northernmusician's Journal, 18 February 2014

Whew! That sounds complicated.. whats a macro? :-) But it looks like you have a really well thought out, solid plan and able to correct your mistake. Keep up the great work!!!! 

Yes please explain the spreadsheet! I'm with JESS,it *does* sound complicated but you *do* seem to have a well thought out plan,even if I don't know what you're talking about :D 

It's not really all that complicated. It just takes a little thinking to sort it out. In fact, almost every diet can be defined in terms of it's macro nutrient ratios. Macro nutrients are nothing more than, proteins, carbohydrates, and fats. Very often, one or more of these 'macros' are vilified in diets. In Atkins and other high fat, high protein diets, carbohydrates are seen as evil. Pritikin is high carb, low fat, and low protein. Tracking by macro is far more particular than simply counting calories. Zone diet, when you look at the calories from each macro, is 40% carb, 30% fat, and 30% protein. Each gram of each macro, has a calorie count attached to it. Each gram of fat is 9 whopping calories. Each gram of carb and each gram of protein is four calories. This is why a tablespoon of olive oil is so high in calories. It’s nothing but fat(oil). That doesn’t mean it’s not good for you; it’s just loaded with calories. It is ‘calorie dense’. 1 tablespoon = 119 calories. With carbs, you can eat a lot more if you eat the right things for the same calories. Guess at the calories in 25 ounces of grapefruit? 112! So which will fill you up more, a tablespoon of olive oil or the calories sparse 1 pound 9 ounces of grapefruit? Yeah, okay. You know. The reason is that grapefruit has a pile of fiber, water, and micronutrients aka, vitamins and minerals. The oil has essentials too, but of a different type. So, counting macros is generally used by people who want to be sure they’re getting enough, or restricting enough of certain macronutrient types. Most people on the site are likely familiar with keeping track of carbs, one way or another and know you can see your totals at the top of your fatsecret food log. If you take total fats for the day and multiply by 9, carbs and proteins for the day and multiply by 4, and then add the totals from those calculations, you will see that you get something that is awfully close to the number of total calories that fatsecret calculates for you. Why is there a small difference? Usually because food labels where we gain our information from is a little inaccurate. Clear as mud? The spreadsheet is simply another way of tracking what you eat according to gram. The benefit is that with the running macro totals, you are unlikely to end up with too little, or too much, of one macro. 

OMG, my brain hurts, but I think I almost get it. It sort of does sound like rocket surgery, though. I think I'll stick with good, old fashioned calorie counting for now. It's worked great so far. As much griping as I might do, I don't need to lose 2 pounds a day, I'll settle for two pounds a week. You're in weight gain mode or muscle gain mode, now, correct? 

I'm at 2k which is minor deficit, but it will look like I'm gaining a lot because of the carb increase. Thursday, I go to maintenance, what I think will be my 'stay at this weight calories' for a week, which will again see an increase but should be fine at 2350 cals. I'll recalculate my tdee (total daily energy expenditure) at the weight I am during the maintenance week and then add 10% to that for the weight gain. In theory, I should gain some fat and slightly less muscle. Once I hit the point where I'm uncomfortable with how much I've gained, likely somewhere around 285 or 280, I will go to deficit to strip the fat and see what I've gained in muscle. I'm a little gunshy after having spent all this time dieting down, but once I've been through one bulk/cut cycle, I should have a lot more confidence. Macro counting can seem kind of complicated but you get the hang of it real fast. Say you've decided what you need is a ratio of 1:3:5, fat, protein, and carb. Then if you need 30 gr protein, you just multiply the other macros equally. To get 30 grams protein you multipied 3 by 10, right? So then all you do is multiply the others as well. 10 gr fat, 30 gr, protien, 50 gr, carb. That's your target for the meal. Total protein requirement for the day is simply divided by the number of meal sizes and snacks you want to have over the day. You're a computer genius. You could make this work. I agree though it's not really necessary unless you have a very solid reason to be so precise, like final weight loss, bodybuilding, sports nutrition, or dietary restriction due to health. 

I wish I had even half a clue as to what you follow. It all sounds like a mad science project. Ive just about got my head round CICO lol 

I am with some of the others - my heat hurts too! But if it works for you - then GO FOR IT!  

Wow, very complicated/ I just ball-park it, probably good to 10% from experience and then perhaps once a month or so log every single bite I eat to get an accurate calibration. Surprisingly, the foods I like give me a roughly equal distribution of carbs, fat, and protein. Also there is no easy way to keep track of the exact amount burned. Fortunately, more exercise = more hunger so it is self-correcting. 

The only way I can accurately know how much I burn is to measure calorie intake and then correct for weight loss or gain but this only works when averaged over water fluctuations. Most people way over estimate how much they burn. I think FS is notorious for that. 

Hi , I just read your explanation and I get what you are doing now :-) :-) :-) I think that is a really smart way of Tracking your intake for the day! I havent made time to log my meals in awhile but Ive been sticking to whats working for me right now. When that stops working for me I may have to seek out your macrosheet!  

Lisa. I appreciate what you're saying, but it looks as though you've fallen in with a group of bodybuilders, and that's great. I aspire that way as well which is why I am so involved with the macro understanding. Seafood, a simple balance is great. For most people who are simply looking for weight loss, CICO works great, though some may have special needs due to health and the way they react to certain foods. It can seem a bit like rocket science, but it puts you in complete control of your diet. Bodybuilders tend to eat higher protein than others because protein combined with hard exercise builds muscle. They eat protein at every meal. Distance runners, on the other hand, will starve themselves for carbohydrates and then, prior to a competition, stuff themselves with carbs. Everyone's heard of carb loading. The result of carb loading is that your insulin spikes and head to your muscles to capture every bit of carbohydrate/glycogen and store it in the muscles and liver. The consequence of doing this is that the body stores far more glycogen in the muscles and liver than it normally would if you were eating an even amount of carbohydrate at each meal. That 'carb load' means the runner has glycogen stores that will give them energy far beyond their normal running range. When you're making diet serve your chosen activity or sport, you have to take your eating to an entirely different level. Have a great day everyone. 

I also think FS overestimates the calorie burn rate. I'm going to message you with my email as I would like to take a look at your spreadsheet. I am going to start exercizing more, plus would like to walk a 5K mid-March if I can get ready for it in time. I want to tone up the saggy parts and look better but don't care about getting "buff" - if that makes sense. 

me fallen in with bodybuilders?? Really? How did you reach that conclusion? 

Hi, you are just speaking chinese to me... I read it 3 times and the more I thought about it, the more complex it became :) So I stopped. It looks like you have very careful counts on your food and nutrients which is awesome! I wish I understood you and I could try to do the same. But for the moment, calorie counting has worked ok for me. Same as with others, I'm not expecting to lose a kilo per day, but a kilo per week is still quite fine. Keep the good track and good work! 

Lisa.... Diablo is obviously a lifter. :) Chick. For weight loss all you need is calorie restriction and decent choices with the types of food. Skip the cheesecake and captain crunch. 

I'm with CHICK & ERIN....I don't understand it all but I would like to so I'm sending my e-mail info to you also so I can get a look at that spreadsheet. :D 

Thanks Northernmusician :) I'll keep trying, and perhaps once I get close to my ideal weight the spreadsheet can be the next step!  

The spread sheet isn't magic. It's just a way of keeping track of your macros if you're trying to keep close on the percentages. Fatsecret does fine with calories. 

Drag. If their bored, they could always go to my latest post in the Before and After thread and read the Low Fat Duck recipe. That may pick them back up. It's funny isn't it? To us, it's just the way we do it. To everyone else, it looks like we're being a little anal. Are we? 

I don'think you are being anal,but again I don't understand it! :D I think you & many others on fs,that are doing what,to me,seems similar are doing a FANTASTIC job of losing weight! Just remember tho' that while all of us here have the same goal to lose weight then maintain it,not all of us are at the same level or have the same reasons,or desire the same outcome. I want to learn & understand whatever can aid me in reaching my goals.BTW, your posted pix *must * have inspired my hubby as he came home with a 101.4 oz.jug of water that he had been drinking on & he *is not* a water-boy! :D LOL