Daily Macros Vs Weekly Calories
So you're about to eat lots of yummy food this festive weekend?
Lots of Chocolates, maybe some Alcohol or a good old fashioned Australian BBQ?
Worried about undoing all your hard work and going off-track?
Not to worry, we have the ultimate solution for you! :)
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You see, whether we are an elite athlete or just your average Joe, we all love to join in on the Festive Spirit. We socialize, we drink, we consume and also have lots fun in good company.
But what if we're after results and a good time?
One of the problems with having 'fun' is there's a tendency to over-consume fun things, in this case Food and Alcohol.
During festive times we also don't get enough Protein, Fibre, Micronutrients and generally over consume on calories. This includes:
- Easter
- Christmas
- Weddings
- Holidays
- Birthdays
- Public holidays etc.
For the average individual, what we overly consume and what isn't expended will naturally take it's course and store as Bodyfat. It doesn't take long for this to occur nor is it rocket science!
But...
What if we actually want to achieve results and not undo all the hard work?
One way of improving this scenario is making better educative food choices.
What is the solution?
A simple and results focused strategy is looking at overall Weekly Macronutrient or Calorie intake by simply using a:
Food Diary - you can use i.e. MyFitnessPal to get a rough idea of how many Calories and nutrients are consumed.
Be sure to download my Tracking Macros eGuide today!
Intermittent Fasting - a variation of the calorie restriction model can be applied during the festive day.
Daily Macros Vs Weekly Calories - the more popular continuous energy restriction method can be applied early on during the festive week.
^^The preferred option if 'delayed eating' or non-optimal Muscle growth isn't ideal.
Daily Macros vs Weekly Calories?
Ok, lets say as an example we have an allotted 2640 calories to consume daily.
Daily Calorie target: 2640 kcals
Once we have a daily target we can multiply this by the total number of days in a week. This will give us our Weekly Calorie budget total.
Daily Calorie target: 2640 x 7
Weekly Caloric target: 18,480 kcals
Now lets also assume we have an upcoming festive day and we're allotting a few hundred calories extra for it i.e. 500 - 1000 kcals. So:
Daily Calorie target: 2640
Festive Calorie estimate: 860 kcals
2640 + 860
Festive Calorie budget: 3500 kcals
Since we have our Weekly Calories for the week, we can now deduct the festive day from our weekly budget:
Festive Calorie budget (estimate): 3500
Weekly Caloric target: 18,480 kcals
3500 - 18480
Weekly Caloric target: 14,980 kcals
Finally, we can divide our new weekly budget with the number of days remaining in the week:
Weekly Caloric target: 14,980
14980 / 6
*Updated Daily Calorie target: 2496 kcals
^The above is merely just one example of a number of different options one can take. Considering some festive occasions i.e. Easter and Christmas are usually a 3 day event, we can further subtract or borrow Calories from elsewhere. Here are a few ways on how to do this:
Option 1 - Beginner
If you're new to Tracking Macros and Calories, start with this option. You will still be able to enjoy the festive period as you've accommodated throughout the week prior.
Monday: 2200 calories Tuesday: 2200 calories Wednesday: 2200 calories Thursday: 2200 calories Friday: 3500 calories Saturday: 3500 calories Sunday: 2680 calories
Weekly Calories: 18,480 calories
Option 2 - Intermediate
If you're relatively experienced Tracking Macros and Calories and don't need to indulge often, this may be ideal for you.
Monday: 2246 calories Tuesday: 2246 calories Wednesday: 2246 calories Thursday: 2246 calories Friday: 2246 calories Saturday: 5000 calories Sunday: 2246 calories
Weekly Calories: 18,480 calories
Option 3 - Advanced
If you're advanced, have an important event and don't need to indulge at all, try this approach.
Monday: 2640 calories Tuesday: 2640 calories Wednesday: 2640 calories Thursday: 2640 calories Friday: 2640 calories Saturday: 2640 calories Sunday: 2640 calories
Weekly Calories: 18,480 calories
Note: Above calculations based off 80kg/176lbs individual
Summary
Ok, so what did we observe?
- Overall Weekly Calories remained the same in all 3 options as we 'borrowed' Calories over the course of the 'festive' week.
- Less food was normally consumed on the last festive day as excessive eating tends to be fatiguing.
- Dietary Protein and Fibre intake were met on all days for Satiation purposes and ongoing results.
- Carbohydrates and Fats stayed relatively within the same ratio.
- Alcoholic beverages were still enjoyed in moderation and accounted for.
So there you have it. A few ways we can deduct calories throughout the week in preparation for upcoming festivities.
If the goal is to make better educated food choices, start with the approach that makes the most sense to YOU.
If you're looking for extra accountability in achieving your goals, fill out an Online Coaching Form and let's put you in the best possible position going forward!
Happy Holidays!
