Introduction
When I first started lifting weights as a teenager, I had one goal: to put on weight. I had just turned 15, and the need to bulk up felt urgent. During my birthday party, a few uninvited guys, about my age, gatecrashed the event. We asked them to leave, but one of them—who was a lot bigger than me—decided to humiliate me instead. At the time, I weighed a mere 100 pounds (45 kg), so it wasn’t exactly a fair fight. Long story short, he would have hung me from a coat hook on the wall if my mother hadn’t stepped in.
That wasn’t the first time I’d been bullied, and I knew that if I got bigger, this kind of thing would stop. Plus, the girls weren’t exactly interested in me, and I assumed it was because I was so skinny. Who knows—maybe I had bad breath? To be honest, women still aren’t beating down my door, and while the muscles helped, I think money or charisma might have done more for my love life. But back then, I was convinced that getting big would change everything. I also dreamed of being picked for the rugby team and dominating in sports, though, spoiler alert, that never really happened either.
What is Caloric Intake?
Caloric intake is the total amount of energy you provide to your body each day through the food and drinks you consume. It’s one of the most direct factors in determining whether you gain, lose, or maintain weight . If you’re consuming more calories than your body needs, those excess calories are stored as fat. Conversely, if you’re eating fewer calories than you burn, your body will use stored fat for energy, leading to weight loss.
My Journey with Caloric Intake
When I was 15, fresh from being beaten up and humiliated at my own birthday party, I started hitting the gym with the goal of gaining weight. I followed the gym instructor’s advice and began eating more—lots more. High-calorie foods became my staple, and I didn’t pay much attention to the fat content. We’d call this a “dirty bulk” today. It worked; I went from being rake-thin to gaining a significant amount of weight. At the time, it didn’t matter that I was putting on fat because I needed it.
I vividly remember the day a female bodybuilder sold me a tub of Mega Mass 2000. She had much more muscle than I did—and, to my surprise, more facial hair too. As she handed over the product, she looked at my thin frame with a pained expression and said, “You NEED it.” And she wasn’t wrong—at that point, I really did. The weight gain was fast, and by the time I was 17, I was not just muscular but also quite fat. By the time I was 22, I had ballooned up to 253 pounds (115 kg). I was far from the lean, muscular look I initially wanted.
At 23, in a desperate attempt to shed the excess fat, I decided to starve myself down to 187 pounds (85 kg). I looked pretty damn good if I do say so myself, but it wasn’t sustainable. The extreme dieting made me miserable, and eventually, I said, “Screw it,” and went back to eating more, which led to regaining the weight.
Years later, when I was working in Australia, I experienced another harsh lesson in weight management. The climate was scorching, and I wasn’t used to it. I started losing a lot of weight—too much, too fast. I wasn’t just shedding fat; I was losing muscle as well. I know now that I should have increased my caloric intake to preserve that muscle . On top of that, I was doing an excessive amount of cardio, which only accelerated the muscle loss. The weight was coming off, but a disproportionate amount of it was muscle rather than fat.
Since then, I’ve learned the importance of taking it slow. When I lose weight gradually, I’m able to keep my muscle and often get even stronger—a proxy measure I use for muscle increase—while shedding fat. During one of these periods, I went from being a bit chubby to having a six-pack, all while gaining strength. The lesson? Be the turtle, not the hare when it comes to weight loss.
I yoyoed like this for years before I realized the importance of tracking my calories. I started to develop a better awareness of how many calories I needed versus how much I was actually consuming. Now, I don’t have to monitor my calories so obsessively, but I do occasionally check in to make sure I’m staying on track. I’ve also learned that trying to out-exercise a bad diet is nearly impossible—burning off a Big Mac takes a lot of work. So, I found that it’s easier to manage what I eat, allowing myself the occasional indulgence without going overboard. A bit of daily cardio helps me maintain this balance.
How CI Fits into the Lean Gainz Equation
The Lean Gainz Equation is all about optimizing muscle gain while controlling fat, and Caloric Intake (CI) is one of the foundational pillars of this equation. CI directly influences whether you’re in a caloric surplus, deficit, or maintenance, which in turn determines if you gain muscle, lose fat, or maintain your current physique .
When combined with other factors like your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) and activity level, CI helps you understand your overall energy balance. The Lean Gainz Equation integrates these elements to guide you in making informed decisions about your diet and training, ensuring that every calorie you consume is working toward your fitness goals.
Setting Caloric Goals Based on Fitness Objectives
Whether you’re looking to gain muscle, lose fat, or maintain your weight, your caloric intake needs to align with your goals:
- Bulking: If you’re on the leaner side and looking to add muscle mass, a proper bulk might be the way to go. This involves eating in a caloric surplus, which provides your body with the extra energy needed to build muscle.
- Cutting: If your primary goal is fat loss, you’ll want to create a caloric deficit, consuming fewer calories than your body needs. This forces your body to use stored fat for energy, leading to weight loss.
- Maingaining: For those who have some fat to lose but also want to gain muscle, maingaining is an excellent approach. By keeping your caloric intake in balance with your energy expenditure, you can use stored body fat to fuel muscle growth while simultaneously losing fat . I recommend this approach for most people, as many are already carrying extra fat. However, if you’re already quite lean, maingaining might not be as effective, and a traditional bulk could be more suitable.
Practical Tips for Managing Caloric Intake
Tracking calories is essential for managing your energy balance and hitting your fitness goals. Several apps can help make this process easier:
- MyFitnessPal: One of the most popular apps for tracking calories and macronutrients. It has a vast database of foods and can sync with other fitness apps.
- Lose It!: Another user-friendly option that focuses on calorie counting and goal setting.
- Cronometer: Great for those who want to track not only calories and macros but also micronutrients and overall nutrition.
These tools can help you stay on top of your caloric intake, ensuring that you’re eating the right amount to achieve your goals.
Key Takeaways
- Caloric Intake (CI): Your CI is the cornerstone of managing weight, whether you aim to bulk, cut, or maintain.
- BMR: Understanding your Basal Metabolic Rate helps you set realistic caloric goals.
- Maingaining: Ideal for those with excess fat who wish to build muscle while losing fat simultaneously.
- Practical Tips: Track your intake using apps like MyFitnessPal, and adjust your diet based on your fitness objectives. Remember, sustainability is key—avoid extreme measures.
Conclusion
Understanding and managing your caloric intake is the foundation of any successful fitness plan. Whether your goal is to bulk up, slim down, or maintain your current weight, knowing how many calories you need and how many you’re consuming is crucial. My journey from dirty bulking to yoyo dieting taught me that balance and sustainability are key. The next step is understanding the other variables in the Lean Gainz Equation, like incorporating satiating foods to help control your intake.
Call to Action
Start by using our calorie and macro calculator to determine your daily caloric needs. And if you want to learn more about how to fine-tune your diet and training for better results, be sure to bookmark our site and follow us on social media for the next articles in this series.
About the Author:
Dr. David Crowther, aka Dr. David Gainz, brings over 30 years of experience in bodybuilding and strength training, combined with a deep understanding of fitness and human physiology. While many fitness professionals come from exercise science backgrounds, Dr. Crowther chose a different path—dedicating himself to the extraordinarily competitive and mind-bogglingly rigorous field of dentistry, where only the sharpest minds dare to tread. After all, why settle for anything less than the Everest of academic challenges? This unparalleled background has equipped Dr. Crowther with a unique, scientifically-grounded approach to fitness, which he applies through the Gainz and the Lean Gainz Equations to help others optimize muscle growth and fat management.
References
- Institute of Medicine. “Dietary Reference Intakes: Energy, Carbohydrate, Fiber, Fat, Fatty Acids, Cholesterol, Protein, and Amino Acids (Macronutrients).” National Academies Press, 2005. [Related to What is Caloric Intake]
- Mifflin, M.D., et al. “A new predictive equation for resting energy expenditure in healthy individuals.” American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, vol. 51, no. 2, 1990, pp. 241-247. [Related to BMR and Activity Level]
- Schoenfeld, B.J., and Aragon, A.A. “How to Maximize Muscle Gain and Minimize Fat Gain When ‘Bulking’.” Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, vol. 15, 2018. [Related to Maingaining]
Hey David Crowther, I must say, your article on caloric intake is a game-changer for fitness enthusiasts! It’s rare to find such a detailed and accessible explanation on this topic. I’m curious about how you’d suggest adjusting caloric intake for someone transitioning from a fat-loss phase to a muscle-gain phase. Do you recommend a gradual increase or a more significant shift to kickstart the metabolism?
Also, I loved the personal anecdotes you shared—they were very inspiring! How do you track your calories and macros on a daily basis? Do you use any specific apps or methods that you find particularly effective?
Lastly, your approach to balancing diet with fitness goals is enlightening. Could you dive a bit deeper into how someone can tailor their caloric intake based on their unique body type and activity level?
Thanks for sharing such valuable content!
Gabriel John
Hey Gabriel –
Thanks so much for the kind words! I’m glad you found the article helpful and that the personal anecdotes resonated with you. Your question about transitioning from fat loss to muscle gain is a great one, and it’s something I think about a lot.
For most people, I actually recommend “maingaining” rather than alternating between cutting and bulking. Maingaining is where you aim to maintain your current weight while building muscle and using your existing fat stores for energy. Of course, you still need to prioritize protein, but no more than usual. This approach tends to be easier, healthier, and more sustainable than constantly cycling through cutting and bulking phases.
Regarding whether you need to increase calories: in most cases, you don’t need a drastic increase unless you’re actively losing weight. You might need to bump up your intake by about 100 calories a day to account for the higher metabolism that comes with increased muscle, but only if you’re seeing weight loss. I’d recommend monitoring your progress and adjusting gradually.
I also think it’s worth mentioning that body types—like mesomorph, endomorph, and ectomorph—are, in my opinion, a bit meaningless. The principles I’ve outlined apply to everyone, regardless of the label someone might use. Personally, I’ve been considered all three at different times in my life depending on my activity levels and energy consumption, so I think it’s more useful to focus on your goals and how your body responds rather than worrying about fitting into one of these categories.
As for tracking calories and macros, I personally find it tedious to do every day. I use MyFitnessPal when needed, but I generally rely on good eating habits and a routine of meals that hit my targets. If I notice I’m gaining too much fat, I’ll start tracking again to adjust.
In terms of body composition and activity level, you can use the calorie and macro calculator on the site to get a general idea. It won’t account for muscle mass specifically, but as a general rule, the more muscle you have, the higher your calorie requirements will be. For example, someone at 200 pounds with 10% body fat will need more calories than someone at 200 pounds with 20% body fat. We also discussed the impact of muscle on BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) in another article, and I can go into more detail if you’re interested.
Let me know if this makes sense, and thanks again for the awesome comment!
HI!
This post really resonated with me, especially the part about the “dirty bulk” and the yoyo dieting—you’ve clearly experienced the ups and downs of trying to manage caloric intake over the years. It’s fascinating how you eventually learned to balance your diet and maintain a healthy weight. I appreciated your honesty about the setbacks along the way, and the emphasis on sustainability when it comes to fitness goals. It’s a great reminder that understanding caloric intake is essential for anyone trying to achieve their desired body composition.
I have had my share of setbacks too. I think I did my best when I was tracking using MyFitnessPal. I think I need to get back to the app. I have a friend that keeps bringing it up to.
One thing I’m curious about: given your experience, do you think there are specific types of foods or meal plans that are more effective for maintaining a balanced caloric intake, particularly for those who struggle with overeating?
– Scott
Hey Scott –
Thanks so much for reading and for the thoughtful feedback. I’m glad the article resonated with you! It’s easy to fall out of the habit of using MyFitnessPal, right? I don’t track all the time either, but when I notice my weight creeping up, I get back to it until my awareness is back and my eating habits are solid again. It’s a great tool for that.
As for your question about specific foods or meal plans, I think the key is focusing on highly satiating foods—this is something I dive into in another article. Basically, foods that are high in protein, fiber, and water tend to keep you full longer and help control caloric intake. For example, lean meats, vegetables, and whole grains are great choices because they’re filling and lower in calories compared to processed foods.
If you can avoid processed foods as much as possible, you’re already 90% of the way there! I find that sticking to whole, nutrient-dense foods naturally makes it easier to manage calories without feeling like you’re depriving yourself.
It’s awesome that you’re considering getting back to MyFitnessPal again—it really helps with staying on track, especially if you’ve had success with it before. Feel free to reach out if you have any other questions!