food log

[Robbin_G]

Oh, and of course height & weight plays in here too - I'm around 5 ft 5 inches and weigh about 115 pounds.)

--- Denise

*sniffle* I'm 5'5" and well, don't weigh 115 pounds. I struggle with wanting to be Turbo Athlete and eating because because food makes me happy! No really, it does. I'm interested in being a part-time food writer! I'm also looking into some other kind of "exercise as work", maybe a spin instructor!

+Robbin

[Asphaltgirl]

Another vote for CalorieKing....been using it for a few years after dropping my online membership with Weight Watchers. Trying to get off a 6 month plateau and have an appointment with a nutritianist tomorrow. She's a cyclist and hopefully will be able to relate to my needs for weight loss and for the energy needed for the long distance cycling goals that I have. Was on a carb restricted program (almost a diabetic type diet), last year, and it was great--eating every 3 hours so my blood sugar didn't crash-- dropped 20 lbs. BUT once I got into my summer cycling I had no energy to draw on because of the limited carbs. I think my biggest problem is finding the right combination of protein/fats/carb to keep this middle aged body happy!
~AG~

[Gidiup]

Another good website is mypyramid.gov It allows you to keep a food log, activity log and will tell you what nutrients you are short on. The more well balanced your meals are the less cravings you have. Stick with serving sizes.

[Robbin_G]

I like this book/log:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/096...lance&n=283155

[sydney_b]

I track with MyFoodDiary.com. It's 9.99/mo., but seems to work pretty well with a large food database. It also makes it easy to enter your own recipes. I didn't compare it with other online programs, though, so Fitday or Calorieking might be just as good or even better, they're certainly less expensive. The only thing I would complain about is that it seems like it over-estimates the calories burned sometimes.

/s

[trigurl]

Is it possible to burn 4000 calories a day???? I wore my h/r monitor for 15 hours yesterday and that is what it said! 600-700 were from 1 hour of mtn biking.
I don't know about all those calories it said I burned???? that was at work where I mainly sit, I do move about and go up and down stairs but for the most part I sit.

I put in all my info, age, weight, sex - surely it must be wrong?

I have been following a low cal diet my trainer told me to do with low carbs and have been tired tired tired, I have lost about 8 lbs. in almost 3 weeks but I HAVe to add in some carbs now since the weather is getting better and I can BIKE

I have been trying to stick to 1300-1500 cals a day and I stay hungry! last night I broke and ate a big bowl of green beans and quite a few walnuts after dinner! not bad but must have added up to a lot of cals - especially with the walnuts! I just want to be slim and not hungry allllll the time - and I really hate counting calories

Sorry this is kinda rambling.

[carback]

I have been trying to stick to 1300-1500 cals a day and I stay hungry! last night I broke and ate a big bowl of green beans and quite a few walnuts after dinner!

No bloody wonder you're hungry. 1300-1500 cals a day is fine if your idea of exercise is to be really agressive with the remote. But to be active? No way. Someone a few posts back mentioned resting metabolic rate - that is the minimum your body requires just to keep your body in a homestatic state. Throw biking (or walking, or any activity) into the mix, and you're going to need more calories to find the energy.

And don't get me started on the low carb thing....Carbs are good. Especially if you're active. The right kinds of cards are where your energy stores come from.

[RedCanny]

Ok, so I've signed up with Calorie King. It tells me that I should only have 1300 calories per day, given that I want to lose just 4 lbs. This does not bode well for my trust in this product... can any of you provide any insight? Every other source I've used has advised 2000/day for me, to lose weight... and for the most part that has worked. ???

[Dianyla]

Ok, so I've signed up with Calorie King. It tells me that I should only have 1300 calories per day, given that I want to lose just 4 lbs. This does not bode well for my trust in this product... can any of you provide any insight? Every other source I've used has advised 2000/day for me, to lose weight... and for the most part that has worked. ???

Is that 1300 net calories (e.g. eat 2000 but burn 700 with exercise)? Do you know what your daily "sit around and do nothing maintaining weight" caloric needs are? It depends on your body weight and default activity level. For example, I weigh 155 lbs and am an office worker and I maintain weight on 1500 calories a day. To lose weight I have to drop lower. However, I also have to eat enough to fuel any exercise that I do. So if I want to maintain, and I go on a ride one day that burns ~700 calories, I eat 2200 that day.

Also, you can go into your profile and override CK's default "suggestions" and enter your own preferences with regards to daily caloric intake, ratio of protein/carbs/fat, etc.

[RedCanny]

Yeah, I think it is net calories. 1300 just seems ridiculously low, for me. On days when I have accidentally dipped below 1700 (gross), I tended to gain a pound or two. (body was going into starvation mode, probably...)

Perhaps I just need to work on my math.

This is probably just part of my adjustment from FitDay, which does things a little differently. For the most part, I am finding Calorie King to be much more user-friendly. Thanks, all, for the help & suggestions!

I will be back on outdoor bike soon, yay! The icebergs out there are melting.

[awm03]

DietPower ($50) is also terrific for tracking calories. It's simple to use, customizable, and can even break down recipes to figure out calories per serving. It's geared toward people trying to lose weight (I've lost 27 pounds), but is excellent for weight maintenance too.