When you’re just starting out counting calories and macros it can seem like an impossible task!
With so many different numbers and percentages it can be hard to know which is most important and which will have the greatest impact on getting the results you want.
First things first, don’t worry! It will all come together once you’ve learned a few simple facts.
Just check out the simple step-by-step approach explained in the video below and you should get the hang of tracking your nutrition in no time!
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To recap what we covered in the video, here’s the steps you need to take to take control of your nutrition plan.
1. Get a set of targets to stick to.
First things first, you’re going to need a set of targets — something to aim for.
To get a set of nutrition targets specifically for you, download your free trial for one of our one-to-one training and nutrition packages and use the nutrition calculator included.
Once you have a set of targets, the important numbers that you need to track each day are:
- Total calories
- Proteins
- Fats
- Carbs
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2. Track everything you eat.
Once you have your targets, it’s time to start tracking everything you eat!
Nothing should be left out, if you stuff your face full of junk food you still need to count it!
Leaving out bad foods is just cheating yourself out of getting any results from your hard work — if you’re not seeing progress, you need to understand why that’s happening so you can address that issue!
We recommend inputting the ingredients of your meal before you actually come to cooking it. That way, you know the calories and macros will add up.
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3. Worry about total calories first
The number one thing to worry about is your calories. Focus on getting this right before worrying about anything else!
If you want to know why calories are so important, find out Why You Need to Count Calories to Get Results Fast.
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4. Make sure you get enough protein
The next thing to worry about is getting enough protein.
When we say enough, that doesn’t mean you should go overboard and start consuming every living creature in sight!
You simply need enough protein to build or maintain muscle mass, this is based on your lean body mass and can all be worked out using our nutrition calculator that comes included in our free trials.
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5. Fine tune your fats and carbs
When you have everything else down to a point, you can start to worry about fats and carbs.
How many of each you should eat is dictated by your body type, goals and activity level. There’s no need to get is exact as long as you are somewhere in the right ballpark you should see great results!
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6. Don’t stress too much
Don’t worry about getting it bang on, especially when you’re just starting out. Practice makes perfect!
Aim to get your total daily calories within 100kcal of your target. If you are slightly under or over, don’t worry, it’s not going to make a difference.
When it comes to macros, just do the best you can and aim to get your macros within 5-10% of your targets each day.
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7. Get practicing!
So that’s tracking nutrition explained as simply as possible. If you want to try it for yourself, sign up for a free training package trial and get started!