calroies and figuring out a diet plan

polebravely started this discussion · 2/11/2015

Okay, so generally, I try to eat proteins, veggies, fruits, and I have to eat yogurt once a day. I'm so confused by diet and what to eat and what not to eat and how much. Someone suggested using macros? And calculating stuff on this scale. http://iifym.com/iifym-calculator/ According to this, I would need to eat 2221cals a day to build muscle if I am exercising three times a week. This would be like if I was heavy lifting...what do I consider body weight exercises to be? I really am so confused on my diet and I think that diet is so important. I am just clueless. Ladies? do you eat a lot? lol. help me!

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11 replies

Stefana of Light · 2/11/2015
Thanks for posting this ! I'm currently trying to figure out what my body needs as well :) pole is def not light exercise so i see what you mean. I've only been poling once or twice a week tops and I'm starting to eat more again, especially cutting out the excessive coffee my appetite is healthier. So yes if we are listenjng to our bodies i believe theg are wanting nourishment and nutrients spreading out through the day vs the old 3 meals a day bit. I've never liked to eat a ton in the day because it dragged me down but now i know it was all the processed food, soda etc. I'm interested to know the specifics like you:) the nutrition tracker I have now isn't all that specific. This paying attention to intake is quite startling I'm Way outta touch with that energy source. Thankfully there's been so many great post on healthy food etc lately , good motivation!!
polebravely · 2/11/2015
@littlemissprees, I eat yogurt because osteoporosis runs in my family and my mother had it severely. Despite what people say, all her doctors said the best way to build hone density was to eat milk and diary products from the cow or animals, not soy. My mom was also lactose intolerant and over the course of three years, built dairy back into her diet and became tolerant. She started by drinking 3/4 cup lactaid and adding 1/4 cup milk, etc. And, slowly, she was able to drink milk, and eat yogurt and cheese and did gain back bone density with her weekly shot. So, I don't do it for nutrition, I'm trying to prevent something that runs in my family. As far as your meals, eating more protein and not carbs helps build muscle. That much I know. It's basic, but truth, but recently, I've "learned" its about macros and eating the right combination of carb, protien, and fat in relation to your body weight. I'm not sure what the best diet plan is, and I'm unsure if I should be so worried about calculating exactly or just try to eat more veggies, fruits, and lean protiens. Fruits are carbs. But healthy carbs. So there's all that too, what kind of carbs have you been eating? Rule of thumb is moderation, but I really want to see results in my body. I have been consistent with my power yoga for two years and haven't seen any changes in my body, which I know isn't the most important thing, but at the same time, I don't want to be sabotaging myself with a bad diet...
NightFall · 2/11/2015
I use my fitnesspall app synced with endomondo sports tracker, and yummly for visually browsing recipe ideas. Every time I log a workout in myfintess app, myfitnesspal adjusts how many calories I can consume to maintain weight (or reach a target weight, or gain weight, depending on what you enter your goals to be). It also shows me a graph of my macros for the day and major nutrients so I can make better choices. Another thing I like about using Yummly for recipe hunting is that works out the calories and macros of any recipe on the web for you. That's helpful for when I'm searching for "350 calorie high in vitamin a dinner" (hint: look for the slow cooker tamali pie recipe). It was also interesting to see on running days I basically can literally not eat enough (not without feeling bloated), so overall, the app allows me to eat a lot more than I would if it were left to just myself and following diet rules (ice cream & pasta on run days!!) and it means I don't have to do any thinking about food beyond grocery lists. Which is awesome =).
polebravely · 2/11/2015
I will look into those apps!
polebravely · 2/11/2015
Thanks @littlemissprees3076! I do eat at home, and cook at home, but I can definitely be more mindful. I love that tip, asking yourself is this something I really want? or, is this just a greedy craving? Thank you for sharing some of your experience with me with Vit D and trying to build better bone density. All great tips. :) I am finally making pole the priority, over my other exercises, like yoga. I love yoga, but there is room for both and I want to really put my effort into pole for awhile, bc I get going then stop. Will. not. do. that. lol. Thank you for all the great tips!
PinkPhoenix · 2/11/2015
I don't diet. I find it a waste of my time and stressful. I was SO STRESSED OUT with weighing and being so nit picky that I still wasn't reaching my body goals and then THAT STRESSED ME OUT! I do eat A LOT, but now I'm better about it. I like to call it lean and clean. Instead of "dieting" do a life style change. I've notice that with myself and with my friends that when they say, "I'm dieting"; it never lasts and then they stop doing it and they gain extra with the amount that they just lost. By saying lifestyle it truly is a lifestyle change. With poling I have recently started doing the 21 day fix because the maker of this lovely product gives you containers so you don't need to worry about the scale. If it fits in the container you can eat it. It gives you a little mathematical equation to tell you which container program you belong to. That determines how many of which colored containers that you are allowed. She also gives you a list of fruits veggies proteins etc. The closer to the top of the list it is, the better it is for you. So I have made it my lifestyle to do better portion control. So since you want to put on more (right? or am I wrong?) then you would to the second option of containers. It's really cool you should check it out. One thing I do as well is I give myself a treat every week just once a week. So if I want ice cream, I will buy the tiny little ones that you can get at the store from Hagen Daz (the 1 serving size) and that's it. I don't care if it's craving or not. I deserve it there is nothing wrong with it. But one of my favorite people to follow for lean cooking is Brenda Leigh Turner from YouTube, she is Awesome! I make my meals over the weekend and then I put them in containers and all I have to do is grab and go. I also like to cook more Mediterranean. I grew up eating that way and then I left my mother's house and well I started to fend for myself and didn't really pay attention to what I was eating. My favorite snacks is hummus and Veggies, Mary gone crackers is amazing, cucumbers and home made guacamole Autumn Calabrese has this amazing chocolate kale snack that is on YouTube, so yummy. Maybe you could also see if you have any food allergies. Get with a dietician because the foods that I can eat you may not be able too. Like cheese.I don't have an issue with cheese, but my hubby is lactose intolerant. I can eat bananas, but my husband can't, so I think finding out the foods that you have sensitivity to is key. A dietician can put you on the right path. Drink water every chance you get. Flush out those toxins. I flip flop with my exercise routines too, it keeps things fresh and FUN! I do Ashtanga, and Vinyasa Yoga. I used to have body envy when I first started cause they were in those tiny little shorts and had flat stomachs, but then I could do way more then them and then they were envious of me. =) So I have to say that I had a strut for a good little while. I would start doing some weight training. Weight training will tone you and then what you eat will trim you. An example of body weight exercise is pull ups, wall sits, push ups. All the exercises that you don't use weights for. You are using your own body weight for resistance.
polebravely · 2/11/2015
I really don't want to diet either, I just want to make healthier choices as often as possible! lol.
PinkPhoenix · 2/11/2015
I'm sure your doing great. Don't get overwhelmed.
beginner2 · 2/20/2015
You can eat tons of fresh and raw fruits and vegetables without having to count. It works to me. Any diet requiring calory counting will not work. Please eat organic raw, or steamed, boiled, nothing processed, and you can eat until full every meal. About carbs, as long as they are real foods like boiled potato, boiled/steam sweet potato, cooked whole rice, eat them up. I don't eat french fries and things being fried in hot oil. Hope you will find a style which suits you. Everybody is different. Try until you feel good.
Tigerschic041721 · 2/20/2015
That iffym calculator is confusing bc everyone is different and reacts differently to workouts and the type of macros they are taking in. It also changes as your body changes. I follow some fitness pros that basically refuse to answer certain questions bc it can be totally wrong info for certain people to follow if they put it out there. I so wish I could afford an actual nutritionist/trainer but I've researched A LOT about my situation and think I've found the best thing for me. As far as macros go I should take in less than 40% carbs since I am carb sensitive (PCOS if anyone can relate 😣). But someone who is fat sensitive will have different needs and someone training say for a competition would have more extreme macros. Myfitnesspal app has been the best tool for me. Once you really figure out what the info means for your goals it will help you make better decisions by having an idea of where you stand during the day if you need to make a quick meal decision or easy to plan ahead with it too. But you have to get in the habit of using it and be honest about every thing. At least for me I was in a rut of bad habits and little by little I just learned what I could switch out or do better tomorrow. So I try each day for a goal like I started with "I'm going to pack my lunch tomorrow" then It grew to every meal is fresh and not fast food so I know exactly what I'm fueling my body with. It's just a habit now and yes a lot of the times I turn down food from other people (mostly at work). I don't feel limited though since I know I'm making good decisions - if anything I've gotten more creative :) The biggest change I've made so far though is cutting out added sugar. It's literally in everything! Even foods that are seemingly "healthy" because it acts as a preservative for shelf life not to mention keeps you hooked (and most likely with extra lbs unless you are blessed with a great metabolism). So it was hard at first but this has made the biggest difference besides the general good habits I'm working on. Getting rid of the added sugar (that our bodies don't need btw) made it pretty easy for me to see what's good fuel for my body. I say added bc foods that naturally have their own sugar are ok...like fruit has fructose but if eaten whole it also has the right amount of fiber so your body reacts differently than it would if instead you just drank the juice which is basically just sugar. Once sugar was off the table I'm petty much left with whole foods most likely unpackaged or with a verrrryyy short ingredient list. Idk if anyone cares about the no sugar deal but I've learned a lot by not eating it. There are a few informative books out there (although for me personally was hoping for an actual meal plan initially and it's more point of view to understand how it affects the body) and a film that I kind of can't wait to watch the guys body transformation from "healthy" to no sugar. A family journey book/blog is "year of no sugar"; a no nonsense author for books and his FB page is David Gillespie - he doesn't say sugar is bad then give you recipes with sugar like a lot of others. And "that sugar film" is coming out and has a FB page. I've noticed mostly AUS is on the no sugar train and very slowly US might be coming around...someday....maybe lol.
polebravely · 2/21/2015
Oh my lord, the things added to most processed foods is terrible, sugar, salt, and fat. I'm making some changes, but I still slip with things like sirache, ketchup, soy sauce, etc. And chocolate, though I try to buy 86 percent dark to help those cravings. Everything you said makes perfect sense and why I do avoid eating out. My dad has diabetes and loves fast food, and I try to tell him it's designed to be addictive, and it's best to just avoid it. I still slip with eating out here and there too, but I am learning to hold myself more accountable. I think trying to reach small goals everyday is a great idea. There's so much information out there.