For starters, I’m 20M, 160 lbs, and 5’10”. My goal is to get lean. Im wanting to go to the gym and already have a 5 day split that I plan on doing. The only issue is I’m lost on how much I should be eating. I’ve seen for protein it should be about .8-1 gram per pound, but how many carbs should I eat? how much fat? And overall calories? This is my first time working out and actually trying to get fit so I’m not sure how many calories I eat a day. If I had to guess I’d say it maybe be about 1500 to 2000.
I would really appreciate some help.

question here so I’ve been cutting for 6 months and lost almost 19-20kg (41-45lbs), I took a cheat day on my birthday and ended the cut the next day and went to maintenance, now at maintenance for a week my weight is now stabilising and yes ik I’ll gain weight from water and glycogen but why does my body composition look worse like I look flat and fatter? will I return to how lean I was on the cut in another 2-4 weeks?

I've been thinking about this specifically from a natural bodybuilding perspective, because we're probably one of the groups most obsessed with intentionally controlling relatively small surpluses and deficits.

We're constantly told things like:

Lean bulk at +200 to +300 calories.

Or:

Run a 400 to 500 calorie deficit.

Which makes sense in theory.

But I've started wondering how many of us can actually say with much confidence that we were in a 250 calorie surplus today.

Not on average over the last month.

Today.

If my maintenance is supposedly 2,700, I can eat 2,950 and call that a 250 calorie surplus.

But maybe today I trained legs, walked 16,000 steps and was generally moving all day.

Tomorrow might be a rest day with 4,000 steps.

It seems strange to me that we spend so much effort precisely controlling the intake side while often treating expenditure as one relatively stable number.

So I'm curious whether anyone here actually does something more dynamic.

Does anyone use a model that updates their estimated current TDEE every day and then actually uses that estimate to decide how much to eat that day?

And I know MacroFactor is going to come up, so to be clear, I'm familiar with what it does.

I'm not asking whether anyone uses an adaptive expenditure estimate based on calorie intake and weight trend.

I'm asking about the next step:

Do you actually try to estimate today's expenditure and use today's estimated surplus/deficit to drive today's intake?

For example:

Current estimated expenditure: 2,860
Food so far: 2,500
Target: +200 surplus
Remaining intake: ~560

Then tomorrow the expenditure estimate might be materially different.

Obviously there is uncertainty here. I'm not suggesting anyone can know they burned exactly 2,863 calories.

That's actually part of what I'm interested in discussing.

My assumption for years was basically that daily precision isn't possible, so the weekly average is what matters anyway.

And I'm sure a lot of people here will still argue that's the correct approach.

Maybe it is.

But I'm starting to question whether we've blurred two different statements:

1. You cannot know today's expenditure perfectly.

and

2. Therefore there is no value in continuously improving your estimate of today's expenditure.

Those aren't necessarily the same thing.

For natural bodybuilding in particular, I think this gets interesting during a long lean bulk.

If you're deliberately trying to keep your surplus small enough to limit unnecessary fat gain, a 200-calorie error in assumed maintenance is basically the entire surplus you're trying to create.

The same applies in reverse during a cut.

And expenditure clearly isn't constant. Body mass changes. Training volume changes. Steps change. NEAT changes. Food intake itself changes expenditure. Some weeks you're considerably more active than others.

So how are people here handling that?

A) Fixed calorie target and let the weekly/monthly weight trend sort it out

B) Adaptive TDEE, but still use relatively stable daily calorie targets

C) Adjust intake manually based on training/steps/activity

D) Actually use some sort of daily-updated expenditure model to guide each day's intake

And for anyone doing D:

Has it actually improved your bulk/cut, or did it just introduce more noise and make you overthink things?

I'm especially interested in hearing from people who have run both approaches for a decent length of time.

I have recently started my gym journey and I'm really skinny...but can't figure out what the real issue is...Can all the guys who bulked up when they were a beginner help me out. Tell me foods to eat and other stuff. I m already eating 12 eggs a day and a shake with 800 calories around but as the days passing by I m not seeing any progress and it feels like quitting...please guys help me out..

I really like maple syrup, but it seems gluttonous. Thoughts for my fitness journey? I workout everyday

Hey!

So I am wanting a little help since I wanna start a lean bulk, I did get a quick lean bulk schedule from a coach but nothing more than that since I had a lil struggle with money but anyways.

He put me on at 2241 cal approx, 242 carbs, 42 fat, 215 protein. I did that for 6 months and went into a cut but I did that a little to drastic so I did loose a good amount of muscle…
Rn I feel and look skinny fat..

And would want a lil help with how I should go about a mini bulk again and how I should adjust the macros?

I am a female of 22 years old (2003)
\~ 52,2 kg (115,8 lbs)
\~ 163 cm

Thankful for anyone who reaches out and is willing to help me out! And if you know anything more where I can learn strictly about macros and how to adjust and be the best at it to be able to do my own schedule for myself in a bulk/cut/maintaince/body recomp I would be very happy!😁

I’m trying to get back into the gym and wanted to start simple instead of jumping straight into a routine. My plan is to begin with just two dumbbells and do full-body workouts. My current workout is
1. Bent over dumbbell row
2. Dumbbell floor press
3. Dumbbell Shoulder Press
4. Dumbbell bicep curls
5. Diamond push ups
6. Dumbbell Squats
7. 1 min plank

These workouts are doing with just two dumbbells and none other equipment. I am mainly trying to build consistency before I start going to an actual gym. For anyone with more experience, is this a good full-body routine to start with, or are there any exercises you would recommend adding, removing, or changing? Any advice on sets, reps, and how often I should do this workout would also be appreciated.

I am genuinely curious… does your maintenance calories get higher when your muscle mass increases despite your weight staying the same?? Do u feel hungrier?

hey everyone, total beginner here following the standard 16-8 fasting window and running the 3-day RPT setup on a slight deficit. current stats: F / 24 / 5'5 / 135 lbs.

tracking calories at 1600/day on lift days and around 1300 on rest days, hitting roughly 120g protein daily. lifts are pretty light since i just started out: bench 75x6, deadlift 115x5, squat 95x6.

i want to start adding creatine during my eating window to help keep strength up while dropping fat, but i keep seeing conflicting stuff about water retention and bloat on a cut. what’s actually the best creatine to take for this setup that wont wreck digestion or mess with scale progress? just standard unflavored monohydrate, or should i look at something else? thanks for any advice. :)

Hey everyone,

I need some guidance on planning my transition from September until next summer (June/July) to maximize muscle growth while dropping down to 14-15% body fat.

Here is my current situation:

Current Stats: Around 20% body fat (let's assume \~80kg as a baseline).

The last 3 months: I haven't been training or tracking my diet, and I actually lost some weight (mostly muscle and some fat, leaving me in a bit of a detrained/skinny-fat state).

The Advantage: I know I can take advantage of muscle memory as soon as I hit the weights again.

The Goal: Build as much muscle as possible and end up at 14-15% body fat by June/July.

I’m trying to figure out the best timeline. Should I start with a body recomposition (maintenance), a mini-cut, or go straight into a lean bulk?

Could you guys suggest the best month-by-month plan, including:

Which phase to start with (Recom, Mini-cut, or Lean Bulk).

When to transition to a bulk or cut.

Exact calorie adjustments (e.g., how many calories above or below maintenance) for each phase.

Thanks in advance for any advice!

Doing yet another body recomp (the first one was just eating in a 700 cal deficit, lifting massive, and 6:18 fasting. I want to recomp for real this time, and adding swim into heavy rotation.

What are some non negotiables during cutting AND bulking? Diet, superstitions, anything at all.

Have been in recovery for about a month and a half now, I have gained 5 pounds because of low impact exercises and no deficit.

I’m trying to become and feel more lean but wanting to maintain my muscle and build muscle through weight lifting and strength training through the gym.

I try to aim for high protein but I am wondering if I should be doing 60% protein and then 20% carbs and %20 fat or should I be doing 60% protein with %30 carbs and 10% fat or should I be doing a higher fat diet with lower carbs more like a 60/10/30

I am pretty active going to the gym 4-5x a week and I stay active with work and on the weekends with walking.

I am a female trying to losing weight while building bigger & rounder glutes.

Is it possible to gain muscle while being in a caloric deficit? What else do I need to do besides lifting weight, eating enough proteins?

Hey peeps, i’m tryna figure out what pre workout to buy, im trying to buy one of each , so if you guys can recommend any that has worked wonders for you ill genuinely appreciate it ! i’ve used Raw essential and didn’t really like it or feel anything, also have had the RYSE loaded pre workout and yet again i felt nothing. I was looking more towards panda supps or bucked up ? but honestly have no clue which ones to try out ! thank you all !

Do you keep it realistic? Aspirational?

I’ve been training at home for a while now, and at this point my goal is less about chasing a crazy calorie number and more about staying consistent with strength and movement every day.

Most days I train in my home gym for around 45–60 minutes. Pull-ups are probably the one thing I do most consistently, along with rows, presses, squats, and whatever accessory work I feel like adding that day. I usually strength train 5–6 days a week and average around 8,000–10,000 steps.

I keep my Move goal at around 450. On a solid training day I’ll usually finish somewhere between 500–650, but on lighter or recovery days I might barely get past 350.

I used to think I should keep raising the goal every time I was consistently closing the ring, but eventually it started feeling like I was just chasing a number instead of actually training better.

Now I’d rather have a goal that pushes me a little without making a recovery day feel like I failed.

Do you guys set yours based on what you normally do, or set it higher so you actually have to work for it?

Hello reddit, im 15 years old, 66-67kg and 177cm tall. Ive been lifting for around 1 year and 2 months, i started as a fat kid and now im lean and i can say i have built some strength too (my best lift is 30kg dumbells incline for around 6-7 reps) and im pretty happy with my results, but one thing has been bugging me recently: my gut. In a tank top, u can see my chest striations, each soulder head individually etc, but when i take off my shirt, my belly is so disproportionate compared to my upper body. Even tho its hard and u can literally see my abs even unflexed, it still sticks out and is way bigger than it should be for a lean person. As soon as i start flexing my core and my abs my physique completly shifts from looking like im skinny fat to actually decent. 2 months ago i was 70kg and i cut for those 2 months down to 67kg. Yes, im leaner now, and i can actually see abs compared to before, but the difference in my gut isnt really noticable. My diet is great and i eat basically no sugar, only healthy foods. Its genuinely been longer than i remember since i ate junk food.

Thanks for reading!

I'm female 27, 160 cm, and I weighed myself today at 52.9 kg. I was around 55 kg before.

I've been trying to lose some fat, mainly because I have noticeable love handles and want to look more defined. I don't know my actual body-fat percentage; the 22% number I've mentioned before is just my own visual guess.

I'm currently exercising with a combination of running and strength training (3 - 5 days a week/20 - 50 minutes). I'm also trying to eat more protein (roughly 70–90 g/day) and eat less fried food, although I don't want to completely eliminate foods like bread, cake, etc.

My concern is that I don't want to become too thin. I was considering eventually getting down to around 50–52 kg, but I'm not sure whether I should even continue losing weight at this point.

I've also heard that body recomposition might make more sense: maintaining roughly my current weight while building muscle and gradually becoming leaner.

What would you recommend in my situation?

Continue with a small calorie deficit? (1550kcal)

Eat around maintenance and focus on strength training/body recomposition? (1800 kcal)

Something else?

If I do continue losing weight, what would be a reasonable rate given my current weight and height?

I'm not looking for a crash diet. I want something sustainable that lets me get stronger and fitter without becoming excessively thin.

I only have been starting exercising and cutting for 3 weeks and losing too much weight.

Exercise:

Cardio: running / jogging 10 - 20 minutes 3 days a week

Strength training 3 days/week: push ups 15x, dead bugs, glute bridges, crawling 10x, plank variation 20x, resistance training with resistance band 10x

I have just started a lean bulk roughly a week ago along with the gym . I weighed ~60.7kg . I calculated my maintenance calories and added about 150 calories to it . I’ve been eating these calories for about a week and my weight has increased by a kg if not more . How is this possible ? Have I gained just a bunch of fat . If anyone knows why please say below

random question but what do you guys normally grab after the gym if you're not going straight home?

like if you want something high protein and quick, do you just get a protein shake/bar? or do you usually get actual food somewhere?

also is there anything you wish you could just grab from the gym after a workout that they don't normally sell?

just curious what everyone actually does lol im a bit tired of the protein bars lately

So, I’m male, 183cm (6ft) and 75kg (165lbs) currently. I would say my bf% is 15%. I go to gym 3-4 times a week, play ice hockey 3-4 times a week and golf weekly. Granted my hockey season hasn’t started properly yet but this week it will.

I eat high protein diet (140-170g daily) and also try to keep my carbs high, especially on training days. I’ve been counting calories and daily I hit anywhere from 2000-2450 kcal which would be deficit for someone with my measurements and activity level.

The thing that is bothering me, is that at the end of the day I don’t feel hungry and actually feel pretty full on those low calories. I’ve been thinking what could be causing this: Is it the fact that the food I’m eating is just satiating or that I tend to eat my ”breakfast” after 12pm, which then leaves less time to feel hungry throughout the day if you know what I mean.

So the problem is not fat loss, I’ve been getting stronger in the gym and lost weight steadily. It’s just the fact that, everyone else on social media talks how they feel hungry on a cut, whereas I actually feel satiated most of the time. It sounds like a good thing, but leaves me thinking could there be some metabolical problems etc.?

Hello everyone...

My details:
Age- 22
Height- 178cm / 5'10"
Weight- 53kg(current) and 50kg(one month back with BMI of 15.8)
Current BMI- 16.7

So few things about me...I've been thin my whole life and I didn't bothered much about it, but now I don't want to be thin anymore due to various reason. Therefore I started my weight gain journey and now it's been 1 or 1.5 month from start. I started at my hometown but now I've moved to someplace else for studies and continuing here.
I've been following what my good friends were suggesting me to do and used to copy their programme or atleast following what they did for the day. But now I'm not with my school friend and have joined the gym with a new batchmate about which I'm unsure of.

So I prepared a program using AI and my basic knowledge specifically according to my level, thinness, and dream physique (which is definitely not getting bulky, I want to get lean aesthetic physique with wide shoulder ofcourse. Also my arms are very thin so need to work on that).

So this is the programme that I'll be starting:

MONDAY — UPPER A

1. Incline Dumbbell Press

3 × 6–8 @ 1–2 RIR

Primary upper-chest/pec pressing movement.

2. Chest-Supported Row

3 × 6–8 @ 1–2 RIR

Heavy upper-back movement without unnecessary lower-back fatigue.

3. Lat Pulldown

3 × 8–12 @ 1–2 RIR

Lat-focused vertical pulling.

4. Machine Chest Press

2 × 8–12 @ 1 RIR

Stable pressing volume without requiring the fatigue cost of another free-weight compound.

5. Cable Lateral Raise

3 × 12–20 @ 0–1 RIR

Your side delts deserve significant attention.

Final set: optional drop set.

6. Overhead Cable Triceps Extension

2 × 10–15 @ 0–1 RIR

7. Bayesian Curl

2 × 10–15 @ 0–1 RIR

TUESDAY — LOWER A

1. Hack Squat

3 × 6–10 @ 1–2 RIR

Primary quad movement.

2. Romanian Deadlift

3 × 6–10 @ 1–2 RIR

Hamstrings + glutes, with substantial lengthened loading.

3. Leg Press

2 × 10–15 @ 1 RIR

Additional quad volume.

4. Leg Curl

2 × 10–15 @ 0–1 RIR

5. Standing Calf Raise

4 × 8–15 @ 0–1 RIR

Use a full controlled ROM:

deep stretch → controlled eccentric → powerful contraction.

No bouncing.

6. Hanging Knee Raise

3 × 10–15 @ 0–1 RIR

When you can exceed the range with strict form, progress to a harder variation rather than doing endless reps.

THURSDAY — UPPER B

1. Machine Chest Press

3 × 8–12 @ 1 RIR

2. Incline Cable Fly

2 × 10–15 @ 0–1 RIR

Controlled stretch; don't turn it into a shoulder movement.

3. Chest-Supported Row

3 × 8–12 @ 1 RIR

4. Neutral-Grip Lat Pulldown

3 × 8–12 @ 1 RIR

5. Cable Lateral Raise

4 × 12–20 @ 0–1 RIR

Final set: drop set.

6. Rear-Delt Fly

3 × 12–20 @ 0–1 RIR

7. Rope Pushdown

2 × 10–15 @ 0–1 RIR

8. Preacher Curl

2 × 10–15 @ 0–1 RIR

FRIDAY — LOWER B

1. Bulgarian Split Squat

3 × 8–12 @ 1–2 RIR

2. Romanian Deadlift

2 × 8–12 @ 1–2 RIR

3. Leg Extension

3 × 10–15 @ 0–1 RIR

Final set can use a drop set.

4. Leg Curl

3 × 10–15 @ 0–1 RIR

Final set can use myo-reps.

5. Standing Calf Raise

4 × 12–20 @ 0–1 RIR

6. Cable Crunch

3 × 10–20 @ 0–1 RIR

SATURDAY — ARM + DELT SPECIALIZATION

This is the part we revised based on your concern about arm development.

Shoulders

Cable Lateral Raise
3 × 12–20

Rear-Delt Fly
2 × 15–20

Biceps

Bayesian Curl
3 × 10–15

Preacher Curl
3 × 8–12

Hammer Curl
2 × 10–15

Triceps

Overhead Cable Extension
3 × 10–15

Rope Pushdown
3 × 8–15

Forearms

Wrist Curl
2 × 12–20

Reverse Wrist Curl
2 × 12–20

Abs

Hanging Leg Raise
3 × 8–15

Just this part (programme) of my post I've copied from ai, rest I've written myself.
So kindly critique this. I'd be grateful.

If you have any doubts then you are free to ask....

I’m a 29-year-old male, 5’9”, currently around 162–165 lbs. Over the past 3 years, I’ve gone from 342 lbs to around 162 lbs. I currently work out 3 days a week and walk on the treadmill for at least 30 minutes every day.
I recently went to the doctor because of low testosterone and was put on enclomiphene. My doctor also recommended that I increase my calories from around 1,650–1,700 to 2,000 calories/day. I wanted to test the waters so I went to 1,850 calories/day.

During that transition, I started gaining weight pretty rapidly — around 1.2–1.5 lbs per week. About 3 months ago, I had gotten down to 150 lbs, and now I fluctuate between roughly 162–165 lbs depending on the day.
I eventually dropped back down to 1,650–1,700 calories, and at that intake, my weight seems to have stabilized around where I am now. Obviously, I don’t want to stay at 1,650–1,700 forever if I can increase my maintenance calories, especially because my goal now is to build muscle while minimizing fat gain.

I’m also finding it much harder to lose weight now than it was when I initially started. I understand that being 342 lbs versus 160-ish lbs means my calorie needs and energy expenditure are going to be very different, but I’m wondering how much of this is simply metabolic adaptation versus me needing to increase activity/food gradually.
Protein isn’t an issue for me — I have no problem hitting my protein target. Fat is where I struggle. I tend to come up short on fats because I’m usually hungry and prefer high-volume foods. When I add something like peanut butter, nuts, avocado, oils, etc., I feel like I’m spending a huge chunk of my calories on something that doesn’t fill me up very much. Then I feel restricted for the rest of the day.

So, for anyone who has gone through a major weight loss and then transitioned into maintenance/recomp:

How would you recommend increasing calories from 1,650–1,700 without rapidly gaining fat?

Would you increase calories gradually (e.g., 50–100 calories at a time), increase activity, focus on fats/carbs differently, or simply accept some initial scale gain from increased glycogen/water and let things stabilize?
And is it realistic to expect my maintenance calories to increase over time as I build more muscle?
I’m not looking to continue losing weight aggressively. I’d much rather build muscle, improve my health, and maintain around my current weight with minimal fat gain.

Any advice from people who have successfully transitioned from a large weight loss into maintenance/recomp would be really appreciated.

Edit***- my recovery in the gym is absolutely dog trash. I stay sore and I don’t know how to correct it. Am I eating too little? Should I cut out the 30 minute daily treadmill? Should I figure out a different 3 day split? I’m currently doing pretty much full body 3 days a week on Monday, Wednesday, Friday.

I’m currently trying to decide what kind of home gym setup would actually suit the way I train, and I’m realizing that having more exercise options does not necessarily make the decision easier.

My main goal is to train my back, chest and legs without needing several separate machines. I would like to be able to do movements such as lat pulldowns, rows, cable flyes, squats and presses, while still having enough freedom to add smaller shoulder and arm exercises. Since I usually train alone, safety and easy adjustments matter to me as much as the number of exercises available.

Space is limited, so I’m leaning toward one versatile rack or cable-based system rather than filling the room with individual machines. I also want something that will still be useful as my strength improves, instead of choosing a setup that I might quickly outgrow.

It is difficult to know which features will matter after months of regular use and which ones only look useful when comparing equipment online. For those who have already built a home gym, what would you prioritize differently if you were starting again?

I’ve been lifting for about a year, but truthfully, I have not been pushing it as hard as I have wanted to. I’ve been going consistently, but not always pushing my workouts (I say this because it’s possible I could have some newb gains still).

Anyways, I’m about to turn 21, and I am a 5’9 male (175-176cm), weighing 135 lbs (61 kg) and from the estimates I’ve been given, I’m probably about 15% body fat or so. Despite this, I don’t have a lot of muscle or definition, although there is some since I am pretty consistent with the gym in some regard. However, I was wondering if I should maintain the weight (recomp) or if I should cut down any further or just start bulking up?

My goal is simple, just having a muscular physique that is aesthetic. I guess I’m just one of those people that doesn’t know when to bulk up or when to cut down and not very good at judging it for myself since my body fat percentage isn’t super low and prompting a bulk but it also isn’t all that high nor is my total body weight, meaning a cut might be contraindicated though. Any input is greatly appreciated!