macros is clean eating. where you count nutrition not calories. you are sticking to healthy foods. counting calories can be considered 'dirty', like people will eat poptarts and junk to get their calorie intake but those are bad calories.
example for me:
192/157/51 protein/carbs/fat in grams.
i do not count calories. this helps you eat based on your goals. mine are to have a rockin 6 pack and minimal body fat. im 5'9" and 8/9%BF.
if youre looking to bulk add to the carbs. ive seen some people in the 600g range but they are 6'+ and trying to get 200+lbs.
macro eating you find macros for a full day / over your meals (5 is good) and you meet that exactly each meal
i hit 38g/31.8/10g per meal. good example, two meals a day i eat 4.5oz chicken, 5oz sweet potatoes (quick easy math)
or breakfast:
5 egg whites
1 whole grain toast
2 tbls natural peanut butter
do a youtube search on videos for how to find your macros
Completely agree with you lefty...
This approach is what I've done over the years. Twenty-plus years ago when I started working out, I was told to eat 6,000 calories a day, which I just could not do. Instead of focusing on calories, I focused on the quality of the food.
My advice TRD, make a food plan! Working out is the easy part- MAKE A FOOD PLAN!
Prepare your meals days ahead. If you wake up without knowing what you're going to eat, you're in trouble.
Not sure of your situation money-wise, but buy lots of eggs, lots of pasta (whole wheat), milk and chicken, if you can afford it.
Also, buy some protein powder- you can get Muscle Milk at Wal-Mart, which is a good quality protein. Also, get glutamine. It's vital, too.
Eat fresh veggies and fresh fruit. But make a plan. I can tell you that if you start off (now) only worried about the calories and eating junk, you might put on "weight", but you'll spend your later years taking off the fat, and trying to do so with bad food habits. Make a plan....
The average healthy male can put on about 1 to 1 1/2 lbs. of muscle per month. If you're gaining more weight than that, you're either genetically gifted, or adding weight you don't want/need.
I make my meals ahead of time, and just pack it in tupper-wear and through it in a small cooler and go.
Good luck and keep us up to date on your progress.