I don’t want to simplify this to Calories In v Calories Out because the physiological, psychologically & emotional process of losing body fat/ gaining muscle extends far beyond this. However, I don’t think you should overthink it either!\r\n\r\nThe reason I say this is because too many people seem to think that certain foods have magical fat loss or muscle gaining properties – they don’t! Ultimately, your goal to lose body fat and/or build muscle is going to be mostly determined by your ability to establish either a calorie deficit or a calorie surplus. \r\n\r\nThat being said, let’s avoid this oversimplification by outlining that you still need to focus on food quality and NOT simply quantity. But before doing so, let’s establish ‘how much’ you likely might need to eat to achieve your goal.\r\n\r\nOf course, if you were to ‘google search’ this topic, you’d likely find an array of methods & countless calorie calculators. All of which can become a little overwhelming and sometimes contradictory from one to the next. Instead, let’s simplify this but with the thought that this remains an estimate.\r\n\r\nTo work out an estimate of your total caloric intake, follow one of the equations beneath:\r\n\r\nFat Loss\r\nBodyweight (lbs) x 10-12\r\n\r\nWeight Maintenance\r\nBodyweight (lbs) x 12-14\r\n\r\nWeight Gain\r\nBodyweight (lbs) x 14-16\r\n\r\n\r\nNow that you have calculated your ideal, estimated total caloric intake, let’s discuss food quality. Despite me outlining that we do not want to overthink this, we certainly don’t want to ignore it either. \r\n\r\nYou might have heard of macronutrients?\r\nMacronutrients refer to essential elements that our bodies need for energy; and in this grouping, we are referring to protein, carbohydrates and fats: of which I am sure you are familiar.\r\n\r\nIt’s important to first note that none of these macronutrients cause you to gain fat! That will simply be down to an overconsumption of calories, for your body, over time. Often, certain macronutrients are labelled wrongly with such claims which can lead to poor food relationships and avoidance of them within a diet. Each macronutrient is needed to some degree and provides a different use to the body. How much of each will likely be determined by individual preference & perhaps even goals. But again, this shouldn’t be overthought. There’s no ONE best strategy for losing body fat or building muscle: it’s about finding a balance that suits YOU. Hopefully, this dispels the consideration to finding the ‘perfect Macro split’.\r\n\r\nThis being said, perhaps we want to concern ourselves with eating an adequate amount of these macronutrients (especially in relation to protein intake); and yes, that does deserve our attention to some degree. However, this will be covered in future articles; of which, can be located at harryjonescoaching.co.uk .\r\n\r\n\r\nConclusion\r\n\r\nOnce you have established your calorie goal, you’ve established a clear starting point to your nutrition. From here, you should now consider the foods you wish to consume to make up this ‘budget’ of calories.\r\n\r\nOf course, in doing so, you can then be concerned with the type of foods you want to include into your diet more often, and let’s face it, I’m sure you know the kinds of foods I’m referring to (i.e., non-processed foods & nutrient dense options). This doesn’t mean to stop including the foods you enjoy; it’s important that you do include these and find balance. However, everything should work to your budget and align with the person you are wanting to become.