There are a handful of factors that go into weight loss or gain. Through information gathered and personal experience, I've landed on what I believe works the best for myself as well as many others.
So let's talk about calories!
Below is a chart showing my food journal on MyFitnessPal from this past week.
Monday 10/18 through Sunday 10/24.
The next chart is from my FitBit which is synced up to MFP, and it is comparing my calories in/consumed (light blue), to my calories out/burned (transparent blue). Before we go much further, I'll say I know we can't 100% rely on Fitbits or Apple watches or whatever you may use to track activity, but it can be a great tool to use if you stay consistent with it, and adjust as needed.
Throughout the week, my weight changed up and down (this is very normal for everyone), but I wanted to keep track daily to go along with this.
Monday - 161 Tuesday - 158 Wednesday - 160 Thursday - 159 Friday - 157 Saturday - 161 Sunday - 159 Monday (today) - 158
The pattern will keep going up and down, because that is what the reality of weightloss or weight gain actually looks like. And that's okay! Continuing to practice consistency with weeks similar to this could result in losing 1 to 2 lbs per week.
The daily amount of calories you burn will vary. This means being in a calorie deficit (burning more than you consume), or a calorie surplus (consuming more than you burn), will look completely different each day. When working in a deficit, some days you may not move as much and it could look like 1,400 calories in, and 1,800 calories out. Others days you might plan a higher calorie day and to move a little more, so it may look like 2,200 calories in, and 2,700 calories out.
(You'll still want to keep track of your weekly average calorie range that is set up for you and your goals. That's why planning and prepping is key!)
As you can see above in my first picture, my macros (Carbs, Fats, Proteins) aren't at the percentages I had planned. Some weeks they are closer, some they aren't. And there is nothing wrong with that! We don't need to be perfect, just consistent.
So, if you're feeling overwhelmed with where you are or what to do first, I suggest starting with hitting those calorie goals and doing your best to stay in that deficit or surplus. Once you are feeling more comfortable and confident with this, we can shift that focus to getting in more protein!
Rock on!
\m/
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