[BullDog]

Gemme, no I am just using a simple spreadsheet. I am signed up for a few of those online trackers, and I know they have apps for phones, but I just never seem to log my stuff into those and never really learned how to use them to plan ahead like I can with my spreadsheet. I am sure the online and app trackers would work better for almost everyone.

Thanks for the tip Kelt. If I want to go to something more extensive later I will definitely consider it.

So I just have a simple spreadsheet. The first sheet is a master list of foods that I have on hand to eat, with serving size, number of calories, and grams of protein, carbs and fat. I am going with a 40-40-20 (protein, carbs, fat) which is a high protein diet but only eating lean forms of protein like turkey and chicken breast.

Then the other tabs are just each day where I plan out my meals and snacks. I am eating 5 to 6 times per day. I just copy items from the master list or meals/snacks from a different day and have running totals at the bottom of the spreadsheet and tweak it until my numbers come out right. It took a while to get all the info, but now it is mostly copy and paste, and adding a few new food items a week to the master list. I like just opening up my spreadsheet and planning my food that way. It's like making a to do list.

Once I have some food combinations that I like and that work well with my calories and ratios, I can just use them again on a different day. I really don't mind eating a lot of the same stuff over and over, so it works fine for me.

Now I just have to see how my body adjusts- if I am losing as much weight as I want and still getting stronger and able to do my weight lifting and other exercise. And yes, Kelt that is why I am tracking. I want to know how my body responds to what I eat and exercise so that I can meet my goals and develop good long term habits. So far it is working and I feel great!