TDEE Guide

This is where you should start. This website I built isn’t groundbreaking, and this page especially isn’t. It’s just a collection of helpful websites and apps that have guided me along the way—stuff that, after chatting with folks, I realized many don’t even know exists. So, where would I begin? I’d start with this TDEE calculator: https://tdeecalculator.net/. What’s a TDEE calculator? It stands for Total Daily Energy Expenditure, and it tells you how many calories you burn daily. Why does this matter? I firmly believe weight loss boils down to calories in versus calories out. You can debate it all you want, but I’m sticking with that assumption, plus the idea that a pound of fat equals about 3,500 calories. Whatever your gym goals are, you’ve got to get your nutrition in check, and this calculator gives you a rough idea of how many calories you need to eat. From there, you can estimate how long it’ll take to hit your target body weight. But don’t obsess over the scale—it’s not everything. Focusing only on the number can leave you with no muscle or, worse, lead to an eating disorder.

Let’s say your maintenance calories are 3,000, like mine, and you cut to 2,700 for a 300-calorie deficit to lose 10 pounds of fat. Multiply 3,500 calories by 10, and you get 35,000 calories to lose. Divide that by your 300-calorie daily deficit, and it’ll take about 116 days. I wouldn’t go over a 500-calorie deficit—it can trigger binge eating, muscle loss, or strength drops. Your body needs food. This is a long game. If you’re not losing weight after a couple of weeks, reduce calories by another 100 or 200 and reassess. A common issue is not tracking food accurately. I’ve been guilty of this—it’s tough to eyeball servings, and it’s shocking how small they can be. A great way to track calories precisely is with a scale. I use this one and have had zero issues: https://amzn.to/4m1OUIj. It stops you from sneaking extra fries into your bowl and ensures you’re getting the protein you need. Nutrition is your number one priority on this journey. You can’t outlift a bad diet—I’ve tried, and it doesn’t work. That said, you don’t need to be perfect 24/7. Assess your goals: if you just want to look better, it’s fine to grab some junk food with a friend you haven’t seen in a while and get back on track tomorrow. But if you’re prepping for a bodybuilding show, stay focused and disciplined. I can’t stress this enough: use the TDEE calculator, check food labels before shopping, make a list of exactly what you need, buy only that, and leave. This keeps you from binge-eating snacks, saves money, and helps you hit your macro goals.

Working Out

Next, you’ve got to work out. Find a gym, set up a spot in your garage, or hit your favorite park—it doesn’t matter where, but to reach your body goals, you need to move. Programming is a big part of this because your body thrives on progressive overload. If that term’s new, don’t worry—it can be confusing with stuff like rest timers and bar speed. If you want to dive deeper, reach out, and we can talk. Simply put, progressive overload means gradually increasing the weight or reps of an exercise to build muscle. Why’s this important? If I lift 100 pounds for 10 reps today and do the same three years later, I won’t get stronger or gain muscle. So, how do you fix this? You need a program—a set list of exercises you repeat over time to track progress and ensure you’re getting stronger. A quick note: there are concepts like meso cycles for tracking program progression. If you’re at that level, hit me up—I don’t know everything, but I’d love to research and learn more together. For everyone else, don’t switch up your lifts every week. Stick with them for a while, typically around 12 weeks, before changing your program or exercises.

Now you might be asking: How do I track my lifts easily? How do I create my own program? What program should I use? There are tons of ways to track lifts. I used a notepad for about four months and liked it because it kept me off my phone in the gym. But I spilled stuff on it, forgot it sometimes, and writing got old. My recommendation? Use Boostcamp (no, I’m not sponsored). It’s an app where you can create workouts, track past lifts to know what to aim for, and most features are free. It’s probably the best free app for this, and not enough people know about it. Programming your own lifts is tough—it’s where personal trainers earn their keep. I’m not saying I can match their expertise, but I can point you to Alexander Bromley’s YouTube videos for clear, free strength programming tips. He’s a smart guy, possibly tied to Boostcamp. For bodybuilding, check out Jeff Nippard’s 14-minute video breaking down the fundamentals—it’s super helpful. As for programs, I recommend https://www.boostcamp.app/ and https://liftvault.com/. Boostcamp has free pre-made programs that guide you on what to lift each day. LiftVault is another gem—I’m currently using their Rip and Tear program. You can input factors, and it spits out detailed Excel sheets with popular and niche programs you can follow for free. Make your own or pick one, but start today—that’s what counts.

Tracking Your Weight

I touched on this earlier, but you need to track your weight, whether you’re aiming to gain, lose, or maintain. Pick a specific time of day and weigh yourself daily or weekly to see if your plan’s working. A solid app for visualizing this is Supphead. It’s new, started by a college kid, but it’s like a better version of Under Armour’s fitness app before it went pay-to-use.

To Recap

Find your TDEE, set your goal, choose your plan, and track your progress. It’s that simple. If you have questions, reach out. It just takes patience and staying on track.