tips for counting calories
- Thread starter CNoyes
- Start date
bluejacket
New Member
fitday...its free.
most use it to track cals/meals but its just as easy "plan" them. just pick a day (any day in the future) and keep adding in the amounts you want until you reach your goal. you can always pick a diff. day to get an easy idea of the values of the next meal but as long as you dont eat a diff meal everytime it wont long before you know the value of all your usual meals/days.
good luck
most use it to track cals/meals but its just as easy "plan" them. just pick a day (any day in the future) and keep adding in the amounts you want until you reach your goal. you can always pick a diff. day to get an easy idea of the values of the next meal but as long as you dont eat a diff meal everytime it wont long before you know the value of all your usual meals/days.
good luck
Eat the same thing every day! Yeah, it's boring but it sure makes things easy. I eat oatmeal for breakfast and just drink a big protein shake for dinner. For lunch, I either have a sub or chicken strips which are roughly the same amount of calories. Of course, I'm trying to cut right now. If I'm not cutting, I'm not counting.
I recommend fitday for those who are new to calorie counting. The best part about it is that it is free. You can access it anywhere there is a computer with internet. From what I recall, it has thousands of food items, and if you can't find what you are looking for, you can simply add it.
I eat basically the same thing everyday except for dinners at night. Even then, I am eating most dinners 2-3 times. Weekends vary too so I just keep track on a piece of paper or in my head. Kind of boring but it works. Plus, I am trying to lean up a bit and working on the cholesterol so eating the same really helps there too.
Keystone
Keystone
coach hale
New Member
calorie counter that shows contents of macros as well micros
www.nutritiondata.com
thanks
Jamie Hale
www.maxcondition.com
www.nutritiondata.com
thanks
Jamie Hale
www.maxcondition.com
coach hale
New Member
Counting calories is going well so far, but I feel like I'm being borderline obsessive on making sure that I'm getting between 15-20% calories from protein and around 30% calories from fat (as outlined in the FAQ). How important is it to maintain these ratios? Would it make a big difference if I forgot about percentage of fat, and just kept on the right track of protein and calories?
bluejacket
New Member
CNoyes,
imo, your question comes down to where you are in your training and how much interest you have (in the diet/track aspect).
tracking cals and protein as well as any wgt changes is a great place to start. gives you an idea of how effective your eating has been without overwhelming you with endless amounts of detail that may or may not be the reason for success or failure.
as time goes on you will be the best judge of whether you need more detail and attention in your diet or if basic tracking serves you just fine.
good luck
imo, your question comes down to where you are in your training and how much interest you have (in the diet/track aspect).
tracking cals and protein as well as any wgt changes is a great place to start. gives you an idea of how effective your eating has been without overwhelming you with endless amounts of detail that may or may not be the reason for success or failure.
as time goes on you will be the best judge of whether you need more detail and attention in your diet or if basic tracking serves you just fine.
good luck
TunnelRat
Active Member
<div>
(colby2152 @ Nov. 14 2007,08:37)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">IMO, just worry about protein and calories.</div>
Yup, I've been doing that. Over the past several months I've been endeavoring to reduce my body fat percentage yet maintain my lean body mass. My diet calls for ten calories and one gram of protein per pound of body weight. By focusing on protein and calories, I've begun to learn which foods serve to help me on my cut.
For example, skim milk offers ten calories per gram of protein (8 oz. = 80 calories and 8 grams of protein). For me it's nature's most nearly perfect food! A half cup of fat free cottage cheese offers 70 calories and 13 grams of protein. A scoop of my protein powder gives 130 calories and 25 grams of protein, etc.
Once I've learned (by dreary experience) what the protein/calorie ratios of various foods are, it is easier to manage my diet. All I need to do is to keep track of my protein intake and my calories tend to fall into line. I do not doubt that the same principle would work for bulking except, of course, the ratios would need to be changed to suit your goals.
(colby2152 @ Nov. 14 2007,08:37)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">IMO, just worry about protein and calories.</div>
Yup, I've been doing that. Over the past several months I've been endeavoring to reduce my body fat percentage yet maintain my lean body mass. My diet calls for ten calories and one gram of protein per pound of body weight. By focusing on protein and calories, I've begun to learn which foods serve to help me on my cut.
For example, skim milk offers ten calories per gram of protein (8 oz. = 80 calories and 8 grams of protein). For me it's nature's most nearly perfect food! A half cup of fat free cottage cheese offers 70 calories and 13 grams of protein. A scoop of my protein powder gives 130 calories and 25 grams of protein, etc.
Once I've learned (by dreary experience) what the protein/calorie ratios of various foods are, it is easier to manage my diet. All I need to do is to keep track of my protein intake and my calories tend to fall into line. I do not doubt that the same principle would work for bulking except, of course, the ratios would need to be changed to suit your goals.
scientific muscle
New Member
<div>
(TunnelRat @ Nov. 17 2007,22:23)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE"><div>
(colby2152 @ Nov. 14 2007,08:37)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">IMO, just worry about protein and calories.</div>
Yup, I've been doing that. Over the past several months I've been endeavoring to reduce my body fat percentage yet maintain my lean body mass. My diet calls for ten calories and one gram of protein per pound of body weight. By focusing on protein and calories, I've begun to learn which foods serve to help me on my cut.
For example, skim milk offers ten calories per gram of protein (8 oz. = 80 calories and 8 grams of protein). For me it's nature's most nearly perfect food! A half cup of fat free cottage cheese offers 70 calories and 13 grams of protein. A scoop of my protein powder gives 130 calories and 25 grams of protein, etc.
Once I've learned (by dreary experience) what the protein/calorie ratios of various foods are, it is easier to manage my diet. All I need to do is to keep track of my protein intake and my calories tend to fall into line. I do not doubt that the same principle would work for bulking except, of course, the ratios would need to be changed to suit your goals.</div>
thta is a great way to do it Tunnelrat! That is basically how I did things to lose 15 pounds of fat this summer. I hate counting calories, so instead I was doing a version of Lyle Mcdonald's PSMF (protein-sparing modified fast). I didn't haveto count calories since I was eating only foods high in protein and low on carbs or fats, so as long as I tracked my protein I was good to go.
I like the way you make it more efficient by taking into account the protein:calorie ratio, that is cool!
(TunnelRat @ Nov. 17 2007,22:23)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE"><div>
(colby2152 @ Nov. 14 2007,08:37)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">IMO, just worry about protein and calories.</div>
Yup, I've been doing that. Over the past several months I've been endeavoring to reduce my body fat percentage yet maintain my lean body mass. My diet calls for ten calories and one gram of protein per pound of body weight. By focusing on protein and calories, I've begun to learn which foods serve to help me on my cut.
For example, skim milk offers ten calories per gram of protein (8 oz. = 80 calories and 8 grams of protein). For me it's nature's most nearly perfect food! A half cup of fat free cottage cheese offers 70 calories and 13 grams of protein. A scoop of my protein powder gives 130 calories and 25 grams of protein, etc.
Once I've learned (by dreary experience) what the protein/calorie ratios of various foods are, it is easier to manage my diet. All I need to do is to keep track of my protein intake and my calories tend to fall into line. I do not doubt that the same principle would work for bulking except, of course, the ratios would need to be changed to suit your goals.</div>
thta is a great way to do it Tunnelrat! That is basically how I did things to lose 15 pounds of fat this summer. I hate counting calories, so instead I was doing a version of Lyle Mcdonald's PSMF (protein-sparing modified fast). I didn't haveto count calories since I was eating only foods high in protein and low on carbs or fats, so as long as I tracked my protein I was good to go.
I like the way you make it more efficient by taking into account the protein:calorie ratio, that is cool!
QuantumPositron
New Member
The Quantum Method (TM!) (C!) (All rights reserved!) (Back off Microsoft!!!)
Guaranteed not to suck!
Design individual meals that you can acquire (Subway!) or purchase (Red Baron) or cook. Write down their macronutrient, and if you reckon it important, micronutrient content in addition to their total calories. Keep them in a notebook. Get real familiar with it. Learn how to cook the meals. And make sure you like them. Obviously they will be affordable and within your culinary capacity. If you are eating 5-6 times per day you are prolly gonna get bored fast so make the total ala carte menu to something like 20 - 40 meals. Some will be dinner. Some will be breakfast. Some will be lunch (like Subway, if you go out), and some will be 2nd breakfasts and 2nd lunches and probably need to be tupperware compliant. I think you get the point. Now that you have all this worked out you can pre assemble an entire day of eating, or an entire week, or just fly by the seat of your pants picking as the day progresses from your menu based on how much carb, protein, fat, etc. you need to make the diet for the day. I don't have any diet books but I imagine they are sort of like what I have described above. The lame thing about most books is that they don't account for what you can cook, what you can buy, what you can store, and what you want to eat. They can't. So you have to design that part yourself. Thus you must do the leg work to make your own. In fact, if you just took your favorite dishes and fleshed out their nutritional profile you'd be well on your way. Once it is all in your head and on paper the world is yours.
Maybe I am just a n00b, but I don't get this whole diet-is-pain thing. I think the problem is two-fold: Most people don't invest the time in learning to cook and most people taste only three things found in restaurant food: fat, sugar, and salt. The subtle notes of something like jasmine rice are beyond their appreciation. A few nights ago I went to an upscale Italian place and ordered their all-new lasagna. I could taste nothing but sugar in the sauce. Vandalized by the mainstream yet again.
I was murderous.
Guaranteed not to suck!
Design individual meals that you can acquire (Subway!) or purchase (Red Baron) or cook. Write down their macronutrient, and if you reckon it important, micronutrient content in addition to their total calories. Keep them in a notebook. Get real familiar with it. Learn how to cook the meals. And make sure you like them. Obviously they will be affordable and within your culinary capacity. If you are eating 5-6 times per day you are prolly gonna get bored fast so make the total ala carte menu to something like 20 - 40 meals. Some will be dinner. Some will be breakfast. Some will be lunch (like Subway, if you go out), and some will be 2nd breakfasts and 2nd lunches and probably need to be tupperware compliant. I think you get the point. Now that you have all this worked out you can pre assemble an entire day of eating, or an entire week, or just fly by the seat of your pants picking as the day progresses from your menu based on how much carb, protein, fat, etc. you need to make the diet for the day. I don't have any diet books but I imagine they are sort of like what I have described above. The lame thing about most books is that they don't account for what you can cook, what you can buy, what you can store, and what you want to eat. They can't. So you have to design that part yourself. Thus you must do the leg work to make your own. In fact, if you just took your favorite dishes and fleshed out their nutritional profile you'd be well on your way. Once it is all in your head and on paper the world is yours.
Maybe I am just a n00b, but I don't get this whole diet-is-pain thing. I think the problem is two-fold: Most people don't invest the time in learning to cook and most people taste only three things found in restaurant food: fat, sugar, and salt. The subtle notes of something like jasmine rice are beyond their appreciation. A few nights ago I went to an upscale Italian place and ordered their all-new lasagna. I could taste nothing but sugar in the sauce. Vandalized by the mainstream yet again.
I was murderous.
<div></div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">Maybe I am just a n00b, but I don't get this whole diet-is-pain thing. I think the problem is two-fold: Most people don't invest the time in learning to cook and most people taste only three things found in restaurant food: fat, sugar, and salt. The subtle notes of something like jasmine rice are beyond their appreciation. A few nights ago I went to an upscale Italian place and ordered their all-new lasagna. I could taste nothing but sugar in the sauce. Vandalized by the mainstream yet again.</div>
I whole heartedly agree!
I whole heartedly agree!
You mean the Prego sauce just didn't top it very well?
You have to love that new show with the cook from Hell's Kitchen where he goes to these sloppy restaurants and turns them around. Man, the stuff they put out as "quisine", "fine dining" and "culinary art"!!!
I'd heard it said that just because no one understands you, doesn't mean that you're an artist.
You have to love that new show with the cook from Hell's Kitchen where he goes to these sloppy restaurants and turns them around. Man, the stuff they put out as "quisine", "fine dining" and "culinary art"!!!
I'd heard it said that just because no one understands you, doesn't mean that you're an artist.
I
imported_etothepii
Guest
Let's say you eat a home cooked meal, and you want to know what it is you ate!!! Just take Mom's recipe card, type in the ingredients and number of servings into this website, and it produces a per-serving nutrition label. Easy!!!
Recipe Calculator
Recipe Calculator
I
imported_etothepii
Guest
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