Then how how much DO I eat?

We left off realizing that... WAIT! If our #metabolism remains within a narrow range and we just eat what we assume we burned (and we are AWFUL at estimating), eventually we'll be eating in a calorie surplus, and slowly gain weight over time.

Okay, so WTH do we do with this information?

You hear me saying your metabolism remains within a narrow range, no matter how much or how little movement you get. So, we can't rely on activity trackers to tell us how many “calories” we burned, then how DO we regulate the right amount of food to maintain our weight?

Remember the chart and BMR equation from my previous post. For most of us, there are 3 levels of basic calorie needs that act as a general guideline for daily intake (unless you are an endurance or competitive athlete with hours of training each day, or consistently getting daily double sessions).

It is also helpful if you are exercising intentionally (not just daily movement, playing, walking, etc.), to know what type of fuel your body is using. Keep it simple, use the intensity and duration of your exercise to steer you in the right direction (stay tuned for more on this)!

Let’s start with someone who does not get a lot of intentional, hard or long duration exercise, hovering around your estimated daily #expenditure. Again, what is that number? You can use the chart or the equation (as a starting point) and go from there! If you like to track, control what you can control, which is your input and pay little mind to the output.

How do you know if this amount is enough or too much? If your diet is based on mostly whole foods, you are eating a decent amount of protein, fiber and fat consistently, then you can easily rely on your hunger cues. Finding yourself physically hungry too soon after a meal, or your energy, mood and focus not what you’d like? You may need to eat a bit more (or more of the right stuff!). Realizing you never actually feel very hungry during the day, or even wake up hungry? Perhaps you need to pull back a bit.

It all comes back to the #BASICS and doing them consistently! Scroll back through the last few posts, I began this entire series talking about the basics, and it doesn’t matter who you are! An Olympic athlete, a recreational swimmer, a self-pronounced couch-potato, we all have to learn the basics. Figure out which ones you are already good at, and the ones that could use some help. Drill the ones that need help until they become habit. Start small, one at a time.

Remember 1% better. And if you find yourself stuck, well that’s I am for (;