I sat down with a new and extremely frustrated client the other day to talk about her goals. Her goal is to lose 10 pounds. Easy enough. Sounds like every other woman I’ve ever trained. Then she flung into a tizzy going on and on about how she eats healthy and works out all the time yet cannot seem to lose weight no matter what.
Her next statement is one I’ve heard at least 100 times, “I try to eat healthier, I workout harder, it doesn’t matter. Nothing seems to work. I can’t lose weight!”
So I asked the million dollar question: “How many calories are you eating per day?”
The blank stare I often get when I ask people, “How many calories do you eat?” Get your act together. Stop making excuses and blindly going about your day eating “healthy.” Peter Drucker wasn’t joking when he said, “What gets measured gets managed.”
I repeated, “How many calories are you eating per day?”
She finally replied, “I don’t know. I just eat healthy. Salmon, kale, lean ground beef, spinach, quinoa, brown rice, sweet potatoes, raw almonds, almond butter, peanut butter, dark chocolate occasionally. Ya know, healthy stuff. I even cut out the rice and sweet potatoes and that didn’t work!”
If this sounds like you, or you’ve experienced a similar problem losing or even gaining weight then you are in for a treat. In this blog I’m going to show you exactly how to determine how many calories you should be eating on a daily methods, how to ensure you eat that many calories, and how to lose, maintain, or even gain weight.
Good Calories vs. Bad Calories
I’ve noticed a bit of trend over the last few years. People seem to have this notion that as long as they eat “healthy” (nebulous term at best) and workout – nothing else matters. They should be able to lose weight. Yes, there are good calories and there are bad calories each creates a different response in the body and can cause a whole host of positive or negative outcomes.
Good calories often resulting in high energy, not feeling hungry, muscle gain, and a positive hormonal balance within the body. Bad calories often resulting in low energy or an rollercoaster of ups and downs, feeling hungry, muscle atrophy, and a negative hormonal balance within the body.
Eat healthy + Workout != Weight Loss
Yet, one fact still remains: Energy in vs. energy out trumps all. Fact: If you eat too many calories even if those calories come from super healthy foods, you will not lose weight. Sorry. You will probably gain weight! Try and remember that when you are scooping those overflowing tablespoons of almond butter into your next protein shake or smoothie.
If you eat a caloric deficit even if those calories come from Twinkies, you will lose weight. Mark Haub proved this with his Twinkie diet experiment in which he lost 27 pounds in two months.
All calories might not be equal, but regardless of which road you go down… if you consume more than you burn then you will get fat. If you are a 5′ 4″ woman at 23% body fat and eat 3,000 calories of salmon, avocado, kale, steak, almonds, and peanut butter every single day YOU WILL GET FAT! That is, unless you are working out 3x per day with Rich Froning. Then you can eat as many calories as you want! Ha!
“Sugar ain’t poison, but sugar will kill you. Too much of a good thing maybe not so sweet.”
– Dave Matthews (Sugar Will)
I’m the first guy that will tell you I think you should eat good, high quality, and nutritious foods such as lean proteins, veggies, and quality complex carbs (unless it’s post-workout then you want simple carbs). You will feel better, look better, build muscle, etc. There is no debate. However, too much of a good thing can be a problem. I don’t care how healthy avocado, almond butter, and salmon is. Eat too much and you will not lose weight. You will actually gain weight. Fact.
How Do I Figure Out How Many Calories I Should Eat?
Great question. Glad you asked. Go to FreeDieting.com and use their free calculator to figure out your “maintenance calories.” This is not your Basal Metabolic Rate. Two quick definitions for you to better understand this:
- Maintenance Calories: The number of calories you need to eat on a daily basis based on your activity levels (including workouts) to maintain your current weight.
- Basal Metabolic Rate: The amount of calories you body burns on a daily basis just to keep you alive if you did nothing but lay on the couch and listen to Dave Matthews and watch Pulp Fiction all day.
Be sure to select the correct (and be honest with yourself) Exercise Level. If you plan on going the gym 5x per week but only make it there 3x then put 3 not 5. And don’t put intense unless you are seriously killing it in the gym Jackson Bloore Beast Mode style.
How Many Calories To Lose/Gain Weight?
I like to start my clients off with a range of 250-500 in order to lose or gain weight at a very healthy and sustainable pace. That means if you want to lose weight subtract 250 from your maintenance calories, write that number down. Now, subtract 500 from your maintenance calories and write that number down. That will be your weight loss range. Consume calories in that range and you should lose weight.
What happens if I don’t lose weight?
If, after eating a caloric deficit on a daily and weekly basis for at least 2 weeks… if you have not lost any weight and you are not lying or cheating on your calorie counts then go down another level. Subtract 500 and 750 from your maintenance calories. That’s your new “weight loss range.”
For example, If I wanted to lose weight:
Maintenance Calories = 3,050
Weight Loss Range = 2,550 – 2,800
I’d weigh myself every single day because I’m OCD, but you can do it 2x per week. If after 2 weeks I hadn’t noticed any weight loss and I was still working out then I’d drop my range to 2,300 – 2,550 and repeat. If I still wasn’t losing weight there is a larger issue. Talk to a personal trainer that knows there stuff like me.
If I wanted to maintain my current weight I’d obviously eat my maintenance calories every day. If I wanted to gain weight I’d do the opposite and add 250 and 500 to my maintenance calories and that would be my “weight gain range.”
For an example of the above process, click here or watch the video below. In the video you’ll see me calculate my own maintenance calories, calculate my weight loss and muscle gain ranges, and then talk through how I’m going to track my food in order to hit those numbers.
How Do I Know How Many Calories I’m Eating?
I’ve talked about this before in this post about tracking all things fitness, but in case you missed that post… I’ll walk through it again. Download one (1) and only 1 of these apps:
My favorite is MyNetDiary. My Fitness Pal is easier to share with trainer or nutritionist so I often recommend clients use that one plus most people are already familiar with it. Lost It is a nice app as well and I have a few clients that like that one. It really doesn’t matter. It’s arbitrary. Whichever app you like, just pick one and move on. Don’t let that become a barrier to tracking your calories.
The next step is to simply track everything you eat or drink that has calories. EVERYTHING. The databases on these apps are amazing and you’ll be surprised at what you can find, but in case you can’t find something in there then estimate to the best of your ability.
Tracking Calories Sucks! How Can I Make Tracking Calories Easier?
I hate tracking calories as much as the next fella so I do my best to make it as easy as possible. I do this by using a meal prep delivery service. You don’t need to be rich to afford a meal prep service. You can find them for as little as $8-10 per meal. Here are some I’ve used in the past:
In Orange County:
In San Francisco:
Nationwide Shipping:
- Fuel Meals
- I’ve never tried these so don’t complain to me if they suck, but it looks cool.
This is what my freezer looked like after my Meal Prep delivery last week. This makes my food decisions a no-brainer for the rest of the week. Automation and habits create discipline and ultimate success with your diet. “Trying harder” often leads to failure, frustration, shitty eating habits, and guilt.
These meals will or at least should not only have the calories listed on the meal but the macros (carbs, fats, protein) as well. Obviously, you have to use the calorie counts on the meals in order to figure out exactly how many and what combination of meals you should eat. Once you figure this out the first time you can just eat the same number and combinations of meals over and over again.
This is the absolute best option because using a service like this creates a system for success. This will allow you hit your calorie goal without having to think, spend time cooking, or make tough decisions when tired and hungry. All you have to do is eat your designated number of meals each day.
Even if you can’t sign up for meal prep or are just in a bind hungry with no healthy food option you can still eat healthy and hit your target calories without cooking or prepping the food yourself. How? Use a food delivery service that provides you the macros for your meals so you can easily track them. This makes eating healthy and eating for your target calories a breeze.
In the past when I’ve gotten hungry and I don’t have access to anything healthy I simply dial up one of these awesome services and I can pick something healthy that also fits my calorie and macro targets. Here are a few I’ve used and liked:
I got busy and forgot to order my meal prep this week. Did I just eat terrible for the week and make excuses? No, I went to My Fit Foods and bought meals for the week. Notice all the calorie counts prominently displayed on the front? Yeah. Simple math. Add your calories for each meal until you hit your calorie target for the day. Make it easy on yourself. No measuring or weighing food, etc. My Fit Foods already did the work for me. Simplify for success.
No Excuses
If you simply cannot afford a meal prep delivery service or a meal delivery service you can always cook your meals, measure your food, and store them in a Tupperware to eat later throughout the week.
I did this for years. It sucked. I hated it and I felt it was a waste of my time to spend sooo much time cooking so that’s why I switched to meal delivery. However, this method works. People don’t do it for fun. They do it because it’s monetarily cheap and effective. It is a high labor or time cost though so you’ll have to weigh your options.
The real point of this is to show you that you don’t have any excuses. If you are too busy or don’t have time then use a meal prep or delivery service. If you are too broke, cook and measure it yourself at home.
This sucks. I’ve done it. I hated it. But it works. If you don’t want to be a Tupperware meathead I suggest you get a good meal prep delivery service unless you like cooking…
What Else Do You Got?
If you simply hate counting calories, you cannot or simply will not use a meal prep service, and you refuse to make the food yourself then you suck. In the words of Pete Carroll, “What’s your deal?” However, I still have three other options for you (damn, I’m nice):
- Portion Control Method
- Protein & Veggies Method
- Time Limit Method
Portion Control Method
The legend himself, Bill Phillips, outlined the portion control method in his also legendary book Body For Life. This is a fantastic book and one that I read a very long time ago while trying to figure this stuff out in college. I’ll outline the method briefly, but you can buy the book here if you want to learn more about this method.
What’s a portion?
A portion is the size of a deck of playing cards, the size of your closed fist or the palm of your hand for all solid foods. How do I create a portion control meal? Easy. You select 1 portion from the following categories:
- Lean protein
- Complex Carbohydrate
- Vegetables
You can also read more about how to create a portion control meal here on the Body For Life website. Tim Ferriss also popularized the portion control method with his amazing book The 4-Hour Body. Another great book.
Protein & Veggies Method
This is super easy to follow and you can eat as much food as you want on this method. Yep. No counting and no restrictions on how much you eat! Awesome, right? We’ll see. On this method you are only allowed to eat lean proteins and veggies. Lean protein examples include chicken, turkey, lean ground beef, and white fish. Veggies include all non-starchy vegetables. Let me be clear: YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO EAT ANY STARCHY VEGETABLES!
Starchy vegetables include corn, peas, parsnips, potatoes, pumpkin, squash, zucchini and yams.
Non-starchy vegetables are typically flowering parts of the plant. Lettuce, asparagus, broccoli, cauliflower, cucumber, spinach, mushrooms, onions, peppers and tomatoes are all considered non-starchy vegetables.
Time Limit Method
By practicing IF you are essentially severely limiting the number of hours in which you are allowed to eat food. By doing so you put a time limit on how many calories you can consume. If you try it, you’ll find out you can put down a hefty amount of calories in a short period of time however it is damn near impossible to overeat if you cut your eating window down short enough. On the days I fast for 20 hours and only eat for 4 hours I find it damn near impossible and even a little painful to hit my calorie counts for maintenance let alone overeat.
One thing intermittent fasting does incredibly well, limits your eating time! It is also incredibly effective at blasting fat off your body. Don’t take my word for it, try it. You’ll see…
What is intermittent fasting?
It’s the way I’ve eaten for the past 5 years and it’s how I’m able to get my clients such amazing results so quickly. Intermittent fasting or IF is not a diet. Again, it’s not a diet. IF simply dictates when you eat those calories.
On IF you will fast for at least a full 16 hours if not longer before consuming any calories. You are only allowed water, zero calorie drinks (although frowned upon I’ll allow if you must), black coffee, black espresso, or unsweetened tea. That means no coffee with cream and sugar.
I typically fast from 9 or 10pm at night until 3 or 4pm the next day. I workout around 2pm and break my fast immediately after. I try to target 18 hours for my fast but the typical 16/8 protocol only requires you to do 16. If you are female, please start with a 14 hour fast and work up to 16. Nothing sexist, the differences in your hormones can make fasting a bit more challenging at first, that’s all. For more information on intermittent fasting for females specifically check out this blog post.
A 16 hour fast is actually easier than you think. Most people just need to stop eating a bit earlier, skip breakfast, and take a late lunch. Once the initial urge to eat passes in the morning, it’s easy to follow. Just make sure you are drinking enough water (half your bodyweight). Cold water and coffee is best to knock out any hunger pains.
Fasted workouts may be challenging at first, but will get easier after a week or two. To quickly address some common myths: No you will not atrophy if you don’t eat for 16-20 hours. Your body actually protects your muscle in this state unless you do something like go nuts on the treadmill for an hour or take a spin class and spike your heart rate for an hour. And no, you do not need to eat before your workout to have energy. Put on your big girl pants and take some caffeine and BCAAs. You’ll be fine.
Putting It All Together
Let’s recap what you need to do in order to figure out exactly how many calories you need to eat in order to lose/gain weight and how to ensure you reach those numbers:
- Use the calculator at FreeDieting.com and be sure to be honest with yourself when selecting your workouts per day and intensity. Write that number down, that’s your “Maintenance Calories.”
- Calculate your weight loss or weight gain calorie target range by adding or subtracting (depending on your goal) 250 and 500 from your “maintenance calories.” Write those numbers down. That is your weight loss/gain range that you are going to target each day.
- Download an app to use in order to log your calories. The easiest is MyFitnessPal.
- Track EVERYTHING you eat and drink with calories and be sure to fall in your weight loss/gain range to achieve the desired outcome.
- Make this easier on yourself by using a meal prep or meal delivery service. Right now I use The Meal Prep and My Fit Foods.
- If this is too difficult for you, then your only hope is to use one of the following methods:
- Portion Control Method
- Protein & Veggies Method
- Time Limit Method
The Done For You Method
The best method of all. Of course if you don’t want to do most of that stuff above there is always the done for you method. What’s this? Well, because I’m so nice Uncle Action Jackson (AKA Uncle Super Nice) went ahead and did all the calculations for you, created an approved foods list, and even provided you a list of intermittent fasting resources. Caution to any ectomorphs or hard-gainers: This plan is for weight loss and not weight gain. Sorry. How can you get your hands on this? Enter your email below…