For the average gym rat...

[blaindsmith]

before i start i want to point out that my goals is to get stronger add a little mass and lose some abdominal fat. i have always had that goal. i am NOT a hardcore bodybuilder like some people here that are concerned with calorie in/out and p/c/f percentages. i dont have the interest which leads to no dicipline for keeping track of any of those numbers. i read articles and this forum all the time for tips/tecniques about weight training and eating and i get a lot of valuable information from it but for my apirations i really dont think all this is worth what i want to get out of it. not saying that its stupid to do so because most people here work hard at it and have the results to show and i commend you for doing so because you have certain goals and a drive for it.

i guess what i am really getting down to is i dont think all of these formulas and counting is worth it for me and my diet will start to be just lower my meal portions and eat more frequently and just eat good foods and not really worry whats in them. just stop eating sugars, high fatty foods and cut down on the high carbs.

i know not everyone is into being sooo diciplined in counting calories and tracking how your calories are made up. but like i said this is in no way flaming those who do concentrate on a strict diet. this is for those who want to get to the gym, work hard, eat better and work their way up to a better person and not necessarily a competition bodybuilder.

question/comments welcome...

[AdmiralDan]

what is your question?

[Adam]

:withstupi
I read the whole post.....and well, it didn't seem to ask anything.

[blaindsmith]

no question really. just a topic to invoke conversation because i rarely see anything like this touched upon. i see a lot of talk about how many cals, protien, carbs and fats and eating as these times and what to eat. so i wanted to go the other way with just being a conscious eater but not getting so strict and working out hard.

[ericg]

Stick to non processed (clean) foods. Monitor your weight weekly and adjust your portions if you are not gaining/losing weight to meet your goals.

[SpecialK]

Between reading the labels on foods and using fitday, I don't see how anyone has any excuse not to monitor what they are eating, and at least have a ballpark figure of how many calories they are eating each day. Fitday already breaks down the pfc % for you. It really isn't that hard. Sure you could just start eating clean foods and adjust the quantity as necessary, but unless you eat the exact same thing everyday, it's still not going to be easy to tell how many cals you are currently getting and compare it to previous days.

[Eddan]

I think I agree with you(?). For the average gymrat, there is not really any need to count everything all the time. But I do think it is a good idea to do it at least a few times to get a general idea.