californiagirl2012 Member

There are so many ways to look at energy balance, but calories are always the scientific measurement. It's a pain, people don't want to deal with it. They want other ways to wrap their heads around the problem, if they want to deal with the problem at all.

It’s pretty hard to estimate calorie burn.. just do something to make yourself feel better. For the most part we can’t make up for over eating with exercise. Exercise because it’s good for you, enjoy it, do it because you love your body. Let the food situation for today go, it wasn’t the first, it won’t be the last. The…

Like others have said, it's nice to find things that feel good or are freeing to you while you find the right balance of healthy lifestyle, but at the same time it's good to live in reality. Nothing is really free. I've seen people both succeed and fail with WW, the thing is it's a little to fuzzy for some people so that…

That is right. Everyone fights a battle you know nothing about, be kind. I love that quote.

You just need to lift heavier sometimes, you need to vary it though as you can't lift heavy all the time. What you are doing is great, but you need to add in some heavier weights and do some routines that include some supersets, drop sets, pyramids, tempo, and other strength building (hypertrophy) routines. You need to do…

Oh, exactly what so many have said.. if your deficit is too deep it will cause binging. Fat loss happens faster if it’s a consistent slight deficit instead of too low and then binging.. if you look at the reports in the web version, calories, 60 days, you can see a visual of what is happening. If you start eating up closer…

For the most part there is no such thing as self control, it’s a farce. We all have to change our environment. The bottom line is there is too much food available in modern society and most people don’t care that society as a whole is becoming more obese, and it’s still climbing. People who want to live a healthier…

IF and daily fasting or eating windows are a great tool, but the bottom line is the tool is to manage eating overall calories and macros in a 24 hour window and extending that out. Then after reaching your goal managing your energy intake like a checkbook. People who don’t do IF or DF (is that a thing?, it should be…

You learn over time that your body NEEDS your TDEE, and that anything less is “corrective action”, like medicine to fix a health problem. You should never feel guilty for giving your body the energy it needs to run. It’s kind of like saying You Are Not Fat, You Have Fat, You Are Not Fingernails, You Have Fingernails. Also…

I actually like liquid stevia (vanilla creme and English Toffee, you can find it on amazon) and a little real half and half or heated almond milk.. It's nice if you have a submersion blender to make it a little frothy too.

Mainly I just let people be, if you need something simply ask nicely. Everyone deserves to do what they need to do in the gym. I love working with people so that everyone can get what they need too. You have no idea why they need to do whatever they are doing.

Instead of your daily total for macros, what you consumed leading up to your workout is more important. Most likely it is simply being glycogen depleted. You said it doesn't happen for your lighter workouts so it would make sense. Your muscles store glycogen (a web of glucose) that you get from carbohydrates, that is what…

Hi Andrew, It looks like you workout at home? There are some advantages to either all body or splits. If you have access to a gym you might want to try some split routines since you said you want to get bigger and stronger. We can gain strength as well as hypertrophy with all body workouts, but some different routines,…

This is perfect answer ^^. It's been proven. Also you can have the level check by the doctor and it's an indicator if your body already makes enough. The bottom line is more how you feel, I know I have more endurance in the gym when I take it, not as much when I stop. I took it for a long time, just a little, like 1/4…

Absolutely you can gain muscle while losing body fat. You just need to eat the right amount of protein and carbs, yet stay at a slight calorie deficit. If you know what your TDEE is that would really help, just eat slightly under that and follow the recommendations for carbs/protein.

I love egg whites with one slice of swiss cheese and some salsa, or cauliflower rice and a few small pieces of ham or chicken, or savory spiced chicken broth with an ounce of chicken and lots of veggies. So many options are amazing.

For the most part, even with the HRM's, fitness gadgets, and even all the calculations we learn in college for nutrition and kinesiology, it's still an ART. None of us gets the exact answer, we all have to experiment with trial and error to sort of figure it out and even then, our metabolism ebbs and flows. It's better to…

Just focus on mostly healthy foods in moderation and pay attention to your body feels over time. Most of the articles you read out there are scare mongering agenda driven.

It is never pointless to make healthy choices NOW. Your muscle fibers, organs, fat cells, feel good endorphins, metabolism processes (that love healthy foods to work right) do not care what day it is, or what season. No matter what day it is. THE DAY IS TODAY, the time is NOW.

Unfortunately we can't make it happen "faster", in fact speeding it up is what causes so many restrictions. The very best way is create some meal plans you really like, with foods you really like, in the right portions just under your level of TDEE Today Daily Energy Expenditure (mostly based on your gender and height).…

There are so many quick solutions. Check your diary to see what you are lacking. There are so many good foods mentioned but some are mistakenly listed as protein when it's mostly fat/carbs, look at labels for the calories/fat/protein/carbs and especially sodium and sugar as so many packaged food has added sodium and sugar.…

I would AGREE with this. The thing is there is no magic formula. It's what you said here, but it's also an ART. It's knowing your approximate TEE and being in tune with your body. I've been playing this game with my body for about 8 years now (maintaining a healthy lower body weight) and it ebbs and flows with the seasons,…

I've learned to just have portion control at events, a small bite of everything, or skip some things, or have a carb OR wine OR dessert, not everything. Log food every day, have lighter meals to balance out "holiday" meals. Don't let anyone else own it, YOU own it. If you say no thanks, don't explain why, just no thanks or…

This is very very common. Sometimes it means you need to eat up to total energy expenditure a few days or for the week. People always forget that the deficit is corrective action, not normal eating. It's okay to eat normal any darn day your body needs it. It won't make you gain body fat, sometimes a little more water…

Yep, what the others said, gaining body fat is excess calories, not losing fat means no deficit is happening regardless if it's fruit/carbs, fat/oil, or protein. Excess fat, carbs, and proteins all get stored in the fat cells if they are not used by the body. Too much fruit? That's not enough info stand alone.

So many here have covered everything. Separate out your emotions as much as you can, it's just a problem to solve and it won't be solved overnight, or anytime super quickly, accept that. Focus on the PROCESS not the results, then the results will come. It's just like in school, if you focus on LEARNING the good grade…

I would avoid the so called low carb diet deal during an endurance event, your body runs on carbs, especially for endurance. If you don't have carbs your muscles and liver will become glycogen depleted and you will hit the wall sooner than everyone else. If you want to do the more modern "carb loading" protocol it's based…

THIS ^ I was in a deficit nearly the entire three years that I lost 85 pounds and built muscle at the same time. Go by how your body feels. We are all different. Lifting causes stress, and the deficit causes stress, but so does lack of sleep, not enough water, not enough of a macro if not balanced, and life/family/work…

lifting builds muscle. Bulking is gaining fat. Cutting is losing fat. I never want to bulk.

There are so many ways to do this. What you found is a great way to do it. For some it's a food scale, for some it's a dessert plate, for some it's the fist or palm size, and measuring cups and measuring spoons, and reading the labels to find what a true serving size is and the energy value. All this can teach us…