Where did Saturday and Sunday go? To work, I guess.
I’ve finally come up with a daily calorie intake amount I think I can live with and also see major results from.
I’m down about 9 lbs. Since the first of January. Which would be awesome if I wasn’t planning to compete and I had more time.
In January, and the first two weeks of February, I wasn’t on point 100% with my diet. My weekends were worse than the weekdays. The last two weeks of February I pretty much stuck to my calorie goals. But, I wasn’t 100% with my macro goals.
Yesterday I nailed down the calorie and macro amounts I want to use for the next two weeks. I’m going to do a carb cycle. But, unlike a traditional 3 low followed by 1 high carb day, Monday – Thursday will be low carb days. Friday will be a high carb day. Saturday will be a low carb day. And, Sunday will be another high carb day.
For the next two weeks my intakes will look like this:
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday – Low Carb Days
Calories = 1482 per day
Protein = 167 g per day
Carbohydrates = 74 g per day
Fat = 58 g per day
Friday and Sunday – High Carb Days
Calories = 1732 per day
Protein = 173 g per day
Carbohydrates = 173 g per day
Fat = 38 g per day
My goal for the next two weeks is to stick to this cycle down to the very last calorie and gram of each macronutrient.
I weighed in at 146.4 this morning.
I’m actually really curious to see how my body looks and feels in two weeks. I’ll probably get my body fat tested then as well.
My macronutrient and calorie numbers are based on my Resting Metabolic Rate (I had it measured), my average daily calorie expenditure, my known response to different macronutrient combinations (I keep track of everything I eat), and my goals.
If you want to use calorie and macronutrient counting to reach your own fat-loss, and body composition goals. The first step is to track what you eat. I always suggest that people download MyFitnessPal and track what they eat for a solid two weeks before they even think about dieting. This will give you a clearer picture of your eating habits. Then, without cutting out entire food groups or doing anything drastic, you can spot places where you can make small manageable changes you can live with and manage forever.
Calorie and macro counting isn’t for everyone. I find it fascinating. I’m positive this makes me some sort of freak. I still believe most people, who want to change their body composition, could benefit from tracking their food intake for a couple of weeks in order to gain a better understanding about their habits and why they haven’t been able to reach their goals thus far.
MyFitnessPal is a great place to start as far as macro and calorie counting goes. I’ve tried writing about macro counting but there are articles out there that do such an excellent job at explaining macro counting it just seems like a waste of time to me.
I did write this post though about What Macros Are and Why I Count Them.
Three articles/posts I recommend on the subject are (They all have the same information, for the most part. But, one might resonate more than another depending on your tastes):
“Counting Macros for Losing Weight Without Starvation” – healthy eater
“This Is the Best Macronutrient Calculator on the Net” – Mike Matthews
“Tracking Macros: What They Are and How to Count Them?” – Lindsey Matthews