Mastering Your Macros: Part 6
*This is Part 5 of a Series on Macro Targeting (aka Flexible Dieting). Please see the first 3 Installments at the following links: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, and Part 5*
In our last installment, we learned how serving sizes and nutritional information can be used to track your macros easily using the My Fitness Pal app. So, armed with all this information, Mr. Kombat will now track his intake for the next 3 weeks.
Week 1: Mr. Kombat’s starting weight is 200lbs. His training schedule for the next 3 weeks will be as outlined before: Resistance training 3 days a week for one hour, with focus on volume. He does cardio on a treadmill every morning for 20 minutes. And 3 days a week attends Muay Thai training for an hour. We established his maintenance calorie intake at a baseline of 2600 calories. In order to reach his goal weight of 170lbs, he will need to reduce his calories by 390 calories per day. But, in order to do this safely and make sure it is manageable we will decrease his calories slightly over this 3 week trial and ensure his performance and regular day to day life is not drastically affected by this drop. So for this first week, we will drop his calories to approximately 2470 per day. A difference of 130 calories. Looking at it from a daily perspective makes it seem like an easy change, but over the course of a week, it equals a 910 calorie deficit.
*Note: One thing that was not covered in the earlier installments was rest days. These days are essential, and will also affect your caloric intake on these days. Since we have Mr. Kombat at a deficit anyway, we will leave his calories at 2470. IF he is taking extended time off due to injury or life getting in the way, then we may address these situations by lowering calories and carbs slightly.*
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First Week Flexible Dieting: Hitting All Macros![/caption]
So during the course of the first week, Mr. Kombat logged everything in his food diary. He makes time in the evening to prep the next day’s meal, and even has some leftovers as a backup for the next day. Because of this preparation, he is finding it easier to hit his daily macro targets. He does find on the days that he trains Muay Thai in the evenings, that he has less energy than usual. He tries eating a small meal an hour or so before class with good fat, protein, and carb sources brings his energy levels back up. Also, on days he is lifting weights, he eats some fast acting carbs intra-workout and notices he has more energy to get the reps and sets in that he needs. He is still tracking these in his My Fitness Pal app and is still within his daily macros.
At the end of the week, Mr. Kombat wants to weigh himself. This is not a great idea, as we are still only in the first week, and we are still I the adjustment period. Unless he feels something is very wrong with his weight and his energy levels are plummeting, leave the weigh in at the end of the 3 weeks.
In our next installment: Week 2. A further drop of calories, and what to do with leftover macros and self-sabotaging behaviour.
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First Week Flexible Dieting: Hitting All Macros![/caption]
So during the course of the first week, Mr. Kombat logged everything in his food diary. He makes time in the evening to prep the next day’s meal, and even has some leftovers as a backup for the next day. Because of this preparation, he is finding it easier to hit his daily macro targets. He does find on the days that he trains Muay Thai in the evenings, that he has less energy than usual. He tries eating a small meal an hour or so before class with good fat, protein, and carb sources brings his energy levels back up. Also, on days he is lifting weights, he eats some fast acting carbs intra-workout and notices he has more energy to get the reps and sets in that he needs. He is still tracking these in his My Fitness Pal app and is still within his daily macros.
At the end of the week, Mr. Kombat wants to weigh himself. This is not a great idea, as we are still only in the first week, and we are still I the adjustment period. Unless he feels something is very wrong with his weight and his energy levels are plummeting, leave the weigh in at the end of the 3 weeks.
In our next installment: Week 2. A further drop of calories, and what to do with leftover macros and self-sabotaging behaviour.
For a FREE 14 Day Trial , please fill out this form.
Sign up for the Kombat Newsletter. There's a form on the right hand side of this page.
Like, follow, and subscribe to all of Kombat's social media on Facebook , Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram.
