Recalculated my TDEE and Macros and something doesnt add up

**yeahbuddy289** · 10-13-2015, 08:01 PM

I have been cutting for the past 5-6 months. I lost almost 20lbs and look much better. I am pretty happy with where my body fat is so I have decided to start a bulking cycle. I want to do this right and gain as much muscle as possible while minimizing fat gain. I just finished recalculating my TDEE and had a couple questions. I used the TDEE formula on this site and chose "very active". I work out five days a week and have a pretty physical job on top of that. Am I right in choosing this activity level? Secondly, I calculated the macros of what im eating now and I am eating right around 2,750 calories a day. I have being eating this amount for awhile and have been stuck around 205-207lbs. Eating that far under TDEE shouldnt I have been dropping serious weight? If anything, I thought I had been eating maintenance all this time because my weight hasnt really changed. My only thought is a messed up my TDEE somehow. I am 26 years old 207lbs 6'2".

**Khazima** · 10-13-2015, 08:05 PM

Originally Posted by yeahbuddy289

I have been cutting for the past 5-6 months. I lost almost 20lbs and look much better. I am pretty happy with where my body fat is so I have decided to start a bulking cycle. I want to do this right and gain as much muscle as possible while minimizing fat gain. I just finished recalculating my TDEE and had a couple questions. I used the TDEE formula on this site and chose "very active". I work out five days a week and have a pretty physical job on top of that. Am I right in choosing this activity level? Secondly, I calculated the macros of what im eating now and I am eating right around 2,750 calories a day. I have being eating this amount for awhile and have been stuck around 205-207lbs. Eating that far under TDEE shouldnt I have been dropping serious weight? If anything, I thought I had been eating maintenance all this time because my weight hasnt really changed. My only thought is a messed up my TDEE somehow. I am 26 years old 207lbs 6'2".

Calculators are just an estimate, for some people they're pretty close, others they're way off.

Maybe your activity level isn't as high as you think. Maybe your maintenance is just a bit lower than you thought, maybe your macro calculation of your actual intake was way off.

Just go off of what you're maintaining on and slowly add calories to that. Once you've got your baseline TDEE you adjust from there, ignoring what the calculator says.

**73rr** · 10-13-2015, 08:14 PM

reference for u. If your trying to compare. I'm 26 years old, I way depending on the day and time around 208- 212 lbs, and I'm 6'4". Bf at 12%. So I'm pretty close to u on stats. My cals are at 3200. And usually go over to about 3300 even 3500 some days. I only do that because I'm bulking like your thinking of doing.

**novastepp** · 10-14-2015, 07:44 AM

Originally Posted by yeahbuddy289

I have been cutting for the past 5-6 months. I lost almost 20lbs and look much better. I am pretty happy with where my body fat is so I have decided to start a bulking cycle. I want to do this right and gain as much muscle as possible while minimizing fat gain. I just finished recalculating my TDEE and had a couple questions. I used the TDEE formula on this site and chose "very active". I work out five days a week and have a pretty physical job on top of that. Am I right in choosing this activity level? Secondly, I calculated the macros of what im eating now and I am eating right around 2,750 calories a day. I have being eating this amount for awhile and have been stuck around 205-207lbs. Eating that far under TDEE shouldnt I have been dropping serious weight? If anything, I thought I had been eating maintenance all this time because my weight hasnt really changed. My only thought is a messed up my TDEE somehow. I am 26 years old 207lbs 6'2".

Forget what it was. That cycle is over. Your body may have adjusted to a new LBM and you weren't as active as you thought.

Focus on what you estimate now and move forward.

Calculate your needs based on desired LBM from bulking at eat to that number.

Whats the diet look like? Minimizing fat gain while bulking comes down to proper diet, not only calories.

**yeahbuddy289** · 10-14-2015, 03:02 PM

The TDEE I calculated was around 3,600 cals at my current weight and activity level. The meal plan I am currently running for my bulking cycle looks like this:

Meal 1:

1 1/2 cups oats
1 cup egg whites
1 scoop whey

Meal 2:

9oz chicken (weighed cooked)
sweet potato

Meal 3:

6 whole eggs
1/2 cup cottage cheese

Meal 4:

1 1/2 cups oats
1 cup egg whites
1 scoop of whey
1/4 cup natty peanut butter

**Splifton** · 10-14-2015, 10:42 PM

This may just be out of personal choice or convenience, but do you have a reasoning for opting towards a set meal plan that only consists of 4 different instances of feeding?

**yeahbuddy289** · 10-15-2015, 09:54 AM

I work 8-5 and it is almost impossible to stop and eat any other time than lunch. So I'm just getting meals in when I can and it works out to be 4x a day

**bloodchoke** · 10-15-2015, 10:31 AM

Originally Posted by novastepp

Minimizing fat gain while bulking comes down to proper diet, not only calories.

Really focusing on nutrition is something that's pretty new for me. At the risk of sounding like a total idiot, what constitutes a "proper diet?" Does that just mean proper calories AND macros?

**73rr** · 10-15-2015, 10:36 AM

I believe he means havingetting the right split for u. So having the right amount of protien, carbs, and fats to lose or gain weight

**73rr** · 10-15-2015, 10:37 AM

Also getting it from the right kinds of fats and carbs

**bloodchoke** · 10-15-2015, 02:01 PM

I need one of you diet gurus to come let me pick your brain for the weekend. Okay? Thanks.

**yeahbuddy289** · 10-15-2015, 02:04 PM

What do you guys think of my current diet? Anything I should change? More food?

**73rr** · 10-15-2015, 02:14 PM

Um Nova and many others on this forum are much better this then me but personally if your bulking I would say u need more food for sure. I don't think that's adding up to your 3600 cals.

Second just eating the same stuff everyday will break u. So my suggestion is read up a little more on what foods are what protien, carb, fat and change up the meals daily. That way u don't get bored of just eating chicken and oats everyday.

**yeahbuddy289** · 10-15-2015, 02:19 PM

I do occasionally throw in some fish in place of the chicken or eggs but for the most part I'm eating basically the same things every day. And no it doesn't come close to the 3,600 tdee I calculated... Comes out to be around 2700 which is why I was wondering why I haven't seen drastic weight loss if I'm really eating that far under tdee.

**73rr** · 10-15-2015, 02:42 PM

Your body gets used to how much u eat. That's y there are refeed days( there are other reasons for refeed days also), and that's also y ppl keep dropping cals until there well under there tdee.then Slowly push back up with there cals. Then ones your back up to a decent count they start dropping again to keep losing.

**73rr** · 10-15-2015, 02:43 PM

Pretty much my guess would be that your body is used to eating that low. Up is by 500 cals a day. Stay like that for a couple weeks and see what happens.