After reading about how energy balance works and knowing the roles of protein, fats and carbohydrates have in your diet, this is a great tool to allow you how to work out your daily food diary. Decide what goal is; mainly to lose body fat or to gain muscle mass then follow the steps below. We advise to focus mainly on measuring your intake and output allowing you to keep accountable and not having to guesstimate what you have done or eaten. All being said, there is other approaches; however that would be the most efficient way to get to your goals. 

Measuring 

Step 1– Work out your energy balance- this can be done by either working out your total daily energy expenditure (T.D.E.E.) for both training and non-training days. 

Step 2– Either add or take away 15% from the given amount(depending on your goal- gain=add,lose=take away)- this will give you your new daily calorie goal for that day. Non training days will have less due to your body not burning as much. 

Step 3– In both diets, have your protein goal as 2g/kg body weight allowing you to fully repair your muscles after exercise. 1g of protein is equal to 4 calories. Then meet the rest of your calorie needs through your carbohydrates (4 calories) and fats (9 calories). 

Step 4– Have higher amounts of carbohydrates on training days and higher fat content on non-training days. 

Step 5– Now try to split these calories into 4 meals or more allowing you to fully digest the nutrients while promoting protein-synthesis. This way will allow you to have a flexible diet too, e.g. if you have a lower carb meal for breakfast then you could have a higher carb meal after your workout meaning that you wont have any cravings. 

Step 6– If you have hit a plateau in your weight, repeat the process again. 

Going by feel

Step 1-Weigh yourself and then record what you eat or even write down how many meals you have had for 3 days then weigh yourself again. If you put on then you are in a surplus, if you stayed the same then your calories are balanced and then if you lost, it is a result of you being in a deficit. 

Step 2– Take action, 

Say your goal is to lose weight however you’ve been putting on and your diary said that you ate 4 meals and snack. Try taking that snack out for the next 3 days to see what the scales say. If it stayed the same, it now means your energy is balanced, try decreasing the portion sizes in your 4 meals and then weigh again- if you lose then you are now in a deficit. Once you start losing; weigh yourself weekly to make sure you still are. Only make adjustments weekly allowing you to know it was them that made the difference. Either take away calories or increase the amount of times you exercise, even the amount of steps you take daily. Aim to lose 1-2lbs per week.

Say your goal is to gain weight however you’ve been losing and your diary said that you ate 3 meals. Try adding an extra meal for the next 3 days to see what the scales say. If it stays the same it means you’ve now found your maintenance, try adding another snack and then weigh yourself again in another 3 days- if you now put on then you are in a surplus. Once you start gaining, weigh yourself weekly and only make adjustments then, allowing you to know what effect the adjustments made. If your weight plateaus either add extra calories or decrease your output. Aim to gain at the most 2lbs per week as if you gain any more then its more than likely going to be fat and water.