The Over 50 Health & Wellness Podcast Coach’s Corner – A Beginner’s Guide to Tracking Calories
In this week's episode of the Coaches Corner podcast, I tackle the topic of calorie tracking - who should do it, why it can be useful, and exactly how to get started.
I open the show explaining what calorie tracking means - essentially weighing, measuring, and recording everything you eat and drink to gain insights into your nutrition. While not absolutely necessary, calorie tracking can provide helpful information to guide your health and fitness journey.
First, I cover who should and should not track calories. Tracking can be useful for those who have never done it before to gain awareness of serving sizes and calorie intake. It can also help those with more aggressive body composition goals dial in their nutrition. However, tracking is not advised for those with a history of disordered eating.
Next, I explain several reasons why calorie tracking can be beneficial:
- It teaches you accurate serving sizes. Without measuring food, most people don't have an accurate sense of portion sizes
- It reveals patterns in your eating behaviors, like major differences between weekday and weekend eating.
- It helps you understand your macro- and micro-nutrient intake. Tracking shows how much protein, carbs, fat, fiber, vitamins and more that you are actually consuming.
- It provides a baseline to create a nutrition plan to reach your goals. Understanding your starting point is key for mapping out where you want to go.
I then give a tutorial on how to start tracking, beginning with obtaining basic kitchen tools like a food scale, measuring cups and spoons. I demonstrate how to enter various foods into MyFitnessPal step-by-step. I also provide tips for tracking restaurant meals by finding comparable items in the database. The key is not to overcomplicate it - just get a general sense of your calorie and macro intake.
In closing, I note that apps will provide calorie recommendations based on your stats and goals. But I caution not to follow this advice blindly, emphasizing the importance of optimizing your metabolism before considering a diet phase.
I share that personally, I track intermittently depending on my current goals. My co-host Monica tracks very consistently. There is no one-size-fits-all approach - find what works best for your needs and fitness objectives.
I wrap up by inviting listeners to download our free guide Calorie Tracking 101 for more details on getting started with tracking your nutrition.
I mentioned the following resources during this episode:
Amazon Digital Kitchen Scale:
https://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-Stainless-Digital-Batteries-Included/dp/B06X9NQ8GX/
Coach’s Corner Episode on Pre Diet Phase:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-over-50-health-wellness-podcast/id1510989063?i=1000631195083
Download the Calorie Tracking 101 Guide:
https://silveredge.ac-page.com/calorie-tracking-101-guid
Want to rewrite the narrative of your life and health? Visit the link below to see if our 1:1 coaching services are a perfect fit for your long term goals:
https://go.silveredgefitness.com/schedule/coaching-inquiry
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