As you might have possible guessed, I'm looking to get lean, add some
muscle, reach a 9% body fat and get to 155 lbs.
If I can keep my body fat and add more weight, I'd like to get to 160
lbs.
I have decided to try out intermittent fasting (possibly with calories deficit) to lose body fat because I've never really been a fan of eating and it seems like something that'd work because the logic makes sense to me .
Cognitive dissonance much?
"He who chases two hares leaves one and loses the other" ~ Ancient Chinese Proverb
You need to pick one goal, then come back and ask for advice.
Macros would change if you want to get to 9% body fat versus get to 160 lbs.
Macros would also change as your body changes (biggest mistake people make with macro/calorie counting is keeping them static or as a constant).
You need to start by finding maintenance calories (more or less). Then you can determine macros.
Then you have to tweak based on your actual goal. So far you have a whole bunch of ideas, but nothing concrete. Trying to do two things at once will only frustrate the crap out of you.
Fiber is a relative constant so the baseline recommendation won't really change. Males should get ~35g a day. Females ~25g.
I have decided to try out intermittent fasting (possibly with calories
deficit) to lose body fat because I've never really been a fan of
eating and it seems like something that'd work because the logic makes
sense to me.
What logic? You can't even seem to determine what you're trying to accomplish, let alone what or how you should be eating?
The problem is this: I don't know what to eat, how to eat, when to eat
it. I've done lots of research before coming here but I couldn't find
anything that actually explained how to calculate macros. All I found
where videos that were 8-10 business days long and articles that had
almost nothing.
Let's start there. Why do you feel it's relevant to calculate macros as a starting point? Why not start with one simple thing? Like:
- Eat lean protein with every meal
- or Eat veggies with every meal
If you don't know what to eat, how to eat, or when to eat it, why do you feel counting macros of all things should be your starting point? Maybe you should start by learning what to eat, how to eat it, or when to eat it?
How would you learn math? Would you dive right into calculus or would you start with addition/subtraction?
Frankly, I'd say you're not ready for macros and you're spinning your wheels trying to do too many things that are currently too advanced for you.
You're bouncing all over the place, unable to make a decision. It's called information overload. You have all these ideas, but no idea how to take the first step.
The first step is to just get started already. You don't have to keep doing any more research. You need to:
- Make a (singular) change to your eating or training
- Track the result to see if it's moving you in the right direction
- If you're getting the desired result, keep doing what you're doing
- If you're not getting the desired result, make another single change, or tweak what you're doing, and track that impact
I plan to start with a 16:8 ratio of IF and eat half the calories I
need in my first 2 hours of the 8 hour eating window and the remaining
within the late 2 hours.
Good go, start there, see if it works. If it doesn't then you're doing something wrong, you need to tweak something, or you need to layer something else in.
Getting in shape is actually the only thing I'm this committed to and
I'm really hoping it works out (pun intended). I always get scared of
commitments (even relationships) cos I feel they aren't gonna workout
but I really want this to work!
Or start here by just trying to consistently lift for a while. Pick something simple and easy to follow, slowly build your confidence up. Then add complexity.
I feel like this lack of committment is more of your problem. So commit to something small and actionable already. Something you're actually confident you can commit to, no matter how small. You don't have to do everything perfectly out of the gate. The results will be slow, but steady and you have a lot of learning left to do. Embrace learning.
So here's the question: How can I calculate how much Macros(Protein,
fats, carbs), fiber and calories I need per day. I understand that
I'll have to increase or decrease it depending on how much my body is
changing so it might be helpful to leave a formula or an explanation.
Frankly, I think calories/macros are too damn complicated for you at this point in your journey. Focus on smaller things. Figure out what a good serving of protein is, try to consume one at every meal. Or try to focus on lifting regularly until it's a routine (consistency in training is key). Something small, easy to do and most of all something you're confident you can practice each and every day.
However, if you still insist on going this route: You'd always start with calories.
Then you determine protein based on goals and your plan of attack. If you're lifting and in a big deficit, you need more protein. If you're not lifting and in a big deficit you need slightly less. If you're in a surplus and not lifting (you're crazy) and if you're in a surplus and lifting you likely need a minimum 1.8g/kg.
Then you'd likely determine carbs based on goals and your plan of attack. If you're lifting and in big deficit, you may want to moderately reduce them (~100-120g/day). If you're in a smaller deficit, maybe it's lower or higher than that depending on your tolerance or desires. If you're lifting and in a big surplus trying to gain, it could be anywhere from 2.2-6.6g/kg a day.
Fat usually rounds out the equation (based on calorie intake). Except if you're an individual who is less carb tolerance or you find a low carb diet works better for you. Generally I find if you're lifting, ≥100g of carbs a day is ideal for most but there are no hard rules.
The thing is, context matters a lot more than absolute numbers. These are all estimates, it's up to you to figure out what actually works for you.
You're going to find a million different recommendations online. All recommendations need to be taken with a grain of salt. Even the calorie estimations will likely be wrong at first and you'll need to tweak them based on the actual outcomes.
You need to choose one approach, stick with it, and track the result (every week or every two weeks, pinch or do girth/weight) to know if it's right for you.
