Where’s Mr.Berardi - haven’t seen him posting for a while? Anyway I found the following formula for calculating Resting Metabolic Rate on the Dr.Squat website(Fred Hatfield):
66 + (13.7 * w) + (5 * h) - (6.8 * a)
where w is weight in kg, h is height in cm, and a is age. Then multiply this with activity level. Doing the calculation with my current stats, and with 1.4 as activity level, I get a maintenance calorie level of about 3000 cals. Using Berardi’s formula in Massive Eating, I get 4250cals as maintenance!!! Huge difference here!!! For dieting with the Massive Eating/Don’t Diet plan, I’m 600cals above maintenance calculated from the first formula - does this imply that simply eating C+P and P+F meals would equate to a higher maintenance (find that hard to believe)? I guess the only way to find out is eating 3600 and see what happens… Any input appreciated.
Use Berardi’s equation because lean body mass is a much better predictor of RMR than height, weight and age. The equation you wrote about has been around for a long time, but recently with the easy availability to measure body composition, it is better to use lean body mass to predict RMR.
Borge: 1)ALL calculations, whether they be RMR’s, caloric requirements…whatever…are merely STARTING points. You have to adjust based on your own bodies response.
2)There IS something about the nutrient partitioning aspects of Massive eating and the use of Omega 3’s (EPA/DHA) that is both thermogenic and anabolic. If you simply ate Massive Eating amounts of calories in the form of Snikers, chips, beer and pizza, the results would NOT be the same. Reading “Appetite For Construction” it’s pretty clear that pushing the calories is just ONE aspect of the whole program.
3) Just a heads up. I think J.B. is pretty busy right now, but a few months ago he almost stopped posting because he got a little exasperated with people critisizing the principles and caloric requirements of “Massive Eating” without even trying it. I would go with your last statement and “see what happens…”. Those who have have been pleasantly surprised!
There are so many different equations out there for determining RMR and all of them will probably give you different answers. The only truly 100% accurate way to determine RMR is to get a food scale and weigh and measure everything you put into your mouth then calculate the calories you take in while your weight remains 100% constant. Even then there will be variations on what type of diet you’re following. For example you’ll probably have to eat more calories to maintain bodyweight eating a massive eating type of diet then you would eating a typical american diet.
Mufasa, I just wrote about this to Mike M. I noticed no advantage to Massive Eating compared to the same food eaten without nutrition partitioning. I am not talking about “bodybuilders food” vs. “equal amount of kCal in ice cream and chips”, I am talking just about not separating p+f and p+c. The only thing I noticed, using conservative Massive Eating calculation is fat accumulation. I am not saying Massive Eating is not working. I am saying it is not working for me, Mike M and many other guys who obviously have metabolic problems. Genetic monsters can gain pure lbm eating 1.8 g/kg protein and the rest in form of the junk food though…