Enough Calories?

stellios

I am very active during the week ( soccer training 3 times a week)

i want to make sure i am eating enough so that i will stay healthy and will have enough energy for all this activity. i also would like to lose some body fat but i am happy enough with my weight. Not sure if that make sense. anyway here is my food

Comments/advice welcome please. Thanks

M,25, 5ft 11, 13st

Two scrambled egg, tea, drop milk

2 slices brown bread, butter jam, drop tea

chicken salad (wrap somestimes no wrap) salad, tea,,drop milk

Banana

chicken breast/steak/tuna with load of stirfry veg

After training
Pint of low fat milk, tuna, cottage cheese, salad

EileenG

Open a free account with www.fitday.com and put in exactly what you are eating, and it will add it up for you. It's impossible to tell how much you are eating from "Steak, stir fry".

I reckon that for most people with a desk job but an active sport or workout routine, about 13 calories per pound is about maintenance.

stellios

EileenG wrote: »

Open a free account with www.fitday.com and put in exactly what you are eating, and it will add it up for you. It's impossible to tell how much you are eating from "Steak, stir fry".

I reckon that for most people with a desk job but an active sport or workout routine, about 13 calories per pound is about maintenance.

Thanks for that. says im on a 420 calorie deficit, is that ok?
Also what do u think of my diet nutrition wise?

5'11 and 13 stone, can't see you having too much bodyfat at that weight to be honest, pro national hunt jockeys would be over 11 stone at times.

stellios

RoverJames wrote: »

5'11 and 13 stone, can't see you having too much bodyfat at that weight to be honest, pro national hunt jockeys would be over 11 stone at times.

have a lot more that i should with all d sport i play..

rubadub

RoverJames wrote: »

5'11 and 13 stone, can't see you having too much bodyfat at that weight to be honest.

Thats a BMI of 25.4 and in the "overweight" bracket. Now BMI is not perfect and many moan about it, but usually these are weightlifters who are really sort of bragging that it doesn't apply to them -99% of people who BMI does not apply to know fine well it doesn't apply to them. Of course you can take other estimates like hip to waist.

I am 5'11 or just under and was 11.5stone a year or so ago and still had a little belly and I was doing weight training. I am now at 13.5-14 stone with a bigger belly but have put on more muscle too, I was probably 13.5-14 stone 5 years back and would have looked very different.

i also would like to lose some body fat but i am happy enough with my weight. Not sure if that make sense.

I remained 12stone for a about a year while losing fat so it makes sense to me. Are you doing any resistance training at all? you will have to to add muscle mass.

I would check out the fitness forum for advise on lifting, there is plenty in the sticky links at the top of the page http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=252

rubadub

rubadub wrote: »

Thats a BMI of 25.4 and in the "overweight" bracket. .......................
I am 5'11 or just under and was 11.5stone a year or so ago and still had a little belly and I was doing weight training. I am now at 13.5-14 stone with a bigger belly but have put on more muscle too, I was probably 13.5-14 stone 5 years back and would have looked very different.

I'm 5"10, when I was 21 I was 11 stone 9lbs, folks reckoned I looked like I was on deaths door. Was nearly 17 stone a year and a half ago, now at 15 stone, I'll be happy if I get to 14 stone (I'm 30 now). No doubt I'll be considered obese from a BMI viewpoint but as said, at 11 stone 9 lbs I looked awfully skinny.

stellios

rubadub wrote: »

Thats a BMI of 25.4 and in the "overweight" bracket. Now BMI is not perfect and many moan about it, but usually these are weightlifters who are really sort of bragging that it doesn't apply to them -99% of people who BMI does not apply to know fine well it doesn't apply to them. Of course you can take other estimates like hip to waist.

I am 5'11 or just under and was 11.5stone a year or so ago and still had a little belly and I was doing weight training. I am now at 13.5-14 stone with a bigger belly but have put on more muscle too, I was probably 13.5-14 stone 5 years back and would have looked very different.


I remained 12stone for a about a year while losing fat so it makes sense to me. Are you doing any resistance training at all? you will have to to add muscle mass.

I would check out the fitness forum for advise on lifting, there is plenty in the sticky links at the top of the page http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=252

ive started doing press ups and sit ups

EileenG

stellios wrote: »

Thanks for that. says im on a 420 calorie deficit, is that ok?
Also what do u think of my diet nutrition wise?

What did it say you ate? Most online calculators over-estimate your calorie requirements. To get Fitday to give me anything like my real requirements, I had to enter myself as bedbound, and then add my activies on top. Fortunately, it had no problem with a bedbound woman cycling 20 miles.

Your diet is not bad. A bit heavier on bread that I like, but it depends on the quantity.

EileenG

stellios wrote: »

ive started doing press ups and sit ups

Press-ups are good, sit-ups are a bit of a waist of time. Do squats or lunges instead.

stellios

EileenG wrote: »

What did it say you ate? Most online calculators over-estimate your calorie requirements. To get Fitday to give me anything like my real requirements, I had to enter myself as bedbound, and then add my activies on top. Fortunately, it had no problem with a bedbound woman cycling 20 miles .

Just entered what i did in my original post i think. yes i did the same for activities
Apparantly i use up 2847 a day, 2304 of this is just from normal daily life according to fitday..

EileenG wrote: »

Your diet is not bad. A bit heavier on bread that I like, but it depends on the quantity.

u want me to eat less or more bread? sorry!

stellios

EileenG wrote: »

Press-ups are good, sit-ups are a bit of a waist of time. Do squats or lunges instead.

what about the one where you lie flat on back and bring two legs up to 90 degrees?

rubadub

stellios wrote: »

u want me to eat less or more bread? sorry!

Less. If you want to be on a deficit and maintain muscle mass you should eat plenty of protein. It will be difficult to put on muscle on a deficit, some follow an "anacat protocol" basically eating plenty after a weights workout and less on "off days" so you are feeding yourself well when building muscle, I did this and did manage to lose fat and gain muscle at the same rate.

If you are capable of more than 12-15 reps it is more endurance work you are doing and not muscle building. I can lash out 50 pushups or do them slow and controlled chest to the ground for only 15, you can put your legs up on something to make it harder. Lunges will be better as said but if you are a soccer player I would imagine you are well capable of 15 and so might want to try weighted squats & deadlifts.

Here is a good thread on workouts at home.
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055964941

stellios

rubadub wrote: »

Less. If you want to be on a deficit and maintain muscle mass you should eat plenty of protein. It will be difficult to put on muscle on a deficit, some follow an "anacat protocol" basically eating plenty after a weights workout and less on "off days" so you are feeding yourself well when building muscle, I did this and did manage to lose fat and gain muscle at the same rate.

If you are capable of more than 12-15 reps it is more endurance work you are doing and not muscle building. I can lash out 50 pushups or do them slow and controlled chest to the ground for only 15, you can put your legs up on something to make it harder. Lunges will be better as said but if you are a soccer player I would imagine you are well capable of 15 and so might want to try weighted squats & deadlifts.

Here is a good thread on workouts at home.
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055964941

thanks for that. dont think i can eat much more protein without going for supplements! find it hard to eat much more than my OP.

EileenG

I meant, what did Fitday add up your calories to? And your grams of protein, fat and carbs?

Bread is a shocking waste of calories. And considering that a lot of people have some trouble digesting wheat, not the best food you could either either. If you want that number of calories in carbs, I'd go for local new potatoes instead.

Sit-ups and leg raises and exercises like that only work a very small muscle group. Something like squats or lunges work much larger muscles and burn more calories.

stellios

EileenG wrote: »

I meant, what did Fitday add up your calories to? And your grams of protein, fat and carbs?

Bread is a shocking waste of calories. And considering that a lot of people have some trouble digesting wheat, not the best food you could either either. If you want that number of calories in carbs, I'd go for local new potatoes instead.

Sit-ups and leg raises and exercises like that only work a very small muscle group. Something like squats or lunges work much larger muscles and burn more calories.

Fitday..2433cals 106.8g fat, 202g carbs, 170.5g protein.

thought i should eat brown bread for energy?

EileenG

You get energy from calories, not specific foods. Carbs is your highest nutrient in there, and it's the least essential. If you want to cut back on cals, then the bread is the obvious place to start.

To be honest, I think you are eating too much. 13 stone is 182lb, and 13 calories per pound is 2366 for maintenance. To lose weight, I'd go to 2000 or so.

stellios

EileenG wrote: »

You get energy from calories, not specific foods. Carbs is your highest nutrient in there, and it's the least essential. If you want to cut back on cals, then the bread is the obvious place to start.

EileenG wrote: »

To be honest, I think you are eating too much. 13 stone is 182lb, and 13 calories per pound is 2366 for maintenance. To lose weight, I'd go to 2000 or so.

even tho i get a lot of exercise?

will def try! dont want to lose too much as want to keep strenght for gaa..

EileenG

You can vary for exercise. For most people with a desk job and an active workout routine, that 13 cals per pound figure holds pretty well. If you are extremely active, or exceptionally muscular, then you need more.

stellios

EileenG wrote: »

You can vary for exercise. For most people with a desk job and an active workout routine, that 13 cals per pound figure holds pretty well. If you are extremely active, or exceptionally muscular, then you need more.

ok so say i eat 500 eaxtra calories than i need for maintenance,
1) brown bread/spuds/chips.
2) Veg/chicken/tuna

will both scenarios have same effect on my body given that they are both 500 calories extra and i do exact same exercise for both?

EileenG

The thing is, you are not a machine. You can't guarantee that you will use up exactly 500 cals for exercise (and most gym machines are lying bastards about calorie burn). Also, you can't guarantee that the junk is what will be burned to provide the exercise energy.

Junk food which is full of transfats and weird additives, are difficult for your body to break down for energy, so it's quite likely your body will burn the tuna and salad, and store the Pringles in your love handles.

Eat the best quality fresh food you can manage and don't assume that junky empty calorie food is okay because you'll burn it off.

stellios

EileenG wrote: »

The thing is, you are not a machine. You can't guarantee that you will use up exactly 500 cals for exercise (and most gym machines are lying bastards about calorie burn). Also, you can't guarantee that the junk is what will be burned to provide the exercise energy.

Junk food which is full of transfats and weird additives, are difficult for your body to break down for energy, so it's quite likely your body will burn the tuna and salad, and store the Pringles in your love handles.

Eat the best quality fresh food you can manage and don't assume that junky empty calorie food is okay because you'll burn it off.

I see. just get confused sometimes beacuse the main message seems to be, to lose weight just consume less calories and vice versa to bulk. i do realize that good food is always better tho.

My main objective: Burn some fat off, keep current weight, gain some strenght.. = Fitter, faster, look better..
Couldn't be simpler:D

EileenG

For recomping (lose fat, gain muscle) it's important that you eat the right calories, and the best quality food possible. Nobody recomps on chip butties.