[narcsarge]

Damn PJ! You are starting to sound like me! I use the whole "car engine" anology all the time. I too can not be bothered with counting each friggin' calorie and I hater feeling "restricted" in diet. Therefore, just as you have stated, I eliminate all the unnecessary calories (sugars, sweets, fats, bad oils, bad carbs) and concentrate on whole grains, lean meats, and lots of fresh veggies and fruits. I too, eat several meals a day and all are about the same proportion of protein, carbs, and fats. I tend to read calorie counts and look at the protein/carb/fat breakdown on packaging. When I was following your heavy routine, I did as everyone suggested and ate like a mad man. I made gains and my numbers were going up constantly. Then, my schedule and routine changed to 19 hour days and there was no way to keep up the routine. So, I backed off to a maintenance diet. Again, no calorie counting, just less calories per meal. Sure my diet could be cleaner but I am not worried about being lean right now. Now, I want to get the numbers back up and the gains moving forward again.