HELLO SMARTSHREDDER! Congratulations on starting your journey toward SMART eating and long-term weight loss. Scientifically, weight loss comes down to a calorie deficient diet: Calories OUT exceed Calories IN. Simply put, a Macro (macronutrient) conscious “diet” focuses on separating those calories into Macronutrients by gram based on your specific body type, age, weight, and intensity/duration/consistency of exercise. Best results come from a regular exercise routine with 4-6 times per week and at least 40 minutes moderate-intense activity/cardio. Long-term weight loss takes time. For many consistent macro counters, current weight to goal weight is obtainable in 12 weeks, as long as you HIT your numbers. For others with more weight to lose, it may require an additional few weeks/months; we can discuss options at the end of your session. Bottom line—In order to make the most out of your 12 weeks, you’ll want to stay as accurate as possible. Once you receive your numbers from me, your goal is to meet them within 3 grams (+/-) so that we know exactly what you’re taking in and how to adjust them as you lose. You may feel FULL in the first week or two while your body balances out, and you’ll see fluctuations in the scale. We will change your numbers accordingly over the course of 12 weeks, but they may stay the same for the first couple. We are after long-term change so PATIENCE is key. Best results come from meeting your numbers daily throughout the duration of the program. That said, an occasional cheat meal or off-day isn’t going to do you in. Let’s just plan in advance whenever possible so we can stay the course and get you to your goal!
The three Macronutrients where calories (food energy) come from: •
Carbohydrates
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Protein
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Fat
WHAT YOU NEED: •
Food scale (ex. Oxo). You’ll want a food scale with units in grams and ounces. Oxo and others have a tare function that zeros out containers and just weighs contents. This is ideal for a clean scale and accurate weighing.
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MyFitnessPal app Premium version so you can set it to Macronutrients by gram
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Body scale (for daily morning weight)
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Measuring tape for 2x/week waist measurement
IMPORTANT ATTACHMENTS: •
MyFitnessPal Tutorial
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What Do I Eat?
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GOOGLE DOC SPREADSHEET: Once you receive your numbers, I will send you an invitation to access a Google Doc Spreadsheet that needs to be completed daily and shared with me weekly once we chose your start date. You should take 3 days to practice before DAY 1. You will input): •
Daily Macros “hit” (not numbers remaining. For example, if you have 3g of carbs left over and your goal is 155g, you’ll enter 152, not 3 in that field).
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Daily morning weight
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Waist measurement (2x/week)
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Recorded workouts (i.e. 40 min bootcamp, 1 hour hike, 45 min jog)
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Notes: Feeling bloated, hungry, tired, or GREAT!
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Feel free to give me a summary of the week in the optional message including questions or roadblocks. Here is a good place to troubleshoot upcoming events you’ll need to plan in advance (weddings, birthdays, anniversary celebrations, etc…) You can also email me or text if that’s helpful.
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Don’t worry about filling in averages or calories (these will be adjusted for you).
PICTURES: Other than the scale (which measures much more than just fat), pictures are the most effective way to see and document progress. These should be taken in sets of 3 (Front, Side, and Back) every 3 weeks (Start Date, 3, 6, 9, 12). Consider wearing the same or similarly sized clothing for the best evidence of change. If you are not comfortable sharing with me, please take and keep them to track your own progress.
FOOD CHOICES: I like to think of the Macro diet as FREEDOM of FOOD. Nothing (*alcohol explanation below) is off-limits and no food is inherently bad. This includes bagels, cereal, pasta, ice cream, etc…As long as it fits into your numbers, it’s OK to eat! That said, smart decisions like choosing smaller portions, low-fat foods, and lower carb/sodium snacks will make you feel better and allow you to eat more during the day. I’ve included some tips on BIGGER BANG FOR YOUR BUCK options in the WHAT DO I EAT? Attachment, as well as a guide for options per Macronutrient.
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*ALCOHOL: Best results come from alcohol abstention. The fact that alcohol has no nutritional value is less important than the way it processes in your body. Drinking alcohol reduces the amount of fat your body burns for energy, so there is a 10-grams of Fat penalty per alcoholic beverage in addition to the net 30 carbs most drinks inherently carry. You’ll want to do your best to abstain completely for the first couple of weeks at least, and then if you choose, fit a controlled amount into your numbers using the SmartShred alcohol adjustment in MFP. Search SmartShred wine/beer/cocktail etc…to add drinks.
WATER: Drink at least 90oz daily (add 30oz after/during exercise)! This helps boost your metabolism, cleanse your body of waste, and keeps you feeling fuller longer.
WEIGHING FOOD: I’ve included an attached tutorial for MyFitnessPal, an app to help you track your food daily. Packaged food is easier to record because of the Nutrition Label. You’ll be able to find the product in the search option and crosscheck the label on the package for accuracy. Usually a green check next to the item means it is accurate, but MFP (MyFitnessPal) is like Wikipedia in that anyone can input an item, so always doublecheck packages to be certain. Fresh foods (like meat, fish, fruit and veggies) are also in MFP, but I use calorieking.com which is reliable site with accurate packaged and unpackaged food nutrition facts. After you enter commonly eaten foods once, you’ll be able to find and add them again easily into your diary. •
Weigh all fresh food in grams/ounces (I even weigh ice cream because packaging can be unreliable)
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Only use measuring cups/spoons for liquid (milk, coffee cream). The consistency and shape will fill cups and spoons differently, so a scale is the most accurate.
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Only weigh what you intend to consume. For example, you’ll weigh slices of apple, not the entire fruit with core and stem.
You’ll have a lot of questions in the beginning, so read through the attached documents/tutorials and generate a list of them for me at the start. I am happy to answer any and all questions that come up throughout your journey. This all will shortly become autopilot, but be patient throughout the learning curve and have fun with this FREEDOM of FOOD Macrotracking! Love and Good Health, Robin Curley Founder—SmartShredNutrition robin@smartshrednutrition.com 978-758-5450
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