Protein targets and distribution
Aim for roughly 0.7 to 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight per day. Spreading it across three to five meals, each with 25 to 45 grams, works well for most people and is easier on digestion than trying to eat it all in one or two sittings.
Carbs around training
- Carbs are your main fuel for hard training — do not cut them too low if performance in the gym matters to you.
- Eating some carbs and protein in the few hours before and after training helps fuel and recover from sessions.
- On harder training days, lean toward more carbs; on rest days, you can shift some of that toward fat if you prefer.
- There is no need for exact timing down to the minute — the day's total matters more than the hour.
Fats as a floor, not a target
Keep fat intake at a minimum of about 0.3 grams per pound of bodyweight per day to support hormone health. Beyond that floor, fat is the flexible part of your diet you adjust up or down to hit your total calorie target once protein and carbs are set.
Calorie targets off-season versus prep
- Off-season (building muscle): maintenance plus roughly 200-350 calories a day.
- Prep or fat loss phase: maintenance minus roughly 300-500 calories a day, adjusted based on how fast you are losing.
- Reassess maintenance every few weeks, since it shifts as your weight changes.
Tracking basics
Weigh your food for a few weeks to calibrate your eye, then you can loosen up and estimate. Track your weekly average weight and a couple of progress photos — those two things tell you more than daily scale swings ever will.
If progress stalls for two weeks
If your weekly weight average has not moved in the direction you want for two full weeks, adjust calories by about 150-200 in the needed direction and give it another two weeks before changing anything else. Avoid reacting to single-day numbers.