Meal Frequency

[HardManifest]

Is anyone weighting their meals, logging the number of meals per day, and using that data to base their weight gain for a period of time? Is it worth weighting meals? Or just FIFO eat as much as possible as the catalyst for muscle growth?

 

[Iron1]

Depends on what you're trying to get out of your training and how new you are to the game.

If you're trying to achieve lean muscle and a very strong understanding of how your body responds to specific dietary inputs; weigh, measure and track everything. Track your diet and how it relates to how your body changes. Track total calories, the macronutrient breakdown and your body weight over time. You need data to make educated decisions about how to adjust your diet.

If you're just trying to pack on as much weight as possible, eat what you want but don't expect the same results. I specifically mention weight instead of muscle in this scenario because any calories above what is necessary to fuel your body and grow muscle fiber will be stored as fat. If you don't care about how much fat you gain on top of whatever muscle you gain, then there is no need to track.

Once you've been tracking for some time, many folks can generally guesstimate with a fairly high degree of accuracy what their intake is. My suggestion is to weigh, measure and record everything until you're familiar with your intake and how your body is responding to it.

 

[Friggemall]

I measure everything in prep. Off season not near as much but if I want to eat cleaner off season I will then as well.

 

[HardManifest]

How do you guys calculate the number of calories you intake and the number of calories you burn without going into a calorie deficit?

 

[Iron1]

How do you guys calculate the number of calories you intake and the number of calories you burn without going into a calorie deficit?

You do this calculation with the bathroom scale and your meal logbook whatever form that may take.

Don't adjust your diet, just start recording your calories and macronutrient breakdown.
Weigh yourself once a week on the same day under the same conditions. i.e. Friday morning after getting up and using the bathroom
After a couple of weeks, you're going to see one of three things.

• 0 movement, you're eating exactly as many calories as your body needs to remain in homeostasis.
• Gaining weight, you're taking in more than your body needs to maintain.
• Losing weight, you're taking in less than your body needs to maintain.

After that it's just math and your dietary preferences.

There are 454 grams in a pound.
Fat has 9 calories per gram while carbs and protein have 4 calories per gram.

If for example your goal is to add 1lb of weight per week and you're diet is maintaining net zero, you have to find a combination of protein fat and carbs that adds up to 454 grams per week because again, there are 454 grams in a pound whether that pound is sitting on your plate or as part of your body. This is in addition to your maintenance calories that you established earlier by tracking consumption and recording weight.

The reverse is also true, if you're gaining 1lb per week, you need to figure out which combination of protein, fat and carbs adds up to 454 grams and subtract that from your weekly diet.

The saying "you are what you eat" is important here. Im strictly talking weight with the above If you want more of the weight you gain to be good muscle, more of your intake needs to be geared towards protein. Protein and fat are essential, your body absolutely needs them to function. Carbs are "just" quick energy and an easy place to adjust if you need to modify your calorie intake to achieve your gain/loss goals. A lot of folks who are not trying to achieve competition level physiques keep the protein and fats fairly constant throughout and adjust their cut and bulk cycles by using more or less carbs.

 

[Kluso]

How do you guys calculate the number of calories you intake and the number of calories you burn without going into a calorie deficit?

That’s something you will need to figure out. Track your food and pay attention to what your body is doing and adjust from there. Everyone is different as far as where there maintenance calories are.

 

[HardManifest]

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[HardManifest]

You do this calculation with the bathroom scale and your meal logbook whatever form that may take.

Don't adjust your diet, just start recording your calories and macronutrient breakdown.
Weigh yourself once a week on the same day under the same conditions. i.e. Friday morning after getting up and using the bathroom
After a couple of weeks, you're going to see one of three things.

• 0 movement, you're eating exactly as many calories as your body needs to remain in homeostasis.
• Gaining weight, you're taking in more than your body needs to maintain.
• Losing weight, you're taking in less than your body needs to maintain.

After that it's just math and your dietary preferences.

There are 454 grams in a pound.
Fat has 9 calories per gram while carbs and protein have 4 calories per gram.

If for example your goal is to add 1lb of weight per week and you're diet is maintaining net zero, you have to find a combination of protein fat and carbs that adds up to 454 grams per week because again, there are 454 grams in a pound whether that pound is sitting on your plate or as part of your body. This is in addition to your maintenance calories that you established earlier by tracking consumption and recording weight.

The reverse is also true, if you're gaining 1lb per week, you need to figure out which combination of protein, fat and carbs adds up to 454 grams and subtract that from your weekly diet.

Thanks bro! valuable info!

 

[genetic freak]

I measure everything in prep. Off season not near as much but if I want to eat cleaner off season I will then as well.

I am always in the off season, haha, but still measure it out. It is pretty easy for me, since five of my meals each day are the same.

As for knowing when to add or subtract, I just look in the mirror and read the scale.

 

[gunslinger]

Two meals per day, one around 12pm the other around 9pm totaling 4,800-5000 calories all meat and eggs no carbs or veggies.

 

[CFM]

I have 2 food scales, one at either end of my kitchen, so yes, I weigh everything. Establish a baseline using ie: sweet potato nutrition to find macros. Write everything down and add it up. Figure out what you are taking in today and adjust carbs/ fat up and down. Personally, I take in the same grams of protein year round: 160g for my 202lbs skinny ass.

 

[CFM]

Regarding meal frequency: it doesn't matter. The body adapts to whatever you throw at it. 2 meals a day or 8. I've done it all. Currently I eat at 6, 10, 2, 6 because, well, I like to.