Getting Cut For Summer

Ok, first off, you are lucky to be 16 because your metabolism is still fast (or should be). The basic idea is calories in, calories out. Google BMR (basal metabolic rate) calculator which means that if you did nothing buy laid around you would burn that many calories. Now, take into account what you do day to day and approximately how many calories you are burning. Keeping a log of what you eat will help greatly.

Example: let's say your BMR is 2,000 calories a day, you are relatively active. Add 500-700 calories to that number.

Log what you eat and then google how many calories are in each meal. If it comes up to 2,500 or your approximate daily expenditure, you are going to maintain weight. Drop that number by 500 calories per day. 3,500 calories = 1 lb. So 7 days at a 500 calories deficit will drop you a lb a week. Add in 30 minutes of cardio 5 days a week for about 30 minutes and you will drop about 1.5 lbs a week. Do NOT lose more than 2 lbs per week or you are losing muscle and thus losing the ability to burn fat.

Stay away from sugar... no soda, candy, or other sweets. Eat slow absorbing carbs such as oatmeal, sweet potatoes, etc. Google slow absorbing carbs. The slower it absorbs, the less likely it will wind up in your fat cells.

Protein... keep it at 1 gram of protein per lb of body weight. More meals per day is better... 5-6 being optimal, 4 is ok, but easier for the body to absorb less calories at once.

Eat a lot of chicken, maybe some greek yogurt (plain), peanuts, lean meat, lean ham, etc.

 

Thank you all for replying

 

so Zaad, ur saying I should bulk then cut?, actually a more REAL life person I would be talking about is Helmut Strebl
http://www.hellestrebl.co.uk/
But yea it is true that I am a twig, But i do not really like many sweets, and I hate soda, I only drink juice and water and milk,
But should I follow the RDA for building muscle? or should I increase the protein, carbs, and lower the fats down

 

Add some muscle first, then worry about getting ripped. Better to be muscular at 14% body fat than skeletal at 7%.

At your age increasing protein wont do you much harm. Don't fall into the trap of thinking fat is bad for you though.

 

as long as you eat a lot of protein the rest doesn't matter that much.

I started to bulk at your age with no idea of nutrition I ate like this:

breakfast: 8 wheatabix with whole milk, 2 multi vits (lol why) and a pint of milk.

mid morning: 3-4 processed chicken sandwiches litre of golg top milk

lunch: 5 processed chicken sandwiches with loads of mayo, 2 packets crisps, 3 chunky kit kats and a scoop of the cheapest nastiest whey you'll ever taste.

pre gym: chicken and bacon pasta pot

post gym, whatever I didn't finish of the past pot plus a handful of weight loss pills, (again, WHY?!) and another two multi vits.

id have dinner with the family then microwave some Heinz spaghetti and make as many sarnies with it as I could stomach

before bed id have another couple of that nasty processed chicken in white bread and another glass of milk, maybe a kit kat chunky too.

that was total crap, but as a fellow twig without the great people of MAP to help me it was the best I could manage. I gained a good stone and a half pretty sharp and surprising little fat with it, had I understood nutrition more im sure I could have used that period of "free" growth much better. I spotted that nasty processed chicken and actually wretched lol, I read the back and it had less than 15g of protein per 100g, NOT good. I took weightloss pills hoping to bulk while keeping my "abs" stupid idea however you look at it.

I recommend you eat as much meat as you can, particularly fattier cuts, any red meat, chicken thighs and legs etc, fill in the rest you can fit with veggies and potatoes (sweet, red, white, who cares) I promise you wont get fat lol.

I got away with that because I was 16 with a metabolism much like yours, you can get away with a lot of shenanagins right now and you will never be able to again, I suggest you make the most of it and slap some muscle on your frame, if you don't and spend your time worrying about abs and stuff future you will never forgive you!

 

Thank you!
lol that was funny, that sounded like you ate ALOT of food, so ok, I actually love chicken and meat.
Would whey protein be okay to take before a workout? or do i need a docters permission
Thank you again

 

You can get more than enough protein from food if you manage your diet properly.

 

Or you could just drink protein powder and not have to be so religious about your food intake/protein consumption. And it's convenient!

Side note: real food is always better.

 

If he can't afford to join a gym, he can't afford to buy supplements.

 

Thank you! you have been a real help

 

You've never dehydrated a bunch of egg whites and ground them into powder for a protein shake?

 

Actually I dont know why i did not think of this before but I could just borrow money from my parents, and when i get a job pay them back

 

I did not know you could dehyrdate a bunch of egg whites and ground them into poweder for a protein shake, thanks for the extra help

 

No, but I've eaten my share of egg white smoothies over the years, which are basically the same thing without the yuck.

 

No man, lol. I didn't put a smiley to see if people would bite. Don't do that, I was joking.

 

Yes, it would work. Form is paramount in conditioning and you need instruction to ensure proper form initially. Go workout for free at your high school gymnasium with your football team. That's what I used to do. Football and wrestling coaches have a wealth of conditioning knowledge. Once you have learned how to exercise using good form using a broad variety of strength training exercises, adapting those principles to at-home conditioning is fairly easy.

It's important that you don't drop below 75% of your recommended daily calories, and if you are in the 75-85% recommended calorie range you need to eat a very nutrient rich diet without wasting any calories on junk like sugars/simple carbs and heavily processed foods. Eat quality fruits, veggies, high protein lean meats, and nuts in moderation, and make sure to stay well hydrated.

 

OOO! you got me there Ero-Sennin lol

 

if you cant afford a gym how've you got whey? it'd be fine, its only protein, but remember, there are only 100kcal in a scoop of whey, you can double that if you eat the equivalent in meat.