Food Tracking 101

In today’s episode, we discuss everything you need to know about food tracking. Food tracking is important, even if it’s just for a little while, because it gives you real data that you can work with to move towards your fitness goals. 

We suggest tracking macronutrients, and the best way to do it is with a scale. Protein is especially important to track this way. In general, 4 oz of meat is equivalent to 25-28 g of protein. If you’re properly tracking and eating an optimal amount of protein, your calories will fall into place, especially if you’re eating whole, natural foods and staying away from processed foods. However, if you want to count calories, it’s best to talk to a trainer or nutritionist to figure out what your maintenance calories are first. 

Bottom line, if you want to get lean or build muscle, knowing your maintenance calories, tracking the macros you’re eating, and learning what works for you and what doesn’t is one of the best tools you have at your disposal. 

A common challenge, however, is becoming obsessive with tracking. Remember you can achieve the body composition you want by just tracking your protein and macros - no need to know how many calories you ate! 

It’s also important to track your alcohol intake. We discuss what this looks like more in the episode. 

Resources: 

How to find your maintenance calories:

https://barpathfitness.com/blog/how-to-find-your-maintenance-calories/

How to reverse diet:

https://barpathfitness.com/blog/reverse-dieting-guide/

How much protein you need:

http://www.barpathfitness.com/blog/protein-101-should-you-eat-meat


The relationship between Alcohol and Fitness 

http://www.barpathfitness.com/blog/the-relationship-between-alcohol-and-fitness/