I’ve never been good at consistently tracking all my calories/macros. Honestly I don’t enjoy doing it, and as a father of 3, with my wife and I both working full time, would rather just eat what I want and workout. I’ve never been a consistent cardio guy, mostly just weights. Thinking of getting into CrossFit and seeing what that does for me
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90% of weight loss is the kitchen. Eat in deficit with a balance of carbs, proteins and veggies/fruits. You wont be that hungry and you will lose weight.
You can’t escape a bad diet, man. But you also don’t need to track your calories and macros. It’s not for me at least.
Eat mostly plants, eat less breaded foods, drink less alcohol, stop drinking soda or sugary drinks. Eat what makes you feel good. All of that is easier said than done, of course.
You absolutely cannot out-train a mediocre diet if your goal is to lose weight. A good jog will require you to run almost 2 miles to burn off just one Coke. You want to lose weight, eat less food; simple as that.
Even if a bad quality diet could be out trained, you would still be building your body with bad quality materials like building a house on sand – the grounding of good quality nutrition needs to be done first otherwise anything built on top wont be to a good quality itself.
Intermittent fasting works for me. I basically eat 2 meals a day, one about 9ish and then dinner. I do tend to eat healthy as a habit but don’t stress if I eat poorly a couple nights a week. I run 3 days, high intensity kettlebell workouts for 30-45 minutes 3 times a week. I don’t drink soda, hardly drink alcohol so that helps as well.
I have what I would call a mediocre diet, but most people might say I’m crazy. I’m also genetically gifted as a retired D1 athlete I have years of training under my belt.
That being said, 1-2 heavy full body lifts a week, 1-2 runs a week add sprinting when feasible, and I do a solid HIT class once every couple weeks because the wife and I enjoy it.
99.99% of people can’t out train a poor diet and I’d argue most that day they do are healthier than you’d think.
I would say I do a “mediocre” diet as in I’m just consistent. I don’t weight out macros or anything. But I eat the same thing for breakfast, lunch, and snacks daily through the week. Dinner is by my wife usually and she’s very locked in on diet, so I don’t worry too much.
My problem isn’t most people’s. Trying to build muscle. But I’m a PE teacher, so I burn tons of calories daily during the school year. Last year I tried a food tracking app, and it basically said with my activity level I need close to 4000 calories a day and eat 200g of protein in that. I was literally force feeding myself, by I couldn’t just “eat what I want” because I don’t want to dirty bull either. So basically I just try and eat as much as I can, but get as much protein and greens as I can. Lots of yogurt, salads, protein powder supplement, protein bars (with low sugar). If I stay away from alcohol, it’s my biggest source of sugar (I’m a cap’n and coke guy).
I don’t think you can out train it but I think you can kinda manage a zero sum game. You’ll never really get ahead and be Superman but you also won’t die from complications caused by type 2 diabetes
You can do it but you have to burn an insane number of calories. They say you can’t outrain your diet . You also can’t outtrain your lifestyle
Whats your goal? Its not really clear. Are you looking to lose body fat, gain muscle, be more athletic? Its hard to give any advice without you stating a clear goal.
I assume it’s genetics, as others have said you can’t exactly out train a bad diet. Knowing this little bit about your situation, you probably also wouldn’t have the time to do so. Building muscle should mean you have a higher ceiling for how many calories you can eat a day as those are hungry, but if you want a 300 calorie snack there’s not even convenient exercise-ways to burn that out.
I’ve heard others say they’ve had good results with completely cutting out one high contribution thing, like alcohol
I’ve out-trained my diet by eating less. Training myself to avoid processed foods with sugar was the biggest key.
In July 2013, I (54m now, 42, then) was 6′ 2″ and at least 235lbs, having been as heavy as at least 265 lbs. I cut calories (I used a calorie counting app) and stopped eating bread with my meals. I did not stop drinking Coca-Cola. I did not stop eating other garbage. I just confirmed that I was not exceeding my allotted calories. I was religious about it. If it went in my mouth, it went in the app. I bought a kitchen scale.
By November, I was down to 220lbs. I started jogging. As little as 0.75 miles. As I continued to lose weight, I ran further and faster. I was allotted fewer calories, as I wasn’t as heavy.
By July 2014, I was down to 175 lbs and running up to 10K in my neighborhood 5-6 days a week. I was also eating a lot more garbage, as I had more calories to spare. I increased my fat and protein intake because I needed it. I was eating pork rinds and chocolate chip cookies with a Coke AFTER dinner while watching TV. I frequently consumed as much as 400g of added sugar a day.*
I ran and ran and ran. 4 to 6.2 miles almost every day (I think my record was 46 days straight). I would finish every run with a 1-2 mile walk. I did this even in the summer in Austin, TX. I would run outside as long as the temperature was between 70°F and 95°F and it wasn’t raining. (my hands get painfully cold under 70°F when I run. It’s not Reynaud’s Syndrome, but it’s similar). On days I didn’t run outside, I would run on a treadmill.
I maintained this for 3 years before I started putting on some weight. It’s harder to maintain everything as you get older. I did buy a treadmill and a weight machine. About 15 lbs of what I gained back is muscle on my chest, shoulders, arms, and abs (5 x 25 sit-ups in the morning). I’m currently at about 210 lbs.
As recently as February, I ran a 5K on the treadmill at sub-6:30/mile pace. I’m taking some time off running to get my left knee checked out. First leg pain I’ve ever had that prevented running since I got under 220 lbs (my ankles used to hurt just walking from the excess weight). If they tell me it’s arthritis and there’s nothing they can do about it, I’m going to go back to running, anyway. I like to eat garbage and running gives me the calories I need to eat it. It’ll be worth the pain, to me.
*Note: don’t do this. I am a genetic freak who didn’t get my first cavity until I got Invisilign and got dry mouth from the retainers in my mid 40s, and have perfect blood tests to this day. Like, everything is dead center perfect. A normal person who consumed as much sugar as me would get diabetes. Pretty sure it’s from mom’s side of the family. My grandfather was 300+ lbs and he always had great blood tests. No high blood pressure, diabetes, etc.
Proof.
https://preview.redd.it/c94v8n57dpjf1.jpeg?width=896&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=09bcb3a6ecec3b4d83d6b028969aff1c51e2aa45
Edit: more proof. [https://www.reddit.com/r/progresspics/comments/90hzmc/m4761_235lbs_175lbs_60lbs_11_months_was_a_runner/](https://www.reddit.com/r/progresspics/comments/90hzmc/m4761_235lbs_175lbs_60lbs_11_months_was_a_runner/)
Just choose salads. If you’ll train 2 hours each day maybe you can do it. But with 3 kids and a job you cant eat what you want and look fit and healthy.
That’s like saying i want to work 3 hours a week and make millions. Its possible but only for a selected few.
I went from 243 down to 205. Jump rope for my cardio and I do daily 50 which is 50 push ups, squats, 50 second plank, and 25 lunges each leg. Only 3 times out of the week and takes up about 50 mins of my time. I eat in morning and at night only. Soda I drink one of those no sugar brand names and sweets I have frozen mango or fruit smoothie. I dont pay attention to macros just make sure im under 2k calories and im getting alot of protein.
>I’ve never been good at consistently tracking all my calories/macros. Honestly I don’t enjoy doing it, and as a father of 3, with my wife and I both working full time, would rather just eat what I want and workout.
Nobody likes tracking their calories/macros, but if you have goals around your weight or muscle than it’s worthwhile doing. Apps like Chronometer can make it very simple, so that you just need 3 minutes over the course of the day to track it all.
There is no out training eating whatever you want though. The calories you get from food far exceed the calories you can burn through exercise unless you dedicate your life to exercise – which is a far bigger time investment than 3 minutes.
Easiest way to do it is figure out some meals that are nutritionally dense, but as calorically low as possible. That way you can turn to that collection of meals for what you have to eat, put them in your tracking app, and then you’re free to eat whatever you want for the remaining calories. That way you’re still able to indulge and not have to be totally restricted like some of the hardcore people.
I run 35ish miles a week and 2 or 3 hit classes also. I usually do a long run on the weekend and then eat and entire stuffed crust pizza. Stopped watching macros and calories and really just eat whatever.
I run twice a week (1x distance, 1x sprints), lift heavy twice a week, walk everyday and sometimes cycle or surf or something else
I ride mountain bikes A LOT.
I love sugar and carbs and generally eat foods that would be considered unhealthy.
I am about 6’2” tall and about 180 pounds and only eat about 2500 to 3000 calories on a normal day and when I ride my bike I’m burning enough to burn off any extra calories I ate the days I wasn’t riding.
With that said, I know my diet is still holding me back and I’m trying to make somewhat healthier food decisions
Hi, I’m the guy you’re after. I’ve never counted calories/tracked macros in my life, very much leaned on intuitive eating and let my body tell me what it needs. Never been anything close to overweight. Currently 34/5′ 10″/ 200lbs in a good way (abs are visible).
My diet consists of at least a can of soda every day because I don’t drink coffee or tea and need caffeine, I get fast food multiple times a week because it’s delicious and convenient. I’ve had soooo many comments over my life “I remember when I used to be able to eat like that/wait till you get to my age” blah blah blah as if there aren’t fat 20-somethings all over the place.
First secret: stop drinking. I’ve never had a drop of alcohol and it’s SUCH a cheat code. It’s empty calories and interferes with caloric metabolism.
Second secret: workout REALLY hard. People overestimate how hard they’re working and underestimate how much they’re eating. Recommend picking up the Insanity program at goodwill for cheap and seeing what maximum exertion really looks like. HIIT workouts trigger extended calorie burn after you’ve finished working out, so you get free bonus caloric burn, but you gotta be busting ass.
Third: Don’t overthink diet, what you eat specifically is sooooo much less important than how much you’re eating. Eat what you like in reasonable portions that give you the energy to push yourself really really hard. Embrace the fact that it’s going to suck. I *hate* working out, but I love what it allows me to do.
It takes a minute per meal to track calories. You get My Fitness Pal and either search for the food or scan the barcode while cooking it, and you’re done,
You’re not tracking calories because you don’t want to be accountable for what you’re eating, and you want a shortcut to being slimmer without actually changing anything.
You will not be able to train hard enough to offset poor food choices and too many calories.
Literally speed walk everywhere at work, which means going across a giant manufacturing plant multiple times a day.
I haven’t seen anyone here say it explicitly, but counting calories and macros doesn’t have to be a forever thing. Creating the habit and doing it for a while (say, 6-12 months) creates an awareness and intuition that will continue to serve you for years to come.
I counted macros religiously from 2012-2015. At 5’9, I went from 235 to 155 in that time. Since then, I’ve settled in at 165 and like where I’m at compositionally. The only reason I’d ever count again is if I had a specific fitness goal and needed to maintain a particular protein intake.
Some folks count to offset indulgences. Some folks count to optimize. Some folk count because the “science” and control make them feel a certain way. Decide *why* health and fitness are important to you and then stop finding reasons for why it’s not important enough to do what needs doing.
“If a man knows his ‘why’ he can endure almost any ‘how’.” -Nietzsche
There’s only two ways to lose weight: eat less than you use; or use more than you eat. The first is the calorie counting etc. that you say you can’t do. The second is basically a shit-ton of exercise. I know people that are marathon runners and do enough training every day that it’s tricky to keep up with the calorie demand, but we’re talking at least a 10k every morning and probably some weights in the afternoon, with a couple of near full marathons a week. Sounds like you suggest you can’t do that either so I guess it’s a case of pick your poison or try and do a bit of both.
The only time I’ve been able to do it is when I worked a physically active job. Now that I work from home I can probably have 1 cheat meal every 3 days and be fine.
Push, pull, legs – 1 minute breaks between sets, 30 minute walk after lifting
Running. I run on average 5km a day. I basically match the calories i would have for breakfast running. Then I just try to eat normally after. If i have a day where I over indulge. I just run more the next day. Add in any extra days going gym or doing other exercise, and you’re good
You’d have to be the 1% of the 1% of the 1% to out train a mediocre diet ie. A genetic freak of nature. Didn’t Usain Bolt eat chicken nuggets before races(?).
And even then you’d be doing yourself a major disservice by sabotaging your natural talents to eat shit.
At first I thought „Mediocre diet“ is social media slang for eating normal food, but you’re really making a point. I‘m in the same situation, tracking macros doesn’t work well with kids, day to day life, social life and family functions. Here’s how I do it: I memorized high protein, low carb foods, pick these from buffets along with vegetables and… then I feast. The next morning, when I feel „loaded“ I train a high intensity weight lifting routine, because fuck cardio. Meat and animal fats give loads of energy. My Body fat is around 15% since years.