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Counting Calories
Health | January 30, 2015
Counting calories is unnecessary in my opinion and rather pay attention to my portion sizes which gives me an easier way to measure the right amount of food I eat on a daily basis. Counting calories can still be a great tool for someone who seems to have a problem reaching their goals. For example, a 30 year old woman that has always been skinny, who’s trying to put on some muscle, but can’t put on any weight even tho she says she “eats a lot”. I have friends like that and they all have two things in common:
1. They all feel like they eat a lot.
2. They actually don’t eat enough.
You could be also one of the very rare cases with some type of rare condition that is preventing you from any weight gain, but before you jump into any conclusions, it would be wise to check the numbers.
First you have to find out what “Activity Level” you’re at. There are 3 levels:
1. Sedentary – minimal exercise, maybe yoga or aerobic exercise, mostly sitting at work.
2. Moderately active – sedentary job, but following ZGYM’s workout schedule daily.
3. Very active – Doing 2 ZGYM workouts daily, or following ZGYM daily plus doing a lot of sports and activities, having an active job, basically moving all day long and doing high intensity workouts regularly.
Once you figure out what is your activity level, we can calculate how many calories a day you should be eating based on your goal. Here’s an easy to use calorie estimator:
To demonstrate how this works in practice, let’s have a look at a couple of examples.
Example #1:
A 150lb, moderately active ZGYM member interested in fat loss would begin by taking in between 1800 (150lb x 12) and 2100 (150lbs x 14) calories a day.
Example #2:
A 120lb very active ZGYM member interested in muscle gain would start by taking in between 2400 (120lb x 20) and 2640 (120lbs x 22) calories a day.
**please note that these guidelines are really only helpful if you’re eating clean, nutrient-rich foods – for example #1 if you eat 2100 calories a day of fast food or junk snacks then it’s doubtful you’ll lose much, if any, weight at all
Zuzka’s tip:
If you look at your grocery list, I can guarantee you that most of us stick to about 20 basic ingredients (it better be super foods) that we buy on a weekly basis. If you get familiar with your favorite foods, and learn the amount of calories that they contain, you’ll always be able to tell how many calories are approximately in the meals that you make out of these ingredients.
Private Member |
This is a lot of good information Z, thank You so much:)
So if someone wants to lose fat and gain muscle, should I follow the weight gain, or maintanance?
Private Member |
I bet you ate that cupcake after you took your best shot! 😀
Private Member |
lake tahoe, nv, usa
Hahaha I don’t eat my props 🙂
Private Member |
lake tahoe, nv, usa
I’d start with maintenance and adjust the carb/protein/fat ratio first.
Private Member |
sounds cool, thank you 🙂
Private Member |
toronto, canada
I usually wake up every morning and do your workout then breakfast then i do taebo after then lunch what do u suggest i should eat that is fast and on the go for breakfast and lunch i normally do 2 boiled eggs woth a cup of mixed berries and yogurt and silvered almonds on top and lunch i have mixed veggies with chicken since i am very busy i dont have alot of time to prep and cook is there anything i should change or incorporate im guessing carbs but i want to lose weight fast 30lbs ! Lol please help 🙂 Xo
Private Member |
moscow, russia
THANK YOU! Thank YOU, Z!!!))
Private Member |
ft. lauderdale, fl, usa
What should the carb/protein/fat ratio look like Z? The goal is the same- lose fat, gain muscle..
Private Member |
hahaha I know what you mean, I have a few friends myself who think they eat ‘a lot’. I always have to laugh about their portion sizes, because they´re literally nothing 🙂
Thanks for posting good stuff all the time. I always check your website first thing in the morning.
Private Member |
For me, it keeps me honest on what I eat. My New Years Resolution was to track my calories every day. Knowing I have to account for what I eat makes me really think about my food choices. I use a free app on my phone to track calories in (what I ate), calories out (what I burned off working out), and percentage breakdown of macronutrients (my goal is 40% carbs, 30% protein, 30% fat).
I think it’s important to mention there is new research showing that not all calories are created equal. A 100-calorie Twinkie is not equivalent to 100 calories from half an apple and a teaspoon of peanut butter. To be healthy, the quality of the calorie is as important as the total of calories consumed.
If I meet someone struggling to lose weight, I always suggest that they download one of the many free calorie-counting apps and track calories for a few days. It’s an easy way to see if they’re eating too much or too little or maybe they’re getting too much of one type of macronutrient. Whether they continue to track calories is different story, but it can shine a lot of light on where their weight-loss problem may lie.
Private Member |
What carb/protein/fat ratio do you suggest? I’ve been doing 30% protein, 20% carb and 50% fat.
Private Member |
I’ll add in that I’m a waitress 5 days a week in the morning for 4 hours a day. I follow the zgym schedule. I weigh between 125-127 and am 5’6″ at the age of 27. The waitressing throws me off so much because some days are extremely busy and other days are it so much.
Private Member |
May I ask you Zuzka, how (approximately) many grams of carbs do you eat on your regular day? Thank you for reply:)
Private Member |
lake tahoe, nv, usa
I don’t count my carbs in grams, and track my portion sizes instead. I don’t care how many carbs come from veggies, but if I do have starchy/sugary carbs I like to keep it under 50g a day.
Private Member |
Hoops Zuzka I guess I do eat some carbs, I don’t count calories any more like I used to. I purchased smaller plates so I don’t fill out too much . This is related to my previous post, sorry if I confused you. Ciao
Private Member |
Hi Zuzka :)awesome post!!! Maybe you can help me figuring out whats going on…I’m actually stuck with my weight…I’m 5ft n 92lb..I’ve been trying to loose 5lb, I’m doing the Zgym 6 days I don’t eat carbs, I eat a lot of protein n plenty of veggies, salads n so on. Any ideas? Thanks so much for helping us warriors. Ciao Bella 🙂
Private Member |
waco, tx, usa
I’m not Zuzka, but i had a thought. Sounds like you’re pretty active and eat very clean, so there isn’t much room for improvement. Your body may be hanging on to that 5 lbs because it needs to maintain your muscle. If you can, try to focus instead on how your clothes fit and your muscle tone/shape instead of a number on the scale. You will be a lot happier in the long run!
Private Member |
Thanks Cheverly! !! (Cool name btw) I wish it was that easy but unfortunately I”m stuck with the numbers thing! I’ll work on that . Thanks so much for your reply. take care warriors 🙂
Private Member |
seattle, washington
You sound like you are near ideal weight now. Why the 5#? I’m with Cheverly here. Don’t worry about 5 #! Worry that the pants you just bought don’t fit because you have too much muscle! 🙂
Private Member |
Thanks Chris 🙂 but I’ll feel better loosing the 5lb I have to reach my goal when you’re small in stature every pound counts. Hope you understand where I’m coming from but I appreciate your thoughts . Thanks so much, take care 🙂
Private Member |
switzerland/, france
I am with you Angela, the last few pounds are always the toughest….feels like impossible, and everybody stares at you clueless why you wanna loose fat ?! At this stage I don’t share anymore with my surrounding.
Some say(pros) that if you are constantly in low/no carb mode, and/or low calorie, your body will hold even more to the last pounds (thinking we are in starvation). To kill them, you need to signal your hormones (leptin) that everything is OK once in a while and get a cheat day/meal.(my problem is that I tend to have them too often) I love Shaun Hadsall videos (get lean in 12) as he is getting very precise and strategic. Once I’ll get my ideal weight and fitness level, I’ll apply Zuzka’s general advice that suite for maintenance level …well IMO, that’s how I feel it for me.All those info are generally looking, quite the same, but the little differences might do the trick. Let me know.
Private Member |
Laila, thanks for the site. I like what he has to say. I’m ckng out hie recipes looks delicious. Thanks for understanding will let you know what happens. 🙂 take care
Private Member |
What about eating frequently? Personnaly it’s not my cup of tea but I wrote to every single bodybuilder I saw on Instagram and they told me this. Maybe 6 meals a day (even though it’s though) will boost metabolism? I’m trying to loose my last few pound (especially around my hips) and be muscular. I’m following low carb diet. I eat low GI fruits and I’m gluten intorelarant so my carb intake is pretty limited. Normally I eat 3 or 4 times in a day, on weekends I eat 2 times (I don’t feel hungry btw). Maybe like Laila said our bodies think that we’re in starvation. I started today eat several times even if I’m afraid of damaging my body with blood sugar pikes. Let’s see what it will bring.
Private Member |
curitiba, parana, brazil
Hi Zuzka, nice articles. Could you tell us more about super foods and the 20 basic ingredients you mentioned. What good foods we should be eating, including carbs, proteins, fruits and nuts? Thanks a lot.
Private Member |
I was just think the same thing! Zuzka, maybe this would be good for coffe talk! Or shoot one of your grocery runs and show all the essentials that you always have/need in your fridge and pantry! Loved the last couple health posts! Very helpful!
Private Member |
waco, tx, usa
She did this once! I can’t remember the name of the post or when it was, but I think it was under the nutrition tab and toward the beginning of those posts.
Private Member |
Wow, 1800 to 2100 calories per day for a 150 lb woman wanting to lose weight? I can’t even imagine…that seems sooo high. I must be doing something very wrong.