In the world of health and fitness, things get unnecessarily complicated. Dieting, calories and macros are one of those things. Simply changing how you view you calories in and out can be a profound shift that leads to more consistency and a higher level of enjoyment. Just like when you have control of your finances, controlling you dietary “budget” gives you freedom and makes hitting your numbers much easier. Let’s dive in!
First you need to figure out your maintenance calories. This is simply how many calories a day you need to maintain your current weight. There are tons of calculators out there, you can find one HERE on my website. Find your estimated maintenance calories choose a deficit below that number. Remember you have to eat LESS than maintenance to lose weight. That new number now becomes your “budget” to lose weight. Start to track everything you eat and drink, aiming to stay within that number.
Think of your calories just like a paycheck. Each day you get a deposit. Let’s say 2000 calories is what you need to lose weight. You start each day with a “deposit” of 2,000 calories. That’s 14,000 for the week. Don’t think of each day as a pass or fail. You know you’re getting another 2,000 tomorrow and the next day and so on. So lets say on Monday you go out with family and eat 2,500 calories, it’s not the end of the world, just adjust. You could eat 1,500 the next day, or you could eat 100 less for the next 5 days to make up for the overage of 500 calories. It’s up to you!
Here is an example:
I need 3,000 calories to stay in a deficit.
I know I am crushing some calories on Monday (all you can eat crab legs). So let’s say I eat 4,500 calories that day. Well over my budget with an extra 1,500 calories for the day. However if we divide that 1,500 by the remaining 6 days in the week, that equals 250/day. Some may find it easier to just take that massive calorie hit the next day, or even the day before, while others will find it easier to just reduce each day by a little so your not taking such a large caloric deficit all in one day. Here is what that would look like.
So I could eat:
Monday – 4,500 calories
Tuesday – 1,500 calories
Wednesday – 3,000 calories
Thursday – 3,000 calories
Friday – 3,000 calories
Saturday – 3,000 calories
Sunday – 3,000 calories
Total Calories - 21,000 cal/week
OR
Monday – 4,500 calories
Tuesday – 2,750 calories
Wednesday – 2,750 calories
Thursday – 2,750 calories
Friday – 2,750 calories
Saturday – 2,750 calories
Sunday – 2,750 calories
Total Calories – 21,000 cal/week
You can see at the end of the week, I am still hitting my 21,000 calorie goal and staying in a caloric deficit even though I had a higher caloric intake on Monday.
Thinking this way alleviates the stress of “dieting” and is more natural as we budget our money, our time and our energy everyday anyway. Sure you have to “count calories”, but that’s a good habit to get into anyway. Humans are terrible at guessing how much they are eating and we usually under estimate how much we are taking in. Keeping track will help you stay on track and hit your goals with more consistency.
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