Snorkles- six pack abs goal. Journal

[snorkles]

I liked it mate. I really like pasta mate. I could have had more than 500g but I know thats too much then. I dont know why I have the stomach of an obese person. I was never fat in my life but I can really put in large amounts of food in my stomach and still not feel satisfied.I dont know why.but thats something for once in a month, now I am off to running hard again

hi, im back from HIIT and I need to assk a question:
why was it easier for me to sprint today? I usually kill myself sprinting, today It went ok, I still am tirred but not as usual. I could have decreased the 10 second breaks (since I do the Tabata method of 20 sec sprint, 10 sec off).

Is it because I eat a lot of carbs yesterday? (dont they digest by the night??)
Is it because I only had a banana before HIIT and not some breakfast cereal?
Or is it just one of those days where you body just indicates that it feels like working?

I did HIIT first thing in the morning on previous occasions but still felt more tired than this. so doing it first thing in the morning is not the case that's helped me I guess.

 

[g8r80]

hi, im back from HIIT and I need to assk a question:
why was it easier for me to sprint today? I usually kill myself sprinting, today It went ok, I still am tirred but not as usual. I could have decreased the 10 second breaks (since I do the Tabata method of 20 sec sprint, 10 sec off).

Is it because I eat a lot of carbs yesterday? (dont they digest by the night??)
Is it because I only had a banana before HIIT and not some breakfast cereal?
Or is it just one of those days where you body just indicates that it feels like working?

I did HIIT first thing in the morning on previous occasions but still felt more tired than this. so doing it first thing in the morning is not the case that's helped me I guess.

Don't try to overanalyze why you felt great - seize the moment and enjoy it! They're be days where you feel like sh!t.

 

[snorkles]

Don't try to overanalyze why you felt great - seize the moment and enjoy it! They're be days where you feel like sh!t.

lollll. so true!!

today:

6.30am Woke up- banana
7am-HIIT sprints
7.30am- 250g of brown rice with can of tuna and olive oil
9-12pm-Football tournament (4hrs)
In between games: 1 chicken breast + slices fat free cheese slices.
After tournament: fat free yogurt + apple
3pm- Cardio 20mins
4pm- 2 special k servings + special k bar + banana
8pm- 2 portions fish + veg salad


Calories- 3200 cals
Carbs- 400g
Prot-130g
Fats- 100g

two calorie increase days, now back to fat loss calories until next wednesday. carried out these calorie increase whilst I did a LOT of running and training. so they probably make up for some of the food I eat.

 

[Wrangell]

Calories- 3200 cals
Carbs- 400g
Prot-130g
Fats- 100g

two calorie increase days, now back to fat loss calories until next wednesday. carried out these calorie increase whilst I did a LOT of running and training. so they probably make up for some of the food I eat.

Don't follow this ' calorie increase day ' / ' fat loss calorie ' day thing.

The ' Harris calc less 20% ' I gave you incorporates your weekly exercise estimates and is already targeted for fat loss

Why don't you stick ' with just 1 ' ballpark daily maintenance calorie ( less 20% ) level..... 7 days a week ?

 

[snorkles]

ok sorry mate because I thought zig-zagging calorie intakes would be better. No problem for me to keep calorie defecit for 7 days a week.

this is what I read too on Men's Health:

"2. Schedule a Cheat Day

That is, reward yourself once a week by eating whatever you want, guilt-free. You won't pay the price in more pounds -- and you'll give yourself some psychological relief. It's how you eat most of the time, not every single meal, that matters.



An added bonus: A high-calorie day of eating can rev up your metabolism. Researchers at the National Institutes of Health found that men who ate twice as many calories in a day as normal increased their metabolism by 9 percent in the 24-hour period that followed.

"


Infact I am back to defecit from today. will post all details later. thanks for regurarly checking this out and helping me.

 

[snorkles]

breakfast- oatmeal cereal + milk+ apple
10am- medium veg salad with corn
2pm- yogurt + orange
5pm-7pm- Fullbody workout + abs+ rope (20mins)
7.15pm- 2 pork portions (no fat) + olive oil (3tblsp)+ large veg salad
9pm- medium veg salad + olive oil (1 tblsp) + 1 can of tuna

cals-2547
carbs- 217g
proteins-102g
fats-120g

how do yousee this day?

 

[sig]

Looks like too little protein, too much fat.

 

[snorkles]

yesterday (rest day) reduced those:

breakfast- oatmeal+milk+ 3 eggs (2 whites)
10am- 4 brown bread slices + 2 turkey slices + 2 fat free cheese + light butter
lunch- chicken breast + 3 fat free cheese slices
4pm- 3 egg whites + fat free yogurt
8pm- 1/2 cauliflower + 2 fish portions + 40 almonds

=

calories - 1687
carbs- 354g
prot- 198g
fats- 63g

 

[sig]

I am sorry to hear that you are unhappy about being hungry all the time. You are working very hard and have made great progress. You are right to be proud of this and to make your health a priority.

I can not comment on your genetics or cultural environment, since I don't know much about it.

My gut instinct is to suggest that either your cheats or your diet itself (maybe too big a deficit?) might be hurting you in getting over that craving for the white pasta & carbs. I'm not suggesting that you shouldn't have a "cheat" day or "cheat" foods. This works differently for everyone. But for some people, white processed/refined carbs, starches & sugars have addictive qualities. Eating some just makes you crave more & makes you more hungry, all the time.

It seems to me that you might have a choice to make:
(1) eat pasta, breakfast cereal, etc. as part of your diet & cheating, while accepting that you will ALWAYS be hungry in this caloric range; OR
(2) cold turkey eliminate all of these simple carbs from your diet, even including as cheat foods, and see what happens after 6-8 weeks.

 

[lifeissoccer]

ok sorry mate because I thought zig-zagging calorie intakes would be better. No problem for me to keep calorie defecit for 7 days a week.

this is what I read too on Men's Health:

"2. Schedule a Cheat Day

That is, reward yourself once a week by eating whatever you want, guilt-free. You won't pay the price in more pounds -- and you'll give yourself some psychological relief. It's how you eat most of the time, not every single meal, that matters.



An added bonus: A high-calorie day of eating can rev up your metabolism. Researchers at the National Institutes of Health found that men who ate twice as many calories in a day as normal increased their metabolism by 9 percent in the 24-hour period that followed.

"


Infact I am back to defecit from today. will post all details later. thanks for regurarly checking this out and helping me.

please.. dont read mens health articles... instead try t-nation

 

[snorkles]

today-

Breakfast 7am- weetabix cereal + milk+ orange
7.30am-HIIT
8.15am Post workout- 4 brown bread slices+ can of tuna + 1 tomatoe
Lunch 12pm-3 portions beef + 3 potatoes
4pm Apple + yogurt+special k bar+ cup of milk
7pm- 3 slices turkey+ 2 slices baronesse + 1 tomato

= 2032 cals
carbs- 188g
prot- 167g
fats- 64g

so I had 2032 from the 2100 fat loss cals. I felt starved all day and didnt feel satisfied after every meal. this is the problem I have faced since day 1 of my transformation (may/june). I dont know why, I llok at what other people eat through journals etc and I say to myself that even their food wouldnt satisfy me. It is ONLY because of my dedication and will to REMAIN with my current body that I hold on to this diet and lifestyle so to say because I am never never happy. ive been weighing 147lbs and 31" waist for about a month now, and I seem stuck for a reason which I dont know. and im highly active and cautios regarding food...
BUT EVEN IF this diet will help me achieve my goals (which I am sure of), I am not liking the idea of starving everyday. Its not a good thing for me, evern mentally.

Let me talk a bit about this:

background- My country has the tendency of eating "big". I live in Malta. I know this forst of all because we are an island visited by thousands of tourists yearly and I also have realtives living abroad and they are amazed by out portions of food. The majority of the peopulation here is let's say fat in general but they look "normal" here. Im saying about 18-20% bodyfat. So that is why I posted pics of my food because I didnt want to get the idea of having a portion which for us Maltese people may seem normal and for foreign forum members it may be a lot. But I got that resolved ok. Im eating good portions.

personal- Now, personally speaking. I need to exaplin some things. I was never a fat kid, never. I was always between 16-18% bodyfat maximum and the most amount of weight I was is: 171lbs when I was 14 yrs old and 36" waist.I think I was NEVER obese due to the fact that I played a lot of soccer or because I have a good metabolism, but im an mesomorph so Im not the skinny guy who eats what he wants. I was not that type of person who eat a lot of junk food neither was I the type of person who eat every now and then during the day. My day mainly was:I never had breakfast before then have 2 sandwiches at school then arrive from school eat oven some cooked chips and 2 portions of steak/pork or beef. Then at around 9pm I'd have about 400-500g of white pasta. The only "bad" food which I used to eat was chocolates I usually eat 2-3 chocolates a day. Mainly this was my problem: I dont eat a lot of variation but LARGE portions mainly pasta, which I had nearly everyday even twice a day. I love it. Even when we went out to a buffet, I usually would be satisfied after my 5-6th serving. That's a lot. So apart from our country eating a lot, I personally was a person who ate a lot more than those around me. Even when I usually went to eat with people at restaurants, they never have 2 course meals but I do so. they see it as something not normal. Another scenario is for example the father of my girlfriend is a 115kg 6ft man with about 44" waistline and recently this summer we went to a holiday and he eat much less than I did at the hotel buffets. (ps: I rested for a week from my diet and only gained 1kg but had about 4-5 large servings every night).

My life during the diet- I did the diet because I like the "athlete body" and wanted one especially with my dream goal: six pack abs. I am a person who is determined,responsible and willing so I carried out the Abs diet and from June till now went from 36" to 31" wasit and from about 17% bodyfat to 12% bodyfat (with A LOT OF CARDIO/HIIT AND WEIGHTS) and you all know how I look now, I have pics posted here. Too bad I dont have "before" pics. I know how to control myself easily, I can keep away from pasta which I loved and eat nearly everyday, for even a month and never had any chocolates since June. I completely dont miss chocolates and junk food or popcorn etc. The fact is that I have been doing this diet for some months now and my stomach seems to reamin an "obese stomach" since I am never never full or satisfied. This week I had 2 cheat days (carb refilling days after 5 days of calorie defecits) after all these months and I eat 250g of brown rice and wasn't full, then in the afternoon had a 500g serving of spaghetti and wasnt satisfied and the next day I had a meal which satisfied me: whole 500g box of special K cereal with milk for every serving + a special k bar and a banana. mind you, I had 2 portions of fish and a large salad after 2 hours but this is what I need to be satisfied. I obviosuly cannot live like that where I'd have to eat about 1500-1700cals every meal to be satisfied. I hope I made my point hehe

So I am talking about this problem just to express myself and maybe people experienced this problem and can help me et.c Like I said previously, I AM NOT GOING TO STOP with my current lifestyle etc but I am just unhappy but I am happy with my body so that is keeping me eating this food. thanks and sry for the long post.

 

[Wrangell]

today-

Breakfast 7am- weetabix cereal + milk+ orange
7.30am-HIIT
8.15am Post workout- 4 brown bread slices+ can of tuna + 1 tomatoe
Lunch 12pm-3 portions beef + 3 potatoes
4pm Apple + yogurt+special k bar+ cup of milk
7pm- 3 slices turkey+ 2 slices baronesse + 1 tomato

= 2032 cals
carbs- 188g
prot- 167g
fats- 64g

so I had 2032 from the 2100 fat loss cals. I felt starved all day and didnt feel satisfied after every meal. this is the problem I have faced since day 1 of my transformation (may/june). I dont know why, I llok at what other people eat through journals etc and I say to myself that even their food wouldnt satisfy me. It is ONLY because of my dedication and will to REMAIN with my current body that I hold on to this diet and lifestyle so to say because I am never never happy. ive been weighing 147lbs and 31" waist for about a month now, and I seem stuck for a reason which I dont know. and im highly active and cautios regarding food...
BUT EVEN IF this diet will help me achieve my goals (which I am sure of), I am not liking the idea of starving everyday. Its not a good thing for me, evern mentally..

One reason you might feel like your 're " starving " is that you don't eat anything from 7:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m teh next day ....that's a 12 hour fast. Why are you doing that ?

You could also do with another snack around 10:00 a.m. and 9:00 - 10:00 p.m.

btw - how many calories is your 7:00 p.m. meal ?

And, how many days of 7 are you training ?

My life during the diet- I did the diet because I like the "athlete body" and wanted one especially with my dream goal: six pack abs. I am a person who is determined,responsible and willing so I carried out the Abs diet and from June till now went from 36" to 31" wasit and from about 17% bodyfat to 12% bodyfat (with A LOT OF CARDIO/HIIT AND WEIGHTS) and you all know how I look now, I have pics posted here. Too bad I dont have "before" pics. I know how to control myself easily, I can keep away from pasta which I loved and eat nearly everyday, for even a month and never had any chocolates since June. I completely dont miss chocolates and junk food or popcorn etc. The fact is that I have been doing this diet for some months now and my stomach seems to reamin an "obese stomach" since I am never never full or satisfied. This week I had 2 cheat days (carb refilling days after 5 days of calorie defecits) after all these months and I eat 250g of brown rice and wasn't full, then in the afternoon had a 500g serving of spaghetti and wasnt satisfied and the next day I had a meal which satisfied me: whole 500g box of special K cereal with milk for every serving + a special k bar and a banana. mind you, I had 2 portions of fish and a large salad after 2 hours but this is what I need to be satisfied. I obviosuly cannot live like that where I'd have to eat about 1500-1700cals every meal to be satisfied. I hope I made my point hehe

What is wrong with pasta ?

Why is eating cartbs - " cheating " ?

What does " carb refilling days " mean exactly ?

Is it possible your Harris calculation is ' understated ' - i.e you're not eating enough ?

 

[snorkles]

One reason you might feel like your 're " starving " is that you don't eat anything from 7:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m teh next day ....that's a 12 hour fast. Why are you doing that ?

You could also do with another snack around 10:00 a.m. and 9:00 - 10:00 p.m.

btw - how many calories is your 7:00 p.m. meal ?

And, how many days of 7 are you training ?




What is wrong with pasta ?

Why is eating cartbs - " cheating " ?

What does " carb refilling days " mean exactly ?

Is it possible your Harris calculation is ' understated ' - i.e you're not eating enough ?

I workout 5 days (3 days of them FBWO) from 7 days of the week. my 7pm meal yesterday was : 173 cals but it was only 173 because I had already reched a limit where I had to eat few calories or else I would go over the 2100 cals a day (for fat loss). My harris calculation is good mate.
With carb refilling days I mean i take more carbs than usual since the only real heavy carbs I would eat is my breakfast cereal, apart from that carbs are coming from fruit and veggies. i only had bread these last 2 days. Eeating pasta isnt good, since the day I started my diet I stopped eating white pasta and had wonderful results, I even heard nutritionist saying that white pasta should be eaten only once a week if you are trying to lose fat. I am a type of person who loses fat quickly (now I am stuck though) but gains fat quickly too.
and by the way I was roaming in some other forum and a guy posted a cutting idet and they told him it looked good:

look:

"calories/protein/carbs

Breakfast
1/2 cup oatmeal with a few berries and a spoon of natty peanut butter 300/8/30
Scoop of ON whey 130/24/4

10:00AM
Scoop of ON Whey 130/24/4

12:00 PM (Post Workout)
Scoop of Whey 130/24/4
2 slices of Toast 160/6/30
Package of Smoked Salmon (substituted for turkey sometimes) 80/17/2

3:00 PM
Yogurt 60/6/11
Berries 50/0/7
Broccoli 25/3/4
Scoop of Whey 130/24/4

6:00PM
Can of Tuna 175/37.5/0
Whey Protein 130/24/4
28 Almonds 160/6/6

Before Bed
Muscle Milk Light 195/25/11
2 scoops peanut butter 210/8/6
slice of cheese 70/6/0


TOTALS 2155 cals /239.5 protein /128 carbs"

now the guy seems to bea eating much less than me, he is mainly focusing on shakes there. Had I lived on that diet I would starve even more than I am starving now. So this is what a cut diet looks like? :|

 

[Wrangell]

I workout 5 days (3 days of them FBWO) from 7 days of the week. my 7pm meal yesterday was : 173 cals but it was only 173 because I had already reched a limit where I had to eat few calories or else I would go over the 2100 cals a day (for fat loss). My harris calculation is good mate..

If you say so ....then O.K.

But keep in mind, your Harris just MIGHT be understated...I'll touch on this a bit more below

With carb refilling days I mean i take more carbs than usual since the only real heavy carbs I would eat is my breakfast cereal, apart from that carbs are coming from fruit and veggies..

" Than usual " ? Why not simply have about the same amount of carbs each day ?

You're taking in about the same number of calories each day after all....just keep your carb % about the same.

i only had bread these last 2 days. Eeating pasta isnt good,

That's ridiculous IMO. Where do these pasta myths come from ????

Pasta is a great ' bread ' option IMO. It provides a really excellent source of carbs. In fact, some of the semolina flour pastas can come in at something like 5+/- grams of protein per ounce of pasta. Win / Win IMO.

Pasta doesn't make you fat - huge portion sizes of pasta and the some of the toppings and sauces you put on top of the pasta CAN however.

As with everything - moderation is the key.

since the day I started my diet I stopped eating white pasta and had wonderful results, I even heard nutritionist saying that white pasta should be eaten only once a week if you are trying to lose fat.

That's nonsense...even when I got down to 8-9% bodfyfat a few years ago, I was having pasta 3/4 times a week....in fact, it was one of my prime sources of carbs.

Again, eating pasta DOES NOT make you fat.

I am a type of person who loses fat quickly (now I am stuck though) but gains fat quickly too. and by the way I was roaming in some other forum and a guy posted a cutting idet and they told him it looked good:

TOTALS 2155 cals /239.5 protein /128 carbs".

Please - taking scoops of whey protein...5X a day....... ???????

There is no need of that for any average gym rat IMO. Taking 1 shake a day - after your workout - is all most people need IMO.

And look at those carbs above - only 24% of total calories for the day.

Weight training and HIIT - as you're doing - relies mostly on carb/ glycogen stores for energy - so, you should be taking in anywhere from 50% - 60% of your overall calories from carbs IMO - even while trying to lose fat.

Again, carbs are not fattening - excess calories are fattening.

now the guy seems to bea eating much less than me, he is mainly focusing on shakes there.

That should send off alarm bells all on it's own.

Had I lived on that diet I would starve even more than I am starving now. So this is what a cut diet looks like? :|.

As i said before, this isn't rocket science.

You're simply trying to drop a few pounds of fat while maintaining your exercise regimen - you don't need to take shakes 5X a day to do this.

Just eat sensibly from mostly whole & unprocessed food sources ( if you can ) within your calorie and macro nutrient guidelines etc. etc.

Until today I had for example:

breakfast 5.45am- apple+ 3 eggs+ 2 servings oatmeal cereal
6.30-8amFBWO + abs + 15minc ardio
Post workout- 4 slices brown bread+ can of tuna+ 2 tomatos+ 3 black olives
12pm- 2 oranges + special k bar
2pm- yogurt
4pm- small chicken breast + 1/4 of a cauliflower
6pm- 2 cups of milk (should i eliminate milk whilst cutting?)

Why ? Why drop milk ?

it's a good source of protein

so that's 1699 cals and its still 6pm and cals left for the day to reach 2100 are : 401 so again, I have to be very very cautios not to eat a lot while im so hungry...

Keep in mind, you're only using ' estimates '

For example, you may be overstating your ' estimated ' calories - you calculate it as 1699...but who knows...in reality it might be only 1500 ( or less )

Also, your ' cut fat ' level is 2,100 based on a 20% reduction. This 20% is not cast in stone either. If you're feeling really hungry - i.e. starving - pull it back to 15% and bump your calories to 2,250 or 2,300 instead of 2,100. Also, the Harris calc may be understated by 100- 300 calories - who knows - as it can't predict what your exercise intensity and duration is each day and each person is different in this regard.

Also, you're feeling hungry all the time.

If it were me, I'd try and eat something at least every 2.5 hours.

 

[snorkles]

If you say so ....then O.K.

But keep in mind, your Harris just MIGHT be understated...I'll touch on this a bit more below



" Than usual " ? Why not simply have about the same amount of carbs each day ?

You're taking in about the same number of calories each day after all....just keep your carb % about the same.



That's ridiculous IMO. Where do these pasta myths come from ????

Pasta is a great ' bread ' option IMO. It provides a really excellent source of carbs. In fact, some of the semolina flour pastas can come in at something like 5+/- grams of protein per ounce of pasta. Win / Win IMO.

Pasta doesn't make you fat - huge portion sizes of pasta and the some of the toppings and sauces you put on top of the pasta CAN however.

As with everything - moderation is the key.



That's nonsense...even when I got down to 8-9% bodfyfat a few years ago, I was having pasta 3/4 times a week....in fact, it was one of my prime sources of carbs.

Again, eating pasta DOES NOT make you fat.




Please - taking scoops of whey protein...5X a day....... ???????

There is no need of that for any average gym rat IMO. Taking 1 shake a day - after your workout - is all most people need IMO.

And look at those carbs above - only 24% of total calories for the day.

Weight training and HIIT - as you're doing - relies mostly on carb/ glycogen stores for energy - so, you should be taking in anywhere from 50% - 60% of your overall calories from carbs IMO - even while trying to lose fat.

Again, carbs are not fattening - excess calories are fattening.



That should send off alarm bells all on it's own.



As i said before, this isn't rocket science.

You're simply trying to drop a few pounds of fat while maintaining your exercise regimen - you don't need to take shakes 5X a day to do this.

Just eat sensibly from mostly whole & unprocessed food sources ( if you can ) within your calorie and macro nutrient guidelines etc. etc.




Why ? Why drop milk ?

it's a good source of protein



Keep in mind, you're only using ' estimates '

For example, you may be overstating your ' estimated ' calories - you calculate it as 1699...but who knows...in reality it might be only 1500 ( or less )

Also, your ' cut fat ' level is 2,100 based on a 20% reduction. This 20% is not cast in stone either. If you're feeling really hungry - i.e. starving - pull it back to 15% and bump your calories to 2,250 or 2,300 instead of 2,100. Also, the Harris calc may be understated by 100- 300 calories - who knows - as it can't predict what your exercise intensity and duration is each day and each person is different in this regard.

Also, you're feeling hungry all the time.

If it were me, I'd try and eat something at least every 2.5 hours.

are you serious about the pasta man? so tell me a bit about it. how much was your serving? you took it 3-4 times a week? and when was the best time to take it? my pasta is either bolognese (minced beef with tomatos) or "al tonno" (white sauce with a 1-2 cans of tuna). if i take pasta 2-3 times a week id be really happy... so i need some good info before starting to eat the pasta.If i start eating pasta what should I drop? the daily bread or the morning cereal? I guess the bread as I would end up with a LOT of cals and carbs then..

about the milk i asked you because some other forums said milk has had carbs which were useless.

about the formula i use for my calorie intake, i used this website, a site which Chillen gave me, so it must be good-

 

[Wrangell]

are you serious about the pasta man? so tell me a bit about it. how much was your serving? you took it 3-4 times a week? and when was the best time to take it?

Dead serious......pasta 3-4 times a week.

Again, pasta is not fattening - excess calories are fattening.

The key to having pasta 3-4 times a week IMO is not to have HUGE servings of pasta - but proper servings. But first, you have to have some sense of what a proper serving is.

Most people are pretty surprised at what a normal " serving size " of food actual is. For example, ( from Google ).....

The Bread, Cereal, Rice, and Pasta Group

1 cup of potatoes, rice, pasta ....................a tennis ball, ice cream scoop
1 pancake .........................................a compact disc (CD)
1/2 cooked cup rice ..............................a cupcake wrapper full
1 piece of cornbread ..............................a bar of soap
1 cup of pasta, spaghetti, cereal.................a fist
2 cups of cooked pasta .............................a full outstretched hand​

...so ? What is your pasta ' serving ' size like based on the above ?

my pasta is either bolognese (minced beef with tomatos) or "al tonno" (white sauce with a 1-2 cans of tuna).

What's the ' white ' in white sauce btw ?

if i take pasta 2-3 times a week id be really happy... so i need some good info before starting to eat the pasta.If i start eating pasta what should I drop? the daily bread or the morning cereal? I guess the bread as I would end up with a LOT of cals and carbs then.

That's up to you.

If you bump your calories up from 2,100, maybe you don't have to drop anything.

about the milk i asked you because some other forums said milk has had carbs which were useless.

Wrong. Your body needs carbs for energy - so generally speaking, all carbs are good.

However, taking in carbs in excess of what your body needs is not ...excess carbs will be stored as fat.

about the formula i use for my calorie intake, i used this website, a site which Chillen gave me, so it must be good

Too funny !

No comment.


Actually, this is the link ( above ) I found and have used in my posts.

That aside. I simply wanted to point out that Harris calc is only an ' estimate.

For example, for awhile there in my life I only did ' very hard ' 40 minute HIIT cardio 3X a week. This was only done 3X a week - but very hard - and doesn't fit exactly into the Harris categories as is doesn't readily capture that level of high calorie expenditure for only 3 times a week of hard training. Similarly, one person might do ' very hard ' HIIT cardio 3X a week but do it for only 20 minutes a session - not 40 minutes. Or, one person may go on the treadmill 3X a week for 30 minutes and and burn 200 calories and another person with the same stats ( but in better shape ) may go on the treadmill 3X a week for 30 minutes and and burn 400 - 500 calories. The Harris calc can't make a fine distinction among these sorts of variations.

So, in theory, while Harris might say you need 2,600 calories as a maintenance level, the possibility may exist that ( depending on exercise intensity and duration ) it is really closer 2,800 +/-. Again, it's just an ' estimate ' and it may be understated, possibly causing you to have fewer calories than you should and contributing to your feeling hungry all the time.

 

[snorkles]

Dead serious......pasta 3-4 times a week.

Again, pasta is not fattening - excess calories are fattening.

The key to having pasta 3-4 times a week IMO is not to have HUGE servings of pasta - but proper servings. But first, you have to have some sense of what a proper serving is.

Most people are pretty surprised at what a normal " serving size " of food actual is. For example, ( from Google ).....

The Bread, Cereal, Rice, and Pasta Group

1 cup of potatoes, rice, pasta ....................a tennis ball, ice cream scoop
1 pancake .........................................a compact disc (CD)
1/2 cooked cup rice ..............................a cupcake wrapper full
1 piece of cornbread ..............................a bar of soap
1 cup of pasta, spaghetti, cereal.................a fist
2 cups of cooked pasta .............................a full outstretched hand​

...so ? What is your pasta ' serving ' size like based on the above ?




What's the ' white ' in white sauce btw ?



That's up to you.

If you bump your calories up from 2,100, maybe you don't have to drop anything.



Wrong. Your body needs carbs for energy - so generally speaking, all carbs are good.

However, taking in carbs in excess of what your body needs is not ...excess carbs will be stored as fat.



Too funny !

No comment.



Actually, this is the link ( above ) I found and have used in my posts.

That aside. I simply wanted to point out that Harris calc is only an ' estimate.

For example, for awhile there in my life I only did ' very hard ' 40 minute HIIT cardio 3X a week. This was only done 3X a week - but very hard - and doesn't fit exactly into the Harris categories as is doesn't readily capture that level of high calorie expenditure for only 3 times a week of hard training. Similarly, one person might do ' very hard ' HIIT cardio 3X a week but do it for only 20 minutes a session - not 40 minutes. Or, one person may go on the treadmill 3X a week for 30 minutes and and burn 200 calories and another person with the same stats ( but in better shape ) may go on the treadmill 3X a week for 30 minutes and and burn 400 - 500 calories. The Harris calc can't make a fine distinction among these sorts of variations.

So, in theory, while Harris might say you need 2,600 calories as a maintenance level, the possibility may exist that ( depending on exercise intensity and duration ) it is really closer 2,800 +/-. Again, it's just an ' estimate ' and it may be understated, possibly causing you to have fewer calories than you should and contributing to your feeling hungry all the time.

well regarding my pasta serving it always has been large for 2 reasons: 1. in the past I used to eat a lot of it because I didnt care about diet. 2. nowadays I take it once in a month,month a half maybe so I just take a big serving to enjoy really well. When I mean large serving I mean 500g of pasta. white pasta I am talking about here... So if I will start taking 2-4 pasta times a week it will as much grams as YOU TELL me hehe you are my mentor

Regarding the forumla, so the website is good right? I got you about the training intesinty thing mate.

 

[Wrangell]

well regarding my pasta serving it always has been large for 2 reasons: 1. in the past I used to eat a lot of it because I didnt care about diet. 2. nowadays I take it once in a month,month a half maybe so I just take a big serving to enjoy really well. When I mean large serving I mean 500g of pasta. white pasta I am talking about here... So if I will start taking 2-4 pasta times a week it will as much grams as YOU TELL me hehe you are my mentor

Regarding the forumla, so the website is good right? I got you about the training intesinty thing mate.

Now worries on the forumula. It's all good......I wouldn't have provided the link if I thought otherwise.

I'm simply suggesting that you keep in mind that calculators like these are guidelines / estimates only and not intended to represent a ' 100% accurate ' determination of what your ' actual ' caloric needs are. To have to evaluate the degree of their validity for you within the context of your own circumstances - i.e the type, intensity and duration of your exercise regimen being a prime example.

On the pasta...." I will start taking 2-4 pasta times a week ". I'm not saying you HAVE to have pasta. But, if you like pasta, there's no need at all to deprive yourself of it IMO. So, I'm simply saying - don't avoid pasta because you think it might be fattening - because - it isn't.

 

[snorkles]

today's food :

breakfast 5.45am- apple+ 3 eggs+ 2 servings oatmeal cereal
6.30-8am FBWO + abs + 15minc ardio
Post workout- 4 slices brown bread+ can of tuna+ 2 tomatos+ 3 black olives
12pm- 2 oranges + special k bar
2pm- yogurt
4pm- small chicken breast + 1/4 of a cauliflower
6pm- 2 cups of milk
9pm- small portion of pork (no fat) + 2 tomatoes and some coreslaw

= 1935 cals
carbs-269 g
prot- 171g
fats-73.5g

 

[sig]

pasta

I only did the math on the pasta I have, which is whole wheat.

But 500g of pasta = 1875 calories.

That's a LOT of pasta!

Wrangell is correct that pasta doesn't make you fat, excess calories do. I can see how a "cheat" meal that is approaching your daily caloric needs might make you fat, though.

I eat whole wheat pasta nearly every day, and I'm cutting. But portion control is everything...