I've counted calories for a few years, and it did make me obsessive and I never ended up enjoying my foods or would freak out at the sign of eating out with no info on the menu.
The good thing I guess is that I'm very accurate with my calorie counting. I don't weigh my food now as my TDEE at my weight was so high (and still is, very active job), I KNEW I was in a calorie deficit. I can eye-ball a lot of foods I've weighed and counted in the past, I can eat them now and KNOW I'm still in a deficit.
I'll only be breaking out the scales when I'm 100% convinced I was in a deficit and didn't lose weight for about ~3 weeks. Cause that's when your TDEE is gonna be lower and monitoring you calorie intake becomes ever so more important and little things that I could eat comfortably in the past, knowing I was in a deficit, could easily push me over the edge for the day.
From the trends of these threads I've seen, that usually doesn't happen until most people are within ~30lb of their goal weight.
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Thread: Calorie Counting 101
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06-23-2014, 06:39 AM #121October 2012 - 420lb
June 2014 - 195lb
Getting into the police log: http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=162837661&p=1264966501#post1264966501
*Updated monthly to compare results*
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06-24-2014, 07:33 AM #122
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07-14-2014, 12:21 AM #123
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There are two ways to count calories-
1. Determining Your BMR and Daily Caloric Intake
>Seek approval from a health care professional before starting a weight-loss or exercise plan.
>Use free online BMR calculators to take the mystery out of weight loss.
>If you don't want to use online BMR converters, do the math yourself.
>Factor in your level of daily exercise to your BMR.
>Understand how weight loss and weight gain work.
2. Learning How to Count Calories
> Plan meals that have the right number of calories.
> Choose healthy foods.
> Drink plenty of water, especially before a meal.
> Check the calorie content of every food item before you buy it.http://www.teasyteas.com/
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07-14-2014, 02:41 AM #124
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07-14-2014, 02:49 AM #125
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07-16-2014, 07:08 PM #126
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07-17-2014, 11:42 PM #127
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07-22-2014, 11:22 AM #128
Whatever food log you're using will give you options.
For example, I use FitDay. There's various options on there like:
Pizza with meat
Pizza with meat & Veggies
Topping from meat pizza
Etc.
Now all you would need to do is weigh it out.
* note, you won't ever be precise on outside food because you don't know exactly how much of what is in there - or what's even in there! So I always + 100/200 cals depending on food to give myself a cushion.Thus let me live, unseen, unknown;
Thus unlamented let me die;
Steal from the world, and not a stone
Tell where I lie.
2/17/15 - Dunk Tank Results: 15% bf (Omron said 18.6%) - 123.4 lbs LBM
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08-01-2014, 11:39 AM #129
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08-01-2014, 09:32 PM #130
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08-02-2014, 07:46 AM #131
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08-10-2014, 11:25 AM #132
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08-24-2014, 12:44 PM #133
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09-20-2014, 04:01 AM #134
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09-21-2014, 11:48 AM #135
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10-06-2014, 12:04 PM #136
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I still live with my parents, and they will not and cannot count the calories in meals they make for me. I also can't afford to make my own meals every night.
How on earth do I begin to count calories? I can count them at breakfast and lunch but won't it be fairly pointless as my teatime meal is the largest of the day for me.
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10-10-2014, 04:06 AM #137
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10-16-2014, 02:29 PM #138
I use myfitnesspal.com to track my calories, macros, sodium and fiber plan my intake a day or two in advance. Sometimes plans change mid-day and I need to edit the plan accordingly but at least I have a strong framework to work with. It's a real eye opener how many calories are in some foods and especially sodium. Sometimes I will use an excel spreadsheet instead of myfitnesspal.com. Calorie counting may seem tedious, but the reality is most of us eat the same menu of foods over and over again, so the more you track the more second nature / no bad surprises it becomes. In August I started 5:2 intermittent fasting (500 calories on two non-consecutive days per week) and that's when I really rely heavily on myfitnesspal.com to stay close to that tight limit and maximize the most caloric bang for satiety buck (latest find: Arctic Zero 150 calorie 12 g protein per PINT ice cream)
Tears will get you sympathy, sweat will get you results.
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10-20-2014, 11:43 AM #139
I still don't understand why meat needs to be weighed raw. For caloric purposes, cooking chicken straight up (grilled, baked) without adding anything to it won't increase it's number of calories. The only difference between cooked and raw meat is the amount of water retained inside of it. Macro composition may change, but calorie wise it should remain the same, no?
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10-20-2014, 02:27 PM #140
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10-21-2014, 08:33 PM #141
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When you look up nutritional information it will usually say if it is for raw meat, or cooked meat. If it does not specify assume raw. Here's why. If you get nutritional information for 4 oz raw chicken breast, it is taking the water inside the meat in to account. Now I know the water holds no calories or macros, but it does contribute to the overall weight of the piece of meat. So if the nutritional facts say it has 100 calories per 4 ounces of raw meat it means that the chicken + water inside the chicken have 100 calories at 4 ounces. If you take the water out of the chicken, you have removed no calories, but you have reduced the weight. So lets say you cook it, and now it weighs 2 ounces due to water being cooked off. If you used the original nutritional facts, that are based on raw weight, your chicken has half as many calories. This cannot be because you've only removed calorie free water. This is why, unless the packing or your nutritional information specifically states otherwise, weigh all your meat raw. It's just the opposite with rice. When you cook rice it gains weight from water but obviously gains no calories. So if the nutritional information of the rice was based on raw weight, then you must use raw weight.
-Former 300lb club
My Transformation Video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QlEs4py6FUs
My YouTube Page: http://www.youtube.com/feedingfitness
"Obsessed is a term lazy people use to describe the dedicated."
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11-03-2014, 11:33 PM #142
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Vismal,
I've read over this thread and watched a good portion of your Youtube videos. I have looked into the IIFYM stuff before, but I like the way you broke it down and simplified it even more. I do have two questions for you though.
First, I also work night shifts and am using myfitnesspal to track my macros. For the purposes of tracking your food do you consider a day from the time you wake up until the time you go to bed, or do you go by a traditional clock where the day ends at midnight? I switch my sleep schedule back and forth on my days off, so it makes it difficult to accurately track my calories on my first and last day of work as the days seem to roll into the others. It seems the easiest way to track would be to have my day end at midnight? Is this correct? Basically I eat my first meal of the day, sleep 5 or 6 hours, then eat the remainder of my calories that evening when I wake up and start my day. Does the sleep in the middle have any effect?
Second, I am meeting my macros for protein and fat, but am curious how low I can go from there. For example, I currently weigh 235, so using your video and the lowest recommended numbers I am aiming for 2350 calories, 141 grams of protein and 70 grams of fat. That leaves me with 1156 "discretionary" calories to get from carbs or additonal fats and protein. My question is, is there a number I need to strive for even after meeting my fat and protein macros? I've seen other posts saying not to go more than 500 calories below TDEE?
Obviously my goal is to loose as much as possible, as quick as possible, but I know it will take time and I dont want to do anything to sabatoge myself or cut short my progress.
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11-06-2014, 05:12 PM #143
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When you need to lose bodyfat and gain muscle remember it comes down to a couple of things.
Eating high protein cutting fats,sugers,dairies and lowering your complex carb intake. If you dont do this in your diet, weighing meat and counting wont work. Its all about the content of what you eat more so than the amount.
]Do you really have to weight meats raw? I usually like to buy chicken breast in bulk
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11-11-2014, 04:31 AM #144
Hi All - First post here so hoping I make it count
My question is regarding cal counting with respect to chicken that is not boneless. Does the nutritional information per 100g include the bones? I never thought about weighing it raw before so I'll do that. But now the bones add a bit of confusion to the mix.
Perhaps if that is still raw weight information (sans bone), ill have to strip it off the bone first. That's a PITA vs post-cooked because then the meat falls nicely off.
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11-12-2014, 06:44 PM #145
It is actually quite hard to understand what most food labels mean, in a way they are quite deceiving. You may think that you are eating healthy when in reality you are unknowingly taking in cholesterol, fat and calories in reduced levels. Here are a list of some of the claims that we can often find on our food’s packaging according to the Food and Drugs Authority –
- Calorie-free –
This product has fewer calories per serving (around 5 calories less) than the leading brand. It does not mean the product contains no calories.
- Low-sodium –
This product contains less than 140mg of salt per food serving.
- Low-calorie –
The food is actually less than 40 calories per serving.
- Low-cholesterol –
Less than 20mg of cholesterol as well as only 2 grams of fat per food serving
25 percent less of what health professionals specify for the nutrients as well as the calories of a usual food product of the same type
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11-15-2014, 02:22 PM #146
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11-19-2014, 01:39 PM #147
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11-28-2014, 08:19 AM #148
Fat burning foods!
If you are trying to lose weight, then you need to know about the foods that can increase your metabolism, trigger fat-releasing hormones and remove toxins. In order to shed the excess flab, you need to consume natural fat-burning foods with an enriching diet. It also means that you will have to give up on junk food.
*Whole grains-
While processed food adds calories, whole grains are highly effective in burning them. Brown rice and oatmeal are rich in fiber, and are also great fat burners. Make it a habit to consume whole grains everyday as it is healthy for the body and also helps in losing excessive weight.
*Lean meats-
Proteins offer a high thermogenic effect. During digestion, they are capable of burning almost 30% of the calories. Lean meats are a must have if you are aiming towards losing calories, and looking fit and healthy.
*Green Tea-
Green tea is known to have natural properties that help in curbing various ailments and regulating your overall health.
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11-28-2014, 09:44 AM #149
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11-28-2014, 02:04 PM #150
- Join Date: Apr 2012
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To answer your first question, the way I do it (I work nights as well) is that I count it as a day until I go to sleep. So Wednesday at 4am is still Tuesday in my book. You can do it any way you want, that way just seemed most intuitive to me.
For your second question, those guidelines are starting points. You can indeed eat less then 500 below tdee. Again, that's a starting recommendation. There are pro's and con's to a bigger deficit. You will lose weight quicker, but you may impair your recovery, burnout, lead yourself to a binge, etc. Some people tolerate 1000 below TDEE just fine, others (myself included) can only keep up that kind of a deficit for a short period of time. Experiment and learn what works best for you.-Former 300lb club
My Transformation Video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QlEs4py6FUs
My YouTube Page: http://www.youtube.com/feedingfitness
"Obsessed is a term lazy people use to describe the dedicated."
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