When you first begin to pay attention to your food, tracking calories is a great place to start. It brings awareness to the total amount of food you are eating in a day.
Calories In vs Calories Out
Maintenance calories are the amount of calories needed to maintain your current body weight.
If your goal is to lose weight, you need to eat less than your maintenance calories. This is called a calorie deficit.
If your goal is to gain weight, you need to eat more than your maintenance calories. This is called a calorie surplus.
But are calories the only thing that matters for eating healthy?
Macronutrients
Macronutrients (macros) are the three types of nutrients that your body needs in larger amounts. The three types are Protein, Carbohydrates (carbs), and Fat.
Protein fuels your muscles, helps keep you full, and plays a role in mood regulation. Foods high in protein are lean meats (chicken, turkey, 90/10 beef), greek yogurt, tofu, etc.
Carbs provide you with quick energy as well as provide energy to store for later use. Foods that are good sources of carbs are rice, potatoes, beans, sweet potatoes, etc.
Fat helps build structures in your body, such as brain cells, along with being vital for hormone regulation. Fat sources are nuts, seeds, oil, dressings, etc.
Paying attention to calories can help you achieve a certain number on the scale. Adding in the layer of paying attention to macros, will help you achieve your aesthetic goals.
Calories and macros, is that it?
Micronutrients
Micronutrients are the vitamins and minerals that are food in foods. Vitamins and minerals are what prevent you from becoming sick. Ever heard of scurvy?
There are some micronutrients that your body can make on its own (certain B vitamins), but others you get through consuming them. Many of the micronutrients you need are found in fruits, vegetables, and protein.
Watching your calories will help you manage your weight. Manipulating your macros can change the way your body looks by . Eating nutrient dense foods to get more micronutrients will help you be healthy and feel great.
Keep it Simple
What is real food? We define real food as something that once walked on the earth or grew out of the ground. If the majority of what you eat fits into that category, you will be able to hit your weight, body composition, and health goals.
An easy way to check all three boxes (calories, macros, micros), eat real food most of the time.
Need more help?
If you need more help with this, Coach Kayla can help with 1-on-1 Nutrition Coaching.
Working with a coach is a sure fire way to fast track you to your goals. With 1-on-1 coaching, Kayla will meet you where you are at and help you develop habits that will get you to where you want to be.
Send an email to Kayla@modernhumancrossfit.com to see if 1-on-1 Nutrition Coaching is right for you.
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