- Robert Karpathios
My Fitness Pal 101 | Calorie Tracking Made Simple
STANDARD GUIDELINES
Calories, protein and fiber are the three most important targets to hit each day. Carbohydrates and fat don't need to be exact, but do your best to accurately reach those targets as well.
It's okay if you go above your fiber target - anything upwards of 30-40g daily is okay. Try not to exceed 50g daily.
Ensure each meal contains a minimum of 20g of protein.
Drink a minimum of 3L of water each day.
Always weigh your food in grams using a digital food scale and avoid weighing using volume (measuring cups, measuring spoons etc).
Double check that the numbers in the app match the label on the food item.
Don't stress about eating the foods you love! You can still enjoy your favorite treats as long as you reach your targets for the day (general rule of thumb is to spend 80% of your calories on nutrient dense foods and allow the remaining 20% of your calories to be spent on treats if you wish).
Absolutely everything gets tracked - cooking oils, condiments, coffee, alcohol etc.
If you'll be going more than 4 hours between meals, insert a snack.
SOURCES OF FIBER
Fiber bread by Country Harvest
Oatmeal
Kellogg's All-Bran Buds
KASHI Go Lean cereal
Fruit with skin on (blueberries, apples, pears, peaches, cherries, kiwi etc)
Vegetables (spinach, broccoli, brussels sprouts, asparagus etc)
SOURCES OF PROTEIN
Lean red meat
Poultry
Fish (also great fat source)
Eggs (also great fat source)
Dairy - greek yogurt, milk
Protein powder
SOURCES OF CARBOHYDRATES
Pasta
Potatoes (all types)
Rice (all types)
Fruit
SOURCES OF FAT
Fatty fish and other marine sources
Eggs
Avocado
Nuts & seeds
Olive oil
Avocado oil
EASY TO TRACK SAMPLE MEALS
150g basmati rice | 120g x-lean ground beef | 120g steamed broccoli
150g sweet potato | 120g chicken breast | 120g asparagus
Quaker instant oatmeal packet (flavor of choice) | 20g chopped walnuts | protein shake
Turkey sandwich: 2 slices fiber bread | 120g sliced turkey breast | 15ml light olive oil mayo | mustard and greens to taste
175g greek yogurt | 60g fresh strawberries | 26g Kellogg's all-bran buds
EASY TO TRACK SAMPLE SNACKS
4 natural lean turkey pepperoni sticks
3 hard boiled eggs
20g nuts - almonds, cashews, walnuts etc
Have fun with your meals and be creative! There are absolutely no limitations as long as you reach your targets for the day. If you're eating out, many items at franchised restaurants are in the app's database. If they're not, choose a meal that can easily be plugged into the app - example, 7oz New York steak, 100g of rice, 120g of steamed veggies.
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