16 Year Old IIFYM

I am a 5’10" 205 pound 16 year old football player and I play linebacker, defensive end and tight end. I got injured in my first game and will most likely miss the rest of the season, so I thought while im out Id try to lose fat and become more athletic. Ive read a lot about IIFYM and flexible dieting, and it sounds like something id like to try.

I basically eat anything and everything right now. Ive tried eating “clean” foods in the past, but always end up gaining fast, most likely because Ill eat an excess of carbs. I was wondering what a good percentafe of carbs, protein, and fats would be for gradual fat loss, so that I can hopefully gain strength, or at least maintain it. Thanks in advance

Some people are going to be able to handle carbs better than others, so realize that any set of #s or %s is only going to give you a ballpark starting point.

You’re young, so if you get even close to what you need, it should be easy to assess and adjust if needed relatively quickly.

-First, calculate your caloric intake (lots of great “calculators” online)
-Set your protein amounts to 1-1.25g/lb bodyweight
-Set your fat intake to about 10-20% (this can vary a lot)
-Fill in the rest with carbs

Now, make sure you hit these #'s and after a week or so, see what effects they have given either on the scale, in the mirror, or even just how clothing is fitting. (You may need more than a week for the mirror and clothing, but the scale isn’t always a bad indicator)

If you find that perhaps after a few weeks that you’re not tightening as much as you’d like, you have the options of either trying to drop some cals, or swap out some carbohydrates for either fats or protein. This is where a lot of the individual variations between people come into play. If you’re willing to really take notes, and see how you react to any changes you make, I guarantee you’ll develop a much better handle on how this all fits together.

S

Thanks for the reply. Ive got one other question. How close should I be to these numbers? Would within 10 grams daily be acceptable? Or should I shoot to be right on?

10g is fine… this is just a starting point and even nutrition on packaged foods varies.

Expect to adjust things in a week or three, as stu said.

Im not exactly sure how to go about making the adjustments. Take away carbs if im not dropping fat in a way id like? I dont really have the option to drop below 3000 calories, because I need to stay around 200 pounds since there is a small chance I could make it back this season and play

correct. You won’t need much… maybe 20g (about 1/2 cup rice or a slice of bread) reduction/day.

Since you might be back, I would limit the loss to 1 lb/week, but other folks might think otherwise.

[quote]The Mighty Stu wrote:
Some people are going to be able to handle carbs better than others, so realize that any set of #s or %s is only going to give you a ballpark starting point.

You’re young, so if you get even close to what you need, it should be easy to assess and adjust if needed relatively quickly.

-First, calculate your caloric intake (lots of great “calculators” online)
-Set your protein amounts to 1-1.25g/lb bodyweight
-Set your fat intake to about 10-20% (this can vary a lot)
-Fill in the rest with carbs

Now, make sure you hit these #'s and after a week or so, see what effects they have given either on the scale, in the mirror, or even just how clothing is fitting. (You may need more than a week for the mirror and clothing, but the scale isn’t always a bad indicator)

If you find that perhaps after a few weeks that you’re not tightening as much as you’d like, you have the options of either trying to drop some cals, or swap out some carbohydrates for either fats or protein. This is where a lot of the individual variations between people come into play. If you’re willing to really take notes, and see how you react to any changes you make, I guarantee you’ll develop a much better handle on how this all fits together.

S[/quote]

That’s nowhere near enough fat…

[quote]amayakyrol wrote:

[quote]The Mighty Stu wrote:
Some people are going to be able to handle carbs better than others, so realize that any set of #s or %s is only going to give you a ballpark starting point.

You’re young, so if you get even close to what you need, it should be easy to assess and adjust if needed relatively quickly.

-First, calculate your caloric intake (lots of great “calculators” online)
-Set your protein amounts to 1-1.25g/lb bodyweight
-Set your fat intake to about 10-20% (this can vary a lot)
-Fill in the rest with carbs

Now, make sure you hit these #'s and after a week or so, see what effects they have given either on the scale, in the mirror, or even just how clothing is fitting. (You may need more than a week for the mirror and clothing, but the scale isn’t always a bad indicator)

If you find that perhaps after a few weeks that you’re not tightening as much as you’d like, you have the options of either trying to drop some cals, or swap out some carbohydrates for either fats or protein. This is where a lot of the individual variations between people come into play. If you’re willing to really take notes, and see how you react to any changes you make, I guarantee you’ll develop a much better handle on how this all fits together.

S[/quote]

That’s nowhere near enough fat…
[/quote]

said the nobody to the expert.

Well it obviously depends on how many calories he’s getting in total, but eating less than 50-60g a day is going to cause basic functionality problems.