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Holding to see if something witty comes to me this weekend... Edit: When in doubt, Internet cats. Overarching Goal Hasn't changed - still trying to get my body comp where I want it through tight-ish metrics + building strength to be able to do all the OCR-related things I want to do. I realize I *could* accomplish this goal faster by adhering to stricter weekend metrics and incorporating more intense workouts, but I'm lazy at heart - let's just stick to doing what I can do and to upping the baseline intensity level, rather than attacking a heavy-duty something all at once and fizzling out because no one's watching/my program has ended/I lose interest. Goal 1: Fitness Like always. Since I'm trying to claw my way out of a little motivation slump at the beginning of this challenge, I think I'll focus on building the toolkit of cool shit I want to be able to do. And I have a 5-miler to train-ish for on Thanksgiving. Cool Shit Toolkit Pistol Squats Real (not wall) handstands (knowing me, I'll be working on back walkovers right after) Yoga headstand Better/longer/more consistent crow + variations (like flying pigeon)Pull-up (unassisted)Chin-up (unassisted)Bow pose (better - knees up farther)Finally sitting on my damn toesFlat-heeled down dogMaybe someday finally getting into a full splitBetter, longer planksHigher quantity of push-upsMore realized dancer pose for more than a few seconds without falling Goal 2: Metrics Metrics make me happy and they work for me, so I'm sticking with them. As a refresher, my metrics are: 100 grams or under of carbs, 70 grams or over of protein, under 100 grams of fat and around 1500 calories. Water is the recommended by FitBit 64 ounces, and on the weekends I like my step count to be over FitBit’s recommended 10,000. I track food with My Fitness Pal and exercise, sleep and water with the FitBit Flex. Weight and BF are tracked with my FitBit Aria scale. FitBit. I also use a combo of FitBit + Runkeeper + Zombies, Run! To track my workouts, though I'm thinking of dropping Runkeeper and who knows what will happen when iOS8 and the new Apple Health comes out. I'm sure I'll be jumping at least some of these ships in favor of that, if it's as awesome as advertised. Goal 3: Other Shit This 'other shit' goal worked well for me last challenge. While I didn't get anything actually crossed off my list, I *did* make progress toward most of these goals. I need to continue on that track. Whittle more things out of the house - I'd like to clear enough off of a bookcase to get rid of it. Continue the leaving my house on weekdays (maybe even sometimes without my hubby) and being at least somewhat social. Work on the damn scarf I've been knitting for 2 years now. Finish before Spring? Continue streamlining my wardrobe/getting rid of shit I don't need/getting things that are too big for me altered so they're not wasting space/get the shoes I need cobbled cobbled.Drag the clothes I'm donating out of the closets they came out of out the door and to the donation place.

So what's all this stuff about "counting macros"? It's macro-nutrients, or something, right? Proteins, carbs, fats.... yes? My question is actually..... do people only count macros when they are "bulking"? Can I (should I) count them as part of maintaining a healthy diet, even if I am not trying to "bulk"? My goal is to build muscle and cut fat. I am just under 5'2", roughly 156 lbs and I estimate my bf% to be about 32%...ish? (Gauged by the pictures on the "what's your bf%?" websites)... I do Stronglifts and just recently started doing the Jacobs ladder at least twice a week. Can I build a healthy diet around counting macros? And what kind of macros should I be going for, considering where I am at? Haaalllllp! Thanks y'all. (by the way, if this was posted on the wrong forum, sorry!)

Hey guys! I've been seeing a bunch of stuff about the IIFYM way of eating and basically it's that you eat really whatever as long as it fits your calorie and macro goals. When following this I of course would not be eating pizza and candy, but I do like that if I wanted to sneak that extra piece of chocolate cake in once in a while I can. I've had some problems lately with binging at night and I feel like it's because I'm not getting the right ratio of macros, so I am kind of intrigued by IIFYM. The one issue, though, is that I am a runner and am currently training for a marathon. Is this way of eating okay for a runner, or is it more for people who lift/ do less cardio? Also, how would I adjust my macros on days where I have long runs (i.e. 17 miles)? The macros I have would not be enough to cover a day on which I do a run like that. Anyways, my macros are: 1630 calories 225 g carbs 96 g protein 19-24 g fiber 38.8 g fat I'm petite, 5'1" and 96-97 lbs, and am looking to maintain my weight. So what do you guys think about doing IIFYM? Any other suggestions? Opinions? Experiences? Thanks so much!

So I was getting frustrated with the 5% increments for the "custom" goal setting in My Fitness Pal, so I sought out a solution. I ran across this link and youtube video explaining how to use it. It worked like a charm for me (in IE9). http://karoshiethos.com/2013/08/13/javascript-bookmarklet-for-enhanced-macro-goals-in-myfitnesspal/

Hi all, question for you about macros from a general health / nutrition standpoint. (In case it matters, I'm a 5'8" woman, 150 lbs, ~25% body fat.) I've been keeping a 1400-1600 calorie diet and strength training for the past several months and am losing weight at a steady pace. I've eliminated most processed foods and limited my carbs to under 120g a day, and I understand the Calories In / Calories Out theory. I recently watched a fairly traumatizing documentary on the impact of the meat industry on the environment and the treatment of the animals, and I would like to try to limit my chicken intake for a while, partly from a sustainability standpoint and partly from an ethical standpoint. I already don't eat red meat and I've been limiting my dairy because cheese is my kryptonite and I know once I start I just won't stop haha. The last week or so, I've been getting most of my protein from fish, nuts (almonds, pistachios, walnuts), cottage cheese, quinoa, and chia seeds. I'm sitting at roughly 80-85g of protein a day, which I think is just a smidge low if I aim for .8g per pound of muscle (goal is 90g). I feel ok about my total calories and general protein intake, but my calories from fat have been 10-15% higher than they are when I include a serving of chicken a day. Here are my macros for today, for example: Fat: 42%, 68gTotal Carbs: 33%, 120g (31g of this is dietary fiber)Protein: 25%, 86gIs this balance of macros going to cause me any problems, keeping in mind my current goal is really just taking care of myself, moderate weightloss for the next several months, and strength training? Should I try to replace some of the nuts with protein drinks (which I find totally gross and kind of antithetical to the "no processed foods" policy)?

When I started the NF challenges I described myself as “averageâ€. Average height for an american male, Average weight (ie. OVERWEIGHT). It would have been more accurate to say I was a TYPICAL american male. Now I’ve begun moving in the right direction and started getting healthier. NOW I feel I am actually AVERAGE. At the end of last challenge I weighed 204 and my bodyfat was around 22% which puts me in the “average†or “acceptable†BF range based on most resources I could find. Ultimately, I don’t want to be average. I want to be ABOVE-Average! I want to be the guy that you meet at a party and think “wow he must work outâ€. When most people wonder HOW MANY guys do I need to move this I want to answer “Just one….ME!†I don’t want to look like I sit behind a desk all day. So how do I achieve awesomeness? According to http://iifym.com/iifym-calculator/ for aggresive fat loss I should consume… Calories = 771/meal, 2314 /day Carbs = 75.4g/meal, 226.3g/day Protein = 68.3g/meal, 204.8g/day Fat = 21.8g/meal, 65.5g/day Fiber = 14-18 g/meal, 42-53 g/day Based on that here’s the plan…. Goal 1 - DIET: Eat to live vs. Live to eat!?! Fit-Joe days will be boring! Eat a pre-planned meal strategy that gets the job done and hits the meal/daily macros. Fun-Joe days are pre-scheduled days off due to holidays, vacations, etc. Do NOT go crazy but stop counting everything. Falling off the wagon does NOT count as a Fun-Joe day it’s a FAILURE! Goal 2 - EXERCISE: Similar to last challenge, Add light cardio or “long†run on sunday. Maybe cut back to 3 sets/exercise and add in boxing/Jump rope/etc. to the end of the workout. Goal 3 - NO EXCUSES: Join in the Mini-Challenges!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I’ve never really gotten into the mini-challenges. I’m always “too busy†or “just barely meeting MY goals†to add more to my plate. Those are excuses not valid reasons. So my goal is to attempt every mini-challenge. I may not make it. In fact I probably won’t but I’ll try. Finally, I must admit I have done HORRIBLY during the break. I’m not happy about it. I had a reunion with some friends from college and though I don’t regret any of my choices while there before the reunion I just fell back into bad habits. Now after a rough break week I already know I’m going to have a rough week 1. I have not been able plan out my macros/meals and I’m running around like a mad man trying to get ready for our big camping trip this weekend. So, I’m not going to beat myself for week 1 and will hopefully make up for it the rest of the challenge.

hello! I started IIFYM just over a week or so, and I have a relatively good grasp on it save for one portion. my macros are currently: 114p/46f/245c at a calorie count of 1848. pretty much every day I go over (usually by at least 10g) in my fats, and under in my carbs, but I always hit my protein. does anyone know if I can hit my protein and fat and then eat whatever's left to meet my calorie count - eg, the "not so good for you" things everyone always boasts about with IIFYM, which would probably push my fats up even more, or should I try and crank up my carbs to match once I've hit or exceeded the other two? I'm always in the right calorie count, so I'm not worried about going over that or anything. any help is appreciated!

Ok...so I'm scared of meat. Which is a problem for my goals of going from skinny-fat to fit and toned. I've been a "flexi-tarian" for awhile. Mostly vegetarian...I'll eat meat from local sources....but living/working/having a degree in agriculture...mass produced/processed meat scares me to death. I cannot, CANNOT go in to the local grocery store and buy chicken without freaking out about the chlorine it was processed in to kill the bacteria...and the percentage of food-borne illness that comes from meat... Yeah. So meat, in general, scares me. That's issue #1. The good news is that I'm very fortunate to live near locally owned co-op's and stores that carry local meats. However most of the cheaper options are beef. And I'm a grad student...and I'm poor. And then this leads to issue #2. Red meat and heart disease/colon cancer. The reason I'm upping the protein is because running for years hasn't given me the muscle. I don't think just lifting without changing my diet will help either. It's pretty carb heavy but 90% natural, home made, vegetable related stuff. We rarely eat out and I cook a ton. No frozen dinners, no boxed stuff, just...food. But usually a lot more veggies than meat/protein. So I've been looking at/trying iifym....but not the cookies and pizza version...more like the fish, beef, veggies, etc. So clean eating iifym? Maybe it's closer to paleo but I haven't researched paleo that much...and I love cheese... I'm rambling. Sorry. So my question/issue is....do you worry about the long-term impacts of protein as far as heart health and cancer? Do you eat more white meats/fish and avoid red meat? Anyone out there doing mostly vegetarian proteins? Do you have meat at every meal?? Going from MAYBE eating meat twice a month...to every day, let alone twice a day, is just...freaking me out a lot. Is anyone out there doing a vegetarian high-protein diet? I'd love your thoughts/suggestions. Anyone on MFP that want's to share their food diary? All protein related health thoughts welcome. I get that you can be lean and fit on high protein....I just wonder long term about cancer, etc. Thanks. -Courtney

I dunno .. because it’s time for Dr. Who .gifs? This challenge will encompass the final realization of the Big Picture Goal I’ve been working toward for months and months, as well as one of the two ‘back home’ vacations I have planned for this Spring/Summer. The Big Picture Goal I’m sticking with my overarching goal - Mudderella. Mudderella is on the 10th and I need to continue what I’m doing in order to be able to finish without dying. Allons-y! Goal 1 Fitness, per usual. I will finish my HasFit Hero 90 program 2 weeks into this challenge cycle, and after that I will be increasing my interval training using Zombies, Run! and creating my own program based on the HasFit platform - incorporating 1 day of yoga with 2 days of Zombies, and 2 days of strength training per week. Goal 2 Stick with my moar metrics agenda. It’s an oldie, but a goodie. Goals are the usual 100 grams or under of carbs, 70 grams or over of protein and 1500 or so calories. I’m still tracking food with My Fitness Pal and exercise, sleep and water intake with the FitBit Flex. Metrics make me happy. Goal 3 I should probably throw a creativity goal in here … I need to paint some tea towels for my brother’s wedding - and I also would like to finish something — like throw pillow covers, or the dress i started working on 2 years ago. Or that scarf my poor hubbs didn't get to wear this year because I am a slacker. Life Goal More culling and organizing. Everything fits in the new place just fine thanks to last cycle's cleaning/organizing goal, but I think I’m ready to move toward the type of house look I actually like - minimalism. I have a bunch of stuff I can jettison that I'm only really keeping out of some bizarre sense of 'these are the things people have' and 'I've had this thing for 30 years!' It's time to unload some crap, while keeping in mind that I don't need to get rid of all the things. And those damn DVDs. I still haven't finished addressing building a user-friendly spreadsheet for those damn DVDs. Diet Side Goal Let’s not fall completely apart while on vacation, shall we? I’d like to avoid going crazy this year and feeling like utter shit halfway through the trip because of the amount of crap I’m pouring into my body. This is a pass/fail goal. Gratuitous Time Lord Imagery And just for funsies

Hi guys! I've been working on a spreadsheet full of nutritional information for the foods I eat for the past couple of weeks (which is generally the sort of thing a UK vegetarian might eat). Then I wanted to share it, because it's been making my life easier, so I added various other foods like meat and fish. There are many vegetables and nuts. Here's what is hopefully a link to the google doc: Shiny Nutritional Information Spreadsheet If that worked, please make a copy so you can have your own personalised sheet. I have never created a google doc before and have no idea what I am doing, so if that link is broken please shout at me with some way to let you view it! (Otherwise, PM me a contact email and I can send you the excel file!)

Just a question about proper protien intake and how much is enough. First some background information: female25 yrs old5'7157 lbs (71.2 kg)beginner weight lifter, been lifting less than a month, weights are very light (less than 100 lbs on squat and OHP, still practicing deadlift form)My current intake is less 100g per day, but according to most of what I'm seeing, it should be more than that, like somewhere in the 120g-140g range. However, my lifts are going up, while I'm eating at a deficit, and I know for certain that I'm at a deficit, because I started at 165 lbs 2 months ago. My main concern is not wanting to lose any muscle mass. So my question is, am I getting enough protien, or are my lifts going up only because I'm so new?

Strangely I haven't really thought much about what to do with this challenge. Other than further developing my healthy lifestyle. But then I have a Lit Review due Sunday. This is a first draft for this challenge. I want some ideas in place, and by writing something down I am starting the process. Goal One: Complete the Armstrong Beginner's programme. I want to start working towards my pull up goal. The advantage here is that it includes doing push ups, so I can capitalise on my victory from last challenge. I will add full burpees to this routine as well. One max rep set for now. I do believe there will be a pull up PvP, I will add the link here when it becomes available. Here it is I will keep doing my hammer routine and kettlebell routine once per week each as well. So that will equal five workouts per week. With the Armstrong programme being Monday, Wednesday, Friday. The kettlebell will be Tuesday and the Hammer will be on Thunresdaeg [Thursday]. The day of Thunar the Hammer wielding God. Strength +3 Stamina +1 Goal Two: I need to get that Bodyfat percentage dropping further. This needs to be done via diet. I need to get my daily carb intake below 40% and my Protein intake above 20%. I am not too worried about number of calories as much as I am about my macros intake. If I can change these two, I will have made some major alterations to my diet. Which will hopefully result in a drop in that body fat percentage. Constitution +3 Wisdom +1 More later. Later: Goal Three: I still need to focus on my studies, to not include them would be stupid [to put it bluntly] on my part. I will record when I have listened to my weekly lecture [online correspondence], when I have completed my required readings, and added to the online discussions. Wisdom +4 My Side Quest will be the RPG Fanatics campaign, along with the Rangers mini challenges. 3 points attributed to where I am most challenged by these.

Is it important to follow recommended macros for weight loss? I understand that calories are NOT all created equal but when using a calculator like iifym.com, I get a recommended protein intake of 141g per day which seems like a heck of a lot to me compared to the suggested 68g by myfitnesspal. I'm just a little confused.

Hi Rangers! I actually googled the word "ranger" and found an interesting set of definitions that match my challenge goals. Neato! Main Quest: To run a marathon (plus about 100 other things ) Goal 1: Run faster or "a person or thing that wanders or rangers over a particular area or domain" Before I start training for distance, I need to get faster. Nobody wants to run a marathon in 5 hours because that’s just a long time. I recently ran 2 miles of intervals in about 9:18/mile. So for now, I will run easy on Tuesdays (~3 miles/30mins), intervals on Thursdays (~3 miles/30mins), and a long run on the weekend (~6 miles). Every run earns me a pt. Total pts possible: 18 Goal 2: Eat better or "a keeper of a park, forest, or area of countryside" (kind of a stretch I know. But lots of park rangers know a ton about what's edible and what's not!) Macros! I recently discovered counting macros and realized I was overeating fat, undereating carbs and protein. I calculated my macros from IIFYM.com. Macros are a target and there will be days that I miss my macros because of life. I’m going to say that anything +/- 20% of my macro target is a problem. So that looks like this: Protein 160 g (128/192) Fat: 64 g (51/76) Carbs: 288 g (230/345) If I’m in that range, I get to keep 3 pts per day. If I miss one of the ranges, I subtract a point. Total pts possible: 126 Goal 3: Get stronger or "a member of a body of armed men" (note the emphasis on armed. I want to be an armed lady!) I want to continue to gain strength in my upper body. Right now I’m doing MWF upper body; Chest/Tris, Back/Bis, Shoulders/Abs. Heavy weight, 6-8 reps, mostly dumbbells but some cables as well. Bodyweight abs. Every workout I get a pt. Total pts possible: 18 Life Quest Post up recipes! I make a lot of food and a lot of good food. I often find the recipes from the interwebs but I should post them up and discuss whether they were good, what I changed, etc. This should involve pictures because everyone likes food porn. Once a week, I’ll post up a new recipe that I’m trying (new to this thread) and basically review it. This earns me a bonus pt. Total pts possible: 6 I'm trying to be more lenient this challenge because I'm moving March 1-3 and will probably be eating pizza and not working out. But that's okay, that's life! I'm not going to set "grades" for myself on this challenge, but obviously strive for 100%. First things first, who is your favorite ranger? Strider from LotR? Jon Snow from GoT? Others I've yet to discover?

About the moon-a and the June-a and the Spring-a… I love to sing-a! Something about the calendar flipping over to January makes my brain go, “Yay, Spring soon! Now? How ‘bout now?†Hence the sing-a. I had thought about sitting out this challenge due to an iffy work schedule, but the thought of being more prepared for dusting the bikes off in warmer weather just appeals to me. I’m going to go for it, but updates might be a bit sporadic other than the weeklies. Main Quest My main quest is to improve my body fat percentage, specifically by dropping some more of this weight. I have my intake set to lose 0.5 pound a week, so I’m aiming for 3 pounds by the end. Extra loss would be groovy, but I’m hesitant to set up a bigger deficit because resistance training requires moar fuel. Sub-goals to help with this quest are as follows: Dial in the Diet. I log everything on MFP and want to stay green (meaning at or under the goal number) on calories and carbs while meeting or exceeding my protein and fat macros. This is going to take some planning and is unlikely to be 100% green, but I really feel it will help the main goal. For weekly grading, green days totaling at least 90% = A, 80% = B, 70% = C. Activate the Rest Days. This goal is related to last challenge because it’s still something I need to work on. What I’d like to do is throw in some cardio on at least two of my off days to make them active, either on the stationary bike (30 min) or with a long walk/jog (at least 5k total steps for the day). For weekly grading, 3 days = A, 2 days = B, 1 day = C. Build the Endurance. My cardiovascular health is kind of crap because I was sedentary for so long and for some reason have always had a very fast resting heart rate. I’ve been making progress with intervals on the elliptical, increasing resistance and speed while keeping my HR within healthy parameters. For weekly grading, HR under 140 = A, under 150 = B, under 160 = C. Life Quest Get up early and at the same time every morning. My alarm is set for 6:00 a.m., and for months I’ve been turning it off and going back to sleep until hubs wakes me up at 7:40. I will stop being lame and get my ass up to accomplish more stuff in the mornings. Motivation The last challenge felt pretty blargh for me, so I’ve got an axe to grind on this one. Maintaining over the holidays was a pretty good feat, but I really want to get somewhere this time. My inner badass wants out. Stats Measurements as of January 5... Height—5'3.5 Weight—Starting, 162.8 lb. (because I indulged in holiday piggery and I'm not even sorry) Neck—Starting, 13.25 in. Waist—Starting, 35 in. Hips—Starting, 42.5 in. Forearm—Starting, 9.1 in. Bicep—Starting, 11.7 in. Thigh—Starting, 24.25 in. Calf—Starting, 14.1 in. Time to move that butt!

So on the iifym calculator I should be eating 114 protein, 280 carbs and 36 fat for maintaining, but I'm always going over my fat and coming short on my carbs and protein. Do these numbers seem reasonable or a little off? I'm 5'2", 120 and am active almost everyday between lifting, running and doing martial arts.

So I've never been one to count calories, but I started reading about macronutrients and I thought it sounded like a good idea. So, I downloaded the fitocracy macros app. I have multiple issues with it, but my biggest issue is that you have to choose either a training day or a rest day. I'm active everyday, but some days I'm a lot more active than others. My week looks like this, Mondays and Wednesday I have one hour Judo class that's fairly low key and two hours of Hapkido club. Tuesday and Thursdays I run 2 miles, have Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Jeet Kune Do classes, 2 hours of Hapkido club and 2 hours of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu club. Saturday I do 2 hours of Hapkido training and 2 hours of Jiu-Jitsu. Friday, Saturday and Sunday I lift for about an hour and Sunday I run 2 miles. So I feel that my macros would change depending on how much I'm doing that day. So would I count Monday, Tuesday and Friday as my rest days, since I'm doing less? Or is there a better way to calculate or even a better app?

Well, how to begin. Up until one week ago today I knew my goals for this challenge. I was excited at my progress to date and looking forward to what more I would accomplish. A friend of mine told me that, 'Life is what happens while your busy making plans' Seriously, no truer words have been spoken. Warning: If your of the squeamish kind you might want to skip the next part. (sorry) One week before this challenge started, I got up and put in a fantastic workout and was getting in my fluids and meals and feeling thrilled at what seemed a very productive day. Then everything changed drastically. Within a little while of one of my meals I felt off. Kind of yucky. Then suddenly I felt a pressure and stabbing pain located in my left hip area. I thought it was merely a gas bubble trapped and tried to ignore it. Within a few more hours I found myself on my hands and knees in tears at the amount of pain tearing up my abdomen and centered in that left hip. And it was when I placed my hand to my hip and found a large lump that I knew something more serious was wrong and headed to the emergency room. Within hours I was headed into surgery for a severe incarcerated hernia. Simply put, my abdomen muscle in my lower hip/ groin area had opened a hole and my lower intestine had pushed through and become pinched off, cutting off circulation and forcing them to remove a section and put it back together. They also used mesh to reinforce the muscle area that had weakened. I spent 5 days in the hospital only allowed ice and morphine. I never knew what a hernia was before- I do now. Bad news, my plans for this challenge are no longer possible. Good news, I'm not giving up. So, I have a 4-6 week recovery period before I can even hope to get close to what I was doing. And I am kind of grasping in the dark as to what direction I take with this. But, I will find that path and make as much progress forward as possible. With my friend/ mentor Donar helping me, and my accountability partner Vilkacis, and the support of all my friends here supporting me I won't let this be the end of my recomp. Just a new beginning. So, my driving motivation is to return to my recomp and get back to where I was before this setback. My life goal being to complete that recomp. As for the three main goals for this challenge, as of right now they are: Macros: First and foremost, as nutrition is key as Donar has told me. These will be redone according to my new activity level. And I will have to ease into them as I am having to get my body to accept food again after the surgery and no eating for 5 days. Fluids: A goal to meet 128 oz minimum per day. Again I will have to spend this first week easing back into this. My plan is by week 2-6 to be getting this in daily. To reinstitute some kind of physical activity. This will be something I have to figure out as I go since no heavy lifting is not allowed for 4-6 weeks. I do plan on putting in a walk every morning to gradually strengthen the muscle in that area back up. I am hoping to add some kind of partial body weight exercises in by weeks 2-6. For now this is where I am and what I am aiming for. I will update things as the weeks go by and I find what I am capable of week by week. I am also not going to incorporate a weekly grade so much as an overall grade since things are somewhat vague. If anyone who reads this has ever been through this and wants to offer advice it is welcome. My best wishes to all on their new challenges!

Main quest: Get to a body fat percentage of 25% as measured by http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/mbf/ (If someone has a better body fat % calculator – let me know!) Current stats: Height: 5’6.5†Weight: 161.2lbs Body fat %: 29.2 Measurements Waist (at belly button): 33†Natural waist: 31.3†Hips: 38.0†Neck: 13†Wrist: 6†Thigh: 21.5†Bicep: 10.5†This challenge I will be working on hitting my planned macros every day. If diet and nutrition are 80% of the fat loss game than it would make sense for it to be 80% of my goals. I will be focusing on being below 1750 calories and the following macro goals: Goal 1: Protein. Above 161 (or BW as it changes) grams. 175 grams is 40% and I think more ideal but eating more protein has been a work in progress. Grading: 6 or 7 days at >161 grams A; 5 days B; 4 days C; <4 days F Goal 2: Fat. Below or at 49 grams (25%). Grading: 6 or 7 days at <49 grams A; 5 days B; 4 days C; <4 days F Goal 3: Carbs. Below or at 153 grams (35%). Grading: 6 or 7 days at <153 grams A; 15 days B; 4 days C; <4 days F If any of these goals look off to anyone from their own fat loss experience please let me know! I am here to learn and have only begun experimenting with my macros. I have also planned the grading of this goal to allow for some fun on Thanksgiving! I will be going to three T-day celebrations, two will be home-cooked and one will be at a greek restaurant. In order to keep up with my goals I won’t be able to let loose all three meals but might be able to snag a piece of pie during one of them Side quest: Continue lifting or doing bodyweight work 3x/week and at least one additional HIIT session (preferably two). I’m going to focus on progressing pistol squats and pushups. For ankle mobility and because I can’t do a real pushup. I’m hoping that focusing on the diet part of fat loss will get me into some healthy habits. Until now, my goals have been more exercise related and that is now a habit for me. I need to continue doing it so that it stays that way but it’s not a challenge anymore. I also have another side life quest to not smoke cigarettes Mon-Thurs. I had been cutting down to 2 cigs/day during the week and recently started adding back in my “lunch cig†which isn’t good. I haven’t had a cigarette since Monday evening (that’s 4 days, folks!). I will be having them tonight though. Don’t be mad. And there you have it! Let’s do this thing!

In an effort to keep track of everything I am doing on my journey to the ab holy grail, I'll use this single log for all of my quests. No need to split it into different threads to search through in the future. Official Start Date - December 1, 2013 Weight - 143.6 lbs Measurements: Waist - 29 1/5" Bust - 34" Right arm - 10 1/4" (relaxed), 11" (flexed) Left arm - 10 1/4" (relaxed), 11" (flexed) Hips - 40 3/4" Right thigh - 21" Left thigh - 21" Belly (right below belly button) - 31 7/8" 1690 calories Protein - 35% / 145 g / 583 cal Carbs - 35% / 150 g / 600 cal Fats - 30 % / 56 g / 507 cal Measurements, and any macro updates will be logged in this initial post after each quest. Update pictures will also be included.

Hey guys! I've read the article about Staci's story, and although it was truly inspiring and motivational, the diet part didn't help much just because I'm not big on going Paleo. I began powerlifting about 4 months ago. I really want to compete eventually. My biggest goal right now is to get my body fat percentage down and get my strength up!! I'm currently counting macros to a T and training daily (with one rest day/week) using a powerlifting split. I am a 21 year old female college student. I'm 5'5", 136lbs, 22% body fat (I want to get down to about 14% body fat!!). My current daily macro and calories breakdown is: Carbs: 94g Fat: 50g Protein: 169g Calories: 1500 That's a 25%/30%/45% breakdown. And if it matters, my bench/squat/deadlift (REPPING!) is: 8X85/12X180/8X180 --> I've only maxed out on squats and my 1RM is currently 245! Keep in mind I just started lifting about 4 months ago!! I'm looking for any advice, comments, concerns, or suggestions about my current plan. I want to get strong and lean!! Thanks for reading and thanks for your feedback!! Abby

I am a newbie. I started crossfit and paleo about a month ago. I am still learning new things everyday. I dont know if this is a stupid question, but here it goes. What are macros? I hear people talking about it all the time, and it confuses me. Can someone help me understand this?

2 C raw spinach 1 large carrot 1/2 C sliced cucumber 1/2 medium avocado 1T Chia seeds 1 T Flax seeds 1/2 C of Plain Greek yogurt (the nutrient info is for nonfat) This, folks, is the "ish" 2 T eggwhite powder 1 C unsweetened almond milk. (Or more, this is THICK. Brick house THICK) Ice if you are like me and everything except hot coffee tastes better cold. Iced coffee, of course, tastes better cold. Pulverize in your favorite machine that does all the pulverizing. I like my Nutribullet. I don't add fruit, because I am keeping carbs low, so it is pretty bland. Knock yourself out if you aren't watching carbs. Nutrients: calories 406 Total fat: 26 Poly: 9 Mono: 9 Sodium: 443 Potassium 1135 mg (WOOT!!!!) Total carbs: 27 Fiber: 16 Sugars : 7 Protein: 29 Calcium 60% (WOOT!) Iron 22% I am proctoring an exam, or I'd look up the magnesium, but it's up there too. One of these for breakfast, and I don't really need to worry about micros for the rest of the day, and it helps bump my calories into the proper range.

Just what are they, exactly – and how do I use them to reach my weight loss/body fat reduction goals?

I had a DEXA scan yesterday (body composition). Part of the analysis is a chat with a doctor about goals and a recommendation on Macros to support those goal. My goal is the holy grail....primarily fat loss but also muscle growth. Results were: Weight = 81kg (178 pounds) BF% = 18.5% Recommended Macros = 169g protein, 206g Carbs, 111g fat. 2 things came up which smell a bit of Conventional Wisdom so I would like to get some opinions on the following: 1. Any more than 40g of protein in one sitting is not useful to the body and not worth ingesting. 2. This recommended carbs number of 206g is a lot more than I have been eating recently. He told me to get these carbs from brown rice and oats. Is this a reasonable number and a good source? Are there better sources of carbs?