Our 6 week transformation challenge is underway and the energy in the gym is infectious. Attendance has increased, classes are filling up, and you all are locked in on making a change.

With so many of you refocused on your nutrition we’ve received a TON of great questions. I took the most common questions and will answer them in the form of daily tips.  Experience tells me that when one person asks a question there are many more who have the same question but are afraid to ask. I’m sure this info will assist a LOT of you with your progress.

So here we go…

During this challenge all clients are assigned a specific amount to eat daily.  Several clients  are counting their macros. “Macros”, for those of you who might not know, are short for macronutrients which are carbohydrates, protein and fat. At the onset of our challenge, each client was assigned a certain numbaer of grams of EACH of these macronutrients to consume daily based on their current body fat percentage, activity level, and body composition/weight goal.

So for example a certain client might have been prescribed to eat 150g of Carbs 150g of Protein and 50g of fat each day.

Other clients might be better suited to consume based on portion sizes rather than by counting macronutrients.  This client is assigned portions of carbs, fat and protein by using their hand. For example, eat 6 palm sized portions of protein, 4 cupped handfuls of carbs, and 3 fat servings about the size of your thumb.

Either of these methods bring attention to HOW MUCH you are eating on a daily basis.

Once we explain this process, the most common question we hear is:

“Well can I save carbs from one day and eat them the next?”

And the answer is… “YES–!, but…”

This strategy can work extremely well and allows you a bit of freedom around meals out, holidays, and the weekends.

So if your goal was to eat 150g of carbs each day and you knew you were having a big meal out on Saturday night, you can “borrow” carbs from Friday and save them for Saturday.

You may only eat 100g of carbs on Friday and now you have 200g of carbs at your disposal for Saturday.

Now I did say there was a BUT.

This strategy does require you to plan ahead and/or be disciplined to cut back the next day.

Think of it like a credit card. Sure, everyone SAYS they’re going to pay it off when the bill comes, but based on the amount of money credit card companies are making, most people struggle to keep that promise to themselves.

This technique also requires you to be pretty good at estimating macros and/or portions. When dining out, most people underestimate the amount of calories they eat by upwards of 50%!

Whether you count macros or portions, the discipline of adhering to the program gives you the freedom to enjoy special meals and times out and still make progress.

To keep things simple, here’s a bullet list of how to make this work:

• You CAN borrow calories from one day to the next.  Keep it to just carbs or fat. Keep protein the same each day.
• Limit your “borrowing” to no more than 1-2 days. Don’t bankroll 5 days worth of carbs for the weekend.
• Plan ahead. Log the larger meal however you normally do AHEAD of time so it’s clear what you need to change the day before or after. For example, I LOVE Pasta Limone. So if I am having that Saturday night I put the pasta and the butter in MyFitnessPal ahead of time to see how many carbs and fats  I need to remove from another day.
• Measure your progress at regular intervals to stay accountable. I’ve been doing this for about 16 years now and I’m not above checking my progress. It’s way too easy to slip off track,  if I’m not checking in on a weekly basis.

I hope you found this information helpful. If you think a friend or family member could benefit from these tips, please feel free to pass it along. We will never spam their account and will only share content we know is crucial to achieving your health and fitness goals.

Keep moving forward,

Brian