NUTRITION
It's no secret that you can't out train a bad diet, and most people tend to cringe when they hear
theword ‘diet’, so that is why it is so important to make your diet not a diet...if you catch my drift.
theword ‘diet’, so that is why it is so important to make your diet not a diet...if you catch my drift.
CALORIES
The calorie is a unit of energy defined as the amount of heat needed to raise a quantity of 1g of water by one degree celsius. This is the universal measurement we use to track our energy intake.
MACRONUTRIENTS
Macronutrients are the 3 groups of food that our bodies need in large amounts to maintain homeostasis. They are split into three groups:
• Carbohydrates
• Proteins
• Fats
APPS
The most popular way of tracking calories these days is by using apps such as Myfitnesspal.
They have a database with the dietary information of an ingredient or product so that you can input your food intake for the day. It can be used as a helpful tool to get an idea of what profile an ingredient has. It also has helpful blogs and videos from nutritional and fitness experts on the homepage.
The downside to Myfitnesspal is that the data can often be incorrect due to faulty documentation either by the supplier or by Myfitnesspal themselves. It can also be a slightly daunting app to use in the beginning as well which is why l urge all of my clients to let me give them a walkthrough guide on how to use it. It can also be triggering for people with current or past eating disorders as it can spark obsessive habits with tracking food, so for this reason I would strongly discourage these people from using it.
This is the simplest way to track your energy intake requirements as you are simply going by how hungry you feel. So, if you're aim is to try and lose weight, you'd aim at eating whole foods and perhaps base your meals at making you feel 80% full, and if you're looking to gain then it's better to have more meals than you usually would and eat until you feel 95% full (I avoid 100% as it can lead you to feel lethargic unless you are out for a meal or are celebrating). This can be a quicker and more accountable method for tracking energy intake as you are going by how your body feels.
The downside of this is that it is easy to over or under predict how much you need lif you're anything like me then you may like to eat until you are almost overly full with every meal). This can lead to frustration and confusion with what you should eat, especially as your energy requirements are not always the same for each day.
OTHER FACTORS THAT CAN AFFECT YOUR ENERGY NEEDS:
• Medical conditions
• Diet history
• Medications
• Genetics
• Microbiome
• Time of month for those who menstruate
• Even the weather and many more
Tracking and controlling your food intake can be a difficult and seemingly complicated task,
which is why there are so many fad diets out there that try to provide a simplified plan.
The problem is that everybody has different needs to be considered. I can help to make a sustainable
plan that suits your need to help you reach your goal.
• Diet history
• Medications
• Genetics
• Microbiome
• Time of month for those who menstruate
• Even the weather and many more
Tracking and controlling your food intake can be a difficult and seemingly complicated task,
which is why there are so many fad diets out there that try to provide a simplified plan.
The problem is that everybody has different needs to be considered. I can help to make a sustainable
plan that suits your need to help you reach your goal.