I can help you. I'm a primary care Dr. with a PhD in clinical nutrition, so I've got some experience here.
So it's not a static number. Like Shawd is referring to; it depends on your goals. I am going to assume your goal is in line with 90% of guys - that "I want to get shredded", Lose fat and build muscle right? I am assuming you probably have enough muscle mass having to carry your barret around, so my advice is tailored around what most folks need to do which is simply to lose fat/ cut calories.
Spoiler alert- it ain't possible for most folks.
It is easiest to look at this as a simple math problem (it is really not as scary as it seems):
Calories in vs. Out : You must burn more calories than you eat in order to lose weight.
People roll their eyes at this like yeah yeah, but not too many people are TRULY tracking calories. In order to get it right, you must count macros- that means getting a 1/4 cup measure out to measure and logging it in to an app or diary of some sort. All of the stuff we are accustomed to eating is severely over portioned. IE I dare you to measure an actual serving of cereal, you'll be depressed to find out we are usually going for a triple serving. Look at it like using Quickload for handloading but in the context of using apps/ diary to scientifically estimate where you need to be to achieve your goals. Sure you could reload ammunition with lee powder scoops and hope to get it close enough by estimating it, or you can do it the right way by utilizing a system to help track all variables that are going in to you having some extra weight as well as losing it. So in my mind, you have to track macros to lose weight. I recommend MFP (myfitnesspal) as a free app to track.
The issue with flexibility dieting /calories in vs. out is that that weight you lose is NONSPECIFIC, meaning you can expect to lose some muscle mass in addition to fat/ water/ glycogen during this caloric deficit. This is where protein comes in as it is the most important macronutrient involved in building and maintaining muscle mass. So by keeping your protein intake high enough, you will not lose much muscle mass. This is up until a certain point that the scientific community has determined that any excess is just pooped out.
So here is a basic strategy to set macros for the average male trying to lean down:
1 gram of protein= 4 calories
1 gram of carbs= 4 calories
1 gram of fat= 9 calories
1. Determine the amount of calories needed per day to lose weight
- Most apps/ trainers will figure your BMR (basal metabolic rate)
- alot of apps can help do this for you, it is based on a variety of different things (current body weight, current exercise habits, goals, etc.)
2. Set your protein at 1 gram/ lb of body weight.
3. Split the remaining calories between fats and carbohydrates according to your goals.
- This is where exercise comes in and the nuances her are related to your personal goals.
*You should exercise with moderate intensity weights at least 3-4 times per week. (given the goal of getting shredded) * But I would not factor this exercise in to the equation.
Then the key is consistency over time. You don't want to shed a bunch of weight all of a sudden. You want to do it nice and steady. So 2-3 pounds per week is fantastic. The best diet is the one you are able to sustain. I lost 60 lbs after med school eating ice cream every night, by just working it in to my daily caloric budget. This was one of the ways that made this game sustainable for me. I wouldn't deprive myself, but rather work it in sensibly.
So by being able to manipulate these variables strategically body builders will take advantage of some of the examples you are giving in the first post about caloric cycling. Once you have hit that threshold of protein requirement (where any excess is just wasted out), you have the remaining allotment of calories to attempt to help supply fuel for the muscles and the rest of the body (to be able to lift heavier in the gym). The body is then able to replenish with the available macros it has on hand. The muscle is built by adequate protein macronutrients on hand, but it can be awfully tough to have a decent workout without enough carbs on board. So the extra calories in example one is essentially just helping to maintain a calorie surplus to have available for muscle growth, because the thought process is to try to grow the muscles as large as possible before going back in to a caloric deficit to get lean. Most folks are not able to build muscle and burn fat at the exact same time, but many are able to get lean while
maintaining muscle mass. So that is the key is maintaining what you built before you cut your calories. 4000 calories might seem extreme, but when you are in the gym for 2 hours per day you are burning off quite a bit of that to try and work the muscles down to the point where they 'soak up the macros' and build back stronger.
I would recommend for the
mass majority of people reading this, to just cut the weight first, then once you get to a goal weight, you can focus on trying to 'lean bulk' and add clean muscle. Don't get caught up with guys with good physiques talking about how they eat 4000 cals per day- there is often a handful of "supplements" to assist that side of the equation that further muddy these waters.
I'll bet you your Barret
that if you plug in your numbers, and count macros every single day and use an app/ diary accurately, you will lose weight. Let me know what other questions you got.