Hello Nation, im new here, im also very new to bodybuilding and im currently confused and would really like some help if possible. Ill try to be detailed so it might be a big wall of text..

So.. i started off 4months ago. 70kg (154lb) and 179cm. I was being coached by my younger brother at the gym since hes training for years now and has a decent physique. Problem is he knows abosolutly nothing about diet and literally has no macro count whatsoever. All he told me was "eat a lot"
And thats what i did.. no macro counting or anything.. just ate like normally just a little bit more.

Month 2 came around and i was 73kg (161lb). Now i was learning more and more about the gym and diet, was watching youtube on a daylee basis for tips etc (thats how i found scotts channel) which i love. Either way.. without much reserach i found this video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFy9nrrzxQg&index=10&list=PLvOnLuE1rW9Hc3GGGMSAK10w49G8AH-AA

if someone can watch the video and tell me if its completely the wrong way or if its possible to follow his instructions and make lean gains. would be very helpful.

To me it looked good, no bad comments either really.. so i counted it out and got about 2800 Calories or something. For 2months all i did was count calories. Meaning.. i didnt care about protein/carbs or fats. Calories was my main focus.. which i realize now was completely the wrong way..
Protein is the most important.. and the rest.. im not so sure tbh.

now 4months later.. im at 83kg (183lb). Have i gained muscle? Yes.. When i flex my bicep there is a decent "ball" so to speak.. my chest has gotten bigger (+ extra fat) but its still decently hard.. not all fat if i had to guess. If i flex my shoulders i can still see "small cuts" if u know what i mean.. im not really fat.. i guess a little chubby now. My belly is the only issue here.. its not HUGE but it has grown quite a lot.

I also got myself the Bodyfat caliper caus i was very curious.. heard its hard to use and will take time to master.. but from my first measure i was at 20% bodyfat. Which i googled and it seems pretty accurate. If i have to guess i started off at 17%, so 3% bodyfat in 4months.. is that horrible? sure sounds like it to me.. and ive got 5months left of bulk before my first cut..

So.. i found scotts video on calculating macros and stuff.. and he was about my weight but had like 400 less calories.. which shocked me. My macros last month was 178LB, 2850 BMR, ate 3100 Calories, 215g Protein,360g Carbs, 90g Fats.
thats not good right? if someone has similar weight if you can post your macros that would be great.

So.. now i wanna use scotts video to just make my macro list.. but why is that video i linked so wrong? What also amazed me was that i found a swedish site where people were posting their meals and macros for the day..

People were eating 200p+ and had about 2000-2500 Calories /day. Even if cutting that would still be 2700-2800 Bulk, while i have 3100.. still +300.

So im wondering now.. does Carbs and fat really matter if you have enough protein? Like if i need 2800 Calories and 220P. If i eat 220P and only have 2600 Calories.. do i need extra carbs or fat to eat?
That should not be the case since beginners can gain muscle and lose weight if done correctly (atleast from what ive heard) in which case you dont eat a lot of fats/carbs.

I also had a question about cheese for example. I hate eggs.. since i was a kid.. but since i started the gym, ive been trying to force myself to eat it from time to time. To be able to eat it.. i have to take about 80g-100g Cheese on it.. else id just puke. Cheese gives me about 300kcal but also 25g P but 24g F. Is that ok to do if i my diet is fine? meaning i dont get too much fats etc.

Just a few days ago i started to count my macros.. and to my surprise i ate..
215g Protein, 336g Carbs, 160g Fats. (meaning 70g extra fat) then my current macros. And thats huge.. thats the reason im def putting on extra pounds of fat.. but im not sure how much of that has been going on.. but im guessing quite a lot these months. Luckly im not totally fat.. but im worried that ive screwed myself too much and will make it hard for me to continue my bulk.. and then have to cut everyone down.

Thanks.. will appreciate any help and sry for the big wall of text. Hopefully someone can read through it and give me some advice. If you have any questions please ask.. i really wanna get this done correctly.

Dzeno,

Your macros are you most important component when cutting or bulking because physique transformation is 90% diet and 10% training. To answer you questions, you need to understand the function of each macro:

Protein - This is used by all body systems for cell repair, growth, and maintenance.

Carbs - This is your primary source for glucose which is your body's preferred energy source. It also causes Insulin to be released. Insulin is critical as it forces nutrients into your cells to fuel growth and also signals your body to store excess glucose as body fat to be used later.

Fat - Fats make up the membranes of all your cells, your brain and nervous system, and all your hormones (in conjunction with cholesterol). If you have followed my posts and articles, you will know I don't follow the Lipid Hypothesis from the 1950's that states fat and cholesterol cause heart disease. Fat and cholesterol are essential for health and must be eaten. The key point is not all fats are created equal and some need to be avoided at all costs.

For your goal of bulking, you need to eat no more than 500 calories per day above maintenance. If you eat more than that, you will gain size but you will be gaining a good portion of fat with the muscle. The most critical macro to control when bulking or cutting is carbs. Carbs are the only macro that affects insulin levels. Too much insulin and you store a lot of body fat and your cells become resistant thus absorbing less nutrients. This is one of the main contributors to weight gain, heart disease, and diabetes. You need to eat plenty of protein to support growth but protein alone will not provide the fuel to start growth. This is why you need carbs. Fats are critical to keep your testosterone and growth hormone levels high as well as maintain your nervous system (which is what causes muscles to contract). However, man-made fats like Trans fats in processed foods need to be avoided at all costs. Saturated fats from dairy, cheese, and meat need to be controlled. The best sources of healthy fats are olive oil, coconut oil, avocados, oily fish (salmon, tuna), egg yolks, nuts, and grass-fed beef.

While whole eggs are extremely good for you, don't force down food you don't like. Smothering eggs in cheese is taking one step forward and two steps backwards and will not help you get lean. There are plenty of egg-based protein powders out there you can use if you want to get egg protein (which is the best for the body followed by whey). This is just like people who take Omega-3 fish oil when they don't like to eat fish.

You haven't screwed anything up you just need to re-adjust your macros and meal plan. This is not an exact science and it takes a lot of experimentation to get what works best for you. Everyone's body and metabolism is different. I do suggest lowering the fats and carbs and leave the protein amounts the same. As I said earlier, aim for no more than 500 calories above maintenance level each day. It is a much slower process to gain muscle weight this way but you will gain quality mass versus muscle and fat :-)

Hope that helps,

John