Who Counts Calories?

Oldguyjiujitsu

OAF
Trusted Member
So we all know consistency with diet, training and sleep are key to long term progress...But who here actually takes the time to count calories whether on maintenance, bulk or cut??

I have always prided myself on discipline. I eat clean 95% of the time...as i get older i eat fewer and fewer cheat meals. I have fine tuned my diet over the years with the help of @Funnyman and i have ACTUALLY followed through and done what he has suggested. I don't tend to step on the scales much as i go by the mirror. I keep abs 12 month of the year and i would guess my BF sits around 12%. I eat 6 times and about 3000 cals per day and keep track of protein (200 grams per day) but i eyeball carbs and fat. Recently i noticed my face was getting a little thin (not helped by age) and i was seeing striations in my quads and calves. I got on the scales and found out i had dropped 3-4 lbs. And not on purpose...i was a little confused.

So having a little extra time in quarantine i got a food scale and down loaded myfitnesspal (it was by under armour and free) and tracked cals for a week...It was fascinating that little choices were having a big impact. My cals were actually fluctuating between 2700 and 3200 per day...and not because i was skipping meals. It was little things like if i put a berries vs a banana in my evening smoothy, had 30g vs 40g of nuts, if i had a carrot instead of 1/2 avocado with my rice and chicken. 120 vs 150g of rice or 4 vs 5oz of chicken (look almost identical on plate).

For the past 2 months i have been weighing all my food, and tracking macros and cals. it actually takes very little time and It has made me realize that to be consistent this is a must. I have regained the 3-4 lbs, look a little fuller, just as lean, getting a better pump and have more energy during my training. With this new learning i am confident i can bet @Sorbate at our informal "fittest by 50" contest.

Moral of the story...if you want to bulk and not flow over...how can you not track that you are getting exactly 100 or 200 cals extra per day. Or cutting not dropping cals too fast and losing hard earned muscle???

Who tracks macros and counts cals accurately and consistency?
 
I use the same app and track my calories/macros and like you are around 3000 a day. Some days 2900 and some days 3100 but generally around 3000. My protein intake is higher around 275-300. Keeping track of my 5 meals has helped drop from 228 to 218 with no real loss of muscle and no loss in strength. The app isn't perfect but it helps and keeps track of changes to look back on.
I will continue to use it as I notice a big difference in my stomach definition. After the winter and I want to bulk up by 20 lbs - I will use to add calories in the same manner as I use it to slowly reduce them. This is fairly new for me - I do it consistently now but didn't for years.
No idea why I didn't as it makes a big difference. We are very close in age.
 
I'm weighing all my food. That way i'm sure eat the same amount everyday. It makes tracking and making changes easier. However, if you stay consistent, you dont HAVE TO weigh all your food. Here is an exemple:

Let's say you normally eat 5 whole eggs, 1 cup of oatmeal and one banana everyday. When you want to lose weight, you take out 1 or 2 egg yolks and replace them with egg white, you take out 1/4 cup of oatmeal, etc... you can do this with every meal. So per say you are not counting calories, but by making consistent changes to your diet you still are taking calories out.

The good part about tracking calories is that when you start a diet, you know how much you are eating and if it is ok for you to start cutting. John Meadows talks about this in one of his videos. He likes to have men at around 16 times there bodyweight in calories BEFORE starting a diet, so they have plenty of room to make changes. If they are not, he makes them eat in a 10-15% surplus before starting the cut to help them.

hope this helps feel free to ask any questions :)
 
I usually would do it a few times a year or a few months to make sure I am on track. Almost always do it while cutting.

Stopped using MFP a year or two ago cause it wasn't working right (bugs) and they were not fixing it. The conflicts between cell and PC were brutal.
DO NOT trust the macros loaded on MFP (or any app) many are way wrong especially the crowd sourced info is terrible.

Create all of your own foods, I only eat the same 20 or so ingredients anyhow. Those plus P,C and F by the gram are all that's in my database. Plus saved meals.

Now using and recommending app called Macros https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.josmantek.macros&hl=en_CA
Way better for me personally, probably for y'all too. Way simpler to use, no unnecessary fluff that most folks here don't need.

For Macro Info to create foods I use these two sources, if they conflict I use the average.
 
I usually would do it a few times a year or a few months to make sure I am on track. Almost always do it while cutting.

Stopped using MFP a year or two ago cause it wasn't working right (bugs) and they were not fixing it. The conflicts between cell and PC were brutal.
DO NOT trust the macros loaded on MFP (or any app) many are way wrong especially the crowd sourced info is terrible.

Create all of your own foods, I only eat the same 20 or so ingredients anyhow. Those plus P,C and F by the gram are all that's in my database. Plus saved meals.

Now using and recommending app called Macros https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.josmantek.macros&hl=en_CA
Way better for me personally, probably for y'all too. Way simpler to use, no unnecessary fluff that most folks here don't need.

For Macro Info to create foods I use these two sources, if they conflict I use the average.
Fantastic post! I weigh my food for almost every meal but I have stopped using MFP as well & also because of the same reasoning. Just going to try out this new to me app that you're recommending, thank you.
And like @Oldguyjiujitsu says, I was also helped by @Funnyman with my diet and have listened to his expertise....it's sure alot easier to do when you're actually eating foods that you like, it's became second nature to eat clean as just a proper way of life.
 
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One of the best things about keeping a log on paper or with an app is that it can make pretty much make decisions for you about future food intake.

Most of the time if I am strict especially while cutting I already known advance what I will be eating on any particular day. I carb cycle and have certain training days tied to carb intake on that day. For example Leg and Back days may have more carbs that shoulders and arms. Some days have intra workout carbs etc.

On days where I may have varied from the plan I can see what I have left for planned macros for the day and adjust accordingly. Example - 5pm and I'm already out of carbs so it's not gonna be chicken cacciatore with pasta for dinner, just chicken with the sauce. Or at coffee time when I'm thinking about having a donut or putting sugar in my drink I'll punch it in to see the effect on daily totals and then decide against it because I really want to have pasta tonight.
 
little off topic hear but was having an argument about gaining mucles and eating 3000 plus calories a day, my buddy says im wrong and sends me this lol and says well tour on aas you dont need the surplus unless you wanna gain really fast but ither way you will gain ? Whats your thoughts Screenshot_20200621-152613_Messenger.jpg
 
So we all know consistency with diet, training and sleep are key to long term progress...But who here actually takes the time to count calories whether on maintenance, bulk or cut??

I have always prided myself on discipline. I eat clean 95% of the time...as i get older i eat fewer and fewer cheat meals. I have fine tuned my diet over the years with the help of @Funnyman and i have ACTUALLY followed through and done what he has suggested. I don't tend to step on the scales much as i go by the mirror. I keep abs 12 month of the year and i would guess my BF sits around 12%. I eat 6 times and about 3000 cals per day and keep track of protein (200 grams per day) but i eyeball carbs and fat. Recently i noticed my face was getting a little thin (not helped by age) and i was seeing striations in my quads and calves. I got on the scales and found out i had dropped 3-4 lbs. And not on purpose...i was a little confused.

So having a little extra time in quarantine i got a food scale and down loaded myfitnesspal (it was by under armour and free) and tracked cals for a week...It was fascinating that little choices were having a big impact. My cals were actually fluctuating between 2700 and 3200 per day...and not because i was skipping meals. It was little things like if i put a berries vs a banana in my evening smoothy, had 30g vs 40g of nuts, if i had a carrot instead of 1/2 avocado with my rice and chicken. 120 vs 150g of rice or 4 vs 5oz of chicken (look almost identical on plate).

For the past 2 months i have been weighing all my food, and tracking macros and cals. it actually takes very little time and It has made me realize that to be consistent this is a must. I have regained the 3-4 lbs, look a little fuller, just as lean, getting a better pump and have more energy during my training. With this new learning i am confident i can bet @Sorbate at our informal "fittest by 50" contest.

Moral of the story...if you want to bulk and not flow over...how can you not track that you are getting exactly 100 or 200 cals extra per day. Or cutting not dropping cals too fast and losing hard earned muscle???

Who tracks macros and counts cals accurately and consistency?

This is probably the most important thing that most people don’t do. I’m guilty myself as well. Except when I’m on a mission then everything is weighed and tracked
 
I track/ weight all food when my goals aren’t being met, but if my weights changing in the right direction I don’t weight everything

although I don’t really bodybuild anymore so it matters lesa to me. When I did, I weighted everything (mostly raw weight, I felt it was more accurate than cooked weight) and never even used condiments

I just try to keep a bmi of 18-20 now, if I gain too much weight I’ll track my calories and get back down
 
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I track/ weight all food when my goals aren’t being met, but if my weights changing in the right direction I don’t weight everything

although I don’t really bodybuild anymore so it matters lesa to me. When I did, I weighted everything (mostly raw weight, I felt it was more accurate than cooked weight) and never even used condiments

I just try to keep a bmi of 18-20 now, if I gain too much weight I’ll track my calories and get back down

Raw weight is the only way to go if you are trying to be accurate, should be an obvious point. Generally speaking the weight may change from cooking but the macros won't really, especially wrt protein content of meat which is usually of prime concern to bodybuilders. Fat and Carb macros may change a bit more in foods that lose some do to cooking methods like the fat leftover after frying bacon or the starchy water you pour off your boiled veggies or pasta.

However, consistency is the biggest key if absolute weight loss or gain is the target, even if the macros you use are inaccurate for whatever reason.
 
This is probably the most important thing that most people don’t do. I’m guilty myself as well. Except when I’m on a mission then everything is weighed and tracked

So true… It’s amazing I’ve been doing this so long I thought I could eyeball it pretty good but when you really track, you see all the little differences...100 cal here and there really add up.


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So true… It’s amazing I’ve been doing this so long I thought I could eyeball it pretty good but when you really track, you see all the little differences...100 cal here and there really add up.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I agree. You cannot eyeball stuff. Also getting the scale out makes you accountable every single time
 
Raw weight is the only way to go if you are trying to be accurate, should be an obvious point. Generally speaking the weight may change from cooking but the macros won't really, especially wrt protein content of meat which is usually of prime concern to bodybuilders. Fat and Carb macros may change a bit more in foods that lose some do to cooking methods like the fat leftover after frying bacon or the starchy water you pour off your boiled veggies or pasta.

However, consistency is the biggest key if absolute weight loss or gain is the target, even if the macros you use are inaccurate for whatever reason.

Agree, pretty sure all meat labels are raw weight.

I been calculating all raw except rice.... I just take it out of the rice cooker and then weight


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Lol, I’m fat as fuck for a bodybuilder right now. No abs unless under the perfect lighting.
It’s just too busy at work, I’m too tired.

Anyhow I never really count anything. When funnyman helped me out, then I tracked them, but only so I could replace meals when I got bored. So let’s say he wanted 6 oz of chicken and 1 cup of rice, I worked out the total calories and found 1 6oz hamburger patty I make is the same total calories.

Truthfully I’ve been eating what ever I want lately on top of my diet, lol.

I figured just posting on here counts as working out and eating right.
 
Agree, pretty sure all meat labels are raw weight.

I been calculating all raw except rice.... I just take it out of the rice cooker and then weight


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Agreed on the meat labeling, other than the slight inconvenience I don't know why anyone would go with cooked weight for meat. Fouad is an example of a pro who does but at least he is consistent over years of doing it.
Rice I weigh pre and post cooked and get a ratio which is then applied to the pre-cooked macros, my theory being that I'm not losing too much in the steam that boils off. I do the same with meat if I am cooking it in bulk then dishing out the cooked product.

The macros stay very near the same as precooked, the rice gets less nutrient dense (heavier) and the meat gets more dense (lighter) per weighed unit.
 
Agreed on the meat labeling, other than the slight inconvenience I don't know why anyone would go with cooked weight for meat. Fouad is an example of a pro who does but at least he is consistent over years of doing it.
Rice I weigh pre and post cooked and get a ratio which is then applied to the pre-cooked macros, my theory being that I'm not losing too much in the steam that boils off. I do the same with meat if I am cooking it in bulk then dishing out the cooked product.

The macros stay very near the same as precooked, the rice gets less nutrient dense (heavier) and the meat gets more dense (lighter) per weighed unit.
Chicken can vary a lot in post cooked weight depending on the pump.
But honestly most of us over eat protein by so much it wouldn’t matter.
 
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