Missgymrat's food diary for the next 3 months.

[Missgymrat]

I'm commited for the next 3 months to write everything I eat in this food journal. Summer is coming and I want to look my best.

[Cumulonimbus]

Before you start

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=121703981

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=129262261

Learn that food choices/sources are totally irrelevant and that you should eat the foods that you normal enjoy while counting the calories and macros and adding them up to a daily total to meet your requirements/goals.

Good luck.

[Missgymrat]

Thanks for the advice.

Breakfast: 10:30 am Coffee and 3 egg whites with one yolk.

Cleaning out the fridge and going grocery shopping. It was a long winter. Looking forward to
wearing summer dresses. I'm moving July 1st, a 2 minute walk from a gym!
I'm going back to my gym today after being sick for an entire month. I started feeling better yesterday afternoon. Finally, I forgot what it felt like to be healthy. I'm a high school teacher and everytime I went to the gym, I would write it on the calendar in my classroom. Last week, an overweight teenage boy said: "Hey, Miss you stopped going to the gym." I told him that I was going back as soon as I felt healthy again. So I have to go today and keep writing it on my calendar to motivate myself and hopefully motivate my students.

[Cumulonimbus]

Great to hear.

Your meal timing is irrelevant so don't get caught up with that. Eat when it is most convenient. As said, eat the foods you normal enjoy while keeping track of total daily calories and macronutrients. No need to force yourself to down tuna if you do not like it. No need to eat a potato or brown rice if you don't like it.

Good that you're back to being healthy, but what happened since you were out for a month? Was it something worse then a cold/flu? Hopefully everything is fine now.

[Missgymrat]

That's funny because that's exatly what I had for lunch: Tuna!
I had pneumonia but I'm good now. Went to the gym and it felt great to be back.
Had 12 almonds before going and a coffee. Took 3 C-Bol creatine pills and a protein shake.
Did 20 minutes of Cardio and legs.

[ian0789]

Are you using anything to keep track of what your total macro's come to? Make sure you pick a number and stick with it every day to see if you are stalling or losing. Also as dumb as it might sound dont try and eat like bird. So many people I know eat like they must starve there self to drop weight and only end up turning the wheels / stalling. Gotta feed your body even when try to drop weight.

But a few egg whites, 12 almonds, some tuna and a Pro shake is like a snack lol. Get your fats, pro and carbs set out for the day and then eat to hit them.

[Missgymrat]

For dinner:Merlin fish and salad with balsamic vinegar.
Supplements: 3 fish oils, 3 multi-vitamins and 2 HCL.

The whole counting macros is confusing to me. I read about it but not quite sure how to calculate.

[Cumulonimbus]

Well it is the only way you will lose weight. You must understand that there is no food that is "the best". You can eat all the "healthy food" you want, but if you are not in a caloric deficit (eating less calories than your body requires to maintain weight) then you aren't going to lose weight. You can easily put on too much weight if you're eating too much "clean/healthy" foods while not tracking calories.

[Ghosting]

Tuna!
Had 12 almonds before going and a coffee. protein shake.





Coffee and 3 egg whites with one yolk.



For dinner:Merlin fish and salad with balsamic vinegar.



Strong total calories. Yes sarcastic.
http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=121703981

[ian0789]

The whole counting macros is confusing to me. I read about it but not quite sure how to calculate.

There is like a million different web sites that do it for you and are free =P

And again eating like a bird can sure help to drop some Water Weight but after some time you just turn the wheels. If you keep your calories so low you wont do much more but just burn off muscle and not fat.

You probably didnt even eat 1,000 Calories the other day. And that could explain why you got sick for over a month. Body cant fight or function properly when you dont fuel it.

If you dont want to use a website to count your calories then get a pen and paper. Fat is worth 9 calories for every 1g and Carb / Pro is worth 4 calories per 1g.

And yes if you want to eat snacks or healthy foods to hit your macro's it wont make a difference. Calories are Calories. The only difference is that the clean food you eat lets you eat more of it vs having most processed food that is a bit heavy on the calorie side. Don't force your self to eat things you hate for the dream of losing some weight.

[Shazriki]

It's funny. People seem to think that counting cals is only reserved for those who want to reduce calories, whereas I need to count just to ensure I get ENOUGH on my bulk. It works both ways.

@Missgymrat: I use MyNetDiary to count my calories. It links in with the food database at nutritiondata.com and other sites as well as it's own proprietary database which has custom food items entered by others. The interface is very easy to use and it calculates your total macros for the day - making the macros easy to track directly rather than having to go by calories. You could equally use fitday which has much of the same functionality but is clunkier IMO.

Good luck with everything.

[Missgymrat]

Thanks for the great advice everyone. I had a tough time calculating myself since I'm horrible in math and there was a lot of information so I tried the website MyNetDiary and if I want to lose 2 lbs a week this is what it recommended.




Macronutrient PlanningCalorie % from Fats 27% calories, 49g
Safe range: 20-35% of calories; 27% or 49g
Recommended Calorie % from Carbs 52% calories, 211g
Safe range: 45-65% of calories; 52% or 211g
Recommended Calorie % from Proteins 21% calories,
85g Safe range: 10-35% of calories; 21% or 85g recommended

And the daily amount of calories recommended is 1626. Does this sound doable? I'm 5 ft 1.

Thanks again, everyone has been very helpful

[Cumulonimbus]

Grab a calculator, pen and paper and give it some time.

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=121703981

Use those calculations. Please read the links I gave you.

To track food intake use a website such as myftinesspal, fitday, etc.

[Missgymrat]

04/04/11

Breakfast
Cheese cottage lowfat 2% milkfat
Blackberries raw 0.5 cup

Lunch
Tuna salad wrap tortilla
Raw vegetable salad
1 piece Cheese cheddar
2 Crackers saltines
1/2 of a boiled egg

2 snacks (morning and afternoon) 12 raw whole almonds-organic farms

Dinner
2 chicken fajitas Snacks
Drinks : protein shake whey chocolate

Calories ratio: Fat35% Carbs22% Protein43%

[Missgymrat]

[QUOTE=Cumulonimbus;657429143]Grab a calculator, pen and paper and give it some time.

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=121703981

Use those calculations. Please read the links I gave you.

I've read the links you sent me, I'm just having a hard time with understanding it all. I need a bit of time to figure it all out. I'll have to reread it and try to work it out with someone.

Thanks again.

[Cumulonimbus]

04/04/11

Breakfast
Cheese cottage lowfat 2% milkfat
Blackberries raw 0.5 cup

Lunch
Tuna salad wrap tortilla
Raw vegetable salad
1 piece Cheese cheddar
2 Crackers saltines
1/2 of a boiled egg

2 snacks (morning and afternoon) 12 raw whole almonds-organic farms

Dinner
2 chicken fajitas Snacks
Drinks : protein shake whey chocolate

Calories ratio: Fat35% Carbs22% Protein43%

Okay - don't use ratios. List us the TOTAL DAILY add up for protein, carbohydrates and fats in grams, as well as calories

[Shazriki]

I recommend following Cumulonimbus's advice and reading that thread until you understand it. Post your numbers here and we can help. As has been said don't go off ratios as the numbers will be massively skewed. Also regarding MyNetDiary - I use it purely to track my macronutrients, all the other information it gives regarding "recommended intake for weekly weight loss" I ignore. Also ignore the recommended ranges for macronutrient intakes, it's skewed towards the standard moderate-protein, low-fat, high-carb diet.

[ian0789]

Tracking calories is so easy even a caveman can do it!

Just read that over or POST your question if you dont get it. Most people wont bite your head over for asking something as long as you are showing you are trying to learn. "Not LOLZ CAN SOMEONE MAKE DIET FOR ME TO GAIN MASS! P.S. 13 AND I GOT JACK3D WILL DAT HELP"