diet

[nature boy]

i was thinking about this the other day (more so while i was being nagged at), but any one actually care about diet? i was told that diet is like 80% of getting in shape, and it's probably the last thing i care about.

i've been seeing a lot of diet apps for both my phone and tablet and i was wondering if anyone uses apps or other ways to track calorie intake and stuff like that.

i'm thinking about doing that, but seeing as how i don't cook or even bring lunch to work, it gets a little difficult.

[joel]

i used to use an excel spreadsheet. after somewhat memorizing calories counts for the various foods i ate, i somewhat "eye" it now. and have a relatively good idea when i am within my "calorie limits".

yes both diet and exercise are pretty key in any regiment whether you are trying to put on muscle or lose weight. if you are just trying to maintain a comfortable fitness level, then diet is less of a factor, typically your body is good at telling you when you need food.

there are lots of different diets out there, and fad diets and stuff in regards to what you eat. i don't really into those. if you want to lose weight i think there's nothing wrong with the tried and true putting less food in and more work out. eat balanced tho'. drastic diet changes can affect your immune system considerably. getting sick/injured never helps your health goals.

if you are looking to pack on muscle then i think you have to be much more careful what types of foods you are eating, enough protein, etc...
jt and keian can probably give better advise in that area, i mainly have been focusing of weight/fat loss.

[se7entse7en]

When I was marathon training, I actually found myself looking for more healthy, high calorie foods to eat.

I haven't been running as much lately so I've been trying to watch what I eat and drink but whenever I start feeling deprived of something, I'll indulge in it... trying not to over-indulge though.

I used to use one of those websites that you mentioned but the hardest part I found was actually knowing the amount of food I was eating. I mean, I don't exactly measure the amount of cheerios I put in my bowl or how many peanuts I eat. I don't exactly weigh my bananas on plums.

[joel]

read the labels on everything. when you go grocery shopping read the label. if you are cooking (or your wife is cooking something), read the label. if you go to a chain restaurant, go check their website usually they'll have nutrition guides available there. someone once told me restaurants are supposed to be able to supply all the information for you if requested... though i doubt some chinese or even mom/pop places have these handy.

after looking at the different foods i used to eat, i was able to notice some trends in certain types of foods and get a general sense of how much cals/nutrients i was eating.

[joel]

1 banana is roughly 100 cal.

[nature boy]

there are some apps that i found that is just a checklist of what you can eat everyday. like if you have a banana, you check off the banana box and it'll calculate for you what else you should eat for the day.

i wonder if i should get myself one of these just to track. there are some that have foods from most restaurant chains (including fast food), so you can just click the item off the menu or something.

[joel]

sounds like a helpful app. how does it initially configure what levels of what specific nutrients you want though. Or do you input at that beginning?

[nature boy]

i think you input your current status, and then your goal. not exactly sure because i didn't want to pay the $1.99 i think it was for the app.

[[JT]]

fitday.com

[nature boy]

do you actually use that site?