My diet plan/goals. Right direction?

unknown

Hi everyone, I'm new to the forums but not to myfitnesspal. I first started using it to lose weight a couple of years ago and it's helped me with portion control and a whole lifestyle change ever since.

First I just wanted to shed some pounds which I succeeded in. I got into heavy cardio workouts and a low calorie diet. Now, since moving to another country 7 months ago and completely having to change my diet (for the better) and having no access to scales to weigh myself every week (again, it was a good thing) so I just had to work out and go by how I felt and how my clothes fit.

Now after not knowing my stats for a loooong time since the move I bit the bullet and found out today with some new equipment I invested in, and I'm happy with the results. I've gained over a stone since I've moved but I'm very happy with that. Back home I was underweight and didn't have a healthy BMI. My clothes from home still fit me fine so at least I know it's good weight that I've gained.

This is where I need some advice. I've just completed the Insanity program (yay!) and will be starting up T25 in a few days. I'm training for Tough Mudder in June so I want to continue to build muscle (upper body mostly) whilst maintaining or losing a little more body fat percentage.

My stats are: 25 year old female, 5'5. I weigh 127lbs (9st10lbs), body fat: 22.1%, muscle mass: 37.5%, water weight: 54.6%, bone mass: 6.4lbs and BMI of 21.2.

I plan to follow the T25 nutrition guide of 1600 calories a day. I'm not sure wether I should be eating more protein or carbs in my diet though. I've cut out sugar a lot the past couple of months. Along with HIT workouts I run and try to get in at least one 10K in a week and a few shorter ones if I have time. But I'm going to be dedicating a lot of time to T25 once I start it but still going to get my 10Ks in if I can.

Any advice on diet plans and if I need to lose any more body fat would be great. Should I be aiming for less fat and more muscle or just maintaining what I have now? And if it's maintaining I'm working towards, should I be eating 1600 to maintain or less?

Thanks for any help you guys and gals can give me

unknown

If you are happy with your body fat % and your body composition, then you don't need to lose any more. I would focus on increasing performance, such as upper body strength and endurance, which will help you with your Tough Mudder.

As for your calorie level, if you want to maintain your weight, then you should eat at a calorie level that lets you maintain your weight. What I do and what I recommend to people is to eat at a calorie level that allows you to make good progress towards your goal. If you are trying to maintain weight, eat so you maintain your weight. This assumes an average calorie burn from you getting in all of your workouts. This will be different for everyone, so you'll have to do some trial and error to figure it out. I'd start ~1600 cal/day. Hit this goal, along with your macros and getting in your workouts, for 2 weeks. If you maintain weight, you're good to go. If you lose weight, increase your intake and repeat. If you gain weight, reduce your intake a bit and repeat. After a few cycles, you'll figure out what works for you in your situation.

Here is what I do for macros
Protein: 0.7-1 g/lb of bodyweight
Fat: 20-30% of your calories
Carbs: the rest of your calories

Let me know if there's anything else you need help with. I'm always happy to help. I hope you enjoy T25 too. I have a few buddies that did it and loved it.

Allan