Calories - Health and Fitness Forum

How accurate do you try to be with your calorie requirement?

I work out to the nearest calorie what I need, then the breakdown of the macros, then I try have my diet match it. Its not perfect everyday but I think on average it is pretty close. I need an electronic balance to be more accurate, will probably get one of them.

I have a standard breakfast, lunch 1, 2 and 3 everyday, with some varience in the main meal.

Also is it better to work out my average need per day over a week or to treat each day individually, e.g if I burn 800kcal running do I eat that on the day of the run or spread it over a week?

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04-03-2008 , 05:15 PM

pr0crast

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What are your goals? If you are trying to gain muscle it makes sense to eat more on workout days. If you are burning 800kcal running, I assume you are trying to lose weight, because that would be suicidal for muscle gain (unless you're doing HIIT or something).

I'd imagine that once you get your food routine down there's not much of a need to keep on keeping track of things down to the calorie. Eventually you will develop a feel for these things.

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04-03-2008 , 05:22 PM

Shieler

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My goal at the moment is fat loss, I don't have too much to lose. I am losing atm mostly because of the stage of my weights programme I am at.

I do hope to include running in my programme even when I am gaining, that is only 45 minutes running that I burned 800 kcal. 45 minutes running twice a week won't interfere with gaining, am I right on this?

Am I better off going minus 500kcal to lose weight and plus 500 to gain instead of watching my calories so closely?

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04-03-2008 , 05:28 PM

CappyAA

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Meh I think calorie counting is overrated as long as you're eating healthy and working out. This just takes too much work. Just try to spread out your meals throughout the day and work out accordingly.

FWIW, whenever I'm trying to lose fat, I try to eat 5-6 meals throughout the day that contain 300-500 calories. I balance that off with lifting 4 days a week and 2 days a week of cardio. That has always seemed to work for me.

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04-03-2008 , 05:38 PM

pr0crast

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Originally Posted by Shieler

If you are trying to lose weight you want a caloric deficit, which is what eating less and doing more accomplishes. I don't see any reason to eat more on running days (aside from basic PWO nutrition) from a calorie counting standpoint.

From a lifting standpoint though, 100% of lifting sites would highly recommend not running for 45min for reasons having to to with catabolism (it eats muscle). Best way to lose fat and gain muscle is to instead do HIIT.

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04-03-2008 , 05:42 PM

pr0crast

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Originally Posted by CappyAA

Calorie counting helps a lot when the changes you need to make are drastic. For instance, I'm a skinny 6'1 dude and if I just eat when I get hungry I end up w/ like 1800-2200 kcal of pretty clean stuff. With that diet I could workout for a year and not make any real gains. It takes a seriously conscious effort to ratchet intake up to 3500kcal, and counting helps a lot when trying to get a feel for things. I'd imagine the same would go for someone who naturally eats too much (5'9, sedentary, 3000kcal/day) that needs to make drastic cutbacks (1500-2000kcal/day).

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04-04-2008 , 08:03 PM

Shieler

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How much running is too much then? Is it the distance covered or the type of running workout that is important?

I do no more than 20km/week, that is at a steady pace for 45 minutes.

How long should a HIIT session last and how much distance covered?

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04-05-2008 , 03:00 PM

pr0crast

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it's the type of exercise that distance running is. it's great for losing weight, but have you ever seen a buff marathon runner? they are all stringy as hell. i'm sure if you search the t-nation forums (or other similar sites) they will be able to give you a more scientific explanation.

HIIT sessions can be as short as 10 minutes and be very effective for fat loss w/o sacrificing muscle. a lot of lifters who are in a "cutting" phase do HIIT.

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04-05-2008 , 03:15 PM

theblackkeys

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HIIT can go much shorter. The tabata protocol I believe was 8 sets of 20 sec hard, 10 sec rest.

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04-05-2008 , 03:27 PM

#10

pr0crast

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From an article on a "clean mass" diet. Mentions not leaving out cardio entirely by doing some sort of HIIT for 20 min max, 3x/wk.

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Guideline #4: Do Cardio, But Not Much It's often written that pure strength athletes should avoid energy systems work. (Which is a less-wimpy way of saying cardio.) You'll also read about how pro-bodybuilders avoid cardio during the off-season when they're bulking. Now, ask yourself this:
Am I a professional strength athlete or an elite level competitive bodybuilder?
Probably not. So why are you training like one, chunky?
Cardio has its place, even during mass diets. Since cardio can increase glucose and amino acid uptake in muscle and liver cells, then it can be anabolic from a nutrient partitioning viewpoint. Cardio also leads to increased muscular uptake of nutrients for hours after exercise.
Try this to minimize fat gain during a bulking phase: perform some type of interval cardio work two to three times per week, for 15 to 20 minutes only, preferably on non-weight-training days. Do not do this in the morning on an empty stomach!
Here are two ideas:
1) Go to your local high school's track. On every straightaway, sprint for 50 yards. Then, walk the curves and catch your breath. Stop after 15 minutes.
2) Hop on a stationary bike at your gym. Peddle moderately for three minutes, then sprint for one minute (a 3:1 ratio.) Repeat for 20 minutes. Too easy? Try a 2:1 ratio or even a 1:1 ratio of moderate peddling and sprinting. Too hard? Sprint for only 30 seconds.
Whatever you do, don't lay off the cardio entirely.

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04-05-2008 , 06:01 PM

#11

Shieler

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How much running can you do though before it starts to conflict with your muscle gaining? I think I read that below 20miles/32kms you would be ok but I can't find that source.

I don't want to have big muscles but then not be able to take part in a game of football because I can't run for ****.

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04-06-2008 , 03:09 PM

#12

pr0crast

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Post on tnation if you want real answers

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04-06-2008 , 03:34 PM

#13

n4rf

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Originally Posted by Shieler

Don't worry as bout having big muscles, they don't just turn up over night...

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04-06-2008 , 04:43 PM

#14

Klompy

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Originally Posted by CappyAA

Bingo, this is the correct answer. Counting calories is dumb, just make good choices with most of what you eat.

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04-06-2008 , 04:48 PM

#15

Thremp

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Originally Posted by Klompy

Bingo, this is the correct answer. Counting calories is dumb, just make good choices with most of what you eat.

Everyone who is serious counts calories. There is little way to know what the hell you're doing without it.

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04-06-2008 , 04:51 PM

#16

Klompy

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Originally Posted by Thremp

Everyone who is serious counts calories. There is little way to know what the hell you're doing without it.

Or just don't be ******ed and be able to know if you're eating a lot or you're eating a little.

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04-06-2008 , 04:58 PM

#17

Thremp

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Originally Posted by Klompy

Or just don't be ******ed and be able to know if you're eating a lot or you're eating a little.

lol

I'd love to see you estimate home cooked food without running numbers.

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04-06-2008 , 05:02 PM

#18

Klompy

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Originally Posted by Thremp

lol

I'd love to see you estimate home cooked food without running numbers.

I have a fairly good idea of how many are in most foods, and could estimate it pretty well on everything I eat if I had too. My point though was that it's really dumb to actually pay attention the the # you're eating. It's way easier to just eat according to what your goals are. Either eat a lot to gain, or eat less to lose. Eat clean, but don't count calories.

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04-06-2008 , 05:26 PM

#19

turnipmonster

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the only way to get a fairly good idea of how many calories are in most foods is to start counting.

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04-06-2008 , 05:37 PM

#20

n4rf

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Originally Posted by turnipmonster

the only way to get a fairly good idea of how many calories are in most foods is to start counting.

yup eventually you just pick up the proper way to guesstimate most foods... takes practice

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04-06-2008 , 06:01 PM

#21

Thremp

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Originally Posted by n4rf

yup eventually you just pick up the proper way to guesstimate most foods... takes practice

Though umm... the only way is by counting.

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04-06-2008 , 07:55 PM

#22

pr0crast

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FYI, this was a really idiotic thing to say:

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My point though was that it's really dumb to actually pay attention the the # you're eating.

I would agree with you if you said, "It would be a waste of time to count every single calorie to the ounce after the first week, when you should have a pretty solid feel for how to input very accurate guesstimates very rapidly into your tracking software (or you have your staple meals already programmed in)."

But it's still important to keep track even if by guesstimates. If I don't keep a log I have no idea if I've eaten 2500 calories or 3500 calories in a day. Being a "hardgainer" I need to make SURE that I get above a certain level of calories.

Last edited by pr0crast; 04-06-2008 at 08:10 PM.

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04-06-2008 , 08:05 PM

#23

n4rf

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Originally Posted by Thremp

Though umm... the only way is by counting.

Counting is lame; it's ridiculous to be doing this everyday of your life... but I guess if people want to do that it's their choice.

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04-06-2008 , 10:03 PM

#24

Thremp

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Originally Posted by n4rf

Counting is lame; it's ridiculous to be doing this everyday of your life... but I guess if people want to do that it's their choice.

Yeah it is everyday of your life. But everyone who is serious starts out counting. Its ridiculous to suggest otherwise.

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04-07-2008 , 04:58 PM

#25

n4rf

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Originally Posted by Thremp

Yeah it is everyday of your life. But everyone who is serious starts out counting. Its ridiculous to suggest otherwise.

It gets to be pretty obvious that someone who counts calories on a regular basis for a long time in their life/their entire life has an eating disorder.

This was me for about 3 years previously, having to know everything I ate and regulate it on a day to day basis. It interfered and consumed a big part of my life and for what?

thankfully I've gotten past the obsession with eating correctly 100% of the time and now only focus on it most of the time, but it comes naturally anyways so there isn't much thinking with it at all.

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