There are a number of different ways for people to assess their food intake when it comes to weight loss. At AdMac Fitness we use a number of them - we don’t believe in a one size fits all approach. We’ve always found that a personalised approach works best for our members.
We have weight loss clients who will use an intermittent fasting approach, some who will track calories, some who will go low carb etc. Whatever works for you, we’ll support.
In this blog post we’re going to give you five tips to help you track your calorie intake. This is especially useful if you are following a calorie controlled diet approach, or an ‘if it fits your macros’ (IIFYM) approach. This is an approach that has been used successfully for years and arguably provides you with the most accurate calorie intake.
The downside is there’s a lot more work involved because you have to tack everything you eat. These tips are designed to make that process a little easier…
Tip #1 - Download (and use) MyFitnessPal
MyFitnessPal is the most popular calorie tracking app in the world and for good reason. It has a simple user interface, a huge food library, built-in tracking software and the ability to scan a barcode of a food and give you a precise calorie reading. The other thing I like about MyFitnessPal is that it will sync with most activity trackers, so if you track your exercise with a heart rate monitor then your activity calories will automatically be factored in to your daily calorie target. It makes the process so much easier!
Tip #2 - Use digital weighing scales
The most accurate way to ensure you’ve got the calorie content of your foods accurate is to weigh them. Some people may think they can get it right by sight, but to be honest that’s nonsense. Measurements such as a ‘cup’ aren’t great either, so weighing your foods is the best way. You don’t have to spend much money on them either - these weighing scales from amazon are great and cost less than £10!
Keep these on the kitchen counter whilst you are cooking and you’ll quickly and easily get the calorie content of each of your meals accurate every single time.
Tip #3 - Be formulaic!
When you’re new to tracking calories, make the process as easy as possible. One of the best ways you can do this in the early days is by being formulaic with your meals. That means you work out the calories for a meal you eat regularly, then have that frequently. Say for example you know that three weetabix, some milk and a banana is around 350 calories, have that every day. It means there’s less tracking involved, making it easier.
As and when you get more used to using the app and tracking, you can go off-piste and be a bit more adventurous, calculating the calories for more meals that you eat!
Tip #4 - Batch cook and save
The most difficult bit of calorie tracking is figuring out how many calories are in a meal you’ve cooked from scratch. The way you do this is by weighing each ingredient and adding the calories to the calculator as you cook the meal.
One way of reducing the amount of time you do this is by batch cooking and then dividing that up into multiple portions. If you take this approach you only need to calculate the calories once, then divide. Say for example you cook a whole lasagne and you calculate that the total calorie content of the whole thing is 1200 calories, well you’d know that 2 equal portions are 600 calories each. You’d also only have to add the meal to the app once, then just re-use the data time and again.
Tip #5 - Remember to include your liquids!
When people start calorie tracking, one of the things they often forget to include is their liquids. This can add up to hundreds (thousands in the case of alcohol) of calories that aren’t tracked. If you think that a 500ml bottle of Coke is 200 calories, it doesn’t take long for those things to add up.
Be fastidious with your calorie tracking - every food, every drink, every snack - even every supplement if you take high dose fish oils etc. They all add up and they’re all important when it comes to achieving your health and fitness goals. Weight loss is a case of creating a calorie deficit, so you’ll only be able to accurately do this if you know exactly what is coming in!
Tracking calorie intake - final thoughts
Tracking calories doesn’t suit everyone. It’s more work than the other ways, but it is the most accurate way of assessing your calorie intake, which allows you to track your choices precisely. It’s a very successful approach when done properly, so use these tips to help you get it right and watch the weight come off you!
If you want your health and fitness journey to be guided by the best personal training team in East London, get in touch with us at AdMac Fitness. We operate from our private personal training studio in Bow, E3. Contact us on 07921465108 or email us at admacfitness@gmail.com. We look forward to hearing from you!