How to Start Dieting on Your Own
A successful nutrition plan does not just focus on a combination of calories, macros, vitamins and minerals. Education is key, and before you rush to create your own nutrition plan, you must have a solid understanding of the basics of nutrition. Check out our Free Nutrition Guide for a quick and easy introduction to Nutrition!
If you already have a solid understanding about Nutrition, and a healthy relationship with food, then you are ready to get started!
Here's a simple and general approach to calculating your own calories/macros according to your body composition goals using an online macro calculator.
This is a guide that helps you figure out your numbers and how to track them.
1) YOUR MEASUREMENTS AND DATA:
The numbers and data you need to know before getting started.
Age: Nutrition is not the same for all ages.
Weight: Track your weight upon waking, after morning 💩.
Gender: Your gender plays a huge role in identifying your caloric needs.
Activity Level: The more active you are, the more calories you need.
Height: Your weight to height ratio will help you determine your BMI (Body Mass Index).
Body Fat: Not necessary, but it could be very helpful to understand how much fat, and muscle you are carrying.
2) YOUR GOALS:
Are you trying to lose fat? Build muscle? Perform better? Your goal is super important, and your caloric intake will be different based on your goals!
Bulking: Gain muscle while keeping fat gain at a minimum (≈250 calories surplus/day).
Hard Bulk: More aggressive bulk with warranted fat gain (≈500 calories surplus/day or more).
Maintenance: Maintain current weight or muscle mass as you maintain or increase athletic performance.
Fat Loss: Lose fat while maintaining muscle mass and athletic performance (≈250 calories deficit/day).
Aggressive Fat Loss: The faster the fat loss, the more muscle expected to be lost and performance hindered (≈500 calories deficit/day or more).
3) CALCULATE YOUR CALORIES/MACROS:
Now that you have written down all your data and figured out your goals, you are officially ready to calculate your macros! You can calculate your calories using an online macro calculator. There are a ton of macro calculators available, but there may be a slight difference in numbers between each calculator. We recommend:
4) “SHOULD I FOLLOW THE MACRO SPLIT THE CALCULATOR GAVE ME?”
You might log in your data and end up with numbers that seem impossible to hit. You may be thinking “Wow, I think I eat way too much!” or “How on earth can I eat this much??”
Our main advice would be to slowly shift from your current caloric intake to the recommended intake.
If you are eating 2,500 calories and your cutting calories are 1,500, we recommend you to slowly work your way down to the caloric intake and the macronutrient needs.
If you are eating 500g of carbs a day, but your calculator tells you that you need 200g, the last thing you should do is slash 300g of carbs immediately. Work your way day slowly, because slower progress is…SUSTAINABLE PROGRESS!
I still haven’t answered your question though, you do not HAVE to follow the macro split the calculator gave you if it feels so unrealistic. You can choose your own macro split (percentage of carbs, fat and protein).
However, you do want to make sure you eat enough of each macro as each macro provides an essential role to your health. We usually recommend 40-60% Carbs, 20-30% Fat, and 25-35% Protein.
5) TRACK YOUR MACROS:
Yay! Now that you have your numbers locked in, you are ready to start tracking your macros! There are many free apps you can use to track your food intake. Most of our clients and athletes use MyFitnessPal.
Set up your account and adjust your macros. Do not follow the macros the App has given you.
Start logging in your food intake by simply searching for it on the database, or scanning the barcode of the product if applicable. Make sure you are logging in the right amount of food (servings, grams, tablespoon, cups…)
SUCCESS TIPS - STAY CONSISTENT
Perhaps the most important part of it all is staying consistent, being aware of your goals, actions and behaviors.
Do not shoot for perfection. Try to at least start by hitting 80% of your numbers.
Prepare your meals ahead of time.
Cook food in bulk.
Dedicate a couple of days per week to cook.
Always carry a healthy snack around in your bag.
Do not restrict your favorite foods, instead, eat them in moderation and track them.
Do not cut out a whole food group. EVERY macro is essential. Also, cutting out a food group will lead to frustration. and may lead you to quit.
Plan your weekend meals if you are eating out. Check out the menus in advance!
Are you ready to create your own nutrition plan?
❔If you have any questions or would like more clarification let us know in the comment box below! 👇🏼
If you believe you need more help, more coaching and structure, luckily, you don’t have to struggle through reaching your goals alone. Our team can help you develop a nutrition plan that is designed for you!
Start by filling out our nutrition assessment so we can help you start your nutrition journey!
Let’s do this ✌️!
Nadine