How to's + Common Questions

How to create a recipe in MFP...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5C3p9LwUsw&t=11s

How to track alcohol...

When tracking alcohol - Most drinks are online if they do not show up in MFP, you may just have to input them manually. Do not feel like you can not drink at all but do know it slows the fat burning process. I always highly recommend avoiding alcohol completely in the beginning and when at the low end of a cut.

If you do have alcohol - You will want to take the total number of calories and divide that number by 2. Then take that number and divide it by 4 (for carbs) and also take that number and divide it by 9 (for fats)

For example: 250 calorie drink

250/2 = 125

125/4 = 31g carbs

125/9 = 14g fat

31g Carbs and 14g Fat would then be put into MFP.

You could also use just carbs or just fats. Just make sure its accounted for!

This would require you to have to make a new food item entry or a “quick add”.

What should your plate look like?

For most of your meals, your plate should make up of 30% protein, 30% fat and 40% carbs

You must weigh and measure EVERYTHING.

I mean everything! For example, if the serving size is 1 cup - do not just measure out 1 cup. Make sure to weigh out whatever the serving size says in parentheses. Example: 1 cup blueberries (140g) Make sure to weigh out the 140g. It is so easy to accidentally go over or under on your numbers because of this mistake. Just make sure to double check everything.

If scanning a food item into MFP

Make sure to double check the label. Sometimes they can still be off, even if verified. If it does not match up, you just have to enter it in manually. Kind of a pain but only happens once in a while.

When going out to eat.

Make sure to plan ahead. Look at the menu of wherever you are going and input it into MFP. Do the best you can. Over estimating will be your best bet. Don't wait till the last minute to track what you ate when going out - you could seriously sabotage your numbers!! When we eat out, 1. We don't have exact numbers of what we are consuming and 2. It's not always the best quality of food. The best quality is when we are preparing the food ourselves. This does not mean you can't go out to eat at all! Goal is to keep it to a minimum or choose foods that are very basic when going out.

How to be successful!! - Can't stress this enough!

Always always always plan your food for the next day the night before in MFP. This will set you up for ultimate success!! Do not wait till the next day when you get home to figure out what to eat for dinner, it is just a giant game of food Tetris and you will never win!

Do not feel like you have to purchase the premium for My Fitness Pal (MFP).

You just have to know what your numbers are in your head or set them pretty close. If you want to go ahead and input them-

Go to "more" Go to "Goals" Under "Nutrition Goals" Go to "Calorie & Macronutrient Goals"

Set your calories, and then your percentages should be 40% carbohydrates, 30% fat and 30% protein. This should bring you pretty close to what you should be hitting or even dead on.

FNT Recommendations

Whole foods -

Choose whole foods to eat for 90% of food consumption. The best part about counting our macros is we get to eat the things we love! But, we still want to take care of our bodies and we can do that with eating real food. Try and shoot for 3-4 servings of veggies per day and 2-3 servings of fruits.

Meal prep -

Prepare as much food as you can! Plan out your week appropriately so you can take the time to make food for the week. This way you won’t have to resort to grabbing food on the go, which can lead to numbers being off. When tracking macros we want to be as precise as possible. Make foods in bulk and portion out as you go.

Exercise -

30-60 minutes/day, 3-5 days per week.

Upon Waking -

Drink 16-24oz of water to hydrate, wake up your cells and to help with your digestion.

Take pictures!

These are completely optional but I will say every client regrets not taking them in the beginning.

Pictures are a great way to see physical change rather than just relying on the measurements and the number on the scale.

You can send them over or keep them to yourself. Whatever you feel comfortable with! We would compare every 4-6 weeks.

Once I have the pictures, I will start a progress pics tab on your spreadsheet so we can keep them all in one place.

*Take pictures of full body - front, back and side