Quote:
Originally posted by ItsRic
actually, you should look away from your calorie intake and start looking at your macronutrient intake (the nutrients you get from your food) like carbs, protein and fats. there's a ratio there somewhere. google "macros bodybuilding" or something
do this if you want to gain LEAN mass, but if you're just trying to bulk up and don't mind getting a bit fat, then count your calories instead.
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Macros are important but they come after calories. You aren't going to build muscle if you don't eat enough calories, no matter what your macro spread is. I find macro counting complicates things too much. Eat relatively healthy and plenty of protein and you'll be fine imo.
You still have to count calories whether you pay attention to your macros or not, and honestly macros will probably overwhelm a beginner. I've never counted macros and I do just fine, just research good foods to eat that are high in protein. Eat a lot of chicken breasts, tuna, and cottage cheese.
It's impossible to put on lean mass without SOME fat gain anyway, but if you count calories and don't go over your maintenance TOO much, you'll minimize fat gain. At first it takes some playing around with to figure out how much your body really needs. You should gain around a pound a week and if you gain more than that, eat less, if you gain less than that, eat a little more. And of course pay attention to your body composition. If you start to look like you're getting fat, eat less. If you don't grow for weeks on end, eat more.
