I am trying to create the right plan based on the concepts outlined by Scott.  When I run my numbers according to Scott's "Calcualting Your Macros" video I get a plan but then it does not line up with what the meal planning tool outlines for me. 

My numbers are actually not too far off from those that Scott uses for him in the video.

BMR = 1775.  BMR in motion = 2730.  Average = 2,252.

According to Scott's video I should target 2,502 calories for gains and 2,002 for losing/maintenance.  The macro specifics flow out of that.  I get how to arrive at the macros but the baseline daily calories is not aligning with the meal plan tool.

When I enter my stats into the meal planner it wants to target 1800-2251 calories for loss, 2650-2850 for maintaining, and 3000-3250 for gaining.  This is completely different.  The loss numbers seem kind of right.  To maintain the same weight the app gives me numbers well above what Scott's video suggests for gaining.  The gaining numbers from the app are quite a bit higher than what would be calculated from the video formulas.

If I assume the video is correct and the app is wrong then I would want to manually update the targets for calories and specific macros in the app to align with the approach outlined in the video but I don't see how that can be done.  Plus Scott describes how he modified his macros, bumping protein up and carbs down.  Can this type of modification be done in the app?  Basically I want to be able to hard enter my daily calorie target and the macro grams for each in to the app and then build a meal plan around that.  The only setting I see I can modify are my weight and weigh goal which does not get specific enough and also is not lining up with how Scott describes it. 

Bottom line, I want to make sure I am getting the calorie and macro plan right first.  I think I am based on the video but confused why the app tells me somethng different.  Then the next question is how do I get my targets in the app to align with my proper goals as opposed to having it default to these different numbers.

I am adding in another related macro piece of this. The app is driving a carb target much higher than the target I arrive at fromt he video. In fact when searching for meal plans the lowest option for carb % is 45-50%. My baseline with the video approach would be 35% carb and the in Scott's video when he adjusts to 1000c protein/600c carb/ and 902c fat the carb percentage is below 25%. So why does the app call 45-50% carb low and that is the lowest option in the search? Even in my losing fat options the carb targets set by the app are really high.

Help is appreciated. 

Scott, of course if you can help clear this up for me that would be awesome. Recently found your site and am all in. Just needt to make sure I get this right.

Thanks

Hey @richsd. Both the @mealplan video and the calculator on the @mealplan page are starting points. I made the video before I introduced the calculator to my site, and I would probably suggest you actually start off with numbers from the calculator. Because you're trying to gain weight, if you are burning roughly 2700 calories, it makes sense that you would actually need 3000 or so calories when you train to be in a surplus.

However, metabolisms vary from person to person, and sometimes the calculator may be a little off, and that's why I always say it's simply a starting point. You use it to get some starting numbers, you try them, and you go from there. Unfortunately there's not really a way to know exactly what each person or each body needs until you do a little trial and error, but for the most part, this will get you in the ball park.

So it's still OK to keep carbs low even when you're trying to add muscle. Obviously you can keep them high-ish (like I said in the video, 300g + could be seen as fast weight gain), but again, how many carbs you have depends on how you respond to them. Personally, if my carbs are too high, I tend to store fat more easily, and I know that goes for a lot of people too, so I advocate not going crazy with the carbs unless you know that you can get away with having a lot and not storing too much fat. A case in point is taller ectomorph body types, who often can load up on crazy amounts of carbs and yet not gain much fat.

I hope that all makes at least some sense haha. If you want to go ahead and post the macros and calorie targets you got from your calculations on the @mealplan page here then we can help you adjust them. Just let us know what your goal is as well, and some stats about yourself like training experience, bf%, age etc. too 😊 

Awesome stuff Scott.  Thanks very much for responding directly and for the quick reply.  It all makes sense. I get it that these methods help to build a starting point and that everyone reacts differently.

Here is my deal.  I used to be able to eat crazy amounts of carbs or whatever I wanted to eat without gaining fat.  However, although I am still in good shape, father time is now playing a role and I need to work harder for results and should have a more formal plan.  I will be 51 in a week.  5’ 10”, 185lbs, 15% body fat %.  I work out 4-6 times a week (weight training, HIT, soccer when in season).

As far as goals go.  I actually struggle with selecting between lean gains or fat loss.  Of course I want both.  I would like to continue to build strength but certainly think I would benefit from being leaner.  I play competitive soccer and will be doing a Spartan race in June.  I want to be strong and in shape to excel in those activities and other athletics.  It seems like a realistic goal for where I would want to be is around 180lbs. and about 12% body fat or at least closer to that than I am now.  I am just not sure if my approach to align with this goal should start with lean gains or fat loss.

On average I am consuming around 2700-2800 calories daily with an average of 215g protein, 235g carbs and 100g fat.  I do have periodic days where I push the protein higher (225-250g) and the carbs lower (150-175g).  I also have days once in a while where I don’t do a good job of staying on this plan but that is not often.

According to the calculators on your meal plan page and the inputs I provided here is what I come up with.

BMR = 1770, BMR in motion = 2740.

Goal of lean gains: Calories = 2990, protein = 236g, fat = 86g, carbs = 318g

Goal of maintain: Calories = 2740, protein = 236g, fat = 86g, carbs = 255g

Goal of fat loss: Calories = 2490, protein = 236g, fat = 86g, carbs = 193g

My recent actuals seem closest to the maintain numbers although at times I am closer to the 2 other categories.  My results are pretty much maintaining also as my weight has been hovering around 185 for a while although my body fat percentage has improved over the last couple of months so that 185 includes more muscle and less fat that it did a couple months ago.

Back to goals.  Continue to build strength, get lean, and keep cardio in mind as needed for soccer and Spartan race.  I think I should work towards getting closer to 180lbs and 12% body fat.  I am really not too worried about the weight showing on the scale but more want to work on improving body fat %.  I am not sure if the plan to get there should be to feed the muscles and work on building more muscle or if I should focus on fat loss through calorie and carb deficits…or something else. Then after determining which path to take I need to put together the specifics on macro targets.

Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.  Thanks much.

Rich

Alright then Rich, looks like you are pretty onto it when it comes to sorting your diet and training out, so good job!

I would say the best course of action for you for now would be to trim down a little first. I'm guessing you're no longer a newbie to the training lifestyle, which means it's going to be very, very tough to gain muscle and lose fat at the same time. Because your main goal isn't about what's on the scale, but you "more want to work on improving body fat %", it makes sense to focus on getting that down more first.

Aiming for 180lbs at 12% bf is a great goal and definitely achievable I believe. If you focus on cutting down to around 10%, and then slowly doing a lean bulk from there with minimal fat gain, you should be able to hit that goal over time.

So if you've been getting say 2750 calories for maintaining your current weight, I'd say you try starting a cut with about 2500 calories. Keep it small so that you give yourself a good chance of maintaining as much muscle as possible - of course keeping your protein intake high will also help with that, as well as your training.

There's no need to carb cycle as much when you're cutting, so I would say stick to about 150g-175g carbs daily, although if you wanted to have a refeed once a week, where you go up to around 250g carbs, that would be OK on an intense training day if you think you need it. So your goal of fat loss numbers would be a good target, but obviously if you cut the carbs back from 193g to 150g, then you just make up for those lost calories by increasing fats from 86g to 105g-110g.

And you can still do cardio as well. Probably about 3-4 times would be enough, and if you are already soccer training/playing games then that would count towards cardio. Aside from that you can add in some HIIT sessions as needed.

Hope that all helps!

Excellent. Thanks for the guidance Scott.

My pleasure @richsd, happy to help! 😊