How to know if you’re eating enough?
When you’re working out consistently, it’s hard to tell how much you should be eating. Clients often ask “how many calories, protein etc. should I be taking in every day?”
It’s actually a LOT easier than you think. First things first, you should start tracking how many calories you’re burning. Weather its an apple watch or something else, having a general idea (even if it’s not perfect) of your activity output every day is crucial.
Now second, what is your goal? Are you looking to gain weight? Lose weight? Be more lean/toned? Get big enough where you have to walk through doorways sideways? What is it that you’re trying to accomplish.
Once you figure out those 2 things, then you’re ready to figure out your metrics.
I suggest using an app to track your food like MyFitnessPal. It’s way easier than sitting there trying to figure out how many grams of protein was in the 2 scoops of greek yogurt you had this morning. You can either scan the product and put your serving amount in, or manually search what you ate. Best part is, once you have a meal saved, you can continually add the same meal without having to re-enter foods. Being you should be eating some of the same meals every day anyway, it makes life a lot easier.
The app will suggest your intake based on your weight, lifestyle and goals however, here’s a metric I like to use for myself and clients.
Let’s use myself as an example. I burn about 2,650 calories every day. Therefore, if I want to gain weight (let’s say at a rate of 1 pound per week) I’d have to eat 500 more calories every day. This is called a caloric surplus. So if I took in 3,150 calories every day for 7 days, I’d gain roughly 1 pound (3,500 calories = 1 pound, therefore, 500 x 7 days = 3500).
Now If I want to remain the same, I’d simply eat the same amount of calories that I burn.
If I wanted to lose weight, I’d do the opposite. I’d be in what we call a caloric deficit. I’d eat 500 calories less than I’m burning every day (would be 2,150 for me) and I’d lose roughly 1 pound a week.
Now I know what you’re asking. What about macros? (carbohydrates, proteins & fats)
This will depend heavily on your goals and body type. For me, I have a high protein diet to gain muscle. I eat about .80 grams of protein per pound. So being that I weigh 160lbs, I’ll take in about 128 grams of protein every day (160 x .8 = 128). I’ve tried high carb diets, however I didn’t like the way I felt. I was bloated and lethargic and it just didn’t work for me. This is not to say it will be the same for you!
Macros are going to vary person to person HOWEVER, the app MyFitnessPal suggests what to take in based on the information you give them. So if you’re new to this and haven’t tracked your eating before, GET THIS APP.
And no, I’m not sponsored by this app or anything. I just have used it for myself and clients and it WORKS. It’s a great place to start and at the very least, you will learn what is really in some of the foods you eat every day.
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