Macro counting

**Amritos** · 02-07-2008 02:44 PM

A little thing that has niggled at the back of my mind for some time is how all of you guys and others who train count their macro's (and therefore calories). I personally go on the visual guessing path whilst using the labels, but was interested to find out how you guys not only count macros, but record as well. I know some people who literally measure everything on scales and others who use visual methods like "a portion is the size of a palm", etc.

**Was_once_fat_dave** · 02-07-2008 02:54 PM

A cross between whats on the labels,weighing my foods and whats all ready recorded on nutritional website, such asFoodfocus.

I generally cook in bulk so use most in the units I buy them in (1kg bag of mince 2 full tins of chopped toms and a 250g prepacked carton of mushrooms makes me 5xmince n veg), so will now only weigh certain foods, ie my pwo steak.

Regards keeping a log off them, everything I eat I have prerecorded on the above mentioned website and just take note of portion size. I even have prerecorded meal combinations, such as breakfast, my mince and veg combo or cottaged chop (cottage cheese and pork chop).

Just a case of click what I ate, how much and when. It then gives me the macro breakdowns I require. Have a look for your self

**_Mac_** · 03-07-2008 10:39 AM

I use Fitday to record my macro's. It has plenty of nutritional info already built into the database, or you can add your own custom items. Its breaks it down into calories, and percentages for you, and displays them on a pretty little piechart!

**Victoria** · 07-07-2008 10:22 AM

Fitday is a good site. As said above it records everything in calories and percentages, and there's a section for recording your activities too. It produces various reports for the day/week. It also has a little (very basic) diary if you wanted to use it.

I've started doing things more visually, rather than trying to record each and every calorie while taking into account those which are stuck in my teeth. Measuring and recording can be a right pain in the rear end so unless I'm up to something very specific, I avoid it.

**Powerlifter0** · 07-07-2008 11:15 AM

Labels jot it all into a note pad, check the net for certain meats, but I know most things now like olive oil,coco milk eggs, spuds,rice, etc.

**Damothelad** · 07-07-2008 11:29 AM

i just read nutritional info
weigh
and right down in a book or try remember lol not best way

and check internet if it dosnt have any nutritional info

**Was_once_fat_dave** · 07-07-2008 01:21 PM

Just had a quick look at fitday, it's manly usa based foods and measurements by looks of things. The fact it breaks everything down to %ages is quite handy and them pie graphs are also a good quick way of seeing your macro break down.
One question though, I can' find a way or prerecording foods in to meal combinations, am I being blind or does it not have this facility?

This is one of my favored features of foodfocus as I've got about 12 different food combo's saved as meals. Saves me having to enter 5 different foods when all I do is choose the meal and tell it what day part I ate it

**Victoria** · 07-07-2008 01:31 PM

Quote

Originally Posted by fat_dave

Just had a quick look at fitday, it's manly usa based foods and measurements by looks of things. The fact it breaks everything down to %ages is quite handy and them pie graphs are also a good quick way of seeing your macro break down.
One question though, I can' find a way or prerecording foods in to meal combinations, am I being blind or does it not have this facility?

This is one of my favored features of foodfocus as I've got about 12 different food combo's saved as meals. Saves me having to enter 5 different foods when all I do is choose the meal and tell it what day part I ate it

Hm, good question. I don't think you can enter a meal as such, unless you add your custom food as the whole meal assuming your ingredients are the same each time.

If I was going to add beans on toast as a meal for example (not that I would

), I'd add up the nutrition information for the beans, the bread, butter, cheese (mmm) and enter it as a whole calling it "Beans on Toast" or soemthing. Then every time I have beans on toast I'd add that. But I'd have to keep the ingredients and ratios the same each time.

If you search the database (which is US, and a pain in being US I agree), you'll see meals already entered. You can't edit the contents though, as you won't be able to with your own custom meals.

**Donnyhatter** · 07-07-2008 01:38 PM

This is all very scientific! I've just had a look at the label and guessed! I'll have a look at the above sites but really as i don't actually do very much around the house, it's my wife who will have to use/not use these.

**Victoria** · 07-07-2008 01:46 PM

It can get very complicated, more so when you start digging in all the cracks.

Your wife should use Fitday because you don't do much around the house? If my husband didn't do much around the house...