Entry 7: do I track my calories?

 Hey guys,

I hope everyone has had a great week! 

This week I thought we'd dive into something else that I get asked a lot and that is whether or not I track my calories, and if I do, how do I do it? 

I want to start this off by saying that my way of doing things is by no means the "right" way or the only way of doing it and to be honest, the "perfect" way of doing this doesn't exist. 

Something you will hear me say a lot is that it's not a one-size-fits-all and that's because basically nothing is. We're all so different, from our thoughts and opinions to even our anatomy. So in essence, what works for one person might not work for someone else. 

Having said that, hearing about what other people do or have tried before can be a great tool for figuring out the right fit for you so hopefully some of you may find my method helpful in some way! 

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So to answer the first question - do I track my calories? - yes I do. 

Whether I'm working in a calorie deficit or a calorie surplus, I keep track of my total calorie intake and my macros. This lets me know if I'm on the right track and if I've hit my macro targets for the day (particularly protein but more on that another time). 

When doing this though, it is important to know what your maintenance caloric intake is, otherwise the numbers you're tracking dont really make sense. Your maintenance caloric intake is how many calories you need to sustain normal body functions and your weight whilst doing your daily activities. You'll probably also hear this called TDEE - total daily energy expenditure. 

Like many things, there are different formulas and websites that can calculate this for you based on your age, sex, weight, height, daily activity level and body fat percentage if you happen to know it. 

I tend to use the TDEE calculator online but whatever site or calculator you opt for, it's important to take it with a grain of salt. 

The calculator might tell you that you need 2000 calories a day for maintenance and you might drop to 1900 to progressively lose weight but you might find that your weight doesn't change. This can of course be due to many different reasons but it can quite likely be because the calculators are rarely 100% accurate. 

I see it more as a ballpark measurement and then you need to do a little bit of experimenting to figure out what works for you.

So yup, the ballpark can be a really good starting point so you're not feeling around blindly in the dark. And once you have that, you can start thinking more about how you're going to track your calories and figure out the right numbers for you and your body through some trial and error.

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Now to answer the 2nd question, how do I track my calories? 

I use the Cronometer app because it's free and easy to use. Plain and simple. There are lots of different options and different subscriptions you can opt for to track calories but it's all pretty much the same at the end of the day. 

However, there are some tricks of the trade that can make it more beneficial and accurate. 

First and foremost, the key to using an app to track calories is making sure you are consistent with it. 

And no I don't mean making sure you are doing it daily (although this can be helpful). No, I mean making sure that every time you add a tomato to a recipe or every time you record a banana as a snack that you use the same option. 

For whatever reason, there are a billion different options of bananas on Cronometer and whilst they all have more or less the same calorie and macro totals, they do vary slightly. So staying consistent with what one you choose is important because it allows you to get a true understanding of what number works for you and you know that the calories are the same. 

However, if you choose a different banana each time, you might get a different total calorie reading when in reality you've eaten the same amount.

Now I did mention before that consistently tracking your calories daily can be helpful. And that is certainly true but this is often where a lot of people fall short. 

Not only do you need to remember to log your food and take the time out of your day/week to do that, it can also create a hyper-focused mentality. 

When you are constantly tracking whats going in your body and watching the numbers everyday, it can take over a little and become the main thing you think about when you think about food, not "oh this is yum" or "I'm going to add this next time to make it taste better". 

So whilst yes, daily tracking does allow you to keep complete control over your total calorie intake, it comes with those potential problems. 

And something I hear a lot is "oh that wouldn't happen to me" or "I don't think like that" and hey, for some people thats true. But more often than not, its not that simple. And as my mum likes to say - its not a problem until its a problem.

So instead of dealing with it when it becomes an issue later down the line, why not take the steps to ensure it doesn't happen and develop a healthy way to track calories from the beginning?

My first tip with this would be to make use of the meal/recipe function on Cronometer. 

This allows you to create and save a meal so that you can add it with 1 click. It's also helpful because if you frequently use that meal, you'll find that you just start to remember the total calories of it and the macros. You then also have a bank of saved recipes at your finger tips which is great when you're stuck on what you want to eat that week. 

I find this particularly helpful because it flows into meal prepping really well and makes that a smoother process. 

And yup, meal prepping is my next tip to make things that little bit easier. 

I think a lot of people feel daunted by meal prepping because in the beginning, it can feel a little overwhelming and like you're sacrificing a lot of time. 

But something I've found after doing it for 3+ years is that it has almost become a meditative/self-care process for me. 

I tend to dedicate a couple of hours on a Sunday afternoon to making my lunches and dinners for Monday through Friday. I chuck a podcast on, light a candle if I'm feeling it and start cooking. 

Yes after doing this for over 3 years I have got a pretty good system down now and it wasn't always a smooth process but it is really worthwhile and if you let it, it can transform into a really lovely part of your week. 

But relating this back to calorie counting, if you meal prep ahead of time, you know what your daily totals will be for that week so you don't need to check in on the app everyday and it lets you forward plan a bit as well for planning treats and takeout (because yes having treats and takeout is completely okay and honestly pretty important for sustaining fitness goals - my current go to takeaway at the moment is Indian haha). 

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So to summarise because this has been a longer entry... 

• Do I track my calories? - yes
• How do I do it? - the Cronometer app
• Tips for successful tracking 
• use the same food option each time
• use the meal function so you can add it easier and faster 
• try meal prepping 

If anyone is seeking any guidance on how to go about this or has any questions about any part of this, please feel free to drop me a line. 

Anything food and calorie related can be tricky for different people for many reasons but you don't have to figure this stuff out alone if you don't want to! Message me and we can make some awesome stuff happen together :D

- Alex