136.4lbs (62kgs) your caloric intake of 2250kcals equated to body weight x16.5, currently at 158.4lbs (72kgs) 2500kcals equals body weight x15.78 so you should increase your intake to 2613 to match previous x16.5.

However at 20% body fat I feel you should stop bulking and start cutting back to 10-12% as you are over 15% and will now be more likely to gain more fat than muscle

Ok cool.

Thing is though, my belly is pretty much the only part of my body that has any fat on it. Everything else is pretty lean. It's just my makeup I guess. So I'm not sure if my BF% is accurate. And even if it is, I'd like to put on a few more kgs before cutting.

 

[mickc1965]

Ok,

Just looking back through the thread your macros are not quite tallying up

Post #3 you stated Fat at 80g and Protein @ 200g so 1520 kcals in total

Post # 5 you say Carbs @ 150g so 600 kcals

So the above 2 totals 2120 kcals, then

Post #7 you go on to say you are consuming 2500kcals

Are you calculating correctly or have you typed an incorrect figure somewhere

If you are currently at 2500kcals and weight has become stable then I would increase calories by at least 150 up to 250kcals per week and see what happens with your weight and I would follow the following macros

Protein - 160g
Fat - 80g
Carbs - 322.5 to 347.5g

If you have concerns with more fat gain on increased carbs then increase protein and reduce carbs by same amount

 

[Honey]

Ok,

Just looking back through the thread your macros are not quite tallying up

Post #3 you stated Fat at 80g and Protein @ 200g so 1520 kcals in total

Post # 5 you say Carbs @ 150g so 600 kcals

So the above 2 totals 2120 kcals, then

Post #7 you go on to say you are consuming 2500kcals

Are you calculating correctly or have you typed an incorrect figure somewhere

If you are currently at 2500kcals and weight has become stable then I would increase calories by at least 150 up to 250kcals per week and see what happens with your weight and I would follow the following macros

Protein - 160g
Fat - 80g
Carbs - 322.5 to 347.5g

If you have concerns with more fat gain on increased carbs then increase protein and reduce carbs by same amount

Yup, your figures are correct. The 200 gm of Protein is more of an aim than what my macro actually is.

I'm starting to think that my problem is just my frame. Regardless of whether I increase the carbs or the proteins, my figure will always seem 'small'. I don't seem to have a problem getting more muscular, I just never seem to get BIGGER. I dunno...I'm starting to confuse myself.

 

[mickc1965]

Post a pic so we can assess your current body fat etc

 

[Honey]

Post a pic so we can assess your current body fat etc

Gimme a minute

 

[Honey]

Post a pic so we can assess your current body fat etc

Ok here are a few.
The stains are NOT what they seem lol

 

[Superload]

I would personally start cutting and more importantly work toward fixing your posterior tilt because it not only will make your workouts more efficient but also your stomach will appear more lean

 

[Glycomann]

Probably you are carb sensitive n=based on your BF and weight. You should use the mirror to manage your macros. Look watery after a day say with 300 g then cut back to a range where you don't see water and bloating and stay within that range. Could be that fat is better for you fo energy source.

My current weight is 72 kgs.

I'm 29 yo, 5'8"
I have a fair amount of training experience. I have a solid workout plan and since starting my bulking diet in March, I've put on 10 kgs. Most of it has been successful muscle, but I've also gained the inevitable belly fat so I'm very cautious of extra carbs/fats. So I'm inclined to stay my body fat is 20% The rest of me is pretty lean.

At the moment I'm operating on 2500 calories a day but I feel like I've plateaued a bit. Which is understandable since that's been my intake for a while now. My question is, should I be increasing my carbs?