Alright, I still have not determined the amount of calories I should be taking in each day. I am 20 years old, 5'6"-5'7", weigh about 168lbs and don't know my body fat, but guess in the low teens (I have a pretty decent 6-pack if that means anything).

I lift 4-5 days a week (starting Max-OT next week actually) and I do HIIT cardio and Max-OT cardio (switch off) 3-4 days a week. The Max-OT is 16 mins workout (like they recommend) and the HIIT is 25-30 mins.

I want to get my body fat down to about 7-8% by May. For the last 3-4 weeks I've been taking in 1650-1950 calories per day on a pretty close 40/40/20 split. Is that a good range or should it be altered. I am not as concerned with muscle right now, I'd sacrifice a little, I just want the rest of the fat GONE!

What are your thoughts? I have been told anywhere from 1200-3000 calories! So I chose towards the middle... haha

Thanks!

Your stats as rather similar to mine, so I'd estimate that you can keep your calories at 1700 for your minimum intake. This is not taking into account your body type, but if you're having success taking in closer to 2000 calories a day then andwhere between 1700 and 2000 sounds right for you.

1200-1300 is far too few calories for people who weigh much less than you. You should not even consider eating that few amount of calories.

You should really get some calipers to more accurately track your progress. This will allow you to determine whether or not you need to drop your calories as your progress in your fat loss goals.

I have that Digital Caliper and MyoTape from BodyBuilding.com on its way to my apartment as I type this! :-D

Out of curiosity, is there any reason why you want to get down to such a low % of body fat? John is around 8-9% and he's pretty ripped. Anything below that seems a bit forced and un-natural. Do you compete as a bodybuilder?

haha, not at all! Well, 8-9% would be fine. I am just throwing out numbers. I just want to lose the rest of the fat on my body so that I have complete definition in my arms, abs and chest.

I think if you kept your current diet and exercise routine, you'll hit a pretty low percentage of BF by summertime. From the sounds of it, you're a lot like me: lean but looking to cut-up a little more. I'm on the same track except that I dont plan on starting max-OT until I hit my target BF% (10%). Anyways, good luck and keep workin hard.