Counting Calories and Nutriton Myths Debunked for noobies!

[Ahmed81]

Hello fitness world, my name is Ahmed Zaid. As someone who struggled with obesity growing up, I decided to make a change for the better and dedicate my mind and body to the fitness life. I like to call myself the guinea pig, because I spent the first 3-4 years of my fitness lifestyle experimenting with different methods and acquiring knowledge on the way. Using my body as the test subject, I learned the proper way to go about the overwhelming topic that is NUTRITION! Following the popular method of weight loss (no fats or carbs and cardio cardio cardio!), I endured metabolic damage and severely hurt my blood work. I now wish to give back to society as I look to deviate beginners from that dangerous path.

In order to really take your fitness to the next level, I highly recommended that you begin to count calories and, of course, compliment your diet with consistency in the gym. Counting calories IS NOT EASY AT ALL. IT WILL CHALLENGE YOUR MENTAL TOUGHNESS AND SANITY. I don't say this to discourage you, but rather to let you know what you're up against. You know what they say, nothing worth having comes easy. Ok so in order for me to teach you this, I'm going to have to rock your world a little bit by debunking a lot of the nutrition myths that society has come to believe.

1. MEAL TIMING: Lots of people think you have to eat breakfast, or you have to eat post workout to see results; they also tell you not to eat before bed time. The truth is, meal timing is irrelevant in terms of body composition. Total daily caloric intake is what governs weight loss/gain. Ex: I eat 2350 calories daily, and 1500 come immediately before bed time. Meal timing is all personal preference bu it IS relevant to your daily performance. If you're someone who needs breakfast in the morning, then go ahead. If you need the majority of your calories two hours before you hit the gym (a.k.a. a pre-workout meal) in order to have an optimal performance, then meal timing is relevant in that sense. But there's no extra benefit to eating six small meals a day or depriving yourself of a bed time snack. Eat when YOU want to!

2. JUNK FOOD IS NOT BAD FOR YOU: Total caloric intake is what governs weight loss/gain, not specific food items. In order to lose weight, you have to eat 10 - 20 % under your TDEE (total daily energy expedenture). Your TDEE is how many calories you burn in a day, so you have to burn more calories than you take in (hence why you eat 10 - 20 % under that). You have to hit certain numbers in regards to macronutrients. 1 g of protein/lb of bodyweight, and .45 g of dietary fat/lb of bodyweight, and you can fill the rest of your calories with carbs, or more protein and fat. WHATEVER food choices you use to hit those numbers (as long as you don't go over your caloric intake for the day) will result in you losing weight. For example, I use pop tarts to help me out with my dietary fat goal daily. A lot of people avoid dietary fat in their diet, and that's absolutely horrible. Fat intake helps to regulate hormonal function in men and women, and without it, your blood work will suffer. In order to meet your caloric goal without going over, you'll have to have "healthy" foods too. Ex: If I wanted to get 50 g of protein from the McDonald's menu, I would need at least 600 calories (because their food is so caloricly dense). But to get 50 g of protein from home made chicken breast, I would only need ~200 calories. So as you can see, in order to only eat 2350 and hit my protein and fat needs, I would have to have "healthy" foods, I can't just have 2350 calories worth of pop tarts and McDonald's because I wouldn't have hit my protein intake. It is also vital that you consume a wide variety of foods that are rich in micronutrients (fruits, veggies, minimally processed foods). These serve a major role in preserving your general health including, but not limited to, your cholesterol, blood pressure, and sodium levels. This method of fitting your favorite foods into your intake is called "if it fits your macros" (IIFYM).

3. CARDIO: Cardiovascular exercise, contrary to popular belief, is NOT the most efficient way to burn fat. Being in a caloric deficit is what is optimal. But cardio exercise plays a major role in heart health, so it's VERY important that you pay attention to it. A healthier heart leads to better breathing, better breathing leads to better stamina, which will help you in the weight room. The beauty of fitness is that everything comes full circle. In order to calculate your TDEE, you first have to calculate your BMR (basal metabolic rate). Your BMR is the amount of calories you burn if you literally laid in bed all day and didn't move a muscle. Because we don't live like that, we take our BMR and multiply it by an activity factor, which ultimately gives us our TDEE. If you want to incorporate more cardio into your regimen, that's absolutely fine, but please make sure you account for that when you consider the activity factor you multiply your BMR by. Some people choose to eat more and rely strictly on cardio to put them in a caloric deficit. For example, John estimates his TDEE to be 2800. John consumes 2800 calories worth of food/drink daily, and does 30 min worth of cardio to put him in a daily deficit. Because it is difficult to track how many calories one burns during a cardio session, I recommend that you do not SOLELY rely on cardio to put you in a deficit. To reiterate, cardiovascular exercise is extremely important to one's health, and it should be accounted for in your weekly regiment. Just make sure you are not over-doing it!!

4. PROTEIN: As far as protein goes, you want to try to hit your daily protein goal from whole foods. Only incorporate a supplement when you need a quick and convenient fix, or you need something that is low-cal and protein dense (120 calorie scoop worth 24 g protein). Getting your protein from whole foods will not only give you more energy and help with satiety, but will also help to ensure MICROnutrient sufficiency. Really try to get most, if not all your protein, from whole foods though, as taking the "recommend" 3 scoops a day of supplements will drain your wallet rather quickly

Another common misconception that people have is that they think they are sacrificing results by using IIFYM, false! Rather you are excelling by tracking your intake and making sure that you hit your numbers. Following a "broscience" diet where you only eat brown rice, veggies, and chicken breast will likely leave you deficient in one of the macronutrients (protein and fat), if not BOTH. More so, depriving yourself of the foods you love can lead to binge eating and eating disorders. It's neither necessary, nor realistic to go through life avoiding the foods we enjoy. Many in our society begin a weight loss "diet" by dropping their carbohydrate intake, avoiding all fatty foods, and severely under-eating overall. Unfortunately, that approach has become rather popular, and it does your body harm in both the long and short term. Under-eating can cause severe metabolic damage, and that can make it harder for you to lose weight correctly in the future. Such a method is highly detrimental and neglects the science involved in weight loss, so don't fall into the trap!!


I hope this article has removed the uncertainty or fear for anyone thinking about entering the fitness lifestyle. Speaking from experience, I can relate to how overwhelming making such a drastic commitment can be. Process the situation, take a deep breath, and shoot for the stars! As always, for any questions/comments please do not hesitate to contact me here on the forums!


- Ahmed Zaid

[sh1sh1n11]

Great thread man!! Also saw your transformation, nice work there too brah!! Keep spreading the word. Thanks

[SolidFoundation]

Why poptarts tho...
The only problem I have is with your # 2. in terms of gaining weight and losing weight you are correct about the calories in vs calories out. # 2 almost makes it sound like you can eat whatever you want to fit your macros. but what about all the important vitamins and EFA's that help your body in so many ways. In terms of performance i do alot better now eating home cooked meals with olive oil and other EFA's then i did back in highschool when i ate everything in sight. And your performance in the gym is almost just as important as your diet. In other words they should compliment eachother.

[Ahmed81]

# 2 almost makes it sound like you can eat whatever you want to fit your macros.

"So as you can see, in order to only eat 2350 and hit my protein and fat needs, I would have to have "healthy" foods, I can't just have 2350 calories worth of pop tarts and McDonald's"

but what about all the important vitamins and EFA's that help your body in so many ways

"It is also vital that you consume a wide variety of foods that are rich in micronutrients (fruits, veggies, minimally processed foods). These serve a major role in preserving your general health including, but not limited to, your cholesterol, blood pressure, and sodium levels."




Both of your concerns were already addressed.

[Zerste]

Great post man, nothing I was personally unaware of, but will definitely help out the newbies!

Take my measly reps!

[Ahmed81]

Great thread man!! Also saw your transformation, nice work there too brah!! Keep spreading the word. Thanks

Great post man, nothing I was personally unaware of, but will definitely help out the newbies!

Take my measly reps!

Thanks guys

[heinstein]

1) This is retarded. Try working out before eating every morning and tell me about your results.
2) IIFYM is nonsense as well. If I eat only McDonalds and scoops of whey protein, I will hit my Macros. I assure you that is not optimal.. or even good.
3) Theres a difference between fat weight and muscle weight... Reading this is so painful to me.
4) 4 contradicts your point in 2... which is it? Eat real food or eat junk food and supplements?

How can you title this myths debunked when you're starting you own new myths?

[Ahmed81]

1) This is retarded. Try working out before eating every morning and tell me about your results.
2) IIFYM is nonsense as well. If I eat only McDonalds and scoops of whey protein, I will hit my Macros. I assure you that is not optimal.. or even good.
3) Theres a difference between fat weight and muscle weight... Reading this is so painful to me.
4) 4 contradicts your point in 2... which is it? Eat real food or eat junk food and supplements?

1. I have been training fasted in the morning for the past year now and love it; many people choose this approach. There is no benefit to eating a pre-workout meal, it's personal preference. I choose not to squat and deadlift on a full stomach, otherwise I'd throw up.

2. I emphasized the importance of MICROnutrients in my article as well. I also said how you can't just stuff your face with junk food all day, and how your intake has to primarily come from MINIMALLY processed foods. It is addressed in #2: "It is also vital that you consume a wide variety of foods that are rich in micronutrients (fruits, veggies, minimally processed foods). These serve a major role in preserving your general health including, but not limited to, your cholesterol, blood pressure, and sodium levels."

3. Obviously. I don't understand what the point is here, or how my article makes that "painful" to you.

4. No contradiction at all. The definition of supplement is: Something added to complete a thing, make up for a deficiency, or extend or strengthen the whole. A supplement is there to ASSIST, not be a primary source of protein. That was also clearly addressed in #4 in the very FIRST SENTENCE, "As far as protein goes, you want to try to hit your daily protein goal from whole foods".


The point of the article is clear, hit your caloric intake, macros, AND MICROS whilst adding one or two of your favorite food items daily to help meet those goals (I chose pop tarts as my example).



"IIFYM is an IQ test for the fitness world." -- JasonDB

[MGLPride]

Hello fitness world, my name is Ahmed Zaid. As someone who struggled with obesity growing up, I decided to make a change for the better and dedicate my mind and body to the fitness life. I like to call myself the guinea pig, because I spent the first 3-4 years of my fitness lifestyle experimenting with different methods and acquiring knowledge on the way. Using my body as the test subject, I learned the proper way to go about the overwhelming topic that is NUTRITION! Following the popular method of weight loss (no fats or carbs and cardio cardio cardio!), I endured metabolic damage and severely hurt my blood work. I now wish to give back to society as I look to deviate beginners from that dangerous path.

In order to really take your fitness to the next level, I highly recommended that you begin to count calories and, of course, compliment your diet with consistency in the gym. Counting calories IS NOT EASY AT ALL. IT WILL CHALLENGE YOUR MENTAL TOUGHNESS AND SANITY. I don't say this to discourage you, but rather to let you know what you're up against. You know what they say, nothing worth having comes easy. Ok so in order for me to teach you this, I'm going to have to rock your world a little bit by debunking a lot of the nutrition myths that society has come to believe.

1. MEAL TIMING: Lots of people think you have to eat breakfast, or you have to eat post workout to see results; they also tell you not to eat before bed time. The truth is, meal timing is irrelevant in terms of body composition. Total daily caloric intake is what governs weight loss/gain. Ex: I eat 2350 calories daily, and 1500 come immediately before bed time. Meal timing is all personal preference bu it IS relevant to your daily performance. If you're someone who needs breakfast in the morning, then go ahead. If you need the majority of your calories two hours before you hit the gym (a.k.a. a pre-workout meal) in order to have an optimal performance, then meal timing is relevant in that sense. But there's no extra benefit to eating six small meals a day or depriving yourself of a bed time snack. Eat when YOU want to!

2. JUNK FOOD IS NOT BAD FOR YOU: Total caloric intake is what governs weight loss/gain, not specific food items. In order to lose weight, you have to eat 10 - 20 % under your TDEE (total daily energy expedenture). Your TDEE is how many calories you burn in a day, so you have to burn more calories than you take in (hence why you eat 10 - 20 % under that). You have to hit certain numbers in regards to macronutrients. 1 g of protein/lb of bodyweight, and .45 g of dietary fat/lb of bodyweight, and you can fill the rest of your calories with carbs, or more protein and fat. WHATEVER food choices you use to hit those numbers (as long as you don't go over your caloric intake for the day) will result in you losing weight. For example, I use pop tarts to help me out with my dietary fat goal daily. A lot of people avoid dietary fat in their diet, and that's absolutely horrible. Fat intake helps to regulate hormonal function in men and women, and without it, your blood work will suffer. In order to meet your caloric goal without going over, you'll have to have "healthy" foods too. Ex: If I wanted to get 50 g of protein from the McDonald's menu, I would need at least 600 calories (because their food is so caloricly dense). But to get 50 g of protein from home made chicken breast, I would only need ~200 calories. So as you can see, in order to only eat 2350 and hit my protein and fat needs, I would have to have "healthy" foods, I can't just have 2350 calories worth of pop tarts and McDonald's because I wouldn't have hit my protein intake. It is also vital that you consume a wide variety of foods that are rich in micronutrients (fruits, veggies, minimally processed foods). These serve a major role in preserving your general health including, but not limited to, your cholesterol, blood pressure, and sodium levels. This method of fitting your favorite foods into your intake is called "if it fits your macros" (IIFYM).

3. CARDIO: Cardiovascular exercise, contrary to popular belief, is NOT the most efficient way to burn fat. Being in a caloric deficit is what is optimal. But cardio exercise plays a major role in heart health, so it's VERY important that you pay attention to it. A healthier heart leads to better breathing, better breathing leads to better stamina, which will help you in the weight room. The beauty of fitness is that everything comes full circle. In order to calculate your TDEE, you first have to calculate your BMR (basal metabolic rate). Your BMR is the amount of calories you burn if you literally laid in bed all day and didn't move a muscle. Because we don't live like that, we take our BMR and multiply it by an activity factor, which ultimately gives us our TDEE. If you want to incorporate more cardio into your regimen, that's absolutely fine, but please make sure you account for that when you consider the activity factor you multiply your BMR by. Some people choose to eat more and rely strictly on cardio to put them in a caloric deficit. For example, John estimates his TDEE to be 2800. John consumes 2800 calories worth of food/drink daily, and does 30 min worth of cardio to put him in a daily deficit. Because it is difficult to track how many calories one burns during a cardio session, I recommend that you do not SOLELY rely on cardio to put you in a deficit. To reiterate, cardiovascular exercise is extremely important to one's health, and it should be accounted for in your weekly regiment. Just make sure you are not over-doing it!!

4. PROTEIN: As far as protein goes, you want to try to hit your daily protein goal from whole foods. Only incorporate a supplement when you need a quick and convenient fix, or you need something that is low-cal and protein dense (120 calorie scoop worth 24 g protein). Getting your protein from whole foods will not only give you more energy and help with satiety, but will also help to ensure MICROnutrient sufficiency. Really try to get most, if not all your protein, from whole foods though, as taking the "recommend" 3 scoops a day of supplements will drain your wallet rather quickly

Another common misconception that people have is that they think they are sacrificing results by using IIFYM, false! Rather you are excelling by tracking your intake and making sure that you hit your numbers. Following a "broscience" diet where you only eat brown rice, veggies, and chicken breast will likely leave you deficient in one of the macronutrients (protein and fat), if not BOTH. More so, depriving yourself of the foods you love can lead to binge eating and eating disorders. It's neither necessary, nor realistic to go through life avoiding the foods we enjoy. Many in our society begin a weight loss "diet" by dropping their carbohydrate intake, avoiding all fatty foods, and severely under-eating overall. Unfortunately, that approach has become rather popular, and it does your body harm in both the long and short term. Under-eating can cause severe metabolic damage, and that can make it harder for you to lose weight correctly in the future. Such a method is highly detrimental and neglects the science involved in weight loss, so don't fall into the trap!!


I hope this article has removed the uncertainty or fear for anyone thinking about entering the fitness lifestyle. Speaking from experience, I can relate to how overwhelming making such a drastic commitment can be. Process the situation, take a deep breath, and shoot for the stars! As always, for any questions/comments please do not hesitate to contact me here on the forums!


- Ahmed Zaid

Great Tread , Thank You for the information and education , I learned a lot

I have a question for you

i'm Currently 5ft7 160 lbs trying to cut down to 8% bodyfat

Currently Eating at a calorie deficit of 20% below my maintenance calorie which is 2000 calories a day ,

=Will weight lifting during the day , and in the evening after weight lifting do a cardio burning 500 to 700 calories every other day

Will doing the 500-700 calorie cardio help me get to 8% bodyfat a lot faster?

I mean i'm already eating at a calorie deficit at 2000 calories a day , so 2000-700= 1300 calories , so i'm eating 1300 calories a day basically

I will be taking BCAA's everyday , Will this get me faster to 8% bodyfat or will this make me lose a lot of muscle?

and BTW I do count calories

[Ahmed81]

Great Tread , Thank You for the information and education , I learned a lot

I have a question for you

i'm Currently 5ft7 160 lbs trying to cut down to 8% bodyfat

Currently Eating at a calorie deficit of 20% below my maintenance calorie which is 2000 calories a day ,

=Will weight lifting during the day , and in the evening after weight lifting do a cardio burning 500 to 700 calories every other day

Will doing the 500-700 calorie cardio help me get to 8% bodyfat a lot faster?

I mean i'm already eating at a calorie deficit at 2000 calories a day , so 2000-700= 1300 calories , so i'm eating 1300 calories a day basically

I will be taking BCAA's everyday , Will this get me faster to 8% bodyfat or will this make me lose a lot of muscle?

and BTW I do count calories

Your cardio, weight lifting, and other daily physical activities should already be accounted for in your TDEE. Factor in your extra cardio and adjust your estimated TDEE. Weight loss/gain is a balance of energy, and food intake is only part of that equation. People who are looking to get sub 10% actually eat more as they lean out (balance of energy). You'll see that as they refeed often to keep their metabolisms in check.

BCAAs can help to preserve lean mass in a prolonged caloric deficit, but if your macros are in check, then it's not completely necessary to supplement with a BCAA. I took a BCAA deep into my cut just for mental satisfaction. That being said, BCAAs may become more vital if you really are sub 10%.

[fawad213]

Great read...thank you.

[nzgs]

I liked all of it except the IIFYM part, I find that phrase irratatingly meaningless and misleading. You rightfully pointed out the caveats with IIFYM, but if it has caveats then why call it IIFYM? It is simply a case of sensible dieting and moderation.

With regards to macros; natural protein sources invariably also come with natural fats. It's almost impossible to be deficient in fats unless one is consuming a lot of protein powder, which is another reason I dislike IIFYM since it it deals with macronutrients separately rather than in their natural forms. A sensible diet based on natural protein sources with every meal will satisfy any macro requirements without any need to track them whatsoever. Calories are the only thing worth tracking while cutting.

[Ahmed81]

I liked all of it except the IIFYM part, I find that phrase irratatingly meaningless and misleading. You rightfully pointed out the caveats with IIFYM, but if it has caveats then why call it IIFYM? It is simply a case of sensible dieting and moderation.

We're essentially putting a concise name to "You don't have to eat ONLY brown rice and chicken breast to get big and/or lean"

A sensible diet based on natural protein sources with every meal will satisfy any macro requirements without any need to track them whatsoever.

I'm baffled as to how you can make this general claim. Most people who follow "broscience" avoid anything with moderate-high fat on the nutrition label. Our society has become obsessed with "Low-Fat!!" and "Fat-Free!!".

As a result, many people are neglecting their fat intake and unfortunately causing harm to their hormonal function. I speak from PERSONAL EXPERIENCE, and I have many friends who went down the same path as well. But we practiced as you said, we consumed natural protein sources with every meal such as chicken breast, tilapia, and turkey....all of which DID NOT accumulate to satisfy minimum dietary fat requirements.

[SMKillerBody]

Great article! My only question is where you got your information in regards to protein intake requirements. I hear a lot of people talking about minimum 1 gram of protein per pound per day and 1.5 grams if you are trying to gain. I recently wrote a book and did a lot of heavy research on this specific topic and in all of the studies I looked at, it looked like everyone has misconstrued a very important fact about the original grams per pound theory. The misconception I believe comes from the fact that the studies were done in kilograms rather than pounds and when converted, you actually need far less than 1 gram of protein per pound in any given day. It is actually around 0.4 grams per pound per day for inactive people and 0.8 grams for highly active people. Either way, really great article!

[Ahmed81]

Great article! My only question is where you got your information in regards to protein intake requirements. I hear a lot of people talking about minimum 1 gram of protein per pound per day and 1.5 grams if you are trying to gain. I recently wrote a book and did a lot of heavy research on this specific topic and in all of the studies I looked at, it looked like everyone has misconstrued a very important fact about the original grams per pound theory. The misconception I believe comes from the fact that the studies were done in kilograms rather than pounds and when converted, you actually need far less than 1 gram of protein per pound in any given day. It is actually around 0.4 grams per pound per day for inactive people and 0.8 grams for highly active people. Either way, really great article!

I agree, I hear of lots of people who aim for 1.5 or even 2 g protein/lb of body weight. Completely unnecessary, unless of course they prefer a higher protein diet for satiety reasons.

I've read studies recently that say .82 g protein/lb of body weight is what's optimal at both a surplus and a deficit. I'd imagine you could get away with even less at a surplus. I personally prefer to go up to 1 g/lb of body weight during cutting season just to be safe and mentally ensure myself.

[afronigga6]

Great read, Ahmed81. I was struggling with fat loss and came down from 200lbs to 187lbs thanks to calorie counting. I gained some definition, but I'm not losing any more weight or gaining any more definition even though I've been consistently eating below my maintenance level for three weeks. Yes, I've hit a plateau. What would you recommend to break it? 'Cus I'm trying to get my abs to show and getting my bf% down is problematic because of this plateau I've hit. Thanks in advance, bro.

[Ahmed81]

Great read, Ahmed81. I was struggling with fat loss and came down from 200lbs to 187lbs thanks to calorie counting. I gained some definition, but I'm not losing any more weight or gaining any more definition even though I've been consistently eating below my maintenance level for three weeks. Yes, I've hit a plateau. What would you recommend to break it? 'Cus I'm trying to get my abs to show and getting my bf% down is problematic because of this plateau I've hit. Thanks in advance, bro.

Congratulations on your weight loss thus far!

You can incorporate weekly or bi-weekly refeeds to help over come weight loss plateaus. Refeed when you're feeling flat or if you find that your strength is declining significantly in the weight room (or in your case if you've hit a plateau). The objective of a refeed is to increase leptin, the fat burning hormone.

A refeed day is when you increase your caloric intake to your maintenance or slightly above (+ 200-300). Ideally, you want your extra calories to come from carbs; aim to double your normal carb intake on a refeed day. You also want to lower your protein and fat intake to make room for the extra carbs. Some great carb choices to refeed on are rice, bread, pasta, and bagels. If you've been in a prolonged deficit, you can even try a week-long refeed. Those can be even more beneficial than just a one day refeed.

You'll bloat for a couple days afterwards, but soon after you should break through your plateau.

[GirlsLiftToo]

I think you've made some good points, but you didn't look at long term health too much. That's when stuff like a junk food diet will catch up with you.

[Ahmed81]

I think you've made some good points, but you didn't look at long term health too much. That's when stuff like a junk food diet will catch up with you.

It's NOT a junk food diet. You would not be able to hit your daily micros or macros if you composed your intake primarly from junk food.

I think you'd benefit greatly from re-reading the article. Especially where I emphasized the importance of MICROnutrient intake.


"IIFYM is the IQ test of the fitness world"

-JasonDB

[Confused212]

Quality read I've been cutting for bout 4 months now and allot of info on here which helped me to loose that little bit more body fat.

[brandonbourgoin]

Great write-up for the nutritional noobs. Hopefully some new guys check out threads like this

[FitnessFan76]

As far as counting calories goes, how precise do you guys aim to be? For example, if you're reaching the end of the day does it matter to you if you're 80 calories under/over? 50? 20? At what stage will you say 'never mind - I've almost hit my calories for the day'? Sometimes I can find myself cutting a small piece of cheese or something in order to get that last 50 calories or so, and I was wondering if that was really necessary or if 50 over or under doesn't make much difference?

You're damn right about tracking being challenging to your sanity, OP. Not just your own, but family members as well. Good article.

[brandonbourgoin]

As far as counting calories goes, how precise do you guys aim to be? For example, if you're reaching the end of the day does it matter to you if you're 80 calories under/over? 50? 20? At what stage will you say 'never mind - I've almost hit my calories for the day'? Sometimes I can find myself cutting a small piece of cheese or something in order to get that last 50 calories or so, and I was wondering if that was really necessary or if 50 over or under doesn't make much difference?

You're damn right about tracking being challenging to your sanity, OP. Not just your own, but family members as well. Good article.

Family is the biggest cliff to counting calories. They are the most unsupportive people ever haha. As tonight we had a huge ham, mashed potatoe, cakes, corn, cookies, sweet potato, fresh italian bread with butter, stuffed shells. And i ate it ALL. Even tho.. i weighed and measured everything on the dot haha. Still ate mad calories. But got my balls busted all night long.

[FitnessFan76]

Family is the biggest cliff to counting calories. They are the most unsupportive people ever haha. As tonight we had a huge ham, mashed potatoe, cakes, corn, cookies, sweet potato, fresh italian bread with butter, stuffed shells. And i ate it ALL. Even tho.. i weighed and measured everything on the dot haha. Still ate mad calories. But got my balls busted all night long.

Ain't that the truth? Unless a fellow family member is also lifting, they just don't understand and get all huffy when you weigh everything. I've got to the stage where I just say, 'I'm not harming you, am I?' and just get on with it.

Edit: My take on the whole 'junk food' thing is if you like it, eat it - just don't live on the stuff! Sure, there are a few people who will be able to stop eating a given food forever, but most people will eventually give in and when they do, they'll gorge themselves on the stuff. The occasional double cheeseburger or few slices of a Dominos is not going to harm you.

[brandonbourgoin]

Ain't that the truth? Unless a fellow family member is also lifting, they just don't understand and get all huffy when you weigh everything. I've got to the stage where I just say, 'I'm not harming you, am I?' and just get on with it.

Edit: My take on the whole 'junk food' thing is if you like it, eat it - just don't live on the stuff! Sure, there are a few people who will be able to stop eating a given food forever, but most people will eventually give in and when they do, they'll gorge themselves on the stuff. The occasional double cheeseburger or few slices of a Dominos is not going to harm you.

yea man family are the worst influences when it comes to dieting. I try my best to weigh my food stealthily haha. Either way like you said.. 0 phucks are given and no offense taken. I do it for myself and no one else.

[DimQ]

lol'd at "junk food is not bad for you". Weeeeell, here's the thing though... those people who's metabolism adjusted to junk food - they will burn it all into energy, which is a huge bonus for active sports. Those who's metabolism cannot handle junk food, for example if a person was restricted on junk food in their childhood - they will make that energy into fat storages.
Here, I got a neat tool for those who need an easy to use nutrition calculator:
2fitbody.com/calculator.php
Drag n drop use, can save and share diet plans, also can add foods manually in case they are not in the database.

[PseudoZA]

lol'd at "junk food is not bad for you". Weeeeell, here's the thing though... those people who's metabolism adjusted to junk food - they will burn it all into energy, which is a huge bonus for active sports. Those who's metabolism cannot handle junk food, for example if a person was restricted on junk food in their childhood - they will make that energy into fat storages.

No.

[geniash]

lol'd at "junk food is not bad for you". Weeeeell, here's the thing though... those people who's metabolism adjusted to junk food - they will burn it all into energy, which is a huge bonus for active sports. Those who's metabolism cannot handle junk food, for example if a person was restricted on junk food in their childhood - they will make that energy into fat storages.

Surplus caloric intake determines whether it will go into a fat storage, not specific food. I'd have to agree the sentence "junk food is good for you" put me in a weird state. I believe the author meant to say "if you can fit it in your macros" but the article is for beginners, so that'll do.
Traditionally junk food refers to a food high in fat/sugar/salt and calories. Fat quality used in junk food preparation is really low. I was reading a research on frying fat quality. After 10 hours in a fryer all sort of gunk appears there up to free radicals (carcinogenic) and the policy on when/how often to change frying fat is once a week for most places. Overall it's alright once in a while but do not expect great health benefits after regular consumption of junk food.

[FitnessFan76]

Well, of course 'junk food' isn't 'good' for you - but neither is it going to harm you if you eat it occasionally.

[Ahmed81]

As far as counting calories goes, how precise do you guys aim to be? For example, if you're reaching the end of the day does it matter to you if you're 80 calories under/over? 50? 20? At what stage will you say 'never mind - I've almost hit my calories for the day'? Sometimes I can find myself cutting a small piece of cheese or something in order to get that last 50 calories or so, and I was wondering if that was really necessary or if 50 over or under doesn't make much difference?

You're damn right about tracking being challenging to your sanity, OP. Not just your own, but family members as well. Good article.

I'm willing to estimate and guess more during bulking season than cutting. I lean bulk with only a 200-300 surplus over my TDEE, but sometimes I might go 400-500 over due to just "estimating". I might put on an extra 3-4 lbs by doing that, but I believe it's worth it to take a mental break from cutting.

During cutting season I track everything religiously