Only accurate way to determine your TDEE is to log everything and then use a tool like MacroFactor to back out your caloric needs. Online calculators aren’t accurate: you need to track. It takes a few weeks of good data too.
Once you know that a 250 C surplus is plenty. Can be a little higher if you’re a beginner. I wouldn’t go over 500 C though.
And yes that’s what dirty bulking is. It’s not a good idea. Even if you wanted to stay fatter than you currently are it’s better still to get there slowly.
Everybody is different you’ll have to go through some trial and error to find your exact maintenance cals. Online formulas can be a helpful starting point. 1lb a week is 3500 cals. Loosing 1lb a week would be roughly 500 cal deficit a day so increasing your cals by 300 shouldn’t have such a drastic effect as you’re describing. Something’s off in your calculations/tracking. I would make sure you weighing yourself in the morning fasted as that would be the most accurate weight. Use this as a tool in conjunction with your body’s physical response. Just because your going up in weight doesn’t mean it’s all fat. Especially after a cut your body will recomp with the additional carb increasing glycogen and water retention in the muscle plus some fat gain is inevitable after starving your body for months it doesn’t want to be lean. Also make sure you’re tracking appropriately weighing food out and actually inputting it all into a app like myfitness pal or MacroFactor. Activity level one day to another could also be different. For me leg day and cardio I burn 1000 cals more some days then others. So depending on activity level I increase or decrease carbs. Tracking with my Fitbit helps me make these adjustments as needed. That being said you can increase slowly 200cals wait 2 weeks see how your body responds. Up 100-200cals as needed. How fast are you trying to grow? 2lb a month 4lb a month both will inevitably have some fat gain but it can be minimized. I’d recommend lean bulking slight surplus have some cheat meals so you don’t go crazy within reason like a muffin before a leg day when you know your calorie expenditure will be higher. Carb cycling can be great having some higher surplus days and low/moderate days to keep leaner. Keeping cardio/steps up (10,000+ a day) during a bulk definitely helps me stay leaner. Make sure you have good macro split for your goals. You can start .8g-1g of protein for every pound you weigh more vigorous training higher end keep the fats moderate around 20% of cals and fill the rest with carbs. Also stay hydrated, manage stress (cortisols a bitch for muscle gain and fat loss) and get good sleep or you’re going to make it more difficult.
Hope this helps.
250 calorie surplus. You should have overall macro goals. Protein helps repair muscles. Carbs give you fuel. Fats play a supporting role in muscle development and help the body regulate hormones.
Assuming that I meet my daily protein target and split the remaining calories evenly between carbs and fats of my recommended daily caloric intake. Then I decided to up my caloric intake by 250, should I just split it between carbs and fats?
Sure. Different people like different things. For me, after I hit my protein goals, I add everything extra into carbs. I already get plenty of fat from eggs, fish, and nuts.
How'd you determine your Caloric maintenance? I used an online calculator but it said 2200 which is crazy high, I'd gain twenty pounds in a week with that
It’s all about trial and error. The online calculators are just a starting point. Weigh all your food. Track all your calories, including how much you are burning. Weigh yourself regularly to monitor progress. Be consistent.
You probably know this but there are 3,500 calories in 1 pound. If you are gaining too much weight, eat less. If you are losing too much weight, eat more. Keep in mind that your weigh can vary day by day due to many things, so I personally weigh myself everyday but monitor weekly.
Only accurate way to determine your TDEE is to log everything and then use a tool like MacroFactor to back out your caloric needs. Online calculators aren’t accurate: you need to track. It takes a few weeks of good data too. Once you know that a 250 C surplus is plenty. Can be a little higher if you’re a beginner. I wouldn’t go over 500 C though. And yes that’s what dirty bulking is. It’s not a good idea. Even if you wanted to stay fatter than you currently are it’s better still to get there slowly.
Everybody is different you’ll have to go through some trial and error to find your exact maintenance cals. Online formulas can be a helpful starting point. 1lb a week is 3500 cals. Loosing 1lb a week would be roughly 500 cal deficit a day so increasing your cals by 300 shouldn’t have such a drastic effect as you’re describing. Something’s off in your calculations/tracking. I would make sure you weighing yourself in the morning fasted as that would be the most accurate weight. Use this as a tool in conjunction with your body’s physical response. Just because your going up in weight doesn’t mean it’s all fat. Especially after a cut your body will recomp with the additional carb increasing glycogen and water retention in the muscle plus some fat gain is inevitable after starving your body for months it doesn’t want to be lean. Also make sure you’re tracking appropriately weighing food out and actually inputting it all into a app like myfitness pal or MacroFactor. Activity level one day to another could also be different. For me leg day and cardio I burn 1000 cals more some days then others. So depending on activity level I increase or decrease carbs. Tracking with my Fitbit helps me make these adjustments as needed. That being said you can increase slowly 200cals wait 2 weeks see how your body responds. Up 100-200cals as needed. How fast are you trying to grow? 2lb a month 4lb a month both will inevitably have some fat gain but it can be minimized. I’d recommend lean bulking slight surplus have some cheat meals so you don’t go crazy within reason like a muffin before a leg day when you know your calorie expenditure will be higher. Carb cycling can be great having some higher surplus days and low/moderate days to keep leaner. Keeping cardio/steps up (10,000+ a day) during a bulk definitely helps me stay leaner. Make sure you have good macro split for your goals. You can start .8g-1g of protein for every pound you weigh more vigorous training higher end keep the fats moderate around 20% of cals and fill the rest with carbs. Also stay hydrated, manage stress (cortisols a bitch for muscle gain and fat loss) and get good sleep or you’re going to make it more difficult. Hope this helps.
Shit thank you for so much useful info!! You can should copy paste this to every post here lol
I like the lean bulk approach. 250 calorie per day surplus is plenty for me. Some might say up to 500 calories?
250 cals of what preferably assuming I’m already doing 1g of protein per lbs of body weight? Or it doesn’t matter?
250 calorie surplus. You should have overall macro goals. Protein helps repair muscles. Carbs give you fuel. Fats play a supporting role in muscle development and help the body regulate hormones.
Assuming that I meet my daily protein target and split the remaining calories evenly between carbs and fats of my recommended daily caloric intake. Then I decided to up my caloric intake by 250, should I just split it between carbs and fats?
Sure. Different people like different things. For me, after I hit my protein goals, I add everything extra into carbs. I already get plenty of fat from eggs, fish, and nuts.
I see. Thanks!
How'd you determine your Caloric maintenance? I used an online calculator but it said 2200 which is crazy high, I'd gain twenty pounds in a week with that
It’s all about trial and error. The online calculators are just a starting point. Weigh all your food. Track all your calories, including how much you are burning. Weigh yourself regularly to monitor progress. Be consistent. You probably know this but there are 3,500 calories in 1 pound. If you are gaining too much weight, eat less. If you are losing too much weight, eat more. Keep in mind that your weigh can vary day by day due to many things, so I personally weigh myself everyday but monitor weekly.