gebrown95

I'm only 19 years old and 135 pounds, but should I be monitoring my nutrition or calorie intake? Or should I just continue cycling and burning off the calories and not worrying about going over?

Many Thanks,
Evan

GeorgeBMac

I think that all depends on what your goals are...

If you believe (rightly or wrongly) that some nutrient or combination of nutrients will make you stronger, faster & better, then monitoring them could be helpful.

But, monitoring nutrition -- even for just a week or month -- can be eye opening and enlightening.

Few people have much real knowledge of what they nutrients they are getting. Even calories: when you measure and track them accurately they are quite often different than what we think they were. Then you go on to the macro nutrients: carbs, fats & protein. Again, what are actually getting is often very different than what we THINK we are getting... But then take it down another level to vitamins, fiber, minerals and such...
... Are you getting enough Vitamin D? it can make a difference.

But to do all that well and easily I think takes a cell phone app. I use MyNetDiary.com as an app on my IPhone and it tells me how I did from day to day, week to week and month to month in as much or as little detail as I want.

You are young. But, a month tracking your nutrition could provide a free education that will serve you well for the rest of your life.

As they say: "we are what we eat" -- but most people don't really know what they are eating. Yes, they know they had a steak and potato and a salad -- but what was really in those things?