Q's about Nutrition for Newbies

  1. I am using this to calculate my calorie requirements (http://www.exrx.net/Calculators/CalRequire.html) and I am coming up with these numbers, BMR = 2428, Activity Calories = 2276, and 4704 Total Calories, does this sound correct? I don’t want to over-estimate my caloric intake. I am 6’2 250 lb. collegiate athlete and my workouts are very intense.

  2. To find the correct amount of protein to eat to maintain/build muscle while losing fat do I multiply 1.5 by LBM, BM before losing fat, or BM goal after fat loss?

  3. What does an ideal breakfast look like? And why not eat oatmeal?

[quote]theycallmenick wrote:

  1. I am using this to calculate my calorie requirements (http://www.exrx.net/Calculators/CalRequire.html) and I am coming up with these numbers, BMR = 2428, Activity Calories = 2276, and 4704 Total Calories, does this sound correct? I don’t want to over-estimate my caloric intake. I am 6’2 250 lb. collegiate athlete and my workouts are very intense.

  2. To find the correct amount of protein to eat to maintain/build muscle while losing fat do I multiply 1.5 by LBM, BM before losing fat, or BM goal after fat loss?

  3. What does an ideal breakfast look like? And why not eat oatmeal?[/quote]

  4. Lol I eat like 2400kcal on training days with cardio too…but…that’s me, I weight about 100lbs less than you so that makes up for a lot…plus you said you are a collegiate athlete. But what are your goals…to get bigger/stronger? Or to lose fat/weight? That will determine different caloric needs.

  5. Every calculation you make should be for the here and now…you adjust accordingly as your body changes over time.

  6. I eat quite a lot of oatmeal…I dunno where the why not eat oatmeal thing is coming from. Eat oatmeal unless it makes you feel like shit…which I guess happens for some people. Personally, they rank up top 3 favorite carb source in terms of taste, profile, and how much they fill me. I don’t have any good recommendations for breakfast because I don’t eat breakfast. A lot of people seem to do the oats with a couple whole eggs and the rest whites combo…with some fruit etc.

Here’s an article on carbohydrate sources.

an ideal breakfast would be 3 whole eggs, 6 egg whites, a low glycemic fruit like an apple or orange, a sweet potato…to be honest you’re a much bigger guy than me, so the proportions of the servings may be off, but this would be about 50 grams protein, 15 grams fat, 50 grams carbs. that’s a starting point, anyway.

Nick- that’s about right, it depends on a lot of things, though. Heat or shitty cold weather later on (depending on your area), stress, etc. All things equal about 5k cal is okay for you.

protein should be higher if you are concerned about fat, which you are, right? just aim for 1.5x your current weight, more if you want. really just depends on money. 2x will still be fine, as well.

Ideal breakfast? depends on how many meals you eat. Also depends on when your practice is. If you have practice early, like the ass crack of dawn, get in a lot carbs (unless they make you feel like shit). 200-300g carbs maybe. Get in some protein, of course, and for practices over an hour get in some coconut oil to add a longer fuel that’ll help.

If you have noon practice then get in some healthy fats. eggs, butter, PB, oil, etc. the rest is usually protein. if you want a oats have some too. Also, no egg white bullshit.
The best breakfast is a sandwich, IMO. some toast, avocado, eggs, sausage, cream cheese and some chicken/turkey and you’re golden.

More goals/details would help us help you.

What is your body fat? If you are a strong 250 lbs then I would say those numbers are correct. However, I’ve also read that for obese people, it makes more sense to run a calculation on your lean body mass, instead of your total body mass.

If < 12% BF, then calories are 17 x LBM
If 15% BF, then calories are 16 x LBM
If 19% BF, then calories are 15 x LBM
If 22% BF, then calories are 14 x LBM
If > 22% BF, then calories are 13 x LBM

The reasoning being that the less fat you have on your body, the more likely you are to lose muscle when dieting. Conversely, the more fat you have, the harder you can diet before losing muscle.