I think that almost every person I have worked with has asked this question. Whether you are swearing off the world of weight loss diets or you are preparing to compete in a CrossFit competition, these are often the questions that come up:
How many calories should I eat a day?
How many carbs do I need?
How much protein is enough? And how much is too much?
Should I really eat fat? How much?
And holy cow….I used to feel so much pressure to get this answer right when the truth is that I have never been able to answer this question unequivocally for one person.
Ideal portion sizes vary from person to person based on multiple factors like genetics, activity level, gender, current health status, body type and personal goals.
But this doesn’t mean that there is no way to figure out what works best for you. And today I am going to show you how to do just that.
Is counting calories enough?
Lol. No. Do not count calories.
I am not a fan of counting calories as any means of portion gauging especially if your goal is to create a sustainable healthy lifestyle and especially if counting calories is your only focus. It is not reliable, ridiculously time consuming and generally unnecessary.
If you are “supposed” to eat two thousand calories a day and you choose to spend those calories on a fast food burger and fries, you will not end up with the same result as you would if you spent those calories on three meals that consisted of some protein, healthy fat and lots of vegetables. Of course you will get the calories you need plus a lot of toxic junk but you will not get the nutrients your body needs.
You will be starving within a few hours but you will have no more calories to play with. So what? Just wait until tomorrow to eat again?
Yeah, that sounds horrible.
The one time that counting calories comes in handy is when you are looking at getting a snap shot of how much you are eating. At that point you can download an app like My Fitness Pal and log your food for a few days. That way you can gauge whether you are eating too much or too little.
In order to find out how much you should be eating there are online calorie calculators that will do a calculation based on your height, weight, age, gender and activity level like this one. But I want to be very clear that the number that the calculator spits out at you is just a number to start with. And it is only an average. I’ll explain that below.
You can determine whether you are way off or in and around your energy requirements (recommended caloric intake) and then adjust as needed.
Beware
I did my calculation and it said that I should consume about 1,900 calories a day to maintain my current weight of about one hundred and forty pounds which just happens to be where I naturally fall when I track my intake. But that is only on average. Some days I eat 1,400 calories and other days I eat 2,400 calories.
So then I measured for if I wanted to lose two pounds a week and the app told me that I would need to eat nine hundred calories a day. If I actually followed that advice I would be starving myself and would no longer be able to fulfill my daily energy demands. So I repeat, this is only a number to start with. If you are eating way below the number, eat a bit more. If you are eating way above, try eating a bit less. Do not focus on that number any more than as a guideline.
If you are still confused, I will tell you how to get in contact with me at the end of this blog so I can help you get sorted out.
Macronutrient Ratios
The macronutrients are nutrients that are required by the body in large amounts. They are protein, carbohydrates and fat.
Protein: animal sources (organ meats, meat, eggs, dairy, fish and seafood).
Fat: healthy sources like avocados, full fat dairy, coconut, nuts and seeds.
Carbohydrate: starchy vegetables like potatoes, sweet potatoes, yuca, squash, parsnips, carrots.
When I talk about macronutrient ratios I am referring to how much of each macronutrient you should eat at each meal. Usually people suggest a percentage such as fifty percent of calories from protein, twenty percent from fat and thirty percent from carbohydrates.
Here is a blanket statement for macronutrient ratios:
Although there likely is a ratio that you will naturally lean toward and that will best satisfy your requirements, I cannot just pull a ratio out of thin air for you. Even if I look at the shape of your body and your energy demands, it is a best guess with my fingers crossed if I assign you a ratio to adhere to.
And since I do not like guessing when it comes to maintaining health, here is what I would prefer to see you do:
- Start by making sure that your diet is almost entirely on track for thirty days.
- Then, log into My Fitness Pal, log your food for a week and check out your ratios. (They will be shown in a little colorful graph. Take note that this app will have a recommended ratio for you. Ignore it).
- Now take inventory. Is your weight shifting in the direction you want? How are your energy levels throughout the day? How are you sleeping?
If things are not as you would like them to be, switch things up. If you are not sleeping well or your energy is low add more carbs at night. Add more protein if you are still feeling hungry. Decrease your carbs and increase your protein if you are not losing weight. There are a lot of possibilities here so I will leave it at that. If you are still feeling unsure, this is where a good nutritionist comes into play.
Where To Start With Portions
Now, with all that being said I am going to give you a guideline of how much of each macronutrient to start with. Over time you will develop an understanding of what is most satisfying for you.
Whenever I am consulting with a client, I hardly ever talk in terms of grams of fats and carbs or 60/20/20 percent breakdown of the macros. Rather, I talk about measuring your food by comparison to the size of your hands and fingers and creating a visual of what your ideal plate may look like.
Trust me, this works.
|
Women |
Men |
|
|
Protein |
one palm |
two palms |
|
Carbohydrates |
2 hands cupped together |
double women's portion |
|
Fat |
1 thumb length |
2 thumbs lengths |
The first time I saw this breakdown was from a post Precision Nutrition created. I loved it and have used it to communicate my recommendations ever since.
As shown in the table above, you start with protein. Ideally that will come from an healthy animal source and you will have a portion about the size of your palm if you are a woman (double that for men). Then you add a portion of starchy vegetables that is about the size of your hands cupped together (double that for men). Add about a thumb’s length worth of healthy fat (double that for men) and fill the rest of your plate with more vegetables (we always make a large salad).
When it comes to nuts, seeds and fruit I recommend starting with a small handful of nuts each day and a fruit or two.
Your Plate
In the end, your plate will end up looking like a whole lot of vegetables with a piece of meat. The meat will likely take up about a quarter of your plate.
My Plate (and how much I ideally eat)…
Now that you have seen how I recommend you start when it comes to portions and macronutrients I want to show you how I have come to personalize those recommendations for myself.
Let’s start with nuts. I recommended you start with a small handful a day. Personally, I usually eat about three handfuls a day. It is my snack of choice. I love them and they satisfy me. Since my digestion is great and my weight is where I want it to be, this is working for me.
There are many days that I do not eat fruit at all. For some reason I do not gravitate toward fruit so I find that I am more likely to snack on a carrot over an apple.
I like to eat the occasional meal without meat. I will have a vegetable soup instead. And quite often I do not have a starchy vegetable with my meal, just a piece of meat the size of my palm or more and a huge whack of salad. I usually have starches about two to four times a week. If my energy is low or I know I have high energy demands the next day I will make sure to have a starch with dinner.
So I repeat: This is a guideline. A place to begin.
Got it?
To set the record straight, there is no online calculator or app that can tell you exactly how many calories or how much of each macronutrient you should eat.
But as you transition into Eating By Design, eating nutrient dense, real food the majority of the time, you will become accustomed to what works best for you based on your energy levels, your digestion and your overall satisfaction with your diet.
Need some help figuring out what works best for you? Kristin McCaig is a Holistic Nutritionist. Learn about her nutrition consultation services HERE.
For simple By Design recipes why not pick up your copy of the Eat By Design Cookbook. I’ve created it in the form of a 28-day meal plan (plus grocery lists!) so you don’t need to think about what’s for breakfast, lunch or dinner for the next month. Or you can grab the first 7 days FREE by clicking here.