I spent a good portion of my 20s in some sort of diet. This is pretty crazy considering I have never been overweight, but I have always been chasing a tighter and more toned physique. At one point an ex-boyfriend of mine commented, maybe you are eating too few calories, at which point I became obsessed with finding my maintenance calories. I tried all sorts of calorie calculators, and even a fit bit, but there were conflicting results.
So how do you reconcile the conflicting results of maintenance calorie equations and fit bit outputs?
Keep it simple:
1)take a shot at a good number (for most 15-17X your body weight)
2) implement this for 2 weeks and observe. This article changed the way I thought about maintenance calories and is ultimately why I picked NLPT
Detailed instructions on how to calculate your maintenance:
https://nextlevelbikiniprep.com/bikini-competition-diet-macros/
Once you confirm you are at maintenance now you can strategically adjust your calories for your fitness goals. If you have been in a deficit for a long time like I was, it is probably worth holding steady at maintenance for at least a month or two to give your body a break from always dieting.
What have been your challenges with nutrition and fitness? I would love to better target my articles to help others achieve their goals. If you could take this quick survey, I can do my best to cater my articles to fit your needs 🙂
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/QNRZR2V
Liliahhfit 