Food!

Food.  I really like food.  I think it's probably one of my favorite things.  I like to have some of it as often as possible, and usually as much as possible each time.  sometimes more than 4 or 5 times a day i like to have some.  How about you?  Do you like food?  Most people do.  Yet, for most people, we don't really get a ton of training how on how to manage this very effectively.  Some people are lucky, it seems no matter what they eat, it never catches up with them.  Other people, not so lucky.  I don't know much, but let me share with you what i do know about how to love food in a way that will make sure it loves you back.


First off, on a top level, you need to watch how much food you eat total on a daily basis.  This we are all mostly familiar with, you calculate how many calories your body burns in a day just siting there (this is called your BMR), and then you shoot for less or more than that based on your weight goals.  Use this site to calculate your BMR:  http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/
Now that the top level is taken care of, let's talk a little more in detail of the TYPES of calories you should be eating.  There are three main types you've got to watch, as I see it.  Protein, Carbs, and Fat.  And you measure each as a ratio of total calories against your daily max, as calculated from your BMR.  So if you want to lose weight, you eat less than your BMR.  If you want to gain weight, eat more.  If you work out, those get subtracted from the calories you've eaten.  Get it so far?  Simple stuff.
Now, for the ratio's, I like to follow P90X recommended ratio's to be honest, which change slightly between P90X, P90X2, insanity, etc.  Again, here is my thoughts.

The links for the info I am referencing will be below, but basically a person should keep to certain boundaries for which types of cal's they are eating.  If you eat 100% carbs, bad news for muscles and you probably won't get the results you want for example.  So depending on your fitness goals, or if you're just trying to lose weight, you need to change these percentages, but a good starting point is 30% protein, 40% carbs, and 30% healthy fats.  Keeping track of all this can be really complicated, so I like to use technology.  I use an app called MyFitnessPal for the iphone (see links).  It's amazing, it tracks calories, percentages, and your BMR vs your current weight.  It also let's you scan in bar codes for common foods and already has most of the info programmed!  SUPER EASY!!  P90X recommends you follow three phases.  The first is called fat shredder, in which you eat 50% protein, 25%carbs, and 25% healthy fats.  This matched with intense exorcise can really burn fat because of the shortage of carbs, you will eventually run out of energy using this so it is not recommended to do it for more than a couple weeks if paired with exorcize.  The second phase and the third phase are modifications on these ratio's.  For example, phase three uses 25% protein, 50% carbs, and 25% fats.  Phase three is what I eat and is designed for someone who is burning a ton of calories due to a high calorie burn workout plan (like training for an IM)

Hope this basic info helps and these links get you going in the right direction!  Please feel free to post links and comments that are helpful too, I am by no means the expert on diet and nutrition.

P90X basic info:
http://www.everydiet.org/diet/p90x-nutrition-plan

Book recommended by a nutritionist to me:
http://www.everydiet.org/diet/fat-burning-bible

MyFitnessPal website, seriously get this app, it's awesome:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/

Here is the MyFitnessPal app website and info:
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/calorie-counter-diet-tracker/id341232718?mt=8

Good luck and happy food eating n' stuff!