I think I'm getting a little paranoid with my calorie intake

[Rorschach]

I'm afraid of going over, I'm afraid of going too far under (I heard that does weird things though I don't really understand how), but I eat all homemade food so I have trouble counting actual calories (cows don't come with nutrition labels!). Today is probably a tougher day than most to count, but I don't want to screw up my diet by eating too little (cause I'm definitely not eating too much.

 

Does anybody have any advice about this in general? And how am I doing today, since today is kinda screwed up?

 

300 calories of cereal/milk (I got breakfast down )

80 calories in an apple

4 little skinny sample pieces of pizza (the thickest was probably an inch and a half, so maybe one whole piece if all stuck together (this is whats making me paranoid)

80 calories in a hard boiled egg

1/2 cup pasta

2 oz steak (it was beef stroganoff, with maybe 6 inch and a half strips of steak, not very much)

 

And thats all for today, I'm not THAT hungry, but I don't even know where I stand as far as calories. I know if I eat about 1600-1700 I am doing well. The pizza is what really throws me off and makes me paranoid since I have NO idea how many calories are in that.

 

In positions like this is it best just to overshoot, knowing you can keep better track tomorrow and eat maybe 1900 calories, or be conservative and undershoot to 1400? I realize small variations are actually a good thing because they cause your metabolism to constantly readjust which helps avoid plateaus, but I've accidentally gone over before and not lost anything for a week, but I'm paranoid about accidentally going under and hurting my body

 

Somebody get in here and assuage my doubts please!

[Romance]

What hurts you is not eating enough for days in a row, one day won't kill you. Really use a general rule of "If you're hungry, eat something." If you're going to make yourself go to bed hungry, clearly you need to eat still. I'm not sure what your gym routine is (cardio? weights? cardio/weight combo) Perhaps a protein shake or veggies.

[Star Gazer]

I can't say it enough: sparkpeople.com

 

And there's really no excuse for not knowing the calories in something - there's a wonderful thing called Google to help you figure that out.

[cuppa]

sparkspeople.com or livestrong.com (I use livestrong btw, I have a profile in there and we can connect if you want).

 

Can you track your food log & exercise in either one of those websites so we can assess it for you? I think you need to log it at least for 2 weeks.

 

I seriously think if you do burn 500 - 1000 cals a day, even eating 2000 cals a day, you will still lose weight. The only thing is that the pizza is loaded with sodium and retain lots of water (hence you think that you gain weight).

But with exercises, you will get rid the bloats & the puffiness too.

[sb129]

I am doing a sparkpeople/ livestrong type of online programme and am finding it REALLY helpful.

[Rorschach]

sparkspeople.com or livestrong.com (I use livestrong btw, I have a profile in there and we can connect if you want).

 

Can you track your food log & exercise in either one of those websites so we can assess it for you? I think you need to log it at least for 2 weeks.

 

I seriously think if you do burn 500 - 1000 cals a day, even eating 2000 cals a day, you will still lose weight. The only thing is that the pizza is loaded with sodium and retain lots of water (hence you think that you gain weight).

But with exercises, you will get rid the bloats & the puffiness too.

 

I'll sign up for livestrong (not right now, I'm leaving for the gym in a bit).

 

So what might be the problem with this then, I haven't weighed myself in a week, I worked out 6/7 days, I'm pretty sure I did well on my diet, and yet I didn't lose any weight this week.

 

Drive me crazy. I should keep better track of my calories just to make sure. Maybe I ate too little this week? Because I really don't feel like I ate over my diet and I worked out alot.

 

Oh and normal exercise routine is:

 

Half an hour high intensity cardio on a stair master- burn 700-800 calories

Half an hour on whatever muscle group I'm doing that day

Half an hour low intensity treadmill - burn 300 calories

 

After ever 3 workout days (arms+chest, abs+back, legs) I do a cardio day where I do a full hour of stair master and a full hour of treadmill.

 

'normal' for me is monday wednesday friday, and either saturday or sunday

but for the past two weeks it's been everyday except thursday.

[tman666]

I personally do not count calories. My main form of diet control has to do with some simple rules:

 

1) Do not buy junk food. Personally, I have plenty of opportunities to eat junk without spending a dime on it (i.e. pie day at work, going to visit family, occasionally going out to eat). During these times, go ahead any enjoy in moderation.

 

2) High intensity conditioning sessions. Sprints are my (and maybe yours too) friend. You don't stress as much about the exact amount of calories you eat after you've just completed 10 or more wind sprints, or car pushes, or sled sprints, or performed high intensity circuits such as dumbell swings/push ups/bodyweight squats/pull ups. As I've discussed in other threads, I'm not a fan of some things in crossfit, but they do a real good job of mixing in good conditioning sessions into their training schedules. These type of workouts, in my opinion and experience, give you way more bang for your buck than the classical "run on the treadmill for an hour" deal.

 

3) Eat protein with every meal.

 

4) Avoid fats and carbs together

 

5) Limit carbs. You don't have to count them out necessarily, but just be aware of them. Try to fill up on lean protein and good fats before carbs.

 

6) Don't let yourself get hungry. By the time you start to feel hungry, your body is already starting to head towards starvation mode (i.e. hanging onto calories in the form of fat), and you're more likely to pig out at your next meal.

 

7) To mitigate number 6) eat more frequently, and eat smaller meals.

 

8) If you're on a real strict diet, have a moderate "cheat" day every week. This doesn't mean go to the Chinese buffet and wolf down 20,000 calories of food. It just means allow yourself to relax and enjoy a beer and bratwurst. It gets real old having to explain to everyone you meet that you're not permitting yourself to partake in the food and drink they are having because of your diet. Some people will then take you for a snob. It's better most times (in my opinion) to let your guard down a little. Just watch your portions.

 

9) If you know you're going to be heading to a party with good (i.e. bad for you) food and drink, down a big protein shake before you go. Then remember to enjoy the junk food in moderation. Sample, don't rely upon.

 

I dunno. It's just what works for me. You'll just have to experiment and find out what works for you. You're burn yourself out by stressing about it though...

[Green]

I think you should eat more calories then you are now. Seriously unless you are really short try eating atleast 2k-3k calories especialy if you are going to be going to the gym. Try to avoid cheese, butter, and all High Fructose Corn Syrup... and bread. Drink only water. Keep going to the gym and lift weights as well as arobics

 

YeAH and do the eat frequently thing. Spread your meals out atlest 4 times a day preferably 5 or 6 meals a day making the morning meals heavier and lightening up as it gets later. Try to stop eating at least 5 or 4 hours befor your going to sleep so if you go to bed at midnight stop eating by around 7

Edited April 19, 2010 by Green

[USMCHokie]

Just like Tman, I do not count calories. Instead, I just follow general guidelines. There is no need for me to repeat his fantastic advice.

[Rorschach]

If I was just looking to maintain I wouldn't be concerned with the calories I was eating, but when I'm still trying to lose weight I can't afford to just live by 'guidelines'.

[tman666]

If I was just looking to maintain I wouldn't be concerned with the calories I was eating, but when I'm still trying to lose weight I can't afford to just live by 'guidelines'.

 

The nice thing about general guidelines is that if they are solid guidelines, it'll mesh into your lifestyle without feeling like "I'm on a diet that has a start and a beginning". It's just one less thing to worry about. Once you have that base line established, it's much easier to add, take away, or otherwise tweak things to obtain your goals.

 

Another thing you could do (even though I would think this would be a pain), is every time you mess up on your diet, run 5 50 yard sprints. Every time you walk into the kitchen, drop to the ground and do 30 push ups. Kind of a catholic approach to dieting.

[cuppa]

I'll sign up for livestrong (not right now, I'm leaving for the gym in a bit).

 

So what might be the problem with this then, I haven't weighed myself in a week, I worked out 6/7 days, I'm pretty sure I did well on my diet, and yet I didn't lose any weight this week.

 

Drive me crazy. I should keep better track of my calories just to make sure. Maybe I ate too little this week? Because I really don't feel like I ate over my diet and I worked out alot.

 

Oh and normal exercise routine is:

 

Half an hour high intensity cardio on a stair master- burn 700-800 calories

Half an hour on whatever muscle group I'm doing that day

Half an hour low intensity treadmill - burn 300 calories

 

After ever 3 workout days (arms+chest, abs+back, legs) I do a cardio day where I do a full hour of stair master and a full hour of treadmill.

 

'normal' for me is monday wednesday friday, and either saturday or sunday

but for the past two weeks it's been everyday except thursday.

 

maybe some change up in the exercise routine? Tman probably knows this better.

 

What about adding some intense moves to your routine in addition to stairmaster or treadmill. I believe the downfall of cardio (I used to do that a lot), you burn the calories while you are doing it but that's it. While a crossfit like workout (HITT or Tabata), it continues burning even hours and hours later. So you basically sit in your computer typing while your body still have the after burn effect (I believe it's called EPOC?)?

 

Do you do any of these:

* Squats

* Burpees

* Mountain Climbers (leg)

* Mountain Climbers (hand)

 

Also when you do Squats, you can add weight too. Tman posts a lot of sample exercises in the previous thread. That's what I did when my body hit a plateau in December and it works really really well for me.

 

PS: I am going to do 100 burpees for time this week (might video tape it). My goal is 8 min. Do you want to join me in this dare/challenge?

[Green]

If I was just looking to maintain I wouldn't be concerned with the calories I was eating, but when I'm still trying to lose weight I can't afford to just live by 'guidelines'.

 

I'm recomending that you lose weight by eating in a way that you will continue to eat in once you lost the weight. Thats all I'm recomending. Loosing weight shouldn't be your goal, just eating healthy and working out. The weight will come off. Maintaining is much harder. Your run a big chance of quiting all togather if you restrict your self below 2,000 cals

[Rorschach]

I'm recomending that you lose weight by eating in a way that you will continue to eat in once you lost the weight. Thats all I'm recomending. Loosing weight shouldn't be your goal, just eating healthy and working out. The weight will come off. Maintaining is much harder. Your run a big chance of quiting all togather if you restrict your self below 2,000 cals

 

I eat in a way I feel I could comfortably live with forever, even more so if I was just maintaining and not losing weight as I wouldn't have to monitor it as closely and could afford a few more 'naughty' days. But overall I'm very happy with what I'm eating right now.

 

In fact I just had a piece of cake! Okay, well, a bite of cake, it was a 1"x1" square. But it was cake damn it!

 

And cuppa, just as soon as I google burpee and find out just what the hell it is I'd gladly do it with you.

 

EDIT: oh and I forgot to mention, I have a number of exercises that I'm adding into my routine, as well as my routine seems to be constantly expanding, everything I previously listed is morning stuff and I'm considering throwing in some classes/PM workouts that fit in with my schedule.

 

I do get frustrated though, when I know I'm doing everything I'm supposed to and the weight is just being stubborn. I realize that weight is really just a number and if you weighed 250 but looked like mr. universe it is certainly different than just weighing 250. But everybody likes to see the scale move when you do well.

[Rorschach]

*googles burpee*

 

oh **** this is going to be like football practice all over again. I'll do 100 either today or tomorrow depending on my schedule (I have an apointment tonight and I don't want to work out before it, but I may find the time/drive to do it after)

 

Let's see, it's basically 100 pushups+ 100 jumping jacks. If I could do one every 15 seconds on average I'd be thrilled (I can go faster at the beginning and slower at the end XD) so 100x15=1500 seconds. 1500 seconds/60=25 minutes. If I can do it in 25 minutes I'll be happy.

 

Now I'm kinda psyched to try it.... cuppa you have to tell me about more of your insane challenges...

 

EDIT: almost 2 hours later I tried it, I managed to do 100 in 15 minutes. My form was piss poor, after #10 I don't think anything I did came close to squatting, but I did 100 pushups followed by 100 jumps haha. It was mostly me jumping, falling to my knees, doing a poor excuse for a real pushup (I still do the girly 'from the knees' push ups) with terribad form, getting to my feet, and jumping again. But damn it I did it 100 times in 15 minutes, excuse me while I go pass out.

Edited April 19, 2010 by Rorschach

[cuppa]

Rorschach,

My burpee is 6 steps:

 

1. squat

2. squat thrust (plank position)

3. lay flat on the ground (push up) - chest touches the ground

4. push up back to plank position

5. pull back to squat

6. 6 inches jump (I clap, that's just to ensure that I go straight).

 

I did a few today in my kickboxing. I also did one leg burpee, I almost died today doing that lol, among other things though (either the workout was extra hard today or my bad eating habit on the weekend and all those cocktails caught up on me).

 

Not to mistake with Squat thrust (or I usually call that sprawl). That one is way too easy and people call this burpee too for some reasons (even Jillian Michaels call this burpee). I will probably do this tomorrow or wednesday, lets do this dare together and compete!

Edited April 19, 2010 by cuppa

[cuppa]

[quote=Rorschach;2756995

Now I'm kinda psyched to try it.... cuppa you have to tell me about more of your insane challenges...

 

EDIT: almost 2 hours later I tried it, I managed to do 100 in 15 minutes. My form was piss poor, after #10 I don't think anything I did came close to squatting, but I did 100 pushups followed by 100 jumps haha. It was mostly me jumping, falling to my knees, doing a poor excuse for a real pushup (I still do the girly 'from the knees' push ups) with terribad form, getting to my feet, and jumping again. But damn it I did it 100 times in 15 minutes, excuse me while I go pass out.

 

...ok this week is 100 burpee challenge. 15 mins is very very good!!! OK, I will do this tomorrow and keep you updated (and will videotape too because I bet after 50, I go all over lol).

 

Next week is 100 dumbbell thrust challenge. For you is 35# each. For me, 25# (I think it's fair given you are about 100 lbs heavier than me lol).

[cuppa]

btw, if you still have more energy for the rest of the week. I did this one too:

 

100 Squats (time: 2:43)

 

Squats like these girls do:

 

100 sit ups (time: 4:50)

 

Sit Ups like this (with mat underneath your lower back):

 

100 push ups (time: 5:67) -> this one though, I did girly push-up with knee on the ground. I also spread my arms wide instead of the normal 45 agngle. I don't have enough strength to do the military push up. I can probably do 20 and that's pushing me over the edge already.

[SummerLady]

I'm afraid of going over, I'm afraid of going too far under (I heard that does weird things though I don't really understand how), but I eat all homemade food so I have trouble counting actual calories (cows don't come with nutrition labels!). Today is probably a tougher day than most to count, but I don't want to screw up my diet by eating too little (cause I'm definitely not eating too much.

 

Does anybody have any advice about this in general? And how am I doing today, since today is kinda screwed up?

 

300 calories of cereal/milk (I got breakfast down )

80 calories in an apple

4 little skinny sample pieces of pizza (the thickest was probably an inch and a half, so maybe one whole piece if all stuck together (this is whats making me paranoid)

80 calories in a hard boiled egg

1/2 cup pasta

2 oz steak (it was beef stroganoff, with maybe 6 inch and a half strips of steak, not very much)

 

And thats all for today, I'm not THAT hungry, but I don't even know where I stand as far as calories. I know if I eat about 1600-1700 I am doing well. The pizza is what really throws me off and makes me paranoid since I have NO idea how many calories are in that.

 

In positions like this is it best just to overshoot, knowing you can keep better track tomorrow and eat maybe 1900 calories, or be conservative and undershoot to 1400? I realize small variations are actually a good thing because they cause your metabolism to constantly readjust which helps avoid plateaus, but I've accidentally gone over before and not lost anything for a week, but I'm paranoid about accidentally going under and hurting my body

 

Somebody get in here and assuage my doubts please!

 

I hear you. I do this too. Please don't beat yourself up, this is where it starts and gets worse. We are so unforgiving with ourselves compared to how we treat others. Its ok for this to happen but just make sure its not a regular pattern. Once in a while is no biggie.

[Rorschach]

btw, if you still have more energy for the rest of the week. I did this one too:

 

100 Squats (time: 2:43)

 

Squats like these girls do:

 

100 sit ups (time: 4:50)

 

Sit Ups like this (with mat underneath your lower back):

 

100 push ups (time: 5:67) -> this one though, I did girly push-up with knee on the ground. I also spread my arms wide instead of the normal 45 agngle. I don't have enough strength to do the military push up. I can probably do 20 and that's pushing me over the edge already.

 

I'll do the squats tomorrow, the sit ups on wednesday, the push ups friday (I normally take thursdays off). Sounds exciting. But if you don't see me post times it's because I died. Make sure to attend my funeral, wear something nice

[cuppa]

I'll do the squats tomorrow, the sit ups on wednesday, the push ups friday (I normally take thursdays off). Sounds exciting. But if you don't see me post times it's because I died. Make sure to attend my funeral, wear something nice

 

...no way! You are fit already.

 

You are supposed to do this all at once! c'mon you can do it, if you can do 100 burpees in 15 mins, you can do 100 abmat situps, push-ups, and squats in one go! Actually, I need to consult my little book, my push up time looks off (5:67? duh lol). Why don't you reserve your energy and do it in one go on Friday? Load your body with good fiber & protein in the mean time so you will have great stamina for the challenge.

[Rorschach]

...no way! You are fit already.

 

You are supposed to do this all at once! c'mon you can do it, if you can do 100 burpees in 15 mins, you can do 100 abmat situps, push-ups, and squats in one go! Actually, I need to consult my little book, my push up time looks off (5:67? duh lol). Why don't you reserve your energy and do it in one go on Friday? Load your body with good fiber & protein in the mean time so you will have great stamina for the challenge.

 

Oh fine, now you're raising the stakes. Fine I'll do it all friday

 

But really I don't even think what I was doing counts as burpees but it was good exercise.

[Rorschach]

You are doing very well and even if you have one day where you eat 3000-4000, it's not going to affect you. It's your average that counts.

 

If I ate what you did on your "bad" day I'd go to bed hungry.

 

The hardest thing for me is being around my mother too much and she just makes too much food. There's cake sitting upstairs right now for instance, I had a piece today and while that in itself isn't going to throw me off (espiecially since I worked out doubly hard today) it'll be alot easier in a month or so when Ican better control what I eat.

[phineas]

You might want to consider looking up Bill Starr's 5x5 workout to add some calorie burning muscle mass.

 

but, you need to take in at least 2500 calories & 200gs of protien to build any muscle.

[Rorschach]

You might want to consider looking up Bill Starr's 5x5 workout to add some calorie burning muscle mass.

 

but, you need to take in at least 2500 calories & 200gs of protien to build any muscle.

 

Tman mentioned the 5x5 workout in another thread, I've been doing it for about a week or so. I like the routine, I feel it's doing something, but I'm not overly concerned with really building muscle until i lose more weight, at that point I'll be shifting my focus towards muscle building.

 

Right now the two biggest things I want are weight loss and endurance so I don't feel tired on hikes/bikes/runs. But I like lifting weights right now and I'm slowly raising poundage as time goes on, it's just right now it's not really my focus.