Did You Know You Probably Need To Eat MORE To Lose Weight
– Here’s Why It’s Essential To Track Your Macros for at least 3 Days
I can’t tell you how valuable it will be to know what you’re eating – because trust me, it’s likely less than what you think in terms of calories, or macros – proteins, fats and carbs.
Now, when I say once, I’ll define what I mean here. ‘Once’ in the context of this blog will refer to tracking your calories for a minimum of 3 days and should include at least one day on the weekend (Ex. Thursday, Friday, Saturday).
In terms of how to track and what apps or programs to use, I’ll suggest some at the end, so for now, let’s get started!
5 Reasons To Track Your Calories
- Know How Much or How Little You’re Consuming On A Daily Basis
If you recall from my blog post, “The Slippery Slope of Under-Eating” there are a lot of people that under eat on a daily basis, sometimes up to 1,000 calories a day! Done over a long period of time, the body’s hormonal profile and modus operandi changes to survival mode by storing the calories it does get into fat and no amount of high intensity exercise will change that. Knowing if you’re consuming too little or too many calories each day can give you some insight into what actions need to be taken to ensure you’re getting the right quantity of energy, which is what food is. The breakdown of macronutrients is a key component to understanding how much or how little of certain foods you should be eating.
- Increase Awareness Around What Foods Will Fuel Your Body Properly
Once you understand the quantity of food you should be eating each day, the next step to look at food selection. Selecting the right foods can be crucial to getting just the right amount of energy you need to thrive. For example, your macronutrient profile may suggests that you need to eat 150 grams of protein minimum per day, but you also need to keep your fat below 100 grams per day.
- The More Data You Have Around The Food You Eat, The Better Choices You Can Make
The more data you uncover about how much you’re eating and which foods help you thrive to achieve your goals, the easier it can be to start recognizing the difference between good and poor food choices. Take the previous example about needing to keep your daily fat content to 100 grams or under each day so you get enough protein and carbs – this is something I have to focus on, it’s not just you. In my 3 day diet tracking I have the data that shows that breakfast one day was a total of 691 calories (31g protein, 105g carb, 21g fat) that consisted of 2oz of lean grass-fed ground beef, 1 cup cooked rice, 280g of organic sweet potato, and 8oz of chia pudding, while another day’s breakfast was 799 calories (26g protein, 60g carb, 44g fat) consisting of 2 beef empanadas, 16oz of egg scramble, and 2 protein muffins. (Remember, these examples are part of my own macro tracking, so bear in mind that your meals might not be as large as mine). Now you know that starting the day out with leaner meats, prioritizing protein and consuming items lower in fat can set you up of a more balanced day of nutrition, thereby allowing you to make better food choices in the future.
- Understanding What Your Body Needs To Thrive Is Empowering
You’re now empowering yourself to continue down the path of making choices that enrich your life. The data doesn’t lie… but if you don’t track you don’t know!
Understanding and eating healthy food is just the beginning of your journey to find out what else is possible to live the life you want. This knowledge can lead you to completely changing your social habits, how you spend your time, what you think is important and what you choose to share with others.
- Body Composition Changes Can Only Happen With Focused Attention To That Goal
One of the core values of REGENERATE Strength is that we believe commitment and personal responsibility yield the best results. This is certainly true with the desire for body composition changes. This final reason to give calorie tracking a try is to have the understanding that changes can only come with focused attention to a desired outcome. You have the power to make it happen, but sometimes some of us need a little push or to be steered the right direction. If you’re unsure where to start, hiring a Coach is a great first step in the process, and yes, remember, this is a process, a journey.
If you’re wanting to be 95+% accurate with your tracking, then I would use Cronometer, otherwise, MFP can suffice.
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