deciding on the nutrition and macro targets if you are looking for something other than weight loss

Daniel123456

I have recently returned to the gym and working out. My aim is not so much to lose weight but overall increase fitness and muscle tone and percentage. Cronometer since it allows you such precision with your targets across the board seems perfect for recording these and keeping on top of them.
To that end, I figured my targets should be different to RDI and those for weight loss but i cannot seem to find any recommendations on how to calculate what my targets should be (usually there is alot of vague suggestions like increase protein- ok but by how much?)- has anyone else had this problem or can suggest a solution?

haildodger

I mean, you can literally Google it for acceptable answers. I'm not going to give you the numbers I use. I've adapted mine to what works for me. What I will do is quote my reply from a similar post and recommend that you find the answers for yourself starting with these sources:

I would suggest checking out a couple of YouTube channels for more in-depth answers than anyone is likely to post here.

• Renaissance Periodization : They have a whole playlist dedicated to nutrition for hypertrophy, and plenty of expertise on just about every other related topic.
• Jeff Nippard : He has lots of good informative videos as well. I would play more attention to his more recent uploads. I've found some of his older content to be a little self-contradictory. Still most of it is top notch.
• Frimia : A professional natural bodybuilder with a some great tips. Ryan doesn't have a ton of content on YouTube, but he does host a Twitch channel where he hosts a live fitness Q & A weekly. You can ask him anything related to the sport, and he'll point you in the right direction.

Susan_RD_101

@Daniel123456

The DRI's used by Cronometer are intended for healthy individuals, so would be applicable to the majority of the population. That said, your needs for certain nutrients could be higher, depending on your goals:

• Calories - most people will naturally increase their energy intake to match activity output (the body does a great job at wanting to stay in balance)
• Protein - most important when you are first starting a training program (as your body is building vs. maintaining muscle). Protein intakes should be higher than the RDA for anyone exercising
• Iron - this nutrient is particularly important for runners as blood cells are broken down in our feet and can cause a loss of iron

Other than that, I don't think any particular nutrient needs to be increased beyond what it naturally would through increases in food intake.