What do you eat ?

[SteveWeber]

Hi, guys
Let's share your way of eating, before the gym and after. Do you count calories every day? planning your daily menu in advance?
I think physical activity is in the first place, but competently building a diet during classes in the gym accelerates the achievement of goals faster.

[shaneinga]

You got those 2 backwards. Diet is definitely more important. You can't out train a sh!t diet. Trust me, I have tried.

What people eat is going to be a personal choice and no specific way of eating works the same for everyone.

Eat the best meats you can afford. Go organic on your fruits and veggies. Eat meals as close to the source as you can get them and limit processed crap.

Protein shoot for a gram per LBM, and .4 grams of fats. Fill the rest with carbs via fruits and veggies. Track it all using a food scale and a good tracking app or write it down. 500 calorie deficit daily should net you a pound a week loss.

Don't make it hard, most any way of eating that comes with the word diet after it is going to be unsustainable.

[TolerantLactose]

Hi, guys
I want to share my way of eating, before the gym and after. I count calories every day and plan my daily menu in advance.
I think physical activity is in the first place, but competently building a diet during classes in the gym accelerates the achievement of goals faster.

[adamgentile]

Personally I'm always fasted when working out, i eat after. I have never counted a calorie and never will, and i don't plan out meals. I just pick healthy choices, 3 meals a day, some healthy snacking in between. I judge by the mirror. I don't even own a scale.

[ElrondHubbard]

I'm eating a rotisserie chicken right now!

[xTeTe]

When I was boxing I neglected my diet and was working out with such intensity that I was pretty much out training a bad diet.

That's not to say that I couldn't have been better if I wasn't eating junk all the time though.

I don't track macros all that closely but I've really upped my protein intake everyday and that's been my main focus regardless. Lots of albacore tuna, grilled chicken, cottage cheese, string cheese, greek yogurt topping off my 1g/lb goal with protein bars and whey protein shakes. I usually stick to the shakes post workout. Just doing this over the past year or so, combined with really pushing myself in the gym (and logging workouts) has made a world of difference. I feel like I've been progressing faster in the past year than I did just cruising along for six years working out while fighting on bad program.

[xTeTe]

Personally I'm always fasted when working out, i eat after. I have never counted a calorie and never will, and i don't plan out meals. I just pick healthy choices, 3 meals a day, some healthy snacking in between. I judge by the mirror. I don't even own a scale.

This is kind of how I feel and approach it. Although I'd be lying if I said I didn't step on the scale from time to time.

[ljimd]

I've tracked my cals and bwt daily for eleven years.
I try to keep protein at 1.2 to 1.6gr per kilo. The data
keeps me honest. It's a habit I've gotten used to.
Works for me, YMMV.

[Plateauplower]

Too much lately....I need to get back to tracking intake. I can’t auto regulate intake and maintain leanness.

[ajdahlheimer]

When I am dieting I eat the same exact thing Monday through Thursday, so I don't need to actually count calories as I know I can eat those type of foods (chicken, rice, Greek yogurt, string cheese, nuts, oat meal, eggs, etc.) in those amounts and effectively lose around the same amount of weight each week while cutting. I am much more liberal w/different types of food and larger amounts on the weekend, but again, never enough to impact my overall long term weight loss when dieting.

[induced_drag]

I very closely tracked macros and cals (fanatically) for 4+ years straight without a break. Past 5+ years I take a looser approach unless there is a goal to be had. I am not making any sort of progress these days and the best I can do is hope to stay fit.

I eat in general with health in mind, but I think of food as macros (unless eating for pure enjoyment which I do from time to time). Most days, I fulfill my protein requirements first and that generally takes care of the fat along with it. With the rest, I eat carbs that I am in the mood for.


Just to be clear......IF there is progress that is still attainable, either increased strength or room to gain more muscle mass, the most efficient way to do this is planning and tracking macros.

[sunsean]

I'm finishing up a cut so not eating much, about 1700calories/day. I've got it down to a system for these last couple weeks. Informal IF: only coffee until 2/3pm when I have a protein shake with milk, pb, fruit, flax seed - very tasty and satisfying. That ties me over until around 8/9 when I have a post WO mean, main "meal" of the day, usually around 1000 calories and high in protein. Then around 11/12 before bed I'll have another high protein snack.

For some reason fasting is easy for me in the morning and afternoon. Essentially until I start eating, and then the seal is broken lol, but skipping breakfast is easy and works for me on a cut.

Around mid-May I will end the cut and return to maintenance for the summer. That'll be nice.

I've been tracking for about 4 years now and do it whether bulking or cutting. Just helps keep me honest and also helps me adhere to my diet plan better because constantly logging the food makes you conscious of what you're eating.

[MrCarrot]

I track cals and macros religiously, and have done for 2 years. I don't find it to be an issue. 20 years ago without smartphones or internet it would be a chore, but not now with technology, at least not for me.

For me, meal timing before working out is important. If I eat just before, I tend to feel tired and sluggish. If I haven't eaten in several hours, I run out of steam quickly.

I find some wholemeal bread and cottage cheese an hour to an hour and a half before working out, works well for me.

[Corbets]

You got those 2 backwards. Diet is definitely more important. You can't out train a sh!t diet. Trust me, I have tried.

What people eat is going to be a personal choice and no specific way of eating works the same for everyone.

Eat the best meats you can afford. Go organic on your fruits and veggies. Eat meals as close to the source as you can get them and limit processed crap.

Protein shoot for a gram per LBM, and .4 grams of fats. Fill the rest with carbs via fruits and veggies. Track it all using a food scale and a good tracking app or write it down. 500 calorie deficit daily should net you a pound a week loss.

Don't make it hard, most any way of eating that comes with the word diet after it is going to be unsustainable.

This, except for the stuff about organic. Science that’s just throwing your money down the garbage disposal (thank you, wifey dear, for spending ours that way). Agree with everything else in the post though.

For a handful of people, going by feel will be enough. For most of us, tracking calories and macros is the only way to get out of our poor eating habits and hit our goals. But you can eat whatever foods you like - yesterday I had pizza where the crust was made from chicken, eggs and cheese, for example (tastes amazing), which is obviously a very protein-heavy dish. Today, however, I plan to stop at the local Danish bakery and pick myself up a treat - and adjust the rest of my day’s intake accordingly.

[shaneinga]

This, except for the stuff about organic. Science that’s just throwing your money down the garbage disposal (thank you, wifey dear, for spending ours that way). Agree with everything else in the post though.

For a handful of people, going by feel will be enough. For most of us, tracking calories and macros is the only way to get out of our poor eating habits and hit our goals. But you can eat whatever foods you like - yesterday I had pizza where the crust was made from chicken, eggs and cheese, for example (tastes amazing), which is obviously a very protein-heavy dish. Today, however, I plan to stop at the local Danish bakery and pick myself up a treat - and adjust the rest of my day’s intake accordingly.

As far as organic goes, I imagine it’s not as important in Switzerland but the US still uses practices that are banned in a lot of countries.

I will take my fruits and veggies with out glyphosate please.

[zzfh]

Whatever i want as long as it's under 2,500kcal per day. Try keep protein high and have always eaten a lot of fruit.

[ElrondHubbard]

As far as organic goes, I imagine it’s not as important in Switzerland but the US still uses practices that are banned in a lot of countries.

I will take my fruits and veggies with out glyphosate please.

There are some items we specifically limit to organic, and some we don't. It depends on the product. Most fresh greens we grow at home so it's not an issue, but there are other items that tend to retain pesticide residues. So we take it case by case.

I haven't tracked meals in a long time, but I do track my weight and my waistline. I've been eating almost all my life (with a few exceptional months making me appreciate that ability), and I've gotten fairly good at judging caloric density and volume intuitively, especially since we rarely eat out (especially nowadays) and we have a fairly steady list of raw ingredients that we cook from about 90% of the time.

I have a range that I want for my weight and width, if I'm trending beyond that over a couple of weeks, I cut back the intake. I still do mild bulks and cuts for my training goals, but I try not to get silly about it. So far it's been going pretty well.

[Desparado]

I pretty much eat whatever I want but IN MODERATION. It helps that I don't like soda, candy, or cake but I do eat some junk food occasionally. I have never deprived myself of anything that I like and that's been my key for staying at a consistent weight year in and year out.

[meloncap78]

This is always my post workout. Preworkout is 16oz liquid egg whites mixed with 1/2 tbsp ground cinnamon and 1/2 tbsp stevia (drink and enjoy) along with 80 grams cream of rice and 2 tbsp peanut butter.

[bropheus]

Hi, guys
Let's share your way of eating, before the gym and after. Do you count calories every day? planning your daily menu in advance?
I think physical activity is in the first place, but competently building a diet during classes in the gym accelerates the achievement of goals faster.

When it comes to optimising your diet, meal prep is key. Find a couple recipes that meet your macros, take under 30 minutes to cook, and are tasty enough for you to keep eating on a regular basis, and rotate.

What works best for me is stir fry. I stir fry chicken and vegetables, and rotate flavours by using herbs. Chicken thigh works best because compared to chicken breast it's hard to overcook. Frozen veg mix is ideal because you don't need to cut it, and it contains more nutrients.