Exercise

[colouroffensive]

I've been calorie counting pretty much since January on the advice of my PT in a bid to drop the weight. I didn't mind calorie counting at the start, it was kinda nice to be held accountable for my food and opened my eyes to how much I was eating. I've managed to regulate my portion sizes.

But now I've kinda over it. My goal now is to build muscle and my PT has increased my calorie limit and told me what I should be eating etc. But I've come to realise that the act of calorie counting now is ruining my enjoyment of food and even worse, cooking. I had a chat with my PT and she said to using an app like MyFitnessPal is there just as a guide to keep track, and shouldn't be used religiously. Basically if I'm going to indulge, just make sure it's "good" food and not junk. So I'm planning to ween myself off of calorie counting and just being sensible with my food intake and portion.

I wondered if anyone else in this thread has or currently counts calories as part of their fitness?

 

[Trinu 3.0]

I wondered if anyone else in this thread has or currently counts calories as part of their fitness?

Me, for the whole of 2021.

At first it was a bit of a pain to read the barcode, weight everything and whatnot. But it was eye opening when I saw how many calories were packed in the smallest portion of whatever I used to indulge… and how little there was in kilos and kilos of vegetables fff

It really helped me a lot to track everything and ensure I was in a deficit. Once I realised I could indulge in stuff that wasn’t pizza and it wouldn’t shoot my calorie intake through the roof, weight loss felt super easy.

I'll check her out.

New program starts on Monday!

 

[Soygirl]

My Fitnesspal Hunties, how detailed do you get with your entries? I'm trying to givie it a go again and I'm not sure if I need to include things like olive oil and seasoning nn.

 

[Trinu 3.0]

My Fitnesspal Hunties, how detailed do you get with your entries? I'm trying to givie it a go again and I'm not sure if I need to include things like olive oil and seasoning nn.

I didn’t include oil/vinegar, but I tried to be sensible with them. A teaspoon or two and done (would add half a bottle back in the day ñññ).

Liquids are tricky, but anything that could be weighed, I weighed.

 

[johnny_tsunami]

My Fitnesspal Hunties, how detailed do you get with your entries? I'm trying to givie it a go again and I'm not sure if I need to include things like olive oil and seasoning nn.

It's good to remember that calories are an imperfect "science." They are just an estimate of energy units and by no means exact. Not being obsessive about it will also not only allow you to maintain the practice of tracking your caloric intake but will also help you not to get into disordered eating territory.

 

[Trinu 3.0]

It's good to remember that calories are an imperfect "science." They are just an estimate of energy units and by no means exact. Not being obsessive about it will also not only allow you to maintain the practice of tracking your caloric intake but will also help you not to get into disordered eating territory.

Also this. I ditched the app this year because I feel that having used it for for most of 2021, I learned what worked for me and what not. I can also can more or less gauge portions and quantities now, while back in the good old days I’d make a kilo of spaghetti and be satisfied with my choices.

Anyway, I went on my first “run” today and fkfjdjfkjf I need trail running shoes cause the grandma hills are gonna be the end of my ankles.

 

[colouroffensive]

My Fitnesspal Hunties, how detailed do you get with your entries? I'm trying to givie it a go again and I'm not sure if I need to include things like olive oil and seasoning nn.

I included oil in my logging just because of how many calories there are in each amount- granted I'd just pour the bottle out willy-nilly. Dried spices and things like that I don't count because you'll drive yourself insane doing that.

Thing is, like @Trinu 3.0 said, once you have a rough idea of how much a sensible amount of anything is, you won't need to log it to MFP. I hope it goes well for you!

 

[Trinu 3.0]

Runners! Care to share your running playlists?

I’m currently plodding along using this scream of a playlist, but maybe someone has something more specific about BPMs or something.

 

[Purple]

Runners! Care to share your running playlists?

I’m currently plodding along using this scream of a playlist, but maybe someone has something more specific about BPMs or something.

I use a playlist that is largely comprised of 2000s and 90s eurotrash bangers. It tends to do the job but I regularly go in and remove songs if I’m getting bored of them.

 

[Laurence]

Runners! Care to share your running playlists?

I’m currently plodding along using this scream of a playlist, but maybe someone has something more specific about BPMs or something.

I tend to switch a bit between seeing the ones Spotify makes if you search Running; there's Run This Town, Pop Run, etc... They are all made up out of tracks you listen to yourself.

 

[Purple]

I have finally started getting serious about building some muscle and oh my lord I have never eaten so much food in my life.

I’m doing two days of upper body / core and another two of lower with one or two days where I go for a swim or a short run.

I’ve been doing this for just over a month now so no major changes yet but I definitely think the hardest part is eating enough? Which is surprising to say the least.

 

[Fertilizer]

Anyone else find it incredibly uncomfortable lifting with any food in you? Unless I’m fully fasted I feel very nauseous, shaky and weak.

I keep trying to adjust meal timing and types to see if anything sticks, because I see most people like to eat some sort of pre-workout meal or snack, but nope. Only an empty stomach makes me feel great. I guess the answer is always “do what works for you”, but I still find it weird.

 

[LPMA]

Anyone else find it incredibly uncomfortable lifting with any food in you? Unless I’m fully fasted I feel very nauseous, shaky and weak.

I keep trying to adjust meal timing and types to see if anything sticks, because I see most people like to eat some sort of pre-workout meal or snack, but nope. Only an empty stomach makes me feel great. I guess the answer is always “do what works for you”, but I still find it weird.

I know I've had a phase where workouts would trigger some hypoglycemia which would make me weak/shaky, and I've learned that I needed an actual pre-workout snack even if I've had dinner not long before, but that doesn't sound like your experience. Would be a major hinderance for me because I couldn't fathom morning workouts.

 

[man.tis.shrimp]

I workout first thing in the morning nn. But I definitely need a smoothie beforehand. I’d pass out otherwise. Crazy how we’re all totally different.

 

[ColloquialNostalgia]

Anyone else find it incredibly uncomfortable lifting with any food in you? Unless I’m fully fasted I feel very nauseous, shaky and weak.

I keep trying to adjust meal timing and types to see if anything sticks, because I see most people like to eat some sort of pre-workout meal or snack, but nope. Only an empty stomach makes me feel great. I guess the answer is always “do what works for you”, but I still find it weird.

I will usually have a banana because it's quite light and high in potassium so always gives me a boost. If I go to the gym after on an empty stomach I crash. Then a protein shake straight after! Sets me up for the day.

Also - isn't it basically ineffective working out on an empty stomach because you haven't started your metabolism? That might be a myth but it was drilled into me growing up that you need to eat before doing anything physical to start your metabolism dd

 

[Babylon]

I’ve totally lost motivation at the moment…

I got involved with an 8-week-programme that a friend paid into (and I just helped prep the meals ddd). We went for the trim/tone option, rather than bulk, because although I love to put on muscle mass as much as the next guy, I’ve never committed to a diet or trying to lose the bit of belly/back fat that I have.

To put it in context, I would probably compare my body to someone like Andrew Garfield here:


I was naturally skinny throughout childhood and built a bit of a broader set of shoulders/chest when I was about 18/19 through weightlifting in my bedroom and eating everything in sight. I didn’t used to get any body fat whatsoever until I hit 30 and my metabolism just seemed to change.
But - like Andrew - I wouldn’t say I have a bad body at all. I’ve developed a decent sized chest and arms that fill the right type of shirt nicely, but little definition and an un-toned low level of fat on my stomach.

Anyway, I saw some really nice steady progress using this programme. It’s the first meal plan I’ve tried where I actually noticed a difference, I’ve been working out more regularly than ever, and my start and end photos definitely showed a nice change. I also lost about a stone in weight. However, the plan ended two weeks ago and, even though I’ve been sticking to the meal plan and regular workouts since, I feel like I’m getting a bit of belly back and limited progress. Admittedly, I’ve been snacking more now (on fruit!!) but just feeling a bit deflated I guess. I’m not really going anywhere with this - just needed to vent.

I want to bulk now but really want to lose this final bit of belly. The body dysmorphia I’m experiencing is quite unpleasant at the moment.

 

[Fertilizer]

I will usually have a banana because it's quite light and high in potassium so always gives me a boost. If I go to the gym after on an empty stomach I crash. Then a protein shake straight after! Sets me up for the day.

Also - isn't it basically ineffective working out on an empty stomach because you haven't started your metabolism? That might be a myth but it was drilled into me growing up that you need to eat before doing anything physical to start your metabolism dd

Totally a myth, plenty of bodybuilders and strongmen lift while fasted.

 

[Vasilios]

I've been lifting while fasting the past year or so.
Yeah lower energy but do not miss burping after every set.

 

[matthew.]

I don't go to the gym and lift but I do 2 ~40 minute sessions weekly at home with free weights and I can't function without a yogurt or bar or something in me like 60 minutes before the exercise. I'm also marathon training for October so i'm hungry 100% of the time, that probably plays into it.

 

[stopthestatic]

Not sure where to else to put this but MyFitnessPal is changing their app so you have to pay for premium in order to use the scan barcode feature to log food. So ludicrous. They’ll most likely see a huge chunk of users fall off.