So far so good ... I've been eating better the last two weeks and I'm much more used to it now.  I try not to change my lifestyle too drastically, but I think I'm ready for the next step.  I'm down 2lbs from 228 to 226 in two weeks, so I guess I'm doing ok.

Stats
Height - 6'
Weight - 226lbs
Activity Level - Desk Job
Age - 23

According to danmirage's guide, I used Marc David's guide and spreadsheet and I come to around 3068 calories or so, but I'm not sure of my body fat.

The above being said, is 2200 calories ideal for losing fat?

For losing fat ...
Protein 25%
Fat 25%
Carbs 50%

As for my workout ...

Max - OT - followed to a "T"

Cardio - starting with a 20 minute interval bike ride on the machine ... eventually switching to something like guerilla cardio.

Just to get the foundation ... hows this look?  I'm 226 and I'd like to be closer to 190 if at all possible.

I'm using fitday for meals, but I want to make sure my foundation is right before the next step.

Thanks

www.calorieking.com ive found to be better than fitday and has more foods. if u need 3068 for maintenance than dropping to 2200 would be too low. it should be lower than 500 below maintenance especially if ur just starting to lose weight. later on it will probablly need to be adjusted more

Thanks.  Right now, I'm around 1500-1800 a day ... so I need to eat more.  One thing I don't understand is why 25% Protein/Fat and 50% cards is ideal for losing fat?  I thought carbs were the enemy, but I guess it's what type of carbs is what's important.

Here is a sample meal thus far:

Day 1:

- Total K w/ 2% Reduced Fat Milk & glass of orange juice
- Yogurt
- PB&J w/ water
- Special K breakfast bar
- Boneless skinless chicken breasts w/ brown rice

Now I see a few issues with this plan ... one user pointed out that there are too many processed foods, so after some consideration, what do you think of this:

(I don't know the caloric intake because I'm at work, but I'm sure it's more then the 1700 or so cals above)

- Total K w/ 1% Milk and cottage cheese
- Yogurt
- Grilled chicken on a wheat wrap with lettuce/tomato
- Cottage Cheese
- 1 scoop whey protein (before workout)
- Boneless skinless chicken breasts w/ brown rice & cottage cheese

I don't know ... not much better.  I'm still about 50% on protein and 25/25% on Fats/Carbs.

Suggestions on what to change? I'm going to try to get 14 days worth of meals to mix it up, but start with 1 for now

14 days of different meals would be alot but ok, the protein powder if ur only gonna have it once a day should be after your workout, other than that the quality of the food in the 2nd meal plan seems pretty good. if ur maintenance in 3068 and ur at 1500-1800 right now that is way too low, ur gonna lose alot of muscle doing that. i have heard of 50/25/25 ratio's before and im sure it works for some people but every1's different. i dont think that would work for me because im mostly an endomorph, do u know what body type u are? if ur seeing good results of fat loss (1-1.5lb. a week) with the 50/25/25 then thats fine, if not then i would suggest doing 40/40/20

ORIGINAL: David1991

14 days of different meals would be alot but ok, the protein powder if ur only gonna have it once a day should be after your workout, other than that the quality of the food in the 2nd meal plan seems pretty good. if ur maintenance in 3068 and ur at 1500-1800 right now that is way too low, ur gonna lose alot of muscle doing that. i have heard of 50/25/25 ratio's before and im sure it works for some people but every1's different. i dont think that would work for me because im mostly an endomorph, do u know what body type u are? if ur seeing good results of fat loss (1-1.5lb. a week) with the 50/25/25 then thats fine, if not then i would suggest doing 40/40/20

I'm between endo and meso ... more so endo.

1500 isn't much, which is perhaps why I've seen my body change quite a bit in the last year.

By 40/40/20 you mean 40 protein, 40 carbs, and 20 fat, correct?

As for the second mean plan above, that's still probably under 2400 or so calories.  I guess I'll have to do the math.  But I do need a few more good carbs to even out the pie chart haha!

14 meals is a lot.  With me, if it's not planned, it's not going to happen.  I like to have everything planned so I know what I'm eating when ... and when I'm not in the mood to eat something, I can easily change it for something else.  I don't intend to have 14 100% different meals, but primarily dinner ... heck I'm still working to get breakfast and lunch right.

yea u said 40 protein 40 carbs and 40 fat but i think u get what i mean (40 protein 40 carbs and 20 fat). some good carbs would be green vegetables, 100% whole wheat bread( not too much though), oatmeal, brown rice, and yams

The specific amount of each macronutrient that your body needs to reach a specific goal ... will vary. There is no single, simple answer. There are so many other factors that are equally important. When you consume that fuel (and how much you eat) with respect to your fluctuating metabolism is at least as important as any other single factor. 
 
How many meals are you eating during the day?
 
Since you are using Max-OT ("followed to a 'T'"), why would you not follow the nutritional program that is recommended within it?

o yea the max OT recommends 53 protein/ 37 carbs/ 10 fat i think thats alittle wierd especially for bulking but u could try it. im going to try it eventually

ORIGINAL: cursor

The specific amount of each macronutrient that your body needs to reach a specific goal ... will vary. There is no single, simple answer. There are so many other factors that are equally important. When you consume that fuel (and how much you eat) with respect to your fluctuating metabolism is at least as important as any other single factor. 

How many meals are you eating during the day?

Since you are using Max-OT ("followed to a 'T'"), why would you not follow the nutritional program that is recommended within it?

I'm eating 5 - 6 meals each day.  No earlier then 7am and no later then 8

I'm following the workout plan only ... I guess I should have been more specific.  As David pointed-out, the % the max-ot uses are a little odd.

Cursor ... would you recommend max-ot for someone that's especially concerned with losing fat?

I would not.
I would recommend that you worked in a 8-12 rep range, kept the rest periods short, and did high intensity cardio for 10 to 15 minutes after a 30 minute workout.
I would suggest that your diet consist of 40-30-30, carbs to protein to good fats (omega-3 rich) primarily from wild fish, as flax does not have DHA in it, but is a good alternative oil.  To get your good fats, there are omega-3 rich buttery spreads, and most vegetable oils, that are liquid at room temp are good.  Avoid Palm, Palm Kernel, and Coconut oils.
Do cardio on days off from weights, and drink alot of Green Tea or Yerba to keep the fire burning.
Eat a small (100 calorie) serving of casein right before bed to keep your body anabolic, thus preventing starvation mode.