When it comes to fitness and health, having a solid nutrition plan is just as important as your workouts. In fact, it’s the foundation for achieving your goals—whether that’s building muscle, losing fat, or simply maintaining a healthy lifestyle. But where do you start? Let’s break it down into three key components: total calories, protein, and fat. By the end of this, you’ll have the tools to create your own effective and sustainable nutrition plan.
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1) Total Calories: The Foundation of Your Plan
Your total calorie intake determines your overall shape. Want to build muscle? You’ll need a small calorie surplus. Looking to shed fat? A small calorie deficit is your best friend. But figuring out how many calories you need can feel overwhelming at first. Here’s a simple approach:
How Many Calories Should You Eat?
Start by tracking what you’re currently eating. Don’t overthink it—just record your meals for a week or two to understand your baseline. Do not change your eating habits during this time because you want to know what you tend to do when you’re not thinking about it. From there, you can make adjustments. If you prefer, try a Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) calculator to estimate your calorie needs although these are notorious for being inaccurate. After you have a general idea of how much you tend to eat you can choose a number for calories per day then be consistent and see what happens. For example, if you want to lose weight and you tend to eat 2,500 then try eating 2,200 for 3 weeks and monitor what happens. You can also start by simply picking a number and eating it consistently and see what happens. This would skip the first step and jump straight to decision making moves. Here are some good general starting points if you want to take this approach:
- Men: 2,200 calories/day
- Women: 1,800 calories/day
Consistency is key. Stick to your calorie goal every day (including weekends) and adjust as needed after a few weeks. It is vitally important to include all calories, including those from alcohol which tends to be a common mistake. If your goal is to lose weight but after 3 weeks of consistently eating the same number of calories your weight doesn’t go down, then reduce your intake by 200 calories per day and be consistent for a few weeks and reassess.
2) Total Protein: Building and Repairing Muscle
Protein is the superstar macronutrient for nutrition including muscle repair, growth, and recovery. It’s essential for achieving your fitness goals, whether you’re looking to gain mass or slim down. There are 4 calories in a gram of protein.
How Much Protein Should You Eat?
A good rule of thumb is to aim for 1 gram of protein per pound of your ideal body weight (IBW). Not sure what your IBW is? Use an online calculator, you can search IBW MDCalc to find out. For example, if your IBW is 150 lbs, you’ll want to eat 150 grams of protein daily. Protein isn’t just for athletes. It’s vital for everyone to maintain muscle mass, support metabolism, and improve overall health.
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Total Fat: The Unsung Hero
Fat often gets a bad rap, but it’s a crucial part of any nutrition plan. Healthy fats are essential for hormone synthesis, brain function, and metabolism. Skimping on fat can lead to poor performance and other health issues. There are 9 calories in a gram of fat. I find that most individuals consume their minimum amount of fat easily so this doesn’t usually need to be a focus. It’s more likely that you can simply track protein and calories to reach your goals. I like to simplify as much as possible so I don’t bother tracking my fat because if I get my protein in for the day and hit my calorie goal then I will get the results.
How Much Fat Should You Eat?
0.33 grams of fat per pound of your IBW. You can simply take ⅓ of your IBW. Using the same example of 150 lbs IBW:
- 150 lbs x 0.33 = 50 grams of fat per day
Fats provide 9 calories per gram, making them more calorie-dense than protein and carbs by over twice. For this reason, you should be mindful of portion sizes. Try to consume healthy fat sources like avocados, nuts, seeds, and olive oil. That being said, if you stay within your calorie goal and exercise, it is unlikely that the source of fat will be your downfall.
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What About Carbs?
Carbs function as an energy source. Carbs are not essential, unlike protein and fat. You can be keto and eat zero carbs and still be healthy. If you ate zero fat or protein then you will be malnourished. If this continues for a long time it can even lead to death. The takeaway is that you can eat as many or as little carbs as you’d like, as long as you stay within your calorie goal. There are 4 calories in a gram of carbs, similar to protein. To figure out how many carbs you can eat:
1. Calculate your total calories from protein and fat.
- Protein = 4 calories/gram
- Fat = 9 calories/gram
In our example, if you’re eating 150 grams of protein and 50 grams of fat, then that’s 1,050 calories total:
- Protein: 150 x 4 = 600 calories
- Fat: 50 x 9 = 450 calories
Total: 600 + 450 = 1,050 calories
2. Next, subtract this from your total calorie goal. If your goal is 1,850 calories/day:
- 1,850 - 1,050 = 800 calories for carbs
3. Divide the remaining calories by 4 to get grams of carbs that you can eat in a day without going over your calorie goal.
- 800 / 4 = 200 grams of carbs/day
This means that if you are eating 1850 calories in a day and meeting your minimum amount of protein and fats then you can eat 200 grams of carbs while staying within your calorie goal. With these remaining 800 calories you can choose whether they come from carbs, protein, or fat. That’s what’s so liberating about tracking your calories and macros, you can choose what you eat! Remember, carbs aren’t the enemy. They fuel your workouts and help replenish glycogen stores. Adjust them as needed based on your goals.
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Adjustments: Fine-Tuning Your Plan
If you’re not seeing the results you want, don’t panic. Our bodies adapt relatively slowly compared to what we’re used to. Remember, your current health and physique is the result of years of eating and movement habits. It will take time to learn your body and improve its shape. Try to embrace the journey while focusing on the small, positive improvements.
Nutrition plans are meant to be adjusted:
- Not losing weight? Reduce your calories by 100-200/day.
- Feeling sluggish? Consider adjusting your carbs or fats. Some people feel better when they eat carbs for their excess calories while others feel better using those extra calories for fat or protein.
It’s all about small, sustainable changes.
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My Current Nutrition Plan
Here’s an example of how I structure my daily nutrition plan:
- Protein: 180 grams
- Carbs: 170 grams
- Fat: 50 grams
- Total Calories: 1,850/day (during my cut)
I choose to have a little more protein with my excess calories. By following these macros, I can stay consistent while enjoying flexibility in my food choices. That’s the beauty of a well-structured plan—it gives you guidelines without being overly restrictive.
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Don’t Be Too Restrictive!
Remember, food is fuel, but it’s also meant to be enjoyed. By sticking to your daily macro goals, you can eat whatever foods you like—whether that be pizza, ice cream, or a salad, it’s all effective if it’s part of the plan. The key is balance. Restricting yourself too much can lead to burnout and cravings, so aim for consistency rather than good vs bad food.
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Final Thoughts
Building a nutrition plan doesn’t have to be complicated. You’re probably thinking “Yeah, right… I haven’t had to think about equations for years!” But remember, we can simplify this! We tend to eat our minimum amount of fat so you don’t have to focus on that. Carbs are nonessential so you don’t have to think about that either! Simply focusing on total calories and eating enough protein each day. By doing this you can create a sustainable plan tailored to your goals. Start with the basics, track your progress, and make small changes over time. Most importantly, stay consistent. Fitness is a journey, and with the right nutrition plan, you’ll be well on your way to achieving your goals.
