The Beginners Guide to Macros

HE BEGINNER’S GUIDE O

MACROS Your go-to resource or learning about macronutrients and setting yoursel up or macro-tracking success.

― Sohee Lee

Discaimer

W

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Contenʦ Disclaimer Introduction ...........................................................................................................................

1

What’s a Macro? Macronutrients and Calories ............ ...................... .................... .................... .................... ................... ................... .................... .................... .............. Why Count Macros? ............... ............... ................ ............... ................ ............... ................ Why Not Just Follow a Meal Plan?................... ............................. .................... ................... ................... .................... .................... ................. .......

4 10 11

Planning Your Macros Plan to Succeed Succee d ............... ................ ............... ................ ............... ............... ................ ........ 15 Determine Your Your Current Macronutrient Intake ................... ............................ ................... .................... .................... .............. 19 Determine Your Your Prescribed Numbers .................... ............................. ................... .................... .................... .................... ................... ........... 24 Plan Your Meals Meal s .............. ................ ............... ................ ............... ............... ................ ........ 30

Adjusting and weaking Your Numbers Measure Progress .................. ........................... ................... .................... .................... .................... ................... ................... .................... .................... ................. ....... Assess Progress .................... ............................. ................... .................... .................... .................... ................... ................... .................... .................... ................. ....... weak Numbers (i necessar necess ary) y) ............. ................ ............... ................ ............... ................ What About Exercise? .............. ........................ .................... .................... .................... .................... ................... ................... .................... .................... ..............

44 46 50 52

Living Lie Navigating Social Situations ................. .......................... ................... .................... .................... .................... ................... ................... ................... ......... Handling Vacations/raveling Vacations/raveling .................... .............................. ................... ................... .................... .................... .................... ................... ........... Working with a Busy Schedule .............. ........................ .................... .................... ................... ................... .................... .................... ................. ....... Maintaining Sanity ........................... .................................... ................... .................... .................... .................... .................... ................... ................... .............. ....

55 58 59 61

Practical ips & ricks rying Out New Recipes Recipes ................... ............................. .................... .................... .................... ................... ................... .................... .................... .............. Planned Indulgences ................... ............................ ................... .................... .................... .................... .................... ................... ................... ................... ......... “Catchi ng Up” on Macros ............... ................ ............... ................ ............... ............... ......

Weaning Yoursel Off o Macro Counting

64 66 68 70

Putting It All A ll ogether ogether “ry Harder” May Not Be the Answer .................. ........................... ................... .................... .................... .................... ................... ........... Set Up Systems or Success ............... ........................ ................... .................... .................... .................... .................... ................... ................... .............. .... Focus on the Process ................... ............................. ................... ................... .................... .................... .................... ................... ................... ................... ......... Celebrate Every Small Win .................... ............................. ................... .................... .................... .................... ................... ................... ................... ......... Stay Accountable Account able ............. ................ ............... ................ ............... ................ ............... ........

76 77 79 80 81

Frequently Asked Questions ...................... ................................ .................... .................... ................... ................... .................... .................... ................. ....... 84 Stupid-Si mple Go-o Go-o Recipes Recipe s .............. ................ ............... ................ ............... ............... ...... 96 Online Coach Recommendations .................... .............................. ................... ................... .................... .................... .................... ................... ........... 106 Recommended Recommend ed Resources Resourc es ............... ................ ............... ............... ................ ............... ........... 112 About the Author .............. ............... ................ ............... ............... ................ ............... ........... 114

Introduction

W

hen I wrote the first edition o this book over a year ago, I was eager to help hundreds and thousands o people but ound mysel with limited time. And I rea lized that the number one obstacle

holding people back rom reaching their goals was either a) lack o knowledge about nutrition, or b) lack o the relevant nutrition skills and habits to get to their fitness goals. For many people, it was the latter.

Te act that you’re reading this now shows me that t hat you’re you’re curious about taking that t hat next step. Whether you’re you’re never heard o macros beore or you’re looking or ideas to make the process easier, e asier, I’ve I’ve created this book to be your go-to guide or getting started on optimizing your nutrition.

Tere is so much more to eating or your health and or your physique than simply plugging in whatever oods happen to fit into your numbers or the t he day. day. o o that end, I’ll be teaching you more than just how to count macros.

By the time you finish this book, I want w ant you to understand not only what to do but also why you’re you’re doing it. You’ll also pick up some valuable tools that you can keep in your back pocket to whip out when the occasion calls or them.

Let me be clear: macro counting is not necessary or everyone to become lean. Many individuals have experienced a tremendous degree o success by practicing simple portion control and being smart about their ood choices. Tere are plenty o ways to live a perectly healthy liestyle without ever touching a ood scale. With that being said, there are a number o valid reasons to at least be amiliar with this method, which will be covered in the coming pages.

Young or old, newbie ne wbie or veteran, knowing how to count macros – and more importantly, importantly, knowing how to make nutritious eating an everyday occurrence – will pay off in dividends. Tis, o all liestyle overhauls, may be one o the most crucial you make or your long-term health. hea lth.

I you’ve you’ve been ollowing me on social media me dia at all recently, recently, you may have noticed my new slogan, “eat. lif. thrive.” I love this t his because I think it’s it’s the perect p erect embodiment o what fitness should be about: eating or your health and or enjoyment, lifing your way toward your goals, and thriving in all asp ects o your lie. Tat last part is particularly crucial because I’ve ound that ar too many people allow themselves to get sucked into the fitness craze and neglect their spiritual, emotional, and social lives. I hope you’ll remember throughout this journey that your quality o lie should always, always matter. matter.

Te Beginner’s Begin ner’s Guide to Macros - 01

I’m all about making steady, sustainable behavior changes that you can keep up over the long haul. I want you to be able to pick up a new habit and say to yoursel, yeah, I can see mysel keeping this up a year rom now.

o that end, this will require a good dose o patience and the right mindset. But I promise you, stay the course and a year rom now, you’ll be astonished at how ar you’ve come. Never orget: your body is only the place you have to live – so take care o it.

Yours in health, Sohee Lee

Te Beginner’s Guide to Macros - 02

What’s a Macro

MACRONUTRIENTS AND CALORIES What is this concept o “counting macros?” What are macros?

“Macros” is short or “macronutrients.” Tese macronutrients are comprised o protein, carbohydrates, and ats. Tese are nutrients that the body requires in large amounts. Macronutrients are not to be conused with micronutrients, which are vitamins and minera ls such as iron, zinc, vitamin C, and vitamin D that are needed in minute quantities.

Protein Protein is perhaps the most essential macronutrient and is king in any fitness nut’s book. Important or muscle repair and muscular hypertrophy, it also plays a crucial role in catalyzing biochemical reactions, DNA repair, maintaining the structural and unctional integrity o cells, and much more.

Te primary sources o protein are animal-based—think meats, poultry, and eggs. As such, it is ofen more difficult or vegetarians and vegans to get sufficient protein in their diet without resorting heavily to soy-based products.

Contrary to popular belie, consuming more than the recommended daily allowance (RDA) o 0.8 grams/ kg/bw is not inherently harmul to active, healthy individuals. In act, ample research indicates that t hose who exercise on a regular basis actually need upwards o 1.4-2.0 grams/kg/bw per day.

Why is this the case? Because active individuals’ bodies undergo hig her protein degradation ollowing an exercise bout. Extra protein is thereore needed to put the body back into a net positive protein balance in order to support protein synthesis and recovery.

As well, those consuming a high protein diet when in a caloric deficit (ie. dieting) have been shown to lose less muscle mass and also have greater energy expenditure than those consuming a high carbohydrate diet .

Are all proteins the same? Actually, not all protein sources are created equal. Tey differ primarily in their quality and also in digestion rate.


Protein quality is dependent upon the essential amino acid (EAA) content o the protein. An essential amino acid, o which there are nine total, is an amino acid that cannot be synthesized endogenously within the body and thereore must be consumed via diet.

Animal- and dairy-based products have been ound to contain the highest percentage o EAAs and thereore be o highest quality. Tis includes milk proteins (whey and casein), eggs, and meats. Furthermore, o the EAAs, the three branched chain amino acids (BCAAs) valine, isoleucine, and leucine are especially unique. When orally ingested, BCAAs appear rapidly in the blood stream, which aids in muscle protein synthesis (MPS) . And what makes leucine special is that two to three grams alone, equivalent to approximately 25 to 35 grams o high quality protein, is sufficient to MP S.

Carbohydrates Carbohydrates are the body’s main energy source and serve as a direct uel source during activities that require energy expenditure. Tey are important in both physical as well as mental exercises. (In other words, the brain needs carbohydrates to unction at optimal capacity!)

Carbs are ofen broken down into simple or complex orms. Simple carbs are easily broken down by the digestive system and provide quick-release energy: candy, juice, soda, and the like. Complex carbs, on the other hand, are more difficult to digest and consequently are broken down and released much more slowly into the bloodstream: think brown rice, swe et potatoes, and quinoa.

Fats Fats, despite their reputation, are critical or the body to unction properly. Important or quality skin and hair, they promote healthy cell unction as well as provide cushioning or the body’s joints and organs.

Essential atty acids (EFAs) cannot be synthesized by the human body and must thereore be ingested via ood. Foods high in EFAs include fish, shellfish, walnuts, and sunflower seeds.

Calories Finally, we come to calories. Te technically correct term is kilocalories, or Calories with a capital “C”, though or the sake o colloquial speak, we’ll stick with the better-recognized spelling. A kilocalorie is


the amount o energy required to raise the temperature o one kilogram o water by one degree Celsius. When we measure the number o calories in a certain ood, then, we are attempting to ascertain how much energy it contains.

Te three macronutrients by definition have a specific number o calories per gram.

Protein: 4 calories/gram Carbohydrates: 4 calories/gram Fats: 9 calories/gram

Ten you also have things like fiber, which is a subset o carbohydrates, clocking in at approximately 2 calories/gram. And even alcohol, in its own separate group as a sugar alcohol, contains 7 calories/gram.

So i you consume 150g protein, 150g carbohydrates, and 50g ats on a given day, you have by definition consumed:

150(4) + 150(4) + 50(9) = 1650 calories

o “count your macros,” then, means that you track the total number o grams o proteins, carbohydrates, and ats you ingest over the course o an entire day. Ofentimes, people will simply use the notation “150/180/50” as a shortcut to say that they have either consumed 150g protein, 180g carbs, and 50g ats, or that those are the numbers they have been assigned. Macro counting is typically associated not with simply tracking your intake, but tracking them with the intention o meeting said prescribed numbers. Tereore, when someone claims that he or she knows how to count macros, that means that he/she has acquired the skill o knowing how to eat in such a way that his/her macros comes within +/-5 grams o each prescribed macronutrient number.

Now that we’ve got that covered, I’ve included or you a list o the more commonly consumed wholesome ood items categorized by macronutrient. Tis is by no means comprehensive, but should at least give you a pretty good idea o what’s what.


PROEIN Egg whites Whole eggs (note that whole eggs contain good ats as well) Chicken breast urkey breast Pork tenderloin una Cottage cheese Greek yogurt Extra lean ground bee op round steak op sirloin steak Flank steak White fish (cod, halibut, haddock, mahi ma hi, tilapia, etc.) Salmon Protein powder

CARBOHYDRAES Old-ashioned oatmeal Brown rice Jasmine rice Couscous Quinoa Ezekiel bread Sweet potatoes/yams


Squash (all varieties) White/Russet potatoes Vegetables Fruit

FAS Extra virgin olive oil Extra virgin coconut oil Fish oil Ghee Grass-ed butter Natural almond butter Natural cashew butter Natural peanut butter Natural coconut butter Mixed nuts (almonds, walnuts, pecans, brazil nuts, cashews, etc.) Cheese (ull at varieties only) Avocado Coconut milk


Again, the list above does not include every single ood item. Specifically, I’ve lef out what we normally consider junk ood: gummy bears, sugary cereal, ice cream, and the like. We’ll cover in a bit how to read nutrition labels to learn about the nutritional content o anything.

WHY COUNT MACROS? I’ve heard all the excuses or why macro counting is a waste o time: it’s exhausting, it makes me neurotic, I want to live my lie, I don’t want to hide my ood scale rom my kids orever.

I understand the reservations. Hell, maybe one o these thoughts is holding you back rom ully diving in right this very second.

But here’s the thing: the whole point o learning how to count macros is to help you achieve your aesthetic goals while still maintaining your quality o lie. I you do it incorrectly, you’ll end up spewing one o the above sentiments and you may swear it off or good; i you do it the right way, you’ll find that macro counting is incredibly reeing.

Tere are countless ways to get rom point A to point Z, afer all.

Te beauty o tracking your macronutrient intake is that it ensures that you’re consuming not only the appropriate number o calories but also just the right number o grams o proteins, carbohydrates, and ats – not too many and not too ew! – that will help get you to your goal, all the while keeping your physical health a priority at the same time.

I you want to lean out, that should mean that you’re consuming as much as you possibly can while still losing at. Did you get that? You don’t want to starve yoursel; crash dieting is a no-no. I you eel like you’re eating too much but you’re making good progress, then that is a very good thing. How ofen do you find people starving and making themselves miserable on a at loss program?

Conversely, i you want to build some lean muscle mass, you may want to approach your journey in a controlled and calculated manner so as not to pile on too much at. Consume too many calories and you may find yoursel rocking sweatpants all summer; consume too ew and you’re just spinning your wheels.


As much as I love macro counting, however, I do want to make it clear that in no way do I advocate that everyone in the world track every morsel o ood they consume 24/7. Tere is a time and a place to be tinkering with your ood app, so be sensible.

I liken macro counting to wearing high heels (gentlemen, bear with me on this analogy): while they can make you look good, they are typically saved or special occasions, and it’s probably best not to wear those stilettos year-round.

Here are the times when macro counting may make sense or you:

•

you have no idea how much you’re eating and you want to spend a week or so tracking your ever yday intake to get a sense o what areas o your nutrition you need to work on

•

you want to shed some at, either or yoursel or maybe or an upcoming event, like a wedding, photo shoot, or competition

•

you want to build some muscle and work on improving your metabolic capacity while keeping the at gain to a minimum

I you just want to live your lie and your physique is not your top priority, you can probably make plenty o progress by making small tweaks in your diet. Tis is especially true i you have a good deal o body at to lose and i you have no awareness o what a healthy diet looks like. In that case, even the subtlest changes in your nutrition can yield ample at loss.

My recommendation is to keep this macro counting skill in your back pocket or those times when you need it. But otherwise, you’re fine to spend the majority o the year eyeballing, practicing simple portion control, and making moderation your riend.

WHY NOT JUST FOLLOW A MEAL PLAN? I get this question all the time.

Why bother investing all your energies into learning how to count and t rack macros when you can simply hire a coach to dole out meal plan afer meal plan?


I can understand why meal plans seem appealing. Tey don’t require any thinking, they take all the guesswork out o the equation or you, and all you have to do is execute.

Meal plans work just fine as a short-term strategy (and I do mean short), but problems arise when lie happens. And trust me, lie will always happen.

Tere may be a time when you run out o chicken breast at home or w hen you find yoursel at a restaurant or your best riend’s birthday with limited menu options.

Or maybe you’re sick and tired o eating egg whites and oatmeal or breakast every morning and you just want some reakin’ pancakes.

What will you do then? Will you grit your teeth and stick to your guns? Will you shun your riends and amily or the sake o meal plan martyrdom?

How long do you think you can keep that up or?

I used to be that meal plan stickler once upon a time, and I couldn’t be prouder o it. It elt good to turn my nose up at a plate o cookies being passed around the room and scoff, “No thanks – I can’t eat that. Tat’s not on my meal plan.”

Te thing is, we can’t separate physiology rom psychology. Meaning that while a me al plan may be created to supposedly optimize your physical health, it doesn’t take into account the act that willpower is limited, that human beings are wired to crave sugar and ats, and that at some point you’re just going to want to eat that reakin’ cookie.

It didn’t take long or meal plans to start to negatively affect my quality o lie. I ound mysel turning down social events and avoiding my riends because there was zero flexibility in my meal plan.

Not only that, but it was either follow the meal plan or be completely lost. And the longer I tried to white-knuckle my way to leanness, the more lost I became.

I know I’m not alone in this experience. I had learned absolutely nothing rom my meal plan days. It also kept me reliant on my coach – and as I said, you shouldn’t have to depend on another person or your


fitness or the rest o your days.

Macro counting utilizes a no-oods-off-limits approach: as long as you hit your protein, carb, at, and fiber numbers, you can (or the most part) eat what you please. And as you’ll come to learn, a judicious sprinkling o sugar and grease in your diet every now and then is not the end o the world. Some people call this exible dieting. Tis makes sense to me. We should absolutely be able to have the occasional s coop o ice cream and not be ridden with guilt. We need that flexibility worked into our nutrition programs because life happens , and lie and fitness should not be mutually exclusive.

Meal plans are or those who are looking or the easy way out, who are so consumed by instant gratification that they can’t see the bigger picture.

I encourage you to take a step back and think about where you want to be a year rom now. You want to make lasting changes to your nutrition, don’t you?

Meal plans are or the birds.

Yes, macro counting does require more upront work, as there is a learning curve involved, but I promise it will be worth your while.


PLANNING YOUR MACROS

PLAN TO SUCCEED I you get anything out o reading this book, let it be this: you absolutely must plan ahead. As someone who may be new to the world o macro tracking and is still mastering the art o consistently adhering to prescribed macronutrient numbers, this point cannot be overlooked.

Failing to plan ahead or a proper diet is the e quivalent o waiting to do your laundry until afer you’ve run out o clean underwear, clean socks, and clean shirts. I know we’ve all been there beore at some point in our lives (hello, college days!). You likely had to make do with poor substitutes or clothes, like a bathing suit instead o undies, and probably couldn’t go about your day quite as planned (working out in sneakers with no socks? Yuck).

It’s ar more sensible to have a resh supply o clean undergarments ready to go at any given time so you’re not caught off guard.

Likewise, when it comes to your diet, you want to acquire everything you need before you actually need it. Not afer.

Not when the hunger strikes.

But beore. Because the truth is this: you’re going to eat what you have readily available.

Tat means i your ridge is filled with nothing but ice cream and rozen dinners, it’s pretty clear what your meals are going to look like.

I your pantry has nothing but cookies and sugary cereal, you’ve already ailed beore you’ve begun.

You want to set yoursel up or success, right?


Here’s what you should realistically expect:

1.

You will go to the grocery store and purchase produce, resh meats, and grains twice a week.

2.

You will utilize the most o your time in the kitchen and prepare your oods in bulk.

3.

You will always have some type o protein sources (preerably two or more) ready to eat in your ridge.

Let’s flesh out the above in detail.

First, you need to stock your ridge with healthy ood somehow. I know some individuals genuinely enjoy the grocery shopping experience. I or one view it as a chore, but I’ve gotten pretty good at it, so I can be in and out o there in about 20 minutes tops. I you’re like me, you’ll want to pay attention.

Tere’s not much quite like standing in a 30-minute checkout line on a Sunday afernoon that makes you wonder i this is, in act, hell on earth. Te truth is, everybody goes grocery shopping on Sunday. Which is precisely why I don’t.

I you’re an early riser, mornings tend to be perect or making your trip. Most people aren’t even awake yet and most grocery stores will be pretty much empty. Otherwise, just about anytime during the week – especially mid-day, when most individuals are work – or Saturday evenings are good times as well, i you can swing it.

And I’m sure you’ve already heard the ollowing advice beore, but it’s worth repeating: hang out mostly around the perimeter o the store and come prepared with a list o oods to purchase.

Reer to the ood list above to help guide you with your purchases. At the bare minimum, you’ll want some resh meats, plenty o ruits and vegetables, carbohydrate sources, and healthy ats to cook w ith. O course, make sure that everything you buy is something that you’re actually willing to eat, and don’t orget to toss some o your avorite treats into the cart as well.

I like to keep a running note going on my iPhone and I divide up my list by ood type. For example, I’ll lump meats and poultry together because I know I’m going to find them all in the same area; dairy and eggs are in another section; and canned goods will be in another. See my screenshot below to see what I mean.


Keeping this note ensures that I’m not idling in the store and wasting precious minutes trying to remember what that one item was that I needed. I simply add to the list as I think o things I need throughout the week, and I march into the store armed and ready to go.

I know there are apps available that are designed specifical ly to help keep your grocery list organized, but I’m a simple gal and I like to keep things as straightorward as possible. Feel ree to browse around the app store i you want to go this route.

And you can o course keep a pen-and-paper list i that’s what you preer. Find the method that works or you. Te point is that you have some way to keep track o what you’re going to buy. So why do I say grocery shop twice a week? Because resh vegetables don’t stay resh or long. Because chicken can only stay rerigerated or a ew days beore it acquires a unky smell. Because there’s probably going to be an item or two that you orgot to grab during your first trip (this is me, pretty much every week).

Yes, there are workarounds i you truly don’t have the time or the desire to make a mid-week trip. You can reeze some o your meats and thaw it out the night beore you need them, and you can also purchase rozen veggies to toss into stir-ries. Admittedly, I always keep a supply o rozen meats and veggies in my reezer because you just never know when something’s going to come up that prevents you rom re-stocking.

For non-perishable items or oods with a longer shel lie, I recommend buying in larger quantities i you know you’re going to eat them on the regular. For me, that means I buy huge bags o jasmine r ice, several


pounds o russet and sweet potato, and a giant vat o coconut oil.

Next, you’re going to have to spend some time preparing your oods. What’s the use o having lean ground bee on hand, afer all, i you’re not going to cook it up first?

Listen, I get that we’re all busy and you probably don’t want to spend hours slaving away by the stove. Yes, yes, I totally understand. Believe me, we are all busy . But this is an absolutely crucial step that so many people try to get away with (they typically don’t are quite so well, i you’re wondering).

Tere are several ways to cook ood in bulk without needing to car ve out several hours at a time. I’m proo o that.

What I strongly recommend in order to make this happen is investing in some tools and gadgets that wil l make your experience infinitely less painul. Some o them include:

•

crockpot

•

rice cooker/ ood steamer

•

wok (great or stir-ries)

And o course, you’ll want to have pots, pans, a baking pan, and the rest o the basic cooking utensils.

I’m about as lazy as they come with cooking (especially when my husband’s out o town – but can you blame me?), and I’ve become pretty good at whipping up super simple yet surprisingly delicious meals. Reer to page 96 or some o my go-to recipes.

Tere are two ways to cook ood in bulk: do it all at once, or double or triple a recipe when you’re preparing dinner or your amily. I do a combination o both.

You may have been taught that Sundays need to be your ood prep days. You can absolutely do this i you have the time. But in our household, Sundays are our strict no-work, quality time days. With my husband in the army, we don’t see each other much throughout the week, so we devote that one special day to just each other.


Instead, I spend a ew minutes each evening preparing ood. Tat may mean searing pork tenderloin on the pan (takes 8 minutes total) beore sticking it in the oven, coating and breading some healthy chicken nuggets (8 minutes), or tossing together some sesame bee (10 minutes). Whatever I make, you’ll notice that one, protein is the main component o any meal, and two, I’m making enough to last us two to three days. onight’s dinner becomes tomorrow’s lunch, and tomorrow’s afernoon quesadilla stuffer, and the next day’s snack.

You get the picture.

So you see, quick, healthy meals are absolutely within reach. You just need the right tools to make it happen.

Finally, you always want to have proteins ready to eat in your ridge.

Why do I say protein? Because this is the one macronutrient that many people consistently all short on.

On top o cooking your meats in bulk like we discussed above, I recommend keeping some Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, and/or high quality deli meat in your ridge at all times. You can even grab a rotisserie chicken rom the store i you’re really in a bind.

Again, you want to plan to do well, and that means you need to have systems in place so that you’re not relying on willpower. You want to make this process as easy as possible. Put in the work upront so that success is within reach.

DETERMINE YOUR CURRENT MACRONUTRIENT INTAKE You may or may not have your macros figured out already. I you’ve got a coach o your own providing you with numbers, that’s great. You can skip this part. Otherwise, i you’re navigating the waters on your own, you might find this section useul.


Where are you now? Beore you move orward with plugging in numbers, it would be wise to first find out where your intake currently is.

Tere are two ways to do this: one, by memory recall, in which you try to remember everything you ate (and in what specific quantities) over the past week; two, by tracking your ood (preerably using a nutrition app) or the next week.

I like the second approach because we as humans tend to be pretty terrible with memor y recall. And while knowing that you have to record everything you eat may subconsciously influence you to make healthier ood choices, it also ensures that you’re not orgetting to log any ood items.

In order to do this, I would recommend that you acquire a digital ood scale (or measuring cups at the very least). You’ll also want to download the MyMacros+ app to make your ood tracking infinitely easier (unortunately, MyMacros+ is currently only available on iPhones, so my second best recommendation would be My Fitness Pal).

Now, try to change as little o your eating behaviors as possible. Te more honest you are about what and how much you’ve been consuming, the more accurate you’ll be when setting your macronutrient numbers.

I’ll be utilizing screenshots o the MyMacros+ app to show you how to go about tracking your intake or the next week. I you don’t have this app, not to worry ; you’ll still get the gist o what to do.

Let’s start with Monday. We’ll use Jane Doe as an example here.

Jane stayed up late last night watching the latest episodes o House of Cards , so her week is not off to the greatest start. She’s slept past her alarm and is now rushing to get to work on time.

She makes a quick stop at Panera Bread and orders a cinnamon crunch bagel with two small tubs o honey walnut cream cheese.

Once she gets to her office, she pulls up the nutrition inormation o her breakast and plugs it into MyMacros+. Here’s what she sees:


In her breakast alone, she’s consumed 20g protein, 97g carbs, and 28g ats. Tis is not the time to be passing judgment or offering critiques, so hold your tongue or a minute. We’re simply observing objectively.

By the time lunch rolls around, Jane remembers that she’s got a meeting coming up in the next hour that she completely orgot to prepare or. She wols down a hot dog rom the hot dog stand across the street and gets right back to work. While she doesn’t have the exact nutritional inormation o the particular hot dog she’s just consumed, she makes her best estimate.

She finds hersel hungry again later in the afernoon and buys an Almond Joy bar rom the office vending machine. But because she’s aware that she hasn’t made the healthiest nutritional choices throughout the day, she pairs it with an apple.


For dinner, she’s got plans with her best riend. She orders a large chicken Caesar salad with double meat. She notes that her salad consists o romaine lettuce, chicken breast, bacon, and one hard boiled egg, and is drizzled with Caesar dressing. And while she can’t figure out exactly how much o everything is i n her dish, she can eyeball portion sizes to the best o her ability.

Beore bed, she fishes out an ice cream sandwich rom her reezer and washes it down with a tall glass o reduced at milk.


Her total intake or the day adds up to the ollowing:

124g protein, 234g carbs, 98g ats, which equals 2323 calories.

She’ll continue with this logging or the next six days. Ten she’ll add up all the totals and then divide by seven to get her average intake.

I won’t repeat the above or the rest o the week, but let’s just say her days end up like so:

Monday:

124g protein

234g carbs

98g ats

Tuesday:

97g protein

297g carbs

78g ats

Wednesday:

48 protein

348g carbs

120g ats

Thursday:

104g protein

203g carbs

60g ats

Friday:

84g protein

259g carbs

84g ats

Saturday:

92g protein

295g carbs

79g ats

Sunday:

143g protein

193g carbs

94g ats

Total:

692g protein

1829g carbs

613g ats

Average:

98.8g protein

261.3g carbs

87.6g ats

Her average intake or the week is then 99g protein, 261g carbs, and 88g ats (we’re rounding to whole numbers or simplicity’s sake).

Keeping in mind that 1g protein = 4 calories, 1g carb = 4 calories, and 1g ats = 9 calories, we calculate that 99g(4) + 261(4) + 88(9) = 2,232 calories per day, on average.

Now, I want you to do the same with your own eating or one ull week. It’s best i you track your ood as you go rather than waiting until the end o the night.


You’ll continue in this manner or seven straight days (because who knows, maybe your weekend eating habits are vastly different rom how you eat during the week) and then you’ll calculate the average number o grams o protein, carbs, and ats that you consumed.

Tose will be your baseline numbers.

DETERMINE YOUR PRESCRIBED NUMBERS Beore we move onto calculating macronutrient numbers or at loss, let one thing be clear: you want to diet on as many calories as possible while still making progress.

I know it sounds like the opposite o what you may have been taught. Many women in particular seem to believe that 1200 calories a day is the magic number to see at loss happen. Where they got this number rom, I don’t know. We can blame the media, I suppose.

But think o it this way: i Jane Doe slashes her daily intake to 1,200 calories a day, she’s effectively consuming over 1,000 calories less than what she was beore. Might sound tempting, because lower calories means aster weight loss, right?

Just remember that the greater the calorie deficit, the greater the chance that you’ll lose precious muscle mass. You don’t want this to happen; you want to retain as much muscle as possible so that any weight loss is effectively all body at loss. Furthermore, the more extreme measures you resort to, the higher the likelihood o rebound.

Put another way, the less sustainable the methods you utilize, the less sustainable the results.

And the goal should just about always be to get to where you want to be – and stay there.

Set aside your thirst or instant gratification and recognize that those days o crash dieting never worked or you (right?), so there’s no reason or it to start working now.


Total calorie intake Rather than spitting out a generic calorie recommendation, it’s important to examine the individual as a whole.

In general, calorie ranges are set to the ollowing:

For at loss: (bodyweight in pounds) x 10-13 For maintenance: (bodyweight in pounds) x 14-16 For mass gain/hypertrophy: (bodyweight in pounds) x 17-20

Te above ranges can be influenced by a number o actors, including but not limited to: age (typically the younger the individual, the higher the metabolism); activity level (the more active the individual, the higher the daily calorie burn); body at percentage (those with extremely high levels o body at will likely note that their at loss, maintenance, and hypertrophy numbers are much lower than the above), and genetics. Tere will always be some outliers, such as the skinny hard gainer in his early 20s who needs to consume bodyweightx18 calories simply to maintain his weig ht, or the proessional athlete who engages in intense exercise our hours a day. But most people will find that their bodies all nicely with the above. Now here is some inormation on Jane Doe: 32 years old 5’4”, 155lbs, bodyat in the 25-30% range Sedentary desk job Relatively active liestyle; exercises three days a week No health complications Average metabolism (ie. no reaky genetics)

We know her average caloric intake is 2,232, which means that she has been consuming bodyweightx14.4 calories. It makes sense that she’s been maintaining her weight on the lower end o the maintenance range because she lives a pretty sedentary liestyle.

For at loss, then, we’ll take her bodyweight and multiply by 13 to keep her at the high end o the dieting range to start off (remember, we want to eat as much as p ossible while still making progress). Tis is good


because this effectively shaves over 200 calories off her average day.

Note that i you find that you are maintaining your bodyweight at more than bodyweight x 16 calories, then the ormula above won’t apply to you. Because afer all, it wouldn’t make sense to slash your calories down to bodyweightx16. In that case, it may be more sensible to ditch the ormula above and instead simply cut down your calorie intake by 200-300 calories.

Protein intake Alright, what you want to do now is set your protein intake. Jane Doe has been consuming an average o 99 grams o protein a day, which is not bad, actually – but she’ll have to work on getting more consistent rom day to day.

Now, you may have heard around the block that we don’t need so much protein. And it’s true – we technically can survive without it. But or someone who exercises regularly and wants to optimize body composition, protein requirements will be higher in order to maintain a positive protein balance in the body.

You can set your protein intake at 1 gram per pound o lean body mass. I Jane has 25% bodyat, that means that with this ormula, she should consume 116 grams o protein per day.

Alternatively, highly active and/or leaner individuals (typically that means women with less than 20% bodyat and men with less than 13% bodyat) may want to bump that intake up to 1 g ram o protein per pound o total bodyweight, and sometimes even greater. Protein, afer all, has a high satiety actor, and also will cover the daily requirements or protein turnover.

You may want to opt or the first route i your average protein intake has been ver y low. Most people find that protein is the hardest macronutrient number to meet – so i this is you, eel ree to stick to the lower end.

Name

Height / Weight

Jane Doe

5’4” / 155lbs

Total # Calories 155lbs x 13 = 2,015 calories

Protein intake 155lbs x (0.75) = 116g protein


With Jane Doe, we’re going to opt or the first option since her average intake has not been that high. We want to set her up or success, so we’ll start with something we know she can achieve.

Carbohydrate intake Carbohydrate intake seems to be the most controversial in the world o health and at loss.

Do you carb cycle? Cut carbs out completely? Only have them once a week?

Te act o the matter is, carbs are not the devil that they’ve been made out to be. Tey will not, in other words, automatically make you gain at.

Here’s the truth: just about any kind o carb intake will work or you as long as 1) you can realistically stick to it or an appreciable length o time, and 2) it’s your preerred way o eating.

Point number two very closely ties in with number one, o course. I you don’t enjoy your diet, you won’t be sticking to it or long – that much I can guarantee. With that said, you want to strike a balance between what your body needs and eels best with and what works best or your liestyle.

Your carbohydrate number here will depend on a multitude o actors, including how well your bo dy tolerates carbs, how much you like carbohydrates relative to ats, your body type, and how physically active you are. Te more exercise you’re doing, the more carbs you’re going to need.

Depending on the individual, numbers can be set at the ollowing ranges:

Sedentary liestyle/extremely high bodyat: 0.6-1.0g carbohydrate per pound o bodyweight

Moderately active liestyle: 1.0-1.3g carbohydrate per pound o bodyweight

Highly active liestyle: 1.3-2.0g carbohydrate per pound o bodyweight

But again, i you know or a act that you eel better on higher ats and lower carbs, then by all means


tweak the numbers as you see fit.

You can opt or linear carbs, in which case every day your carbohydrate intake will be the same, regardless o whether or not you’re getting in a workout. Otherwise, you can carb cycle.

I like carb cycling because in general, when carbs are high, ats are low, and vice versa. Tat means I get to enjoy more carbs on my training day, and on my off days, I have more ats to toy around with (hello, whole eggs!).

Jane Doe isn’t doing anything crazy in the gym—just the basic heavy lifing plus a ew shorter metabolic sessions thrown in here and there—so I would go ahead and give her 1.1xbw grams o carbohydrates or her training days.

155lbs x 1.1 = 170g carbohydrates

And on her days off, we’ll set her intake at 0.8xbw grams o carbohydrates so she’s not chewing her arm off (she does, afer all, like her carbs).

155lbs x 0.8 = 124g carbohydrates

Training Days

Off Days

2,015 calories

2,015 calories

116g protein

116g protein

170g carbohydrates

124g carbohydrates

??? ats (BD)

??? ats (BD)


So ar, we’ve established her total calories, her protein and her carbohydrate intake.

Fat intake Tat leaves us with ats. Actually, the hard part is done, and all you have to do now is figure out how many calories are lef and then divide by 9 (since 1g at = 9 calories).

For Jane’s training days, we get:

otal intake = 2,015 calories Calories rom protein = 116g x (4 cal/gram) = 464 calories Calories rom carbs = 170g x (4 cal/gram) = 680 calories Lefover calories or ats = 2,015 calories – 464 calories – 680 calories = 871 calories Fat intake = 871 calories / (9 calories/gram) = 97g ats And or her off days:

otal intake = 2,015 calories Calories rom protein = 116g x (4 cal/gram) = 464 calories Calories rom carbs = 124g x (4 cal/gram) = 496 calories Lefover calories or ats = 2,015 calories – 464 calories – 496 calories = 1,055 calories Fat intake = 1,055 calories / (9 calories/gram) = 117g ats

And her macronutrient numbers have now been finalized.

Training Days

Off Days

2,015 calories

2,015 calories

116g protein

116g protein

170g carbohydrates

124g carbohydrates

97g ats

117g ats


You may now be wondering: but isn’t her at intake too high?

Tat depends on whom you ask. I believe it comes down to personal preerence.

I you know or a act that you can’t consume that much at in one day, then you can push your carb intake or even your protein numbers a little higher. See how that changes your at intake.

While there technically isn’t isn’t a ceiling or how high you can take your ats, you want to ensure that you’re you’re consuming a bare minimum o 30g ats per day.

Finally, Finally, you also want to ensure that you’re you’re getting in sufficient fiber. Te general recommendation is 2040g fiber per p er day.

Note: Te same approach above can be used or calculating mass gain numbers. You’ll just have to set a higher total calorie intake first, which will in turn yield higher macronutrient numbers or you. While I recommend that you increase your carb intake more than your ats or hypertrophy, again, it all comes down to personal preerence.

PLAN YOUR MEALS Tis section used to be called, “track your intake,” but I’ve since realized that it can be incredibly misleading.

Tere’s a big difference between knowing how to actually track your intake – which simply means that you keep a ood journal o some kind as you consume your meals throughout the day, typically logging

after you’ve you’ve already eaten – versus planning your intake so that your total protein, carbohydrate, and at numbers all within +/-5 grams g rams o each prescribed number. Te ormer is simple and straightorward; t he latter is a skill that that must be acquired through deliberate d eliberate practice. I don’t mean to intimidate you. Really, I promise that it’s not as difficult as it may seem. You simply need to put in some s ome work upront.


Tere are many ways to go about this, but I’ll walk you through the steps that I use.

1.

Figure out how many meals you’ll be consuming.

2.

Plug in any “un” treats you want to enjoy.

3.

Divide up your protein intake into each meal, then pair each meal with a carbohydrate and/or at source.

4.

Adjust ood quantities, working one macronutrient at a time, until you are within range o your target numbers.

We’ll say that +/-5 gram o each e ach prescribed macronutrient number is considered compliant.

1. Figure out how many meals you’ll be consuming. Most o you should have this figured out by now. Afer having tracked your ood intake or a week, you should have a pretty good idea o how many meals that you consume on any given day.

For some o you, that may be three larger meals; or others, maybe it’s something more like our meals and two snacks.

Whatever your meal requency has been, stick with that or now.

Let’s Let’s go back to our example o Jane Doe. Remember that her nutrition intake rom the previous section or her training days came out to 116g protein, 170g carbohydrates, and 97g ats. With the +/-5 grams gr ams o wiggle wigg le room that we’ve we’ve provided, that means that by the time we’re we’re done planning her meals or tomorrow, her numbers should be in the ollowing range:

111-121g protein 165-175g carbohydrates 92-102g ats

Alright, now let’s get to work.

I you may recall, Jane Doe has a sedentary desk job and trains three days a week. Everyday, Everyday, she consumes


our square meals and one evening snack beore bed. She also preers to train afer her workday is done at around 5:30p.m.

For the sake o simplicity, we’ll say she consumes five meals a day, and we’ll label them Meal 1, Meal 2, Meal 3, Meal 4, and Meal 5.

2. Plug in any “fun” treats t reats you want to enjoy. A un treat is anything you want it to be, but it’s typically going to be s omething that you would not consider nutrient dense. Tat may be some m&m’s or maybe a Snickers bar or even some goldfish crackers. Whatever the case, you get to allot up to 20% o your total calories ca lories or the day towards this indulgence.

With Jane, we know that she likes ice cream, so we’ll stick with that or now. now.

We also know that she likes to enjoy it as part o her last meal o the day, so we’ll we’ll plug it into Meal 5.

It’ll It’ll become much more obvious the more you practice this, but the reason why you want to plug in your treat first is to make certain that t hat you actually have room or it in your day. I you leave it until last, you’ll likely be dismayed to realize that you’ve actually run out o carbs and  ats.

(I you’re wondering why we’re bothering to eat treats at all, here is the short explanation: Willpower is limited, and we can only stick to a diet or so long i we don’t enjoy it. And since the point o this is to actually stay on plan over the long-term, we incorporate treats into our diet to help take the edge off and make this a more enjoyable process. Is it mandatory to eat ice cream everyday? O course not. But know that you absolutely absolutely have the reedom to, and that a small serving ever y now and then is not going to derail


your fitness goals.)

As ar as the leaving-treats-or-last part, this is designing or laziness. We want to leave the “easy” parts o our diet (indulging in our avorite ice cream, maybe snacking on a serving or two o potato chips) or when we are naturally less disciplined and are more inclined to be lazy.

Willpower is like a battery that drains throughout each day every time we make a decision, say no to something we want, listen to that chatty coworker, and generally do the harder thing. So afer a ull day o slowly depleting our ego, the last thing we should have to do is come home and continue to deprive ourselves and utilize that sel-control that we’ve effectively run out o.

Tat means that in the evening, you shouldn’t have to say no to that candy bar.

Dive right in and enjoy every bite – just make sure you track it first.

Makes sense, right?

3. Take it meal by meal. First divide up your protein intake into each meal, then pair each meal with a carbohydrate and/or fat source. Hitting the prescribed protein intake tends to be the trickiest part or most people, particularly or those who are not accustomed to consuming much protein in the first place.

Tat’s why we make this the next priority. With five meals a day, Jane will need to consume an average o 116g / 5 meals = 23.2g protein per meal.

Now, we won’t require her to hit that exact number or every meal, because that would be virtually impossible and would surely drive her mad. Instead, let’s say that anything in the ballpark o 20-35g protein per meal is sufficient.

Going back to Jane Doe’s week o honest ood logging, we know that she probably doesn’t have much time in the mornings to be cooking up any kind o gourmet breakast (we’ll pretend that her whole week is similar to day one’s meals).


Again, remember, we want to set her up or success, not ailure, so we want to come up with a way to make this work or her.

I a typical morning meal or her is something quick, like bagels and cream cheese, then we’ll need to modiy her breakast so that we can squeeze some protein in there while not eating up her time.

Right off the bat, I can think o our ways to accomplish this: 1) blend up a protein shake, 2) grab some deli meat on her way to work, 3) munch on a protein bar, and 4) pre-cook some portable breakast proteins, such as turkey meatloa muffins or egg bake muffins.

For Jane, we’ll choose option 1. She can either spend 20 seconds whipping up a shake, or she can make it the night beore and keep it in the ridge overnight.

Let’s give her 35 grams o Cellucor’s molten chocolate whey protein powder (mostly because that’s my avorite).

So Meal 1 is set with 25 solid grams o protein.

Ten we ask, what carbohydrate and/or at source would go well with chocolate whey in a shake? I like the pairing o chocolate with bananas, so let’s toss in one large banana. We’ll blend it up with ice and make it nice and rothy.

For her next meal, her usual hot dog with ketchup and mustard simply won’t do. It’s woeully lacking in


protein, and plus, hot dog meat is not the best choice she can be making. Tere’s a lot o room or improvement here.

Jane’s going to spend some time over the weekend cooking up her proteins in bulk. For lunch, she wants buffalo chicken nuggets, so that’s what she plugs into Meal 2. A little bit o trial and error o playing around with numbers, and she’s plugged in 100g o chicken nuggets, which will yield 24.8 grams o protein. She’s going to pair that with a salad that consists o romaine lettuce, bacon, sliced cucumbers, carrots, and a drizzle o balsamic vinaigrette.

Here’s what we’ve got planned or her day so ar. We’re two meals in and we’re right at 56 grams o protein or the day. We’re staying within our target protein range o 20-35 grams per meal, and we’re also making each meal tasty.

Tat’s pretty good.


Next is Meal 3, also known as Jane’s mid-afernoon snack. Beore, she ate a candy bar and an apple. Let’s replace that candy bar with a quality protein bar, and we can leave in the apple.

With 20 grams o protein per Tink Tin high protein bar, that’s right at the low end o our target intake o 20-35 grams o protein per meal. Tis is fine – and remember, this is just our “rough draf,” so to speak. We can always come back and make tweaks later.

Meal 4, which is going to be the post-workout meal or Jane, is going to happen mostly at home during the week. Let’s say she cooks up some pork tenderloin or dinner. She’s going to pair that with some jasmine rice as well as some steamed broccoli.


Don’t worry i you’ve already exceeded your target macros or the day at this time. Te important part right now is to plug in all the oods that we’ll be eating tomorrow; we’ll adjust quantities later.

And finally, or her last meal o the day, we know that we’ve already plugged in her ice cream, so maybe we can add in the low-at milk that she was originally consuming. Te milk has quality protein and we do want to afford her some room or treats, afer al l. And while milk does have carbs and ats, that’s fine or the time being since nothing is set in stone just yet.

Okay, now that we’ve finished logging all her meals, let’s see where her numbers are. Here’s what Jane sees on her MyMacros+ app:

Te top row consists o her current macro numbers, and the bottom row consists o her target numbers.

It looks like we’re a tad over on protein, a good bit over on carbs, and woeully under on ats.

Tis is all okay. Since we’re still in the planning stages, we can fix this easily.

4. Adjust food quantities, working one macronutrient at a time, until you are within range of your target numbers.


First, let’s add some more ats in there in a way that will complement her current meals. Here are some ideas: toss in some peanut butter with her morning shake, and throw in a handul o almonds with her afernoon protein bar and apple. We’ll start there and see how that changes her numbers.

Tis is better! But not quite there yet. You may notice that we’ve now brought up both our protein and carb intake as well, but we won’t worry about that or now. We’re just taking it one macronutrient at a time.

o meet our at intake, we’ll throw in a tablespoon o coconut oil into dinner so Jane can sauté her broccoli.

Ah, looks much better.

Now let’s move onto carbohydrates.

Right now, our numbers tell us that she’s approximately 40 grams over her target number.

Te simplest ways to manipulate carbohydrate intake is to find the most carbohydrate dense oods we’ve logged. A carbohydrate dense ood reers to a ood has virtually only carbohydrate and no trace protein or ats.

A quick scan tells us that those oods or the day are the jasmine rice, banana, and apple. Let’s ocus on the jasmine rice and banana or now (because really, who wants to eat 8/10th o an apple?).

We’ll cut the 150 grams o banana down to 80 grams and decrease her jasmine rice portion to 80 grams as well.


Her carbohydrate intake is starting to look a little better, but it’s still not where it should be.

Te next carbohydrate-dense oods are the ice cream sandwich and the apple.

At this point, Jane Jane can do one o two things. One, she can decide between the apple or the ice cream sandwich. Tis one’s one’s tough, because apples are obviously healthy or you, but she also really wants to keep in that evening treat so she can enjoy her diet. Or two, she can nix a meal altogether so she can afford more macros per meal. Afer all, 80 grams gr ams o banana isn’t isn’t very much.

For the sake o this example, we’ll settle on the latter. latter. Condensing to our meals will allow Jane more flexibility with every meal, and the bigger meals can also help her eel more satiated. And remember, we’re flexible here; i Jane tries out our meals a day and eels terrible terr ible on it, she can always go back to five meals.

Let’s Let’s cut out Meal 3 (protein bar, apple, and almonds) and get to tinkering tin kering again.

We take out the protein bar and apple, move the almonds to Meal 2 with w ith the chicken salad, and bump up the banana and jasmine rice again.

Not too shabby! We’re almost there.

We need more ats again, so s o we’ll bump up her peanut butter rom 30 grams to 45 grams. Tat brings us to 94.6 grams o ats or the day, which alls nicely in our 92-102 gram target range.

Next, looking at carbohydrates, we’ll we’ll allot just 5 more grams o jasmine rice r ice to bring up her carbohydrate intake to 170 grams. Presto.


Finally, Finally, we’ve got protein. At 125.5 grams, we’re a ew grams over where we want to be.

Look or the protein sources in her meals and cut away rom there. It’ll be easiest to target the protein-dense oods (the oods that t hat are highest in protein with little to no trace carbs or ats) because manipulating those numbers won’t affect the total carb and at numbers much.

Let’s Let’s shave off some protein powder rom Meal 1 and cut down on the chicken nuggets in Meal 2. Here are Jane’s finalized meals:



We’re missing Meal 3 because we cut it out, so don’t worry about that.

Notice where our final numbers all. We’re all within 5 grams o each target number – this is exactly where want to be. As well, i you look above Meal 1, you’ll see that MyMacros+ tells us precisely how close we are to where we should be.

It’s a beauty, ain’t it?

And that’s how it’s done.

*drops mic*

Now it’s your turn. Follow the steps above to plan out your own meals or tomorrow.

I you find yoursel stuck on any one step, just go back and start again. Re-read Jane’s example i you need to.

It may take you 20 or so minutes to plan your first time through, but over time, you’ll grow increasingly competent. Relying on the same meals over and over (my breakast and evening treats pretty much never change, or example) can really help to automate this process as well.


ADJUSTING AND TWEAKING YOUR NUMBERS

MEASURE PROGRESS First things first: you need to be objectively measuring your progress.

I suggest doing this every two weeks.

Here are the methods that I recommend:

•

Daily tracking o macronutrient intake (this one is a given)

•

Scale weight

•

Body circumerence measurements (waist, hips, and thighs at the bare minimum)

•

Progress pictures

You can also utilize other tools, such as the fit o your avorite pair o jeans, to help gauge how you’re moving along.

Daily Tracking of Macronutrient Intake I you’re not keeping track o your progress, your dieting efforts will be or naught. Whether it be using the mirror, your bodyweight (in combination with body measurements, especially the waist), body at calipers (which are by and large inaccurate or the most part, by the way), or that dress you wore at prom all those years ago, find some way to assess how you’re trucking along. I very strongly urge you to take progress pictures at least every month—this will keep you honest. Te one method that you must be utilizing daily is the first: you must be tracking your macronutrient intake everyday. Tat means that everything that you consume throughout the day gets logged. Tere’s nothing that goes unaccounted or.

Why is this so important? Because you can’t manage what you don’t measure.

And while you may think that a small handul o m&m’s here and an extra dollop o ranch dressing there simply isn’t a big deal, unless you’re keeping yoursel accountable or it, your nutrition tracking efforts will be or naught. Even a mere 200-calorie discrepancy between what you’ve actually consumed vs. what you’ve logged can mean the difference between seeing the progress that you’re looking or and


observing no change at all.

Tere are lots o ways to go about this. My recommended approach, again, is to utilize a mobile app – MyMacros+ or iPhone users and MyFitnessPal as a secondary option. Te oo d database is comprehensive, and it automatically adds up your protein, carbohydrate, at, and calorie totals as you log.

Scale Weight As ar as weighing yoursel, i you are someone who gets hung up on small fluctuations in scale weight, then you probably don’t want to jump on the device everyday.

Daily fluctuations are completely normal, afer all, and a 0.4lb bump isn’t always indicative o true at gain.

At the very least, I would recommend weighing yoursel every two weeks in the same condition: first thing in the morning afer doing your bathroom business, preerably naked or in minimal clothing.

Body Circumference Measurements Next comes body circumerence measurements. Make sure you have a tape measurer, and measure yoursel the same way every time. For the waist, find the narrowest part o your torso. For hips, I li ke to measure around the biggest part o the booty. And or the thighs, the meatiest section is probably best.

Progress Pictures Lastly, you want to take progress pictures. rust me on this one. I understand that s ome o you may cringe at the thought o getting hal-naked and capturing yoursel at anything less than bangin’-chiseled-shredded shape, but this is important. Skip this step and it’ll be much harder to tell how ar you have truly come when you look back in three months.

Te standard approach is this: or women, you want to be in a sports bra and shorts (or even a bikini will do); or men, shirtless in your boxers or shorts will suffice. Whatever you choose to wear, do your best to stay consistent with the same outfit every time you take pictures. Next, find an area o the house that has good lighting with preerably not many distractions in the background. You also want to be able to get a ull body shot, so make sure that there’s enough space.

As ar as the photos themselves, I recommend taking ront, side, and back photos, all in the relaxed po-


sition. You can choose to leave your head in or cut it out – up to you.

Each time you set up to take progress pictures, make sure you do them in the same conditions every time.

o reiterate: same outfit, same lighting, same se ction o the house, same ull-body ront, side, and back relaxed positions. And o course, you always want to take t hem first thing in the morning on an empty stomach.

ASSESS PROGRESS Afer you’ve recorded your dietary adherence and taken measurements as well as progress photos, it’s time to take an objective look at how you’ve done.

Dietary Adherence First things first, i your dietary adherence has been off, then stop right there. Ask yoursel:

Is this due to a lack o skill (ie. still learning how to count macros and adhere to prescribed numbers)? I so, spend more time on the above pages. Maybe break down the sequence and ocus on mastering just one step at a time. Remember, we want to set you up or success, not ailure – and i that means taking baby steps to get there, then so be it.

Is this due to the numbers being unrealistic? You may find that you really, really love carbohydrates and don’t care much or ats, and you’re consequently finding yoursel eeling pretty miserable on the lowcarb, high-at numbers you’ve calculated or yoursel. Or maybe your protein intake is simply too high and you’re finding yoursel with 60 grams o whey protein to choke down at the end o ever y evening. I this is happening to you, maybe swap out some ats in exchange or more carbs and bump down your protein intake by 30 or 40 grams, all the while keeping your total calorie intake the same.

It may not be ideal, but ideal doesn’t matter if you can’t apply it consistently. Over time, you can gradually increase your protein intake by 10 or 15 grams every two or so weeks.


Is this due to a lack o planning? I you’re finding yoursel trying to wing your meals throughout the day and crossing your fingers that your macronutrient numbers will perectly a lign, only to find yoursel consistently over on carbs, over on ats, and grossly under on protein, then the answer is pretty simple. Tis is your weak spot. Are you going grocery shopping at the beginning o the week? Are you preparing macro-riendly meals? Are you pre-planning your meals or the next day? No? Ten let’s go back to the first steps. Plan or success.

Is this due to a lack o ocus? Maybe you’re a skilled macro counter and you’ve already got your meals prepped and planned out, but something always seems to get in the way o spot-on dietary adherence. You have an unexpected meeting at work and you miss a meal; your kid offers you a bite o his ice cream and you can’t say no; you have other lie responsibilities that are pulling you every which way, leaving you with little in the tank to even think about your nutrition.

I this is you, then you have to be brutally honest with yoursel. Is macro counting a top priority in my life

right now, and if it’s not, am I willing to make it so? I the answer is no – and it’s completely alright i it is – then make the active decision to shel this or the time being until your lie settles down. I the answer is yes, then find ways to cut away the clutter in your lie.

If you have 10 “top priorities,” then you don’t actually have priorities at all. I you’re stuck on one o the above, then spend another two weeks brushing up on your dietary adherence.

Scale Weight and Body Circumference Measurements I’ve lumped scale weight and body circumerence measurements into the same section this time because you really can’t accurately assess one without taking the other into account. Tis is all assuming that your dietary adherence has been on point, o course.

For fat loss: I the scale weight has gone up, stayed the same, or moved down, yet your body circumerence measurements have decreased (namely, your waist measurement) and you are looking or eeling leaner, then you have made progress. Tere’s no need to change your macronutrient numbers.


I scale weight has gone up or stayed the same and measurements have not changed, then it may b e time or a drop in macros.

I scale weight has decreased and measurements have not changed, I’d recommend staying at the same macronutrient numbers or another two weeks. Fat loss happens at more than the ew points at which you’re taking measurements, so it may simply be a matter o staying consistent or your waist measurement to drop.

For maintenance: Te scale weight will likely fluctuate +/- 3 or so pounds on any given day. Tis is completely normal and nothing to panic over. Measurements should also stay relatively stable.

I you’re up hal an inch somewhere at one check-in, I would make a note o it, but don’t be too quick to change your program. I, at your second check-in, that measurement has gone up again or has not come back down, you may have set your maintenance calories too high. We’ll discuss how to adjust them below.

For reverse dieting/strength gain: Tis is probably the most misunderstood phase and the one with the most variable results. In general, most individuals should expect scale weight to go up at a slow rate – around 0.5-1.0 pound every two weeks – and body circumerence measurements may also creep up slowly during this time as well.

Afer all, you are consuming more calories. Tere are some olks who can actually maintain their measurements and sometimes even get leaner, but they’re not the norm. Don’t worry about the kind o results that other people are getting and just ocus on you.

I the scale weight has gone down or stayed the same and measurements have gone down or stayed the same, it’s time to bump up your macros.


I you eel that you are gaining weight too rapidly and you’re growing increasingly uncomortable in your skin, you may slow down the reverse dieting process by either staying at the same macronutrient numbers or another two weeks or bumping your numbers up in smaller increments. It’s up to you what you want to do.

Progress Pictures I’m going to say this right off the bat: progress pictures don’t always do justice to true, real-lie progress.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had a client submit a check-in to me, ecstatic about the visual improvements she’s been seeing, only to tell me, “Oh, but you can’t see it in these photos – I swear I look better in real lie!” And it’s true.

As great as technology is nowadays, no iPhone photo can accurately capture the subtle physique changes that happen rom week to week. Tat doesn’t mean that they’re not valuable, however.

Keep your photos in a older somewhere and organize them by ront, side, and back shot.

Every time you take progress pictures, compare them to not only the previous check-in pictures, but also your starting pictures.

Biweekly by biweekly, you may not see much change, but over time, subtle improvements will add up to some astonishing transormations.

Other Ways to Assess Progress Don’t discount the eedback that you receive rom other individuals.

Friends, amily, coworkers – they will likely start to comment on your changing physique. ypically this happens a ew months into your program.

I others are seeing change, then the change is definitely happening.


As well, you may find that your clothes are fitting a little differently. I you’re dieting, your regular jeans may be a little loose at the waist, and i you’re trying to put on some muscle, maybe your shirts are starting to eel tight at the lats.

Pay attention to these external cues. Tey are all signs that tell you whether or not you’re moving in the right direction.

TWEAK NUMBERS (IF NECESSARY) o summarize, here’s the kind o progress you want to be seeing (once again, assuming that your dietar y adherence is on point):

For fat loss: Scale weight loss o 0.25-1.0lb/week and a gradual drop in measurements over time. Te more bodyat you have to lose, the aster progress you may obser ve; and conversely, the leaner you are, the slower the weight will come off. Keep in mind, too, that you may look and eel leaner but the scale weight may not reflect that. I this happens, you may be building muscle and losing at at the same time. Tis is good.

For maintenance: Scale weight should stay in the range o +/- 3 pounds on any given day, and measurements should stay relatively stable.

For reverse dieting/strength gain: Scale weight may decrease, stay the same, or increase anywhere between 0.25-1.0lbs/week, and measurements may also slowly increase. I you are gaining more quickly than t his, consider slowing down your caloric increases or stay at your current numbers or a ew more weeks. I, however, you are completely comortable with gaining weight at a aster rate, then by all means, have at it.

As you have probably noticed, there are numerous caveats and exceptions to the above scenarios. Frus-


trating, right?

(Tis is why many people opt to outsource this fitness programs to coaches who can do the job or them. Yes, even coaches have coaches, too! Why? Because it’s incredibly difficult to be subjective when it comes to coaching yoursel, so having an outside set o eyes calling the shots may be well worth it. Reer to page 106 or online coach recommendations.) Now let’s move on to how to actually manipulate your numbers.

To decrease macros: Protein number may stay the same – unless it’s been set at below 0.8 g rams per pound o lean body mass, in which case you may want to bump it up 10-15 grams every two weeks.

Carbohydrate number may decrease by anywhere between 10-20%.

Fat number may decrease by anywhere between 10-20%. Te one caveat I will say here is that you probably don’t want to dip below 30g per day or health reasons. I you find that you are getting close to t his point, you may alternatively opt to chip away more o your carbohydrate intake instead.

In general, the higher your total calorie intake and the higher your bodyat level, the more you can cut away calories.

For men with bodyat less than 15% and or women with bodyat less than 25%, I would not recommend dipping calories below bodyweight x 10. (So i you’re a emale with 16% body at and you are 115lbs, your lower caloric limit will be 1150 calories per day.)

For men with bodyat higher than 15% and or women with bodyat higher than 25%, I would not recommend dipping calories below bodyweight x 8.

To increase macros: Protein number may stay the same. I your number has been higher than 1 gram per pound o bodyweight, you may decrease your protein intake to make more room or carbohydrate and/or ats.


Carbohydrate number may increase by anywhere between 5-10%. I you wish, you may be more aggressive with your number increases.

Fat number may increase by anywhere between 5-10%. I you wish, you may be more aggressive with your number increases.

WHAT ABOUT EXERCISE? I understand that you may be wondering where and how exercise fits into this equation.

Te truth is that yes, exercise absolutely matters – but not as much as your nutrition does.

Te most important type o exercise you want to be doing is proper strength training.

By strength training, I mean that you are utilizing the basic movement patterns (squat, hinge, pushup, row) and implementing progressive overload over time. Tis can be accomplished in a number o ways, including increasing the reps perormed in a prescribed rep range, increasing the weight or a given number o reps, or even improving quality o orm.

I won’t dabble too much with training specifics – since this is a nutrition book, afer all.

For at loss, I’d recommend a training requency o anywhere between two to five days a week. I think three to our days a week is the sweet spot. For strength/mass gain, I’d recommend a training requency o anywhere between our to six days a week.

Don’t think o utilizing exercise as a means to burn calories; rather, strength training’s primary purpose is to retain muscle mass (i you are in a caloric deficit) or help gain muscle mass (i you are in a caloric surplus). Be careul not to become an exercise fiend, and don’t get too hung up on the number o calories you think you’ve burnt.


Again, nutrition is the most important actor. So i you’re not making the kind o progress you want, I’d take a good, hard look at your diet first beore changing anything about your exercise regimen.

I you need help with setting up a proper training program, I offer coaching services or 1-on-1 training and nutrition consulting, group coaching, and group training only. You can fill out my coaching application to find out more.


Living life

In an ideal world, circumstances would always perectly align so as to allow us to nail our macros with each, time and time again. But lie happens.

Our coworkers throw birthday parties, our best riends invite us out or happy hour, and we take last-minute weekend getaways to Savannah. Sometimes our perectly planned afernoon o weekend meal cooking becomes rush-your-dog-to-the-vet Sunday afer he inhales a chocolate bar.

When lie throws us curveballs, we can do one o two things:

1.

Declare that i you can’t do it perectly, then it’s not worth doing at all – and jump ship or the rest o the day, the week, or even the month. You’re going to wait until circumstances are perect beore attempting to track macros again. We’re all black and white here, baby. Go hard or go home… or something like that.

2.

Do the best we can with the cards we’re dealt. We understand that i we constantly wait until everything is perect, then nothing will get done. Besides, i we want to be in this or the long haul, then we need to figure out strategies to make our fitness work with, not against, our lives.

I you’ve read this ar, then it should be clear by now that the second option is the way to go.

I’ll address the most common situations below.

NAVIGATING SOCIAL SITUATIONS Tis is probably the most common issue that people w ant help with.

Let me tell you straight up that it is absolutely possible to maintain a healthy social lie and still make progress with your fitness goals. It takes some careul orethought, but it can be done.


First things first, it’ll help you to be sensible about how ofen you’re going out. I’m o the belie that you should be picky about your social events anyway, but that’s a story or another time.

Eating at Restaurants I you typically go out or dinner five days o the week, you can either A) choose healthier dinner options, or B) eat out less requently and exercise portion control. In general, I find that the second route is easier to accomplish – plus, it’s better or your wallet.

I you’re going out to eat at a restaurant, then you’ll typically have a lot o choices to choose rom. As a rule o thumb, you should try to pick a meal that’s centered around a protein – chicken breast, steak, or fish, or example. Don’t be araid to ask or double meat i you know the portions are going to be small. (Remember, you’re fitness-minded now; protein is king!)

Ten, depending on where your macros are, you can order a salad or some steamed veggies or a lighter day, or maybe even a sandwich or some pasta i you’re eelin’ risky.

When it comes to logging your meal, you can find the nutrition inormation i the restaurant provides that (score!), and i not, then eyeballing portion sizes will be your best bet.

I don’t expect you to carry around a ood scale in your purse, nor would I recommend it. Tis is lie, remember?

I you’re unsure about the ingredients that went into preparing your meal, don’t be araid to ask. Otherwise, make a guess. Does your chicken look particularly greasy? Ten there was probably some oil in volved in the cooking progress – plug in a tablespoon o olive oil into your macro tracker, just to be sae.

You should also be practicing estimating portion sizes whenever you get the chance. Pay attention each time you weigh out 100 grams o chicken breast on your kitchen scale. What does t hat look like?

Probably around the size o a closed fist.

Over time, you’ll get better at this.

You’re also going to have to get comortable with not being entirely certain about the nutritional value


o your meal. I you’re a perectionist, you may find this particularly difficult. (As a recovering perectionist mysel, I can completely empathize.) But or the sake o your sanity, let’s let good enough be good enough and move on. You can do it.

Alcohol echnically speaking, alcohol is a ourth macronutrient. But that doesn’t help us much because no coach in his or her right mind is going to prescribe you alcohol to drink.

….Right?

In all seriousness, I know some o you are super curious about how alcohol fits into the equation.

Alcohol contains 7 calories per gram. Remember that. Now, when it comes to tracking it into your nutrition or the day, those alcohol calories can either count toward your carb or at intake – you choose.

So or example, i you consumed 180 calories’ worth o alcohol, that would be the equivalent o either 45 grams o carbs (since 1 gram o carbohydrate has 4 calories) or 20 grams o ats (since 1 gram o at has 9 calories).

See? It’s simple.

Obviously, i you’re consuming a cocktail that has added juices and other ingredients, you’ll have to track those as well. Sorry to burst your bubble.

But don’t overcomplicate it beyond that.

Other Social Events Tere may be other times when you’re invited to a riend’s home or a meal, or example, and you won’t necessarily have control over what you get to eat. It’s always a good idea in these situations to prepare or the worst. Most social events tend to be very carb and at heavy in their ood offerings, so fill up on protein and vegetables as much as you can during the day.


Depending on the event, I like to save up anywhere between 60 to 100 grams o carbohydrates and 20 to 30 grams o ats or the evening, and I’ll plan the rest o my macros around that.

Afer all, you do want to be able to enjoy yoursel, right? You don’t want to be pouting in the corner because you didn’t plan ahead.

You can also stash a protein bar (or even a protein shake) in your purse i you want to be sae.

HANDLING VACATIONS/TRAVELING Perhaps you have to travel a lot or work and you don’t want to get off track.

You’ll utilize many o the principles we discussed in the above section, plus a ew more preliminary steps. Depending on where you’re traveling to and what you’ll have access to, you may want to prepare some physique-riendly protein meals and pack them in your bag: turkey meatballs, protein pancakes, and so on.

It’s also a good idea to pack some protein bars. You just never know when you’re going to find yoursel ravenously hungry or in dire need o some protein.

I you’re going on vacation, I don’t know that it’s worth being a stickler to your diet during this time. Unless you’re preparing or a competition, leave the ood scale at home. I’m o the belie that it’s completely okay to loosen the reins a little bit every now and then.

Note that I’m not at all condoning a no-holds-barred, eat-everything-in-sight approach. Tere’s a difference between being neurotic and mindul; I’m advocating the latter.

You can eat what you want, but maybe not as much as you want. I that chocolate cake at your hotel resort is scrumptious, enjoy a slice. I it’s really that good, you can always come back tomorrow or another slice.

I think it makes the most sense to simply try and maintain your current weight and measurements


while on vacation, particularly i it’s anything less than two weeks. Allow yoursel to indulge a little more than you usually would – just keep in m ind that calories on vacation still count, and portion sizes still matter. You’ll likely come back maybe a ew pounds heavier, but as long as you ate sensibly, it’s probably just water weight and should come right off with a ew days o solid dietary adherence back under your belt. But hey, at the end o the day, this is all just advice. I you’d rather continue tracking all your meals while on vacation, then go right ahead.

Just remember: quality o lie above all else.

WORKING WITH A BUSY SCHEDULE Maybe you clock an 80-hour-a-week job and you’re hardly ever home. Or perhaps you’re a ull-time

mother with three kids running around the house at all times (and truly, your job never actually stops).

Whatever the case may be, you’re busy.

And I get that.

Because trust me, we are all busy. I’ve worked with clients with the most insane schedules, and it all boils down to this: be smart about how you utilize your time.

Note that busy isn’t the same thing as productive.

Let me use mysel as an example. I could sit at my laptop all day pounding away at the keyboard trying to write this chapter while getting up every ten minutes to tend to my dogs, or I could remove distractions and ocus on the task at hand or two solid hours. Either way, the same work gets done, though t he second route is much quicker – and the quality o my writing is probably a whole lot better as well.


I I could cut away all the “fluff” in my day – all the times I spend idling about, mindless scrolling through social media, even wasting time in the kitchen trying to cook up a meal rom scratch whenever it’s time to eat – that would add up to several extra hours I’ve just saved mysel. And I’m always, always working toward clearing away the fluff.

Te key to working with a busy schedule is this:

Be smart about how you channel your energies and take advantage of downtime. For example, i I’m hovering over the stove trying to cook mysel an omelet on one pan, why can’t I whip out another pan and whip up some stir-ry bee at the same time? Better yet, why not pull out the rice cooker and steam some jasmine rice or the week ahead, and also roast some russet potatoes in the oven? It’ll all take the same amount or time, more or less – but instead o preparing just one meal in 15 minutes, I’ve now effectively made enough ood to stretch through several meals. I hardly ever cook just one thing at a time anymore. (I’m a unctional cook, remember?) And I use the exact strategy I outlined above to streamline my time in the kitchen.

I should note, as well, that I never do any “busy work” in the mornings when my creativity is highest. I save the mornings or projects that require my utmost ocus (such as writing this book), and I leave the mindless tasks (such as cooking, sorting through the mail, paying bills) or the afernoons or the evenings. I also like to intersperse periods o high work with ample downtime all throughout the day, so my productivity levels stay high and I constantly give mysel opportunities to rejuvenate. ypically this ends up being two to three hours o work ollowed by one to two hours o downtime (to eat a meal, lif weights, play with the dogs, and/or run errands), and I’ll repeat this back and orth until the day is done. Tis is what I mean by energy management.

Wait , you may be thinking by now, but what does this have to do with my nutrition? A whole lot, actually – and you’ll understand in a minute.

Tere are so many parallels that can be drawn between your work lie and your fitness lie, you see. I you were able to catch the primary theme in my workday above, you’ll notice that I actively work to avoid depleting my willpower. As important as wi llpower is, it’s wildly misunderstood. I you want to make lasting behavior change, you want to rely on willpower as little as possible.


Did you catch that?

You don’t need a lot o willpower to execute a behavior over and over again – that is a huge misconception.

Rather, use it to your advantage.

When willpower is high, do the harder work. When it comes to your nutrition, that may mean getting your groceries and planning your meals out or the week – this is the equivalent o my ocusing on my writing.

Conversely, when willpower is low, do the easy tasks. Tis may mean chomping on that quiche you cooked up earlier or noshing on a protein bar.

No matter how busy you are, there are ways to automate the process.

No, you don’t need more sel-control. And no, you do not need more willpower.

You need to be smart about energy management.

MAINTAINING SANITY I’m being a little acetious by including this section, but in all honesty, I think it’s worth mentioning.

I understand that some o you may be worried that you won’t be able to live a “normal” lie i you’re busy counting macros. It’s a valid concern, but hear me out.

A lot o behavior change seems difficult at first – and it very well may be. But don’t misinterpret that as a sign that it’s going to stay hard orever.

Te point o learning how to count macros is not to make you neurotic and obsessive about your diet or the rest o your days; it’s to help you get to your fitness goal in the most efficient means possible.


I you know how many grams o protein, carbohydrates, and ats you’re consuming, it becomes much easier to assess progress and make the appropriate changes to your program, afer all.

But ar more than that, it teaches you how to think like a fitness-minded individual. Namely, you no longer turn a blind eye to the nutritional content o what you eat (who knew that a croissant could be so alarmingly high in at?), you prioritize protein at all times, and you understand portion control. And remember, everything that we’re discussing here – these are simply guidelines. Tey’re not strict rules.

I encourage you to be flexible with your nutrition. I, one day, you eat a meal with zero protein in it, no biggie. I you consume three cookies instead o one on Easter, don’t sweat it.

What you do everyday is far more important than what you do every once in a while. Modiy the guidelines to suit your needs. But don’t bullshit yoursel. I you’re not getting the results that you want even though you’re on a sound program, you need to be able to call yoursel out i you know you’re cutting corners.

Know that ultimately, you’re doing this because you’re invested in your long-term health. aking the time to learn how to count macros – even i just or a ew weeks – and amiliarize yoursel with proper nutrition is a gif to your uture sel. You may not realize it now, but with a little bit o work upront, you’ll be ar better equipped to navigate your way around any ood situation in the uture.

I you view this as a chore, I want to remind you that you are ultimately in control o your own attitude.

Many o my clients say that planning out their macros or the next d ay is like a game. I personally liken it to a game o nutritional etris, so to speak: Plug in the right oods in the right amounts over several meals to align with your target numbers. And what’s not un about that?


PRACTICAL TIPS & TRICKS

What’s the point o counting macros i you can’t put it into practice and live your lie?

I’m all about practicality. Let me equip you with some o my most practical tools to help you on your macro journey.

TRYING OUT NEW RECIPES I you like to experiment in the kitchen and enjoy whipping together new and exciting recipes, al l is not lost. Just because a recipe calls or numerous ingredients doesn’t mean that you can’t fit into your macros; it just requires a ew extra steps. First things first, I recommend that you weigh out what you can with a ood scale. I one o the ingredients is one cup o old-ashioned oats, or example, the nutritional label will tell you that that’s equivalent to 80 grams – so weigh it out.

You don’t have to worry about weighing ingredients that don’t come in volume measurements, such as eggs. As well, ultra-low calorie ingredients, like spices and extracts, you can disregard.

You’ll want to track everything that goes into the total recipe first, and then divide by however many servings you want.

Let’s use the chocolate chip pancakes I had the other day as an example.

Te recipe that I wanted to make called or one cup o pancake mix, one egg, and about hal a cup o milk.

In a medium-size bowl, I weighed out 100 grams o pancake mix, then I cracked in a single egg and poured in 4.4 ounces o reduced at milk. Afer mixing thoroughly, I then careully sprinkled in 30 grams o chocolate chips.


In the MyMacros+, I pulled up the Recipe section and plugged in all o the above. It looked like this:

Te entire batter ended up making our medium-sized pancakes or me, which was just enough or two servings. So I took hal the recipe and plugged it into Meal 1. Te meal was a little lacking in protein, so I added in a side o buffalo chicken nuggets.


Now, obviously, there was no way I could split the batter into exactly two servings, down to the gram. Each pancake size was slightly different and there was some batter lef in the bowl.

Don’t sweat the small stuff. Some things are simply not worth splitting hairs over ; this is one o them. Make your best approximations and let that be good enough. Tere are more important things to worry about.

PLANNING INDULGENCES Tere will be times when you want to eat something that you either cannot easibly track (such as


Grandma’s homemade lasagna) or simply does not fit your macros (such as a block o chocolate udge at your local theme park).

In these situations, you can do one o two things:

1.

guestimate nutrition inormation to the best o your ability – so or grandma’s lasagna, you may just want to look up generic lasagna and plug that into your day

2.

make the active decision to not track a meal and just enjoy yoursel

You should be opting or the first option more times than not. But every now and then, it’s perectly acceptable to indulge and move on.

I don’t like to call them cheat meals or many reasons. In a nutshell: Cheating implies that you are breaking rules (and you know there are no strict rules around here); cheating has a negative connotation and suggests that what you are doing is bad; labeling a meal as a “cheat” begets eelings o guilt, which can lead to sel-sabotage.

Meddling over minutiae? Not really. Te words we use, whether we realize it or not, have powerul eects on our psyche.

I preer calling it a mindul, non-tracked meal. And note that you should always, always be mindul when it comes to what you eat. Here are general guidelines to adhere to when it comes to these planned indulgences:

•

Be picky about how ofen you indulge. I think once a week is a good rate. And you should probably save these meals or when you’re eating out with riends.

•

ry to get in 25 to 40 grams o protein with that meal i possible. I not, don’t sweat it; it’s just one meal in the grand scheme o things.

•

Eat well in all your other meals that day. I you know that you’re going to have a sugar- and at-laden meal in the evening, then rontload your protein and vegetables.


•

Eat slowly. Pay attention to every bite.

•

Stop eating when you eel satisfied or when the meal is no longer delicious, not when you eel physically sick and on the verge o throwing up.

•

When the meal is over, the meal is over. Don’t dwell on it or try to “make up” or it later. Just get right back to your usual nutritional strategies and move on.

What’s important with these planned indulgences is that you actually allow yoursel to enjoy the experience rather than retting over it afer the act.

You’re the one who made the decision to indulge, which means that you are the one in control. One mindul, non-tracked meal is not going to hurt you in the grand scheme o things.

Was it delicious? Did you listen to your body? Did you satiate a craving?

Ten it was worth it.

“CATCHING UP” ON MACROS Playing macro “catch up” is perhaps my avorite way to end the day.

Tis essentially involves throwing together a bowl o morsels o ood to fill in the macro gaps as needed.

O course, the first prerequisite or this is that you actually have lefover macros to work with. You can intentionally designate your last meal o the day as your “catch up” meal or you can leave it just or those days when you’re short on some carbs and ats.

For me, I’ve been enjoying a serving o Greek yogurt (as my “base,” so to speak) and sprinkling in mini m&m’s, a crumbled chocolate chunk cookie, and/or some cookie butter, depending on how my macros are looking. Given my sweet tooth, I like to end the day on a sweet note, both to help me unwind and also to take the edge off my craving or sweets. Doing so – requently and in small doses – prevents the


cravings rom spiraling out o control and consequently also keeps me  ar, ar away rom binge eating. Watch this video to see what I mean. You’ll notice that I leave my “catch up” meal ingredients intentionally flexible. I I need more protein or the day, then I’ll serve mysel some more Greek yogurt. I I need more carbs and ats, then I get more m&m’s. Furthermore, all the ingredients mesh together well, and I know my meal will taste good no matter how much o each ingredient is in the bowl.

You don’t have to do this with Greek yogurt, o course. Maybe i your macros are high and you typically struggle to meet your carb and at intake or the day, then you can opt or a serving or two o ice cream instead o Greek yogurt with appropriate toppings.

Or i you’re like my husband and preer savory treats, you can whip up a homemade quesadi lla on the stove with however much cheese and meat you want. Like my Greek yogurt bowl, quesadillas are incredibly versatile because you can essentially include either a sma ll or large quantity o cheese, plus virtually any kind o lefover meat that you have on hand, and it’ll still taste delicious.

Some o my clients preer to make a protein mug cake, while others like to make sandwiches and toss in whatever ingredients they can.

As you can see, there are lots o ways to approach this. Te most important thing here is that you are doing what works best or you and your unique, individual need s.

Again, don’t be araid to experiment with different methods. Some trial and error is a normal and expected part o this process.


WEANING YOURSELF OFF OF MACRO COUNTING

Tis is a new topic that I think is worth considering – because afer all, you shouldn’t have to count macros everyday or the rest o your lie.

Tere are lots o ways to wean yoursel off o macro counting. Note that I say “wean” rather than “quit cold turkey.” Te thing is, we are actually pretty terrible when it comes to estimating how much we eat on any given day i we’re not actually tracking our intake. And I can imagine that it can be pretty terriying to go rom weighing and tracking every morsel o ood one day to essentially throwing your ood scale out the window the next.

Here’s the approach that I use to wean mysel off o macro counting. I like to spend anywhere between three to seven days on one step beore moving onto the next.

1. Stop tracking vegetables. Tis is probably the easiest step to accomplish, which is why it comes first. I choose vegetables because they are the least calorically dense oods o everything we eat, and the calories in them are typically pretty low.

Note that the amount o vegetables you’re consuming shouldn’t actually change. I you typically eat three cups o fibrous vegetables per day (which is antastic, by the way) then keep it up. All you’re doing differently now is that you’re no longer plugging it into your ood tracker.

Seems simple enough, right? Good. We want things to eel easy and doable.

I especially like this step to come first because it can help ease any potential mental discomort that may come with the uncertainty o not tracking. I it’s just 50-100 calories that you’re no longer logging, that can be easier to deal with than, say, 500 calories’ worth o ood.

Te more you do this, the more you’ll realize that you’re not going to gain 20lbs overnight just because you didn’t track your veggies, and that in turn will help build trust and confident in this weaning progress.

Once you get to this point, then it’s time or step two.


2. Learn what different serving sizes look like. Tis may not seem like much o an actionable step, but it’s actually a very important one.

How are you going to eat according to your body’s needs i you don’t actually know what 100 grams o chicken breast looks like?

Te best way to get good at this practice is simply to pay attention. Use your hand as a guide. Each time you use your ood scale, make a mental note. When you weigh out your chicken, notice the serving size. When you weigh out your jasmine rice, how much does 100 grams look like relative to your palm?

Ten you can start making estimations o your ood: portion out what you think is 28 grams o cheddar cheese, or example, and then weigh it out to see how close you got.

Use this method o trial-and-error to get really, really good at guessing serving sizes. And i you find yoursel getting neurotic with this practice, just remember: let good enough be good enough.

3. Stop tracking, one meal at a time. Woohoo! Tis is where the real un part begins.

I like to let go o tracking my meals in reverse order. What I mean by that is that I’ll first stop tracking my last meal o the day or a ew days, and then the last two meals, and so on.

Tis reverse approach allows me to get a good handle on what the first part o my day’s nutrition is looking like so I can then make my best estimations (see step 2) as I fill in my meals or the rest o the day.

You should notice that you typically eat similar meals in similar quantities at similar times o the day. Tis is a good thing and will help you with this step.

Going back to my Greek yogurt “catch up” meal as an example, it’s not difficult or me to scoop out a quarter o the tub o Greek yogurt, sprinkle in a ew teaspoons o mini m&m’s, and maybe scoop out a


tablespoon o cookie butter. Tese are all my typical serving sizes and, afer going through the motions enough times, I’ve gotten pretty good at portioning out the same amounts o ood (more or less) each night. It’ll be the same or you.

Stick with each non-tracked meal or up to a week at a time. Again, we’re aiming or small wins here, and we’re taking baby steps. I you need the reassurance, you can keep an eye on how the scale is moving, i at all, and also pay attention to your measurements as well as the fit o your clothes and what you see in the mirror. You should notice that, even afer one week o not tracking one meal, you’re doing just fine. You haven’t gone up a pants size, you’re not busting out o your jeans, and ever ything is A-Okay. When you eel confident with that, you can then move onto not tracking the last two meals o the day.

Continue in this manner until you’ve effectively stopped using the ood scale and you’re eyeballing all o your meals.

Do your best to mimic what you eat when you’re weighing everything out. I you normally like to have a giant chicken salad with a drizzle o ranch dressing or lunch, who’s to say you can’t enjoy the same thing even now?

Seek comort in the act that nothing that you do nutritionally is irreversible. Strive to consume ample protein, get in your veggies, and be sensible about your portion sizes, and you should be fine.

4. Do an audit every few weeks Over time, it can be very easy to allow your portion sizes to slowly grow larger without even realizing it. Or maybe you’re the opposite – maybe you always like to err on the side o caution and you typically undereat.

Whatever the case may be, I would recommend doing a nutritional audit every our to six weeks.

Wipe the dust off your ood scale and get back to tracking or about two days. ry not to change your current eating habits in order to get the most honest picture o what’s going on.


You may be surprised to find that you’re not eating nearly enough protein anymore, or maybe your carbohydrate intake has shot through the roo. You may also find that these nutritional differences reflect in the scale weight and in your measurements.

Beore you reak out, know that this is all fne . No nutrition strategy is permanent; nothing is unfixable.

Besides, i it’s only been our to six weeks and you didn’t even notice any kind o change until you did your audit, then your numbers are probably not off by that much.

It’s a simple fix.

I you find that your protein intake has been too low, then bump up your protein servings at each meal or throw in an extra protein shake everyday.

I your carbohydrate intake has been high, maybe c ut back on your rice portions or skip the potatoes at dinner.

I your at intake has been through the roo, perhaps take away one egg yolk here and a pat o butter there. And so on.

Now that you’ve done your audit, you can objectively determine what the culprit is. arget that one change or the next two weeks and re-assess again.

You can continue in this manner until you find a unique ormula that works just or you. Whatever method you settle on is one that should allow you to live your lie to your  ullest while simultaneously meeting all o your nutritional needs.


PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER

I hope that by this point, you’re eeling a little more confident about your macro journey. I’ve given you plenty o tools to work with; now it’s just a matter o execution.

You might be eeling rustrated because you’re realizing that there’s no one strict, black-and-white way to do this. Te beauty o macro counting, however, is that it’s so easily customizable to your needs and your liestyle. Tere are no rules here – only guidelines. And even those are flexible.

And that’s what’s most important. I can’t emphasize that enough. I you’re not utilizing a strategy that works specifically or you, you’re essentially trying to jam a round peg into a square hole. It’ll eel awkward and unpleasant, and eventually, you’ll give up.

“TRY HARDER” MAY NOT BE THE ANSWER I you’re eeling stuck, and i you’re getting upset that you’re spinning your wheels, know that the answer is rarely ever “try harder.” Tis is a huge misconception about behavior change that I want to clear up.

Yes, a certain amount o desire and motivation need to be there to instigate change, but you need to know how to turn that one-time behavior into a habit in order to be truly successul.

Sometimes you should absolutely question your efforts. I’m not saying otherwise. But a simple “you gotta wanna!” is irrelevant i you’re on track A when you should be on tr ack B.

Ofentimes, the biggest problem is that you are simply tr ying to make too much change at one time. Te harder a behavior is, the more motivation is required to keep that behavior going. And since motivation is unreliable – sometimes it’s high, sometimes it’s low – why would you depend so heavily on something that you know is eventually going to let you down? You’re essentially setting yoursel up or ailure.

Te solution, then, is to break the behavior down into one that is small enough that you can still get it done even on your worst days.

Let’s say that you’ve been struggling or weeks to meet your protein intake, or example. Your target is


150 grams per day (whereas your previous intake was 50 grams per day) and you’ve been routinely finding yoursel trying to choke down egg whites and protein shakes in the evening.

I a behavior is unpleasant, how much longer do you think you’ll be able to keep trying beore you throw in the towel? It’s a ticking time bomb.

Te answer is clear: rying to increase your protein intake by 100 whopping grams is too big o a change. Sometimes you’ll get it, but most days you won’t, and you’ll find yoursel eeling dis couraged more days than not.

o break it down, why not set your target protein intake at something ar more manageable – say, 75 grams per day?

It may be not optimal, but optimal doesn’t matter if it’s not working for you. Ask yoursel: What am I willing to do? What change to my liestyle am I at least 90% confident I can keep up or the next ew weeks?

Small behavior changes are ar, ar more manageable. Slow yet consistent progress will beat hit-or-miss liestyle overhauls any day.

SET UP SYSTEMS FOR SUCCESS Despite what you may have been told, achieving a difficult goal is not about willpower.

And contrary to popular belie, the people who seem to have it “all figured out” and manage to eat well, exercise regularly, and rock bangin’ physiques don’t actually have more sel-control than you do. Let go o the idea that the magic solution to your dreams is more willpower.

In order to make lasting change, you need to set up systems or success that avoid the use o willpower as much as possible.

We’ve discussed this a little bit in the pages above, but it’s so important that we should flesh it out some more.


Relying on willpower and motivation to make lasting change is a losing strategy. Rather, long-term change is based upon tasks that are so easy to do that it would almost be harder not to do that thing. Tis requires proper energy management.

Don’t get me wrong: I’m not saying that motivation is completely useless. Motivation can absolutely be valuable when you need to accomplish a difficult eat just one time (such as rushing your dog to the hospital), and it’s ofentimes the impetus to get a behavior started.

How can we use the ever-fluctuating nature o motivation, then, to our advantage?

When motivation is high, do the more difficult tasks. Use this time to set up systems or when your motivation necessarily dips later on.

Leave the easier, mindless tasks or when motivation is low and willpower is depleted.

Here are some ways to do this:

Make a trip to the grocery store when you’re well rested and well ed. Stock up on primarily whole, minimally processed oods (reer to the ood list in the pages above), and be sure to grab some convenient protein sources as well, such as Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, protein bars, and/or deli meat. When you get home, immediately cook up multiple batches o protein and carbohydrates so that you’re prepared or the week ahead. (Tis is the difficult task.) Ten, when it’s time to eat, you’ll open your ridge and find staring back at you: Greek yogurt, deli meat, turkey meatloa muffins, and quiche, plus jasmine rice and baked sweet potatoes all ready to go. You may be eeling tired and worn down, but it’s actually easier at this point to heat up a meatloa muffin (protein source) with a side o sweet potatoes (carbohydrates) rather than dig through the pantry to pull out that bag o chips. (Tis is the mindless task.)

You see what we did there? We steered clear o having to rely on willpower to make the harder choice because we’d put in the work upront. We set up a system that made it difficult to ail; we set up a system or nutritional success.


Let me take you through another example that I think many o you will be able to relate to.

When the day is winding to an end and you find yoursel with some downtime in the evening, grab your trusty smartphone and plop down on the couch. Make sure you’ve done a quick inventory o what oods you have readily available first. Pull up MyMacros+ and spend a ew minutes planning everything you’re going to eat or the next day. Be sure to toss in a small treat or yoursel in there as well. weak around with different ood quantities until you’re within +/- 5 grams o each target macronutrient number. Ten head over to the kitchen and make sure your mea ls are measured out and ready to go. Portion them out into separate upperware containers i you need to. (Tis is the difficult task.)

When the next day rolls around, simply reer to your planned menu or the day and execute. Tere’s really no thinking involved. You don’t have to worry about whether that mini Snickers bar will fit into your macros or the day because you will have already planned or that. As well, you’ve ensured that you won’t roll through dinner with 80 grams o protein still to go (not un), and you can end the day with a win under your belt. (Tis is the mindless task.)

Is this starting to make sense?

Te people who stay fit and healthy year-round have made the above a part o their everyday lives, no questions asked. Tey have similar systems set in place to help them get to the gym and otherwise help them succeed in all aspects o their fitness lives. I even know a ew people who actually sleep in their workout clothes so all they have to do is roll out o bed or their early morning sweat sessions. Te point is that you need to figure out systems that help set you up or success, not ailure, and ma ke them work or your liestyle.

FOCUS ON THE PROCESS Most o us embark on a fitness journey with a clear end goal in mind: compete in our first bikini competition, drop 20 pounds in time or summer, get our pre-baby bodies back, or get our six-packs to make an appearance.


Tese are all wonderul, respectable goals.

However, i there’s one thing you’ll learn, it’s that ocusing solely on the end result and overlooking the entire process along the way is going to bring you a whole lot o rustration and disappointment.

rust me, I’ve been there. My clients have been there. You’ve probably been there.

Te I-can’t-be-happy-until-I-reach-my-goal thought process may seem heroic in some way, as though you’re making some huge sacrifice or the sake o excellence. But don’t make things difficult or the sake o being difficult. Tere’s nothing good that will come out o it.

A positive attitude is your best riend.

Focus on what you can do today to bring you a little closer to where you want to be. Pay attention to the specific behaviors. Can you maybe eat a tad slower? Can you consume more vegetables at lunch?

Tese are all tangible behaviors that you can work on.

Ten tomorrow, do the same thing.

Many times, people become so consumed with getting to the end goal that they completely overlook all the progress they’ve made. I it’s time to do their biweekly measurements and they still don’t see a sixpack, they’ll beat themselves up – even though they’ve dropped an inch off their waist, even though they’ve improved their dietary adherence.

Huh? Focus on the process.

CELEBRATE EVERY SMALL WIN Any kind o success, no matter how seemingly miniscule, is a good thing.

Don’t wait until you’re at the finish line to be proud o your accomplishments.


I you spent part o your Sunday afernoon in the kitchen cooking up meals or the next week, that’s something to celebrate. I you were able to increase your daily protein intake by 20 g rams last week, that’s great. I you went a month without binging or the first time in years, wow, that is a huge deal! Give yoursel some credit.

Fitness is not black and white. All those fitness models and fitness proessionals you look up to and respect – do you know how they got to where they are? By taking it one step at a time. By being proud o every incremental progress they made.

Te more small wins you acknowledge, the more confidence that builds. And it eels good to ride on a string o successes, doesn’t it?

When you have more confidence, you’re more willing to try newer, bigger things, and you’ll be more likely to succeed. Ten, when you do well, that’ll beget even more confidence.

Do you see how this is a win-win-win cycle?

STAY ACCOUNTABLE TO YOURSELF At the end o the day, your tracking efforts will be an exercise in utility i you’re only logging in hal your oods, either because you’re lazy or because you think that a bite here and t here can go untracked and not affect anything.

I never thought this to be an issue until watching my now-husband track his macros over the past year. As a beginner, he certainly stumbled quite a bit in the beginning. Here are some mistakes he made that you may be able to relate to:

•

He wouldn’t plan his meals ahead o time, thinking time and time again that he was skilled enough to “wing it”. It took him about two months o doing this daily to finally realize that he couldn’t get away with not planning.


•

He would inhale two thirds o his allotted at intake at breakast, and then come home and announce, quite dejectedly, that he had only 3 grams o ats lef or the evening. (Tis usually ended up in his blowing his ats completely out o the water, in case you’re wondering.) Tis relates to the first mistake above.

•

He would drown his salad in ranch dressing (he really, really likes his ranch) and t hen conveniently orget to log said dressing into MyMacros+. He would do the same with sauces, cooking oils, and butter, and would let out an audible groan whenever I’d gently remind him that honey,

that grilled cheese had at least two tablespoons of butter on the pan – log it. Tis happened surprisingly ofen, and it’s made me wonder i this is more o a common phenomenon than I think.

•

He would sneak in a cookie (or tablespoon o peanut butter, or handul o gummy bears) at night and then trying to pretend it never happened. Tis one’s especially amusing to me because it reminds me o that thought experiment, “I a tree alls in the orest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?” When it comes to your nutrition, yes, the body knows, regardless o whether or not anyone was around to see you eat.

•

He would eat a giant meal out at a restaurant, not paying attention to what was on his plate, and then turn to me in a panic after the plate’s been wiped clean to ask, “What all did I eat and in what quantities?” Um, sorry sweetie, I really wasn’t paying attention to your meal.

I know, I know. It’s easier to live in denial. It’s easier to proclaim that you’ve been nailing your macros to

the gram and blame your lack o progress on the program itsel. But beore you point the finger at your coach, some online calculator, or this book, check yoursel.

Are you sneaking in little bites, licks, and t astes thinking that they’re not going to make a difference?

Tis includes things like hal & hal in your coffee. Sure, one tablespoon may only have 20 calories, and that may not seem like anything significant. But i you’re actually pouring two or three tablespoons o hal & hal into your cup o joe and you’re consuming five or six cups a day, suddenly that’s several hundreds o calories that have snuck into your diet that you’re not tracking.


You may or may not make the same mistakes that my husband did over the past year. I you do, it’s nothing to beat yoursel up over – just call yoursel out and make the necessary correction.

I’m happy to report that Evan has come a long, long way since last summer. He’s no longer a beginner macro tracker, and he can nail his macros (within +/-5 grams) with ease. All it took was enough practice and some brutal honesty. I he can do it, so can you.

You can stay accountable to a riend or your coach – and that’s all fine and well. But most importantly, you have to stay accountable to yoursel.


FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Do I really have to buy and prep my own food all the time? echnically, you can get away with not having to prepare your own ood.

Maybe you’d rather nice a meal prep service that delivers reshly made ood right to your door, or you’re fine with grabbing a rotisserie chicken and ready-made veggies.

I you have the means and the desire to go that route, then by all means, have at it.

Most people will not all into the above categories, however.

My best recommendation is to learn to make regular grocery shopping and ood preparation a normal part o your lie. Get your riends and amily involved i that’ll help. Remember, it doesn’t have to be super complicated. Just look at me – I’m the most unctional cook out there, and I make it work.

You mention that we should consume our treats in the post-workout window or in the evening before bed. Is it bad to eat sugar or grease at any other time? Will I get fat? Not at all. Remember that all the recommendations in this book are simply that – recommendations. Not rules. I you find that you experience greater dietary success by plugging in your treat at some other part o the day – say, mid-afernoon – then go right ahead.

When is the best time for me to count macros? I don’t want to do it yearround. I understand the sentiment. You definitely aren’t expected to count macros everyday or the rest o your lie, nor would I recommend it.

Where’s the un in that?

As I mentioned beore, macro counting is a skill that you should keep in your back pocket or those special times. I you’re trying to shed some at and you’ve got a timeline (or a wedding or a photo


shoot, or example), then you might want to count macros or a ew months. Likewise, i you are preparing to compete in a bodybuilding show, then you’ll definitely want to be super meticulous about what and how much you’re eating to really dial in that physique.

When it comes to the off-season, I’d say it’s up to you whether you want to continue counting macros or not. Tere’s definitely going to be a trade-off either way: i you do count macros, you may find that it’s a little more o a hassle; i you don’t count macros, you may risk either putting on too much at too quickly or not making the kind o gains that you want.

Te decision is yours to make. Tere is no right or wrong answer.

I’ve heard that it’s bad to combine carbs and fats in the same meal. Is this true? Be careul with the words you use when talking about nutrition – we don’t use “good” or “bad” to label ood around here.

With that said, no, it’s not true – particularly i you are an otherwise healthy, active individual. Te ew studies to date on ood combining have ound no statistical difference between individuals who separate their carbohydrate and at consumption and those who eat t hem together.

Suffice to say, as long as you are hitting your total macronutrient numbers or the day, there is nothing to worry about.

Can I do intermittent fasting? You can utilize whatever nutrition timing protocol is most practical or you. As long as it allows you to meet your total target macros or the day and it is not negatively affecting your quality o lie, then go or it.

Tat means that i you eel yoursel getting cranky all the time because you’re going too long between meals, it’s not working or you. I you start binging, it’s not working or you.

I you’re curious about some nutrition strategy, I say try it out or two or three weeks. What’s the worse that could happen? You realize that you don’t love it afer all and you simply go back to what


you were doing beore.

What are your thoughts on cheat meals? I’m not a an. I think the term “cheat” implies that what you are doing is breaking some set o “rules,” and we don’t go by rules around here. I’ve also ound that prescribing or taking cheat meals can create a lot o guilt and anxiety in individuals, which are precisely the emotions we are trying to move

away rom. I you want to take a mindul, non-tracked meal every now and then, that’s something entirely dierent. You don’t attach any emotions or judgment to the event, and you may find that it provides some psychological relie, especially i you’ve been adhering to macros or a long time.

Just be careul not to binge. Tat’s the last thing you want to have happen or any reason at all.

Do I have to weigh and track everything that I eat? What about things like coffee and tea? Te answer will depend on who you’re asking and what coach you’re working with, but my approach is this: i you’re consuming ultra-low calorie beverages (such as coffee, tea, water in used with Crystal Light), then there’s no need to track it. Even i you like to enjoy several cups o black coffee per day, that’s going to add up to hardly anything. I’ve even gone through contest prep without logging my daily cup o coffee, and it’s never been an issue.

For sauces and oils that may be difficult to weigh out, I’d say do your best to eyeball portions. Just be aware that these tend to be relatively calorically dense.

When it comes to low-calorie fibrous vegetables, such as spinach or lettuce, I’m o the belie that you’re fine eyeballing by volume (eg. 2 cups lettuce) rather than weighing with a ood scale.

For everything else – including starches, meats, and heck, even nut butters – your best bet is to weigh out your portions whenever possible.


Is there a sugar limit? Sometimes sugar comes rom perectly healthy sources, such as ruits. I don’t set sugar limits because it can get conusing to group added sugars and natural sugars into the same category. I like to say that on average, a maximum o 20% o your total calories can come rom junk ood – things like kids’ cereal, cookies, and chips.

What about ber? ry to get in 20-40 grams a day, as we discussed above. Ideally you’d get this in primarily through vegetables, but supplements will work fine as well. You can even get in your daily Quest bar, which can have up to 17 grams o fiber per bar.

I’m so overwhelmed. This all seems too daunting for me. Do you think that maybe I’m simply not cut out for this? Believe me when I say you’re not alone in eeling that way. Tis is a lot o inormation to digest.

Break this process down into smaller steps i you need to. Focus on just one change at a time.

Maybe one week you’ll aim to hit just your protein intake just three days a week. Once that gets easy, then you can bump that up to five days a week, and then eventually all seven days a week. Afer that, you can strive to hit your protein intake and your carb intake. You get the gist here. Te point is that you’re making some kind o progress, even i you eel like you’re merely crawling orward. Tis is ar preerable to trying to take on too much too soon and then ailing over and over.

I have a history of disordered eating. Is macro counting okay for me? Tis is a sensitive topic and one that should not be treated lightly. I you are still dealing with d isordered eating behavior – particularly binge eating – then I would recommend that you see a therapist first.

For some people, resorting to macro counting beore they are mentally ready or it can exacerbate


disordered eating symptoms.

On the other hand, i you have a history o chronic undereating and have lost touch with your hunger signals, macro counting may be a good option or you in that it can help ensure that you’re eating enough ood.

Unortunately there’s no straightorward answer or this question, so my best advice is this: Use your best judgment and approach macro counting with caution. I at any point you eel as though your quality o lie has been compromised, or i you find yoursel obsessing over your diet more t han beore, then it’s time to stop.

You say that we should avoid relying on willpower as much as possible, but sometimes I feel like I really have no other choice, such as when I’m waistdeep into my gure prep. Am I doing it wrong? No, there will definitely be circumstances when the only thing you can do is dig your heels into the ground and grind it out – especially when you’re nearing contest-lean body at levels. Te curious thing about willpower is that there is only one source that helps us deal with everything that happens throughout the day.

Tink o it like a can o hairspray. When your toddler is screaming at the mall and everyone is staring, the can drains a little bit as you grit your teeth and try to act pleasant. When your coworker is talking your ear off and you have to pretend to be interested in the conversation, that takes willpower. When the cable company puts you on hold or an hour and you have a d ozen other things to get done, that can o hairspray is being sprayed ever y which way, I can guarantee it.

Essentially, any time your patience, tolerance, and sel-control are tested, that can o wil lpower will empty a little more. And by the end o the day, your willpower will be at its lowest. (Tis is why I recommend leaving your treats or the evenings – you’ll have less willpower to say no, but you won’t

have to because you’ll have planned or the indulgence.) When you’re juggling responsibilities – ull-time mother, ull-time job, ull-time contest prep, or example – you’ll almost necessarily have to rely on your willpower more. Tis is why I don’t suggest dieting when you’ve got many other priorities in your lie. You’ll stretch yoursel thin, you’ll eel burnt out, and your chances o success will be d rastically reduced.


Te point is, you should avoid having to use wi llpower whenever you have a choice – and you will almost always have a choice. But sometimes you won’t. Sometimes you’ll just have to put on your big girl (or big boy) panties and just do the harder thing.

What’s the optimal meal frequency? I heard that I should be eating six meals a day. o date, there have been no studies indicating that consuming more requent, smaller meals have any statistically significant benefit or at loss efforts t han consuming less requent, larger meals. Tat’s a myth that’s been debunked time and time again (and yet reuses to die!).

From a satiety standpoint, you may find that anywhere between three to five square meals a day suits you much better. Doing so will allow you to eat until you’re comortably satisfied and get right back to your lie rather than staring at the clock, waiting or the next meal time to come.

For optimal muscle protein synthesis (MPS), Dr. Layne Norton and colleagues ound that our to five meals per day spaced our to five hours apart was best. As well, supplementing with 2-3 grams o leucine (that can be ound in branched chain amino acids) was ound to help maximize MPS.

Am I allowed to eat carbs after 6p.m.? Absolutely. You can eat carbs whenever it’s best or you.

Te idea that any carbs consumed afer 6p.m. will immediately turn into at is a complete myth.

I recommend centering your carbs around your workout. You can alternatively spread them out evenly throughout the day, or you may want to carb backload (ie. consume most o your carbs in the evening). Different methods work or different people. Play around with different approaches and stick to whatever makes you eel your best and keeps you strongest in the gym.

I didn’t see you mention anything about supplements. Care to shed some light on that? Supplements in general tend to be overrated. Many times, people get ocused on shelling out hun-


dreds and hundreds o dollars on supplements when what they really need to do, first and oremost, is to tackle their actual nutrition.

My avorite supplement is fish oil. Tese omega-3s have a myriad o benefits, including: inflammation regulation, reduced risk o atherosclerosis, increased brain unction (intelligence, vision, mood), decreased risk o depression, muscle growth, etc. I recommend *1-2g combined EHA and DHA per day. Note that these are to be included in your macro totals.

Vitamin D is a good supplement to aid with bone density, strength, muscle mass, immunity, and more. I’d recommend 1000-2000 IU per day, especially in the winter months.

You can take a multivitamin everyday just to cover your bases i you’d like. Any generic brand will do.

But again, above all, the oods you consume on a daily basis should be your biggest concern. A multivitamin isn’t going to do anything i all you’re eating is pizza, pasta, and sugary cereal.

For most other supplements, you can save your money.

Do I have to measure my meats raw? What about other foods like rice and potatoes? You can measure your ood however you’d like. Yes, raw measures tend to be more accurate, but it’s also not the most practical.

I measure all o my ood cooked, and it’s never been a problem, even during contest prep.

Just be sure that you track it correctly – so i you’re measuring raw chicken breast, then log it as raw, and i it’s cooked, then log it as cooked.

What do I do if I accidentally blow my macros out of the water? Should I rein it in the next day? Do extra cardio? Te first thing to understand is that you’re human, and it’s completely okay to slip up every now and then. You’re not expected to be perect in your everyday lie, so why be so hard on yoursel when it


comes to your diet?

Do not panic. Do not beat yoursel up. Tere’s no need to eel guilty. Quit that negative sel-talk. Tere’s nothing good that can come out o doing so.

Know that all is not lost. One day o overindulgence is not the end o the world.

Tat’s not to say that I’m giving you permission to make this a regular occurrence by any means. Rather, I’m telling you that no, you haven’t hit rock bottom, and nothing is unsalvageable.

Instead o jumping straight into React Mode, take some time to reflect on what happened. What caused the overindulgence? How were you eeling emotionally? Maybe you’d just had a huge fight with your significant other and you were seeking comort in the kitchen. How were you eeling physically? Maybe you accidentally skipped a meal and were ravenous later in the day.

Ten go into Proactive Mode. What did you learn rom this? How can you use this incident to help you do better next time? Every mistake is an opportunity to learn. Be open to that.

Finally, be kind to yoursel. Resist that urge to “punish” yoursel by slaving away on the treadmill to burn off the extra calories (which won’t really do much o anything, by the way). Don’t do extra workouts. Don’t slash your calories in hal.

Just get right back on track. Drink some extra water the next day and maybe go out or an extra long walk, but besides that, commit to doing better moving orward. Te last thing you want to do is to push yoursel back into eeling deprived because that’ll push you to overindulge again. Ten i you deprive yoursel (again!), then you’ll overindulge once more. You see how you can easily let yoursel get sucked into this negative cycle?

Have the courage to be gentle.

I’m dieting, and I’m at the point now where I’m so petite and lean that I’m essentially on poverty macros. I’m nding it increasingly difcult to t in even the smallest amount of treats into any given day now. What can I do?


I can empathize. rying to get rom lean to even leaner is going to hurt to some degree, no matter how you slice it. When your carb and at allotments are low, that doesn’t leave you with much wiggle room to toss in your usual un treats.

Consider consuming ewer, larger meals. I you’ve been eating five meals a day, maybe condense it into three. Doing so will allow you to eel more satiated and you’ll have more carbs and ats per meal to play with.

You can also find alternative variations o treats you normally consume. I you typically like ull-at cheese, or example, consider switching to low-at or a while. It may not taste quite as great, but it may be enough to keep you going, just until the at loss phase is over.

Understand that getting shredded is no easy task. You’re going to eel depleted; you’re going to eel hungry a lot; you’re going to eel like crap. Tere will be times when you’re going to want to give up. You’re going to have to put in an increasing amount o work (via more time in the gym and ewer calories) or increasingly smaller return, and that might be rustrating. And you will necessarily have to rely on your willpower more to stay ocused and disciplined this deep into your program.

Are those things that you’re willing to keep up until you get to the finish line? Tat’s up to you to decide. Yes, it hurts – but it’s only temporary. Yes, you are incredibly hungry – but it’s only temporary.

I you eel as though the sacrifices you’re making are no longer worth it, then you’ve reached your stopping point. Switch gears to reverse dieting and ocus on strength and muscle gain.

Tere’s no right or wrong answer here. Ultimately, it’s up to you what you want to do, and no one else can make that decision or you.

Do I have to plan my macros ahead of time forever? What if I’ve been doing this for a long time? Until you’re an advanced macro tracker, yes, you will have to continue to put in work upront and pre-plan your meals.

When you’ve reached the point where you can wing your meals throughout the day and still land within +/-5 grams o each target macro number, I call that Macro racking 2.0. And the only way


you know you’re there is i you try it out or yoursel and see how you do. I you go more than two days in a row without coming close to your targets, you’re still at level 1.0.

Tere’s no set length o time that will guarantee that you’re ready to graduate to the next level. Some people are ast learners or have better intuition when it comes to their nutrition, and they can move onto Macro racking 2.0 in a matter o days. Doing so typically requires having a good sense o how much protein should go with each meal and being proficient at taking the remaining day’s meals into account beore eating.

Others stay at Macro racking 1.0 or a number o months beore they have built up enough o a skillset. Tis might be you, and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. Stay consistent, and soon enough you’ll be an Advanced Macro racker. I encourage you to be proactive about learning rom your prior mistakes and applying those lessons right away.

I’m working with a coach, and his nutrition guidelines are different from yours. Whose should I follow? Assuming that your coach is a sensible, science-based coach with your best interests in mind, you should listen to your coach. Little nuances here and there won’t make a big difference, and since you are paying him/her, you don’t want to waste that opportunity.

Here are just a ew warning signs that you should watch out or, however, that you should not have to adhere to: omitting certain oods (unless you are allergic/intolerant), consuming protein at upwards o 2.0 grams per pound o bodyweight, strict meal times and meal requencies, elimination o sodium, and a laundry list o “required” supplements.

I have a question that hasn’t been covered in this book. I’ve even used the Search function and my keyword is not coming up. Can I ask follow-up questions? If so, what’s the best way to get in touch? I’ve created a Facebook group just or that. Tis is a closed community exclusively or The Beginner’s

Guide to Macros product customers. I encourage you to use this place to ask questions, share insights, and get to know other like-minded individuals.


Join us here.

Once you ask to join the group, we will accept your request within two business days.

I your Facebook name is different rom the name with which you purchased this book, you must let us know at ino@soheefit.com so we know to look out or your name. Tere are a ew rules or continued membership in this group:

1.

Don’t be an asshole.

2.

Don’t be an asshole.

3.

Respect the privacy o the individuals in this group.

4.

Do not post promotional items. Tis is not the place or that.


STUPID SIMPLE GO-TO RECIPES

Beore we dive into the recipes below, I should preace this by reminding you that these recipes are by no means ancy. I’m no che, and I’m ar rom the best amateur cook out there. I’m simply a gal who likes to eat good ood but is also incredibly lazy in the kitchen, and consequently loves recipes that are easy to whip up.

Do you know how to turn on the oven? Do you know how to mix ingredients into a bowl? Do you know how to find and purchase ood at the grocery store?

Ten you’re good to go.

Tat’s all it takes, really. Because these recipes are stuuuupid simple.

You’ll notice that I provide just a handul o recipes or you. Tis is or three reasons:

1.

I’m a unctional cook. Tat much has been established. I’m also not the most creative when it comes to the kitchen.

2.

Tese recipes are incredibly versatile, and you can substitute different kinds o meats and veggies and they will still taste great.

3.

Tis is not a recipe book. As such, these recipes have been provided or you merely as a starting point. For more ree recipes, check out the Recommended Sources section at the end o this book, where I list some o my avorite healthy recipe bloggers.

Te meals below are my staples, and I make just about all o them on a weekly basis.

I encourage you to double or triple the recipe i you’re cooking or more than just yoursel and i you want to stretch the meals out. It’s also incredibly easy to re-purpose the meals: tonight’s lefover buffalo chicken nuggets can be chopped up and olded into a quesadilla tomorrow, or maybe you’ll want to enjoy it by itsel as an afernoon snack.

Listen, i I can make these meals, so can you. Promise.


Buffalo Chicken Nuggets Goodbye, deep-rying. Goodbye, grease.

Tese healthy buffalo chicken nuggets are perect by themselves as a snack or can be easily paired with jasmine rice or russet potatoes to round out a ull meal.

Prep time: 5-10 minutes Cook time: 15-20 minutes

Ingredients 2 lbs raw chicken breast, cut into 2-inch cubes 6 oz hot sauce, such as Frank’s Red Hot Sauce 40 g Panko bread crumbs 40 g Italian bread crumbs 2 tsp chili powder 1 tsp garlic powder 1 tsp Italian seasoning 1 tsp salt


1.

Set oven to broil.

2.

In a large bowl, stir together chicken breast and Frank’s red hot sauce.

3.

In a separate medium bowl, mix together Panko bread crumbs, Italian bread crumbs, chili powder, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper.

4.

ake each cube o chicken, coat well in breadcrumb mixture, and place on baking pan.

5.

Broil or 16-20 minutes.

Approximate macros for entire batch 1247 calories 190 g protein 59 g carbs 27 g at

Approximate macros per serving (yields 8) 156 calories 24 g protein 7 g carbs 3 g ats


Turkey Meatballs You can easily use a different kind o lean ground meat or this recipe, and finely chopped onion or even cucumber will make a fine substitute or the zucchini. Omit the chili powder and jalapeño i you’re not wild about spicy ood, or toss in more i you like that kick.

Tese are great eaten with a side o Sriracha and can easily be incorporated into a pasta dish or with a side o rice.

Prep time: 10 minutes Cook time: 30-40 minutes

Ingredients 2 lbs raw lean ground turkey breast 60 g tapioca flour 3 egg whites 1 tbsp mustard 1 cup shredded zucchini 2 tbsp finely chopped jalapeño 2 tsp chili powder 2 tsp Italian seasoning 1 tsp sea salt


1.

Pre-heat oven to 375°F (190°C).

2.

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl. (I recommend you use your hands or this so you can mix everything in thoroughly.)

3.

Roll mixture into racquet-sized balls and place evenly on baking pan. Te entire batch should yield 16 meatballs.

4.

Cook or 30-40 minutes or until done.

Macros for entire batch 1099 calories 212 g protein 55 g carbs 4 g ats

Macros per meatball (yields 16 total) 69 calories 13 g ats 0.3 g at 3.4 g carbs


Crockpot Thai Chicken Curry Tis has become my new avorite meal. Don’t be intimidated by the long ingredient list; the whole recipe is actually really simple.

I you like Tai ood, you’ll love this dish. Feel ree to toss in different vegetables: broccoli and cauliflower, or example, would make a fine addition to this meal.

Tis actually tastes amazing just by itsel (especially i you have ewer carbs allotted or the day) or you can serve over a bed o jasmine rice.

I recommend that you portion out what you’re going to eat in the next 3-5 d ays or the ridge, and scoop out the rest into individual Pyrex containers and put them in the reezer.

Prep time: 15 minutes Cook time: 4-8 hours

Ingredients 2 lbs raw chicken breast, cut into 1-inch cubes 1 tbsp coconut oil 1 medium onion, chopped 6 cloves minced garlic 2 tsp minced ginger


1 13.66-oz can coconut milk 4 oz Tai curry paste (red or green) 4 oz tomato paste 2 tbsp fish sauce 30 grams peanuts 1 cup chopped red, yellow, and green peppers 2 cups sugar snap peas 2 cups baby carrots 2 tbsp chopped resh cilantro, or garnish

1.

Place chicken breast into bottom o slow cooker.

2.

Over medium heat, sauté the onion, garlic, and ginger in coconut oil or 3 minutes or until onion is lightly browned.

3.

Pour in coconut milk and stir well, breaking up any chunks.

4.

Mix in Tai curry paste, tomato paste, and fish sauce.

5.

Pour everything into slow cooker on top o chicken.

6.

Cook on low or 6-8 hours or high or 4-5 hours.

7.

Approximately 60-90 minutes prior to ser ving, add the peanuts, peppers, sugar snap peas, and baby carrots to the mixture. Stir well.

8.

Serve by itsel or over a bed o jasmine rice with resh cilantro.

Approximate macros for entire batch 2425 calories 222 g protein 108 g carbs 123 g ats



Korean Ground Beef Tis is an incredibly ast meal that you can whip up i you find yoursel in a bind. I I’m cooking just one pound o bee, this meal will take me about 12 minutes to put together rom start to finish.

I like to eat this with jasmine rice. I’ve also been known to old some lefover sesame bee into quesadillas to put an Asian twist on an afernoon snack.

Prep time: 3 minutes Cook time: 10-20 minutes

Ingredients 2 lbs lean ground bee 1 tbsp sesame oil 4 cloves minced garlic 1 tsp minced ginger 1 tbsp fish sauce 3 tbsp soy sauce (or coconut aminos) 2 tbsp brown sugar


2 tbsp chopped green onions, or garnish 1 tsp sesame seeds, or garnish

1.

In a skillet over medium high heat, brown bee with sesame soil, garlic, and ginger or approximately 5-7 minutes.

2.

Add in fish sauce, soy sauce, and brown sugar. Mix well.

3.

op with green onions and sesame seeds and serve.

Approximate macros for entire batch 1593 calories 188 g protein 25 g carbs 78 g ats



ONLINE COACH RECOMMENDATIONS

Below I’ve provided a list o online coaches who utilize a macronutrient-based approach who are more than qualified to help you with your fitness goa ls. I you’re looking to outsource your macro calculations and want the extra accountability, this is your place to start.

Each coach on this list has been hand picked by me. I can personally vouch or them, both as great people and as quality proessionals who have your best interest in mind. As ar as I know, the coaches below work with clients exclusively online, not in person. You may want to ask about in-person coaching i you’re looking or someone local.

In general, here’s what you want to look or in a coach:

•

Is amiliar with macro-counting and utilizes a macros-based approach

•

Does not limit any oods

•

Relies on science-backed methods

•

Understands that quality o lie is important

•

Understand that “try harder” is not always the answer, and that different methods work or dierent people

•

Demonstrates that he/she can obtain stellar short-term and long-term transormations with his/ her clients (in other words, the clients can actually maintain results)

•

ruly cares about the best interests o his/her clients and wants the best or them

Yes, there are other quality coaches out there that are not listed here. But I can’t vouch or them. I you eel like you’ve ound a coach that you want to work with who is not mentioned here, proceed at your own risk.

SOHEE LEE (SOHEEFIT) Hey, that’s me! Okay, call me biased, but I think I’m a pretty good coach. So here I am.

I graduated rom Stanord University in 2012 with a degree in Human Biology. Other certifications


include: Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist through the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA-CSCS), Certified Sports Nutritionist through the International Society o Sports Nutrition (CISSN), and by the time this book comes out, I will have (hopeully!) obtained my Strong First Girya Level 1 kettlebell certification.

I work primarily with emales ages 20-45 who are looking to repair their relationship with ood and figure out a liestyle change that will keep them lean and happy or lie. Generally, my clients end up being everyday people simply looking to all back in love with ood, the gym, and their bodies, though I do have a handul o bikini competitors as well.

I currently offer the ollowing coaching options: 1-on-1 training and nutrition coaching, 1-on-1 nutrition coaching, group coaching (training and nutrition), group training only, and a one-time macro calculating service.

o get started with any o the above, you can fill out the coaching orm on my website. www.SoheeFit.com

DR. LAYNE NORTON (BIOLAYNE) Full disclosure: Layne is a really good friend and mentor of mine, and I’m including him here out of utmost respect more than anything. He’s a really popular coach and he’s pretty much always full – plus his prices ain’t cheap. If you’re a serious athlete who competes at a high level, though, there’s no one better to work with than Layne. Dr. Layne Norton received his Ph.D. in nutritional sciences rom the University o Illinois in 2010. He is a natural pro bodybuilder through the IFPA and NGA as well as a proessional powerlifer.

Dr. Norton is a highly sought-afer online coach who works primarily with high-level competitors (bodybuilders, physique athletes, figure athletes, and bikini athletes). He offers prep coaching p ackages (training and nutrition), off-season coaching packages (t raining and nutrition), as well as separate training only or nutrition only services.

o apply to work with him, fill out his contact orm. Be sure to include inormation about your competition background, your amiliarity with macro tracking, and anything else you deem relevant to stand out as a viable candidate or coaching. www.BioLayne.com


PAUL REVELIA (PRO PHYSIQUE) Paul Revelia’s passion or fitness began over 20 years ago and still gets him excited every day. Pro Physique was started at the recommendation o Dr. Layne Norton who became his riend and mentor more than five years ago. Although he completed his MBA in 2009 , he is still pursuing his education to this day at the University o South Florida studying Exercise Science.

Paul’s primary ocus when he began working with clients was competitors who wanted guidance through contest prep. oday working with clients in all walks o lie rom at loss, muscle gain, and metabolic building keeps him excited. He prides himsel on the individual attention he gives to each person he works with in helping to shape a plan to reach their goals in the most effective and saest manner possible.

Paul is proud to be a part o the positive evidence-based fitness movement that is taking place. I you would like to reach him, please go use the contact orm at his website. www.ProPhysique.com

WILLIAM GRAZIONE (METABOLIC EVOLUTION) Will Grazione earned his Bachelors degree in Exercise Science rom Bacone College in 2009. Since finding his passion in lie, he has been sel-educated since then.

Will works with a wide array o people spanning across the world. From general population to proessional athletes, he can help guide and educate you towards achieving complete control over your body. Please see the client testimonials section on his website. His services include reverse dieting or increased overall health, contest preparation or the physique athlete, training programing or bodybuilding and power lifing, nutritional consultations, and posing consultations or physique athletes. www.MetabolicEvolution.com


JENNIFER JEWELL (INNERJEWELL ATHLETICS) Jennier Jewell has nearly twenty years in the fitness industry as a personal trainer, group fitness instructor and competitor. As a competitor, she holds two overall fitness and figure provincial titles and a national title in figure, along with being a credited provincial level judge or the province o British Columbia.

She began teaching and training fitness at the age o 16, becoming one o the youngest trainers on Vancouver Island, where she currently resides in British Columbia, Canada.

Jen is currently certified through International Sports Sciences as a fitness trainer, fitness nutritional specialist and sports nutrition specialist. She is also a proessional member and student o the NSCA.

Her clients range rom liestyle clients who are looking to find sustainability in weight loss through flexible dieting and training, to proessional fitness/figure/bikini competitors. Her main ocus as a coach is helping women find balance among the chaotic inormation, and teaching t he science behind weight loss. www.InnerJewellAthletics.com

LAURIN CONLIN (LOCOFIT) Laurin Conlin graduated with a Bachelors o Science in Exercise Science, Magna Cum Laude rom Florida State University in 2014. She holds a certification with the American Council on Exercise as a certified personal trainer (ACE CP). She is currently a Masters candidate at the University o South Florida in Exercise Science and a research assistant in the Physique Enhancement Laboratory.

Laurin is an IFBB Bikini Pro who earned her pro status afer winning the overall title at the 2014 NPC Nationals. Her competitive history also includes national level NPC Figure competitions.

As an online coach, Laurin specializes in competition preparation or the physique and power athlete. Other specializations include off-season and non-competition training to improve metabolism, health and perormance or both competitive and non-competitive athletes.


She currently offers the ollowing coaching options: off season/non-competition nutrition consultation with or without training and pre-contest competition nutrition consultation with or without training. She also offers online Skype posing sessions or NPC/IFBB Bikini and Figure athletes and competition consultations or any athlete in the NPC/IFBB.

I you are interested with any o the coaching options mentioned above, please email her at [email protected] or more inormation on LoCoFit services.


RECOMMENDED RESOURCES

In this section, you’ll find the exact products I use to help me stay on point with my nutrition as well as links to purchase.

I’ve relied on all products listed or a long time and, in my opinion, they’re the best out there.

Nutrition tracking application

MyMacros+ (available as a mobile app, currently or iPhones only) MyFitnessPal

Flexible measuring tape

Myoape Body ape Measure

Digital bodyweight scale

BalanceFrom Digital High Accuracy Bathroom Scale

Kitchen ood scale

Ozero Pronto Multiunction Digital Kitchen and Food Scale

Recipe Blogs (ree)

www.Skinnyaste.com www.PaleOMG.com www.AgainstAllGrain.com www.HowSweetEats.com

Protein Bars

Quest Nutrition bars (also available at Bodybuilding.com) Tink Tin high protein bars (also available at most grocery stores)


ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Sohee Lee is a health coach and fitness writer specializing in helping women develop healthy relationships with ood and their bodies while getting them to their fitness goals.

Having ought through both anorexia and bulimia, Sohee knows firsthand the toll that it can take on your lie. Her mission is to empower women to practice compassion and grace with themselves in the gym, in the kitchen, and in lie.

She currently resides in Savannah, Georgia with her husband, pug, and lab mix.

www.SoheeFit.com


The Beginners Guide to Macros

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