Hello all! 

Thank you for coming back to read part 2 of my Intro to Macros series! If you missed last week’s blog, you can find it here: https://dianaleighgraham.wordpress.com/2020/10/01/introduction-to-flexible-dieting/

I hope that you found it helpful to begin by tracking your food as a method of gathering data.  I know I did.  I have been using flexible dieting for a long time, but just like you, my adherence ebbs and flows at times due to a variety of life factors.  Since last week, I have also been gathering data on myself and yesterday completed the steps I will outline for you today.  

As you spent the last few days tracking absolutely everything, did you find areas where you were intaking more calories than you initially figured? I sure did.  My coffee (creamer) addiction was adding almost 200 calories to my daily food intake because I had become so used to eyeballing (apparently incorrectly) it as I threw it into my mug.  As I became more aware of that (because I started using my food scale again), I have chosen to forgo some of it, and instead, use those macros/calories on other more nutritiously dense foods.

Now that you have the data to work with, let’s talk about what to do with it.  I will start with step 3 since last week’s blog contained steps 1 & 2. 

Step 3: Determine a goal and a timeframe – most of the time I train women who want to “lose weight”, but that is not specific enough.  Part of what makes a diet successful is the start and end dates.  No one can diet with no idea of when it might end, and when they try, they often get frustrated and give up or end up spinning their wheels beyond the time it would take to actually get to their goal if they had just buckled down.  

For the purpose of this example, we are going to say that Gal has her best friend’s wedding in Hawaii in 16 weeks and she wants to lose 10 lbs.  Both of these numbers are important in this process, so let’s do the calculations to see why.  

For Gal to lose 10 lbs she will have to be at a 3500 calorie deficit for every 1 pound.  

10 lbs * 3500 calories = 35,000 calorie deficit

Since we know Gal’s best friend’s wedding is in 16 weeks, we can spread that deficit over those 16 weeks. 

35,000 calorie deficit / 16 weeks = 2188 deficit per week

This can be further broken down into the number of days in the week Gal is going to be at a deficit through her diet/exercise.  In this example, we are going to say that Gal wants to be at the least deficit possible per day, so we will divide 2188 by 7 days which will give us her deficit daily.  

2188 deficit per week / 7 days of deficit per week = 313 calories per day

*Sometimes I come across clients who want to take a total rest day from dieting (meaning they eat maintenance calories on that day), or they want to diet a little harder some days and a little less on others.  When setting up, it really does not matter how you get to your total deficit, it only matters that you do.  There are numerous ways to set this up, and it is up to you (and your trainer if you are working with one) to decide exactly how you will get to your total caloric deficit.  

Step 4: Figure out how you are going to reach that deficit – Since Gal’s goal is fairly moderate, we are working with a deficit per day that can be taken completely from the calories she consumes on a regular basis or we can spread it across exercise and caloric intake.  Below is an example of how to do this with each scenario. 

Example 1 – deficit via diet alone every day of the week.  This is the most straightforward way to begin, and as long as your daily deficit is not an extremely high number (that “extremely high number” will vary from person to person), I typically begin this way. 

1656 calories per day to maintain – 313 calorie deficit = 1343 calorie intake per day 

Example 2 – deficit via diet & exercise every day of the week.  Sometimes I have a client who feels too hungry to adhere to a 1300 calorie per day intake, or maybe their deficit puts them even lower than this and feels unhealthy for them.  If this is the case, I spread it over a caloric intake deficit & a caloric output deficit.  Here is what that might look like: 

200 calorie deficit through intake: 

1656 calories per day to maintain – 200 calorie deficit = 1456 calorie intake per day

113 calorie output through ADDED exercise: 

1456 calorie intake per day – 113 calories burned through exercise = 

1343 total calorie intake per day

Phew! I realize that there are a lot of different calculations and numbers provided here, but try plugging in your own information and do the calculations according to your own goals.  It might take you a few attempts, or you may have to adjust your goal to be a little more realistic for your own life, and that is OKAY! Part of dieting success is understanding how to make the data work for you, AND adjusting your expectations so that they are doable with the time you are operating with.  

This week, all you need to do is work on these calculations, and stay within your new caloric goal.  Next week, after you have had some practice, we will talk about what “macros” are and how to find the correct balance for you.  

As you attempt to adhere to this new caloric intake, try to remember that mistakes are part of the process.  Do not quit (or get the “fuck-its”) if you are off unexpectedly or you eat something without realizing how much of your goal it will take up.  Learn the lesson for next time.  These lessons will better inform your food choices, and who can be mad about better information? 

If you have questions, please leave them below, or reach out to me on Instagram.  You can find me there at @dianabecker12 – I love to help people embarking on this process for the first time, and will happily assist you if you are at a sticking point.