AnvilHead wrote: »

Calorie counter. IIFYM to the extent that I strive to hit my protein and fat macros. I don't follow any particular diet plan, nor do I exclude any foods or food groups. I have my macros set at 40C/30P/30F and find it's my "sweet spot" in terms of satiety and adherence (I don't sweat it down to the gram, just try to be somewhere in the ballpark of those figures.)

This is me too, including the macro percentages. I'm pretty small, and running a cut right now--hoping to lose another 5-8 to be in my most comfortable spot, so my goals are to keep protein over 100 and carbs under 150. Fat is what is left. I need to have blood work done to check cholesterol, etc, as mine tends to be high (although with much "good" cholesterol) because often my fat % ends up higher than I would like! It is a catch twenty-two--more protein can mean more fat if you are not careful! I love to snack on nuts and cheese, so. . . . .

Anyway, I log as I go most days, although I've done this for so long that I mostly know how to stay within my budget, unless eating out.

Recently started IF-using 14:10, which seems to be best recommendation for women "of a certain age"! I love getting to have two larger more satisfying meals, plus a moderate snack, while still hitting my goals! And often there is even room for a couple of glasses of wine! Life is good!

I will cut through the end of the summer (minus vacation) and start building muscle again in the fall.

I don't currently log and haven't for a while now.

I do the following things:

- With my AM coffee I have whey protein, typically 1.5 to 2 scoops, with skim milk and a little water.
- I train in the AM 4 days per week and on training days I will also have 1 to 2 servings of oatmeal pre workout along with the whey/coffee. On rest days I omit the oats.
- I get home from the gym and within about an hour I eat a large mixed meal. When I'm in a fat loss phase this meal is typically low in fat. This meal is always high in protein.
- I tend to eat a large mixed meal for dinner. When I'm in a fat loss phase this meal also tends to be low in fat but typically a bit more than the lunch meal.
- I tend to have a moderate snack/small meal just before bed.
-I manage my food environment in such a way that I'm less likely to make unfavorable food decisions based on environmental cues.

Some things to note:

- During maintenance phases I snack more and I allow slightly more leeway with food selection. There's a bit more room for some junk food although it's never too far out of control.
- During maintenance phases I will eat out at restaurants a bit more often.

-During fat loss phases I snack less often.
-During fat loss phases I consume a high volume of vegetables and I tend to snack on fruit if I have sweet cravings.
-During fat loss phases I minimize junk food, but I do not have a mindset of it being off limits. I occasionally enjoy chips and ice cream and cake or a big greasy cheeseburger from Culvers but it's far less frequent when the goal is to lose fat.

So in other words, I moderate with frequency.

I'm able to lose fat at a reasonable pace, I'm able to maintain, and I'm also able to bulk using this method although the bulk tends to be a bit harder to manage in terms of proper pacing -- I typically bulk a bit too fast when doing it using non tracking methods.

But, it's well worth it to me only because I really don't like logging in the long term.