Estimating Maintenance Calories

[kyoun1e]

Attempting to lean bulk or "gaintain" as others have suggested in another one of my threads. First step is nailing maintenance calories.

I've read this article from Lyle:

https://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fa...c-intake.html/

And for years, I've been using 15 cal/lb. Doing the math - apprx. 185 lbs x 15 = 2775 calories for maintenance.

Since I'm absolutely paranoid of getting too fat I'd prefer to be more conservative here. Additionally, two key variables have changed in my life:

1. I'm getting old. I'll be 50 very soon. Don't think things motor along as fast as they used to, and

2. I'm insanely inactive if I'm not working out. I work remotely out of my home (which is great for this hobby), but that means I spend much time in a chair or on the sofa with a headset and a computer. And I'm a non NEAT guy. If I'm fidgeting at all I probably need to go to the hospital.

I'm also doing a UD2 mass type approach to minimize fat gain. I know I know...slow going here on mass gains. Still, I love the lower carb/semi depletion workouts early in the week and then loading up as I go heavier later in the week. Goal is to land just over maintenance for the week, but early in the week I'm under and then later in the week I'm significantly over due to carb load.

So understanding the above, would multiplying 14 or even 13 by my bodywieght be more appropriate? 14 would land me at 2590 calories.

I know some will say, "try it and see," but by the time I try it and see this so called bulk phase will be over and I'll be heading towards pre summer diet phase.

Thanks in advance.

KY

[LightCrow]

I would start at 14 instead of 15 for all of the reasons you described. Also read Lyle's recent article on muscle gaining surplus for realistic numbers of sufplus and how much muscle you should be gaining per month at this time in your career. The whole point of gaintaining or culking as Alan Aragon has called it, is so that you don't need very long, if any, dieting phases before a vacation. So you're back to culking in no time.

[kyoun1e]

Originally Posted by LightCrow

I would start at 14 instead of 15 for all of the reasons you described. Also read Lyle's recent article on muscle gaining surplus for realistic numbers of sufplus and how much muscle you should be gaining per month at this time in your career. The whole point of gaintaining or culking as Alan Aragon has called it, is so that you don't need very long, if any, dieting phases before a vacation. So you're back to culking in no time.

Yeah, 14 seems prudent.

I've actually already started this effort, set it at 15, and I've noticed that my body weight has been increasing 1 lb per week.

Assuming this is the latest article?

https://www.bodyrecomposition.com/mu...ain-math.html/

[kyoun1e]

Wow, this is enlightening.

Lyle indicates that an intermediate or advanced lifter needs only 60-120 daily surplus calories to fuel one pound of muscle gain. My rule of thumb HAD been 300.

First order of business is determining what stage I'm at here. I've been lifting forever, have 1-2 weeks maintenance and/or off here and there, but not frequently. I'm at minimum intermediate. Results sure as hell don't indicate I'm advanced (although friends/family think I'm off the charts for my age).

I'm thinking intermediate probably is best, but maybe age limits my muscle gaining potential as well?

Regardless, I'm thinking that roughly 100 daily calorie surplus would make sense based on Lyle's reasoning. If that's the case, setting my maintenance at 2700 previously and hitting that probably has me in the ball park for muscle gain! That is, if my new maintenance should be 2590 (14 x 185).

Need to check my math here.

And holy moly...I think back to the days when I did have my maintenance at 2700 and during bulking phases went up to 3200 daily or 500+. No wonder fat gain was tremendous.

[zLeeKo]

Originally Posted by kyoun1e

Wow, this is enlightening.

Lyle indicates that an intermediate or advanced lifter needs only 60-120 daily surplus calories to fuel one pound of muscle gain. My rule of thumb HAD been 300.

First order of business is determining what stage I'm at here. I've been lifting forever, have 1-2 weeks maintenance and/or off here and there, but not frequently. I'm at minimum intermediate. Results sure as hell don't indicate I'm advanced (although friends/family think I'm off the charts for my age).

I'm thinking intermediate probably is best, but maybe age limits my muscle gaining potential as well?

Regardless, I'm thinking that roughly 100 daily calorie surplus would make sense based on Lyle's reasoning. If that's the case, setting my maintenance at 2700 previously and hitting that probably has me in the ball park for muscle gain! That is, if my new maintenance should be 2590 (14 x 185).

Need to check my math here.

And holy moly...I think back to the days when I did have my maintenance at 2700 and during bulking phases went up to 3200 daily or 500+. No wonder fat gain was tremendous.

Theoretically, an intermediate or advanced lifter needs only 60-120 daily surplus calories, if you math it out.

Practically, it's IMPOSSIBLE to have 100 kcal daily surplus. No way you can track that precisely, because TDEE depends on lot of other factors. Calories will naturally fluctuate up and down a bit. 100 kcal is literally the number within the measurement error.

So trying to be that precise is silly.

[kyoun1e]

Originally Posted by zLeeKo

Theoretically, an intermediate or advanced lifter needs only 60-120 daily surplus calories, if you math it out.

Practically, it's IMPOSSIBLE to have 100 kcal daily surplus. No way you can track that precisely, because TDEE depends on lot of other factors. Calories will naturally fluctuate up and down a bit. 100 kcal is literally the number within the measurement error.

So trying to be that precise is silly.

Understandable.

Maybe that's why I originally thought 300 daily was more reasonable / measureable.