Why is Tracking Calories so important?
Tracking calories provides us with data, and data is king. Data provides evidence of where you’re currently at to identify where we can make adjustments. The more data we have the more accurate you can be with setting out protocols. Fitness is an ongoing process, especially when it comes to transforming your physique. There are constant factors that have an influence on your progress, once we can identify them we can manage them.
At The Cut we get all new clients to track from the onset, in particular we prioritise food (calories) and energy expenditure (training and steps)
Calories/Food
If the goal is to lose weight then the number one thing we need to ensure is that you’re in a calorie deficit. This means you need to be consuming less than you’re expending. By tracking exactly what you’re eating and drinking, you gain a clear understanding how much you’re consuming. This is a great tool for starters because it identifies areas and habits of your life that could have been stalling you from achieving your goals.
For example, if you drink 2 lattes a day, you may not realise how easy it is to stack up on the calories just by 2 drinks. A regular latte is around 120 calories (give or take 10-20 calories depending where from) in which 2 a day equates to 240 calories. If we look at an example of daily calories for someone of 1,500 calories a day, after your 2 lattes you’re left with 1,260.
If the goal is to gaining muscle then you need to be in a surplus to grow new muscle tissue. Like fat loss, if you’re not tracking how much you’re consuming it could be preventing you from making progress.
From experience, protein is often the hardest macronutrient to hit if you haven’t got a good understanding of how much you need and how much you’re consuming. It’s very easy to assume chicken, eggs and a protein shake are high in protein, but how do you know if that’s enough for you? Especially in a fat loss phase, making sure you’re consuming enough protein is vital to ensure you’re retaining as much muscle tissue as possible. If you don’t consume enough protein your body will pull it’s energy source from your muscles as opposed to your fat cells.
How to Track Calories
Sometimes we find resistance with new clients not wanting to track calories, stating its not sustainable or it is too time consuming. With a fitness tracking app such as “myfitnesspal”it could not be easier and takes less than thirty seconds to log a meal. Watch this video for more tips on how to use the app.