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How to start tracking calories?

There are many free Apps available to track your calories and macros. Pick one and start filling what you are eating and drinking.It is a lot of work but I guarantee it will help you to get better with your habits.

 

What you should know when you start to track your food?

Calories are the most important! Counting calories has been “go to” diet for whole world for a long time.

It is simple to understand – calories in – calories out.

Make sure you eat enough proteins. It is the most important macronutrient.  After your calories are in level you want, make sure that you eat enough proteins.

But you hear also carbs are making fat and you need to eat less fats. You are confused. 

If your goal is to lose fat or gain muscles, it is enough to concentrate calories and proteins. Carbs and fats are actually not important and they not making big difference for fat loss or gaining muscles.

THE Basics:

Calories contain three macronutrients – carbohydrates, protein and fat.

  • Protein contain four calories per gram.
  • Fat contain nine calories per gram.
  • Carbohydrates contain four calories per gram.

There is also alcohol, what offers energy seven calories per gram. If you want to read how alcohol is affecting for fat loss, read this article.

Each macronutrient has a different function within your body. To achieve your optimal physique and health goal, you need to find the right ratio of carbs, fats and protein according to your age, gender, weight, height and activity level. Just don´t make it too complicated, that it don´t have to be.

What do I do if I hit my calories but don´t have enough proteins?

Should you eat more protein to hit macros? No. If your goal is fat loss, calories are most important. After that try to hit your proteins, that is most important macronutrient you have. With enough proteins you are able keep your lean muscle mass and not lose muscles. Fill your nutrition diary and try to look where you could choose some foods with more proteins to hit your proteins but not eating too many calories.

 

What do I do if I hit my macros but have leftover calories?

First, you have to understand that it is impossible to hit your macros and not hit your calories. Not in the real world at least.

What if I hit my calories but never macros?

Food tracking apps like Virtuagym or myfitnesspal rely on food that was entered by users just like you and me. Some of the foods in your macro tracking app are verified but many are not. This means that when Anna Abnehmerin decided to add his own lasagne to the app, she filled out the macros wrong and nobody ever caught it. Now every time someone plugs in her lasagne, the macros are all wrong. It is not uncommon to see some foods listed as having 100 calories with zero carbs, protein or fat. It is also pretty common to come across foods that have zero calories, but endless macros. The person that entered the food was simply careless. So please when you add your food, be careful what you are adding, and try to choose always validated products if possible or compare product you are adding with food labels you have in food you are eating.

 

It is a lot of work, but will help you to understand what you are eating.

 

Don´t worry about few calories more or less, it does not make that huge difference. You can not measure your movement either exactly.

If you have never tried to track your calories, start to do it. You will find many new things from your habits what you were not aware.

I would be happy about your thoughts and questions. Let me know what you think. Mail me at turo.virta@hotmail.com or write me DM in Instagram or Facebook

Weight Loss Coach