Strength Training and Bodyfat Levels

[Mcpie]

hsilman might not have said things in the nicest way, but I often don't either. And, he's right. I own a food scale, and have used FitDay to track calories before (there are probably better apps/programs, but that's what I used at the time). It's just not that difficult. Compared to the amount of time I spend training, it's laughable.

I can't really add much to this, but I just wanted to say that counting calories has been enormously helpful for my weight loss goals. I am TERRIBLE at eye balling food, to the point where I could be eating +/- 1K calories and not really know it. As you say a couple of minutes to enter the details in my phone, with an attempt to be as accurate as possible but the understanding that there will always be variance, has been extremely useful.

Quite frankly, I think it will also be very helpful when I'm trying to understand why my training is stalling, short of the stock answer of "eat more", I'll have a baseline number that I can fiddle with to understand what "more" is.

[LudwigVan]

For instance when squatting my squat form often deteriorates as I sometimes have to use my back to get up. Depth is always respected but at times it's got a "good morning" component to it, this happens when my posterior chain/quads it too weak to pull me up and I have to force the rep up.

Tangential I know, but if it's not your quads and not your posterior chain, which muscles do you think are causing your hips and knees to extend and complete the rep?

[Gabrielc]

Tangential I know, but if it's not your quads and not your posterior chain, which muscles do you think are causing your hips and knees to extend and complete the rep?

This is interesting. Does that mean that theoretically I could right now lift my max with good form this time, seeing how the upper back component apparenty does nothing to get me up out of the hole(This is how I interpret your post, please enlighten me)? This would in turn imply my form is incorrect to start with and has nothing to do with the max, the max only underlines this fact as faults in form are even more visible.In turn, what I take to be my max would actually go up well if I corrected this fault in form.

I'll post videos some time soon so that hopefully I can get good feedback like this, but maybe this goodmorning component to the squat is due to back being too horizontal and not sitting back enough when going down. Now that I think of it, it could be I have a tendency to go down "forward" thinking I won't have the strength to get back up if I were to squat well on my heels and sit back. Maybe this is true but your posts implies and comes to show that posterior chain is actually not the limiting factor here? It's not in my altered version of the squat. But I could find it to be at first If I were to use good form. I would maybe find that I can actually squat less if I were to use correct form for some time, but my hamstrings and glutes especially will get stronger, and this is the only way to go big on the long term.

I heard somewhere that the goodmorning component is sometimes introduced when the so called "butt wink" happens. This occurs to me when I hit correct depth. I do hamstrings stretch but it doesn't seem to change anything. However, I've read here this should not be a problem : http://70sbig.com/blog/2010/10/the-butt-wink/
So my form issue might more have to do with me not sitting down enough in squatting position and not keeping my back more horizontal. Thinking about S.S diagrams, I can picture how goodmorning of the weight might occur if the bar travels forward of the middle of my feet, and this is exactly what might be happening?

Maybe I just need to deload and squat with better form. Maybe I won't need to deload and'll find that I can squat more right now with good form? Either way, am I on the right track?

Thanks,

Gabriel

[trebor]

If you are counting calories in a few minutes/day you are either eating 100% pre-packaged, processed food with a nutrition label, or guessing how big that apple actually is. Either way, you are some combination of wrong - eating the wrong stuff or wrong about how many calories you are actually eating.

Agreed. I count calories, and using apps and a scale and I probably spend 10-15 minutes a day just logging food.

[Trewarin]

If you need to count calories, you aren't eating well enough.

I'd say counting them once could maybe be useful for those that are skinny and think they eat a lot.

[hsilman]

Agreed. I count calories, and using apps and a scale and I probably spend 10-15 minutes a day just logging food.

well, since everyone has already decided I'm a jerk, I might as well keep up my image.

I sincerely applaud you, sir. Your ability to post on this message board and follow this thread in a somewhat logically coherent manner is a huge inspiration to all of your fellow mentally handicapped Americans. I cannot imagine the adversities someone of your IQ level must have to overcome everyday. Until you posted, I honestly took my ability to dress myself and remember to chew my food so I don't choke and die completely for granted. I now realize that not all of us are blessed with such advanced intellectual faculties. I salute you, and wait in eager anticipation for all the amazing feats you will accomplish in your life given your dedication to overcome the difficulties fate has bestowed upon you.

If you need to count calories, you aren't eating well enough.

I'd say counting them once could maybe be useful for those that are skinny and think they eat a lot.

Once again, no one *needs* to count calories. "Eating well" and counting calories are not, and should not be, mutually exclusive. The fact of the matter is, calorie counting is the most accurate and single best tool we have at our disposal to monitor our intake/expenditure. Period. Again, there is no logical argument against this. There is no reason someone should feel arrogant or "better" because they don't count calories. It's a stupid opinion to hold. Counting calories is useful to ANYONE who takes their health seriously. It is not necessary to the status of "taking one's health seriously", but to argue that it isn't useful is assinine.

[smokeyjones]

Do you guys really count your calories every single day? I've always found it cheaper to buy food in bulk. I always buy 1-5kg of frozen veges when they're on special, same with my rice. The whey I buy get's discounted the more I buy at once and I work in a meat works where staff sales come in 20kg boxes. I'm currently all stocked up for the next 10 weeks(bar eggs, salad, potatoes). I spent about 30-60 minutes roughly figuring out all the macros and wrote it up on my wall and I'm done. I don't need to count everyday because I already know in my head roughly how much everything is.

[Alexis]

I count my calories every single day. It is actually very easy after you've done it for a while. On some days, especially the days I actually eat very clean, I would end up not eating enough.

[hsilman]

Do you guys really count your calories every single day? I've always found it cheaper to buy food in bulk. I always buy 1-5kg of frozen veges when they're on special, same with my rice. The whey I buy get's discounted the more I buy at once and I work in a meat works where staff sales come in 20kg boxes. I'm currently all stocked up for the next 10 weeks(bar eggs, salad, potatoes). I spent about 30-60 minutes roughly figuring out all the macros and wrote it up on my wall and I'm done. I don't need to count everyday because I already know in my head roughly how much everything is.

sorry to pop your superiority bubble but if you're counting macros, you're countring calories.

protein & carbs = 4 kcal/gram
fat = 9 kcal/gram
alcohol = 7 kcal/gram(but it gets preferential treatment in processing. it's weird, and generally if I'm going to drink, I usually just eat a ton of protein and leave a big calorie deficit so I don't have to worry about it that day. Or say fuck it and do whatever I want that day. Even when cutting, you shouldn't be so obsessed that you don't allow yourself to have fun every once and a while)

[skipbeat]

What is this bullshit? Alcohol doesn't have calories. Don't ruin my friday and saturday nights for me, son.

I cook about 5-6 days worth of food on Sunday so I save countless hours cooking meat. Much easier to cook in bulk and store it for later. Not as tasty, but fuck taste buds