Planning for Success 1: Understanding Your Goals

This article is the first in a series of five that will be a comprehensive overview of how I will initially set up your diet.

Everything I do as a coach is bespoke, and tailored to each individual based on day-to-day progress and personal preference. That being said I’m sure that you can use the information found here in order to set yourself up on your own fitness journey.

Whatever your goal is...

- Fat loss?

- Muscle Gain?

- Maintenance?

- Performance?

...your calorie intake and macronutrient splits are very important and can be the deciding factor to you achieving your goals and reaching your targets.

Calories are made up of macronutrients, and the 4 main macronutrients (or macros) which you should concern yourself with are protein, carbs, fat and fibre.

Each macronutrient contains a different amount of calories per gram.

• Protein and carbs have 4 calories per gram

• Fat has 9 calories per gram

• Fibre will be included in your carb count and doesn’t need to be counted separately.

Example

If you eat something that has 10g of protein, 10g of carbs and 10g of fat, by using the above calculations this food contains 170 calories:

• 10g Protein x 4 = 40 kcals

• 10g Carbs x 4 = 40 kcals

• 10g Fat x 9 = 90 kcals

• 40 + 40 + 90 = 170 kcals total

Where to begin?

In order to begin counting calories and macros you firstly need to decide on a goal.

If you want to lose fat, maintain your weight or build muscle; your calories and macros will differ from each phase.

The following steps will take you through exactly how to work out your own individual calorie and macro targets in order for you to achieve your desired physique.

How to Work Out Your "Estimated Maintenance Point"

Your maintenance point is basically the number of calories you need to consume when the following is taken into account:

• Your daily exercise

• Normal activity (working around the office, walking to work etc.)

• Breathing

• Normal bodily functions

• Cell growth and repair

• Spontaneous activity (tapping feet, twitching, moving in your sleep etc.)

Different factors determine an individual’s estimated maintenance point and I’ve found that the most efficient and also the easiest way to work this out is by the following equations.

For a male’s maintenance multiply bodyweight in lbs. by:

• 10 - 11 for a sedentary male

• 12 - 13 for a moderately active male

• 14 - 15 for an active male

• 15 - 16 for a very active male

For a female's maintenance multiply bodyweight in lbs. by:

• 9 - 10 for a sedentary female

• 11 - 12 for a moderately active female

• 12 - 13 for an active female

• 14 - 15 for a very active female

Sedentary = Not exercising, very minimal normal activity

Moderately active = Exercises 2 – 3 x per week, non-laborious job, very minimal normal activity

Active = Exercises 3 – 5 x per week, non laborious job, moderate – high level normal activity

Very active = Exercises 5 + x per week, laborious job, Moderate – high level normal activity

Example

Julie is a moderately active female and weighs 155lbs. 155 x 12 = 1860.

Julie’s estimated maintenance is 1860 calories per day.

John is a workman and is very active, he weighs 176lbs. 176 x 16 = 2816.

John's estimated maintenance is 2816 calories per day.

Next Steps

In the next few posts, we will look at these same examples for:

• How to understand these targets for fat loss

• How to understand these targets for muscle gain

• How to set up your diet

• How to monitor your progress

#goals #planning #macro #maintenancepoint #protein #fatloss #muscle