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How to Enter Your Specific Macro Goals into My Fitness Pal For IIFYM

I know the world of IIFYM (if it fits your macros) aka Flexible Dieting can be information overload for someone who is just starting out.  It was for me, and I have been working in nutrition for years.  There is no getting around the steep learning curve, but I thought I’d try and write a few posts detailing the “hows” of IIFYM.

I want to tackle how to track your macros in My Fitness Pal (MFP) and my first post in this series will detail how to set your particular macros in MFP so you can more accurately track them.  How you do this will differ depending upon which level of MFP you have; the free version or Premium ($49.99/year).  I personally have Premium because I wanted the ease of use, the extra features, and because it is an app I am in multiple times a day.

In an attempt to give my clients more options when it comes to tracking I did recently download My Macros+ (it’s only $2.99) and plan on posting tutorials for that app as well in the future.

FREE VERSION OF MyFitnessPal

9.1 Home Screen and More MFP

The image (above left) is of the MFP homescreen.  At the bottom you will see where I arrowed in red to the “MORE” area.  Click on that and it will take you to the “More” screen (above right).  Once in the More screen click on the “Goals” section.

9.3 Goals to Cals and Macros

Once in the “Goals” section click on the “Calories & Macronutrient Goals” area which will take you to the “Calories & Macros” screen (above right).  You will see that MFP provides you with a “Default Goal” based on the questions it asked you when you first logged in.

9.4 Change Calories MFP

When you work with me (Click HERE to learn more) I provide you with prescribed macros.  If you would like to attempt to set your own macros you can go to sites like BodyBuilding.com for their Macro Calculator.

Once you have your macros you will need to amend the calories (above left).  Click on the calories (1) and a number screen will pop-up.  (2) Delete the “Default Goal” calories and (3) enter in the calories you should be eating.  This is literally the ONLY time you should ever worry about calories because from here on out all you need to do is hit those daily carb, protein, and fat macros regardless of whether that puts you OVER or UNDER your calorie goal…it does not matter…MACROS, MACROS, MACROS.

9.5 Calories changed MFP

Once you have entered the appropriate calories hit the “check mark” to save them.  Now click on either “Carbohydrates 203 g”, “Protein 81 g”, or “Fat 54 g” and the screen below left will pop-up.

9.6 Get Macros Close MFP 140C130P60F

Scroll through the “Carbs” percentages until it is NEAR what your prescribed carbs should be.  Remember, this is not Premium, so you can’t get exact on the grams.  Do that for “Protein” and “Fat” as well and remember that the “% Total” (bottom right of the screen) must equal 100%.

In this example, my client has prescribed macros of 1620 calories 140C/130P/60F.  This means that our “Close Enough” ended-up being 1623 calories 142C/122P/63F.  Does that mean my client will eat the “Close Enough” macros???  NO.  She will just have to remember what the macros that I gave her are…this is the downfall of the Free MFP service, but you all are more than smart enough to remember your macros.

PREMIUM VERSION OF MyFitnessPal

10.1 Home Screen and More MFP

For the Premium version of MFP, to set your macros go to the Homescreen, click the “More” button on the bottom right (left screen above) and then click on the “Premium” button (top right screen above).

10.2 Premiun to Macros by Gram MFP

Once you are in the “Premium” screen (left screen above) click on the “Premium Features” tab and it will bring you to the “Premium Features” page (right screen above).  Once there click on the “Macronutrients by Gram” tab.

10.3 Cals Macros gram or percentage MFP

This will bring you to the “Calories & Macros” page.  Set your calories as described above in the FREE MFP Tutorial.  Then, click on (1) “Carbohydrates 32%” tab which will pop-up the image in the above right screen.  (2) Make sure to click the “Grams” button so you are able to set your macros in specific grams.  Once you have clicked the grams button (3) scroll through each macro and set your particular macros exactly as they were prescribed.  Remember to (4) click the check mark to save your macros.

10.4 Diff Goals by Day MFP Premium

Premium MFP has another neat feature which is great if you are carb-cycling.  Carb cycling means that your macros are different on different days usually in relation to the level of training you will be doing that day.  For example, my highest carb day is on my heaviest leg day (weight lifting).  The “Different Goals by Day” feature above allows me to pre-set those macros for those days that are different than my normal days and I do not have to remember to switch them in MFP on those days because they automatically pop-up (nice run-on sentence, huh?).

To set the macros for those days that do not fit your default days, click the “Add Daily Goal” button (above right  screen).

10.5 Diff Goals By Day Detail MFP Premium

And that my friends is how you set your daily macro goals in My Fitness Pal.

My next tutorial will detail how I go about planning my macros for the day food-wise and how I am able to hit them usually dead-on or within 2 grams either way.

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Jamie Eason Middleton’s From Flat to All That Workout Logs Weeks 11 & 12

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Sorry I am so late getting these last workout logs up for you!  These are the final two weeks of the From Flat to All That workout series.  Jamie mentions on the BodyBuilding.com site that she and her husband plan on going through the entire program a second time, so you may want to consider doing that as well.

Click HERE for the week 11 & 12 workout log I created.

Click HERE for Jamie’s 1 page summary of the workouts.

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Click HERE for the week 1 & 2 free workout log.

Click HERE for the week 3 & 4 free workout log.

Click HERE for the week 5 & 6 free workout log.

Click HERE for the week 7 & 8 free workout log.

Click HERE for the week 9 & 10 free workout log.

Click HERE for the week 11 & 12 free workout log.

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FROM FLAT TO ALL THAT – WEEKS 9 & 10 WORKOUT LOG

Western Idaho Fair Balanced Grettie Fitquestmoom

We had a fun weekend and explored the Western Idaho Fair…It’s just too bad we are all breathing in so much smoke from these awful fires.  While at the Fair we dined on a HUGE Polish Sausage along with an even bigger chicken Kebab…seriously…it was enough for me, my husband, and our daughter.  It is possible to eat somewhat healthfully at the Fair!

I also tried my muscle at the Marine Corps booth an managed to hang long enough to snag my kids a poster and Marine backpack.

Attached you will find my version of Jamie Eason Middleton’s From Flat to All That weeks 9 and 10 Free Workout Log. Click HERE to download my version.

Click HERE to download Jamie’s version.

Have you been enjoying the workouts???

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Click HERE for the week 1 & 2 free workout log.

Click HERE for the week 3 & 4 free workout log.

Click HERE for the week 5 & 6 free workout log.

Click HERE for the week 7 & 8 free workout log.

Click HERE for the week 9 & 10 free workout log.

Click HERE for the week 11 & 12 free workout log.

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Filed under Education, Events, Exercise, IIFYM and Macros, Nutrition, Weight Lifting

FROM FLAT TO ALL THAT – WEEKS 7 & 8 WORKOUT LOG

FitQuestMom Stand Up Paddle SUP

Can you believe we are already on week 7 of From Flat to All That?  It has been nice for me to follow a program that I haven’t had to take the time to create myself (other than my usual modifications).

School is almost back in session and once the kiddos are back in I will have more time for regular blogs and recipes, etc.  I’m soaking-up these last few weeks with them.  Yesterday the kids and I went stand-up paddling and had such a nice relaxing time.  Above is my Instagram collage from our day.  Make sure you are having fun with your fitness outside of the gym as well!

If you would like to download my exercise log for weeks 7 & 8 of From Flat to All That CLICK HERE.

For Jamie Eason Middleton’s workout without my modifications CLICK HERE.

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Click HERE for the week 1 & 2 free workout log.

Click HERE for the week 3 & 4 free workout log.

Click HERE for the week 5 & 6 free workout log.

Click HERE for the week 7 & 8 free workout log.

Click HERE for the week 9 & 10 free workout log.

Click HERE for the week 11 & 12 free workout log.

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FROM FLAT TO ALL THAT – WEEK 5 & 6 WORKOUT LOG

Marine Camp Collage

I have been traveling for several days which is why I am a few days late to post the workout log for the next two weeks…sorry!!!

This past week we traveled to pick our son up from Marine Military Camp.  He has always been fascinated with the Marines and wanted to challenge himself to this month-long camp (we missed him so much!).  He rose to the challenge of being gone for a month in a military environment in a different state and soaked it all in.

It was amazing to see how much he changed physically…he’s so strong now!  We had our first mother-son run the day after we picked him up and that was so very special to me.  We took the picture above (on the left) after our run.  At the end of the run he yelled out, “All out from here to the hotel” and I couldn’t even begin to catch him!!!

Attached is my workout log for weeks 5 & 6 of Jamie Eason Middleton’s From Flat to All That workout series.  I made modifications to it as usual since I prefer to do super sets and work certain body parts on certain days.  I also prefer to have a pretty challenging leg/glute workout on Fridays, so I added to the workout that day as well.

To download the free workout log, click HERE.

If any of you are interested in having a workout log of Jamie’s version for weeks 5 & 6 please comment below and I will see how quickly I can get that up.

Have a fantastic week!

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Click HERE for the week 1 & 2 free workout log.

Click HERE for the week 3 & 4 free workout log.

Click HERE for the week 5 & 6 free workout log.

Click HERE for the week 7 & 8 free workout log.

Click HERE for the week 9 & 10 free workout log.

Click HERE for the week 11 & 12 free workout log.

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Jamie Eason Middleton’s From Flat to All That – Weeks 3 & 4 Workout Log

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I am currently enjoying some vacation time with my family, so I am going to keep this post short and sweet.

I hope some of you have been joining me by doing Jamie Eason Middleton’s From Flat to All That workouts.  What do you think?  Have you been enjoying them?

Week three begins Monday, so I created another workout log for weeks three and four.

Click HERE. for the log as Jamie wrote the workouts.

I am making a few modifications to the plan to work better with my schedule and some of my preferences.  If you are interested in seeing the log with my modifications, click HERE.

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Click HERE for the week 1 & 2 free workout log.

Click HERE for the week 3 & 4 free workout log.

Click HERE for the week 5 & 6 free workout log.

Click HERE for the week 7 & 8 free workout log.

Click HERE for the week 9 & 10 free workout log.

Click HERE for the week 11 & 12 free workout log.

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MY NEXT WORKOUT PLAN – Jamie Eason’s From Flat to All That

Jamie Eason photo courtesy of BodyBuilding.com

I like to change my workouts up every 4-8 weeks and tomorrow is the beginning of a new workout for me.  I have spent several months focused mainly on my legs and building-up my glutes using techniques from Bret Contreras’s book, Strong Curves, which I used as a reference to create my own workouts and decided that this time I will try and (mostly) follow a plan from BodyBuilding.com vs. creating my own workouts.

I have been lifting predominantly low rep and heavy weight for months now, so this new plan by Jamie Eason called From Flat to All That will be a departure from my norm in that the workouts for the first two weeks have rep ranges of 15-20.  Jamie and her husband are going to be doing these workouts as well, so you may want to follow her in Instagram for motivation.

I am a creature of habit to an extent and like to record my workouts on paper (so un-technical I know).  I created a workout log just as I normally do and thought I’d share it with all of you in case you would like to do the workouts with me as well (see below for the link to the PDF).  I did make a few modifications to Jamie’s workout since I love glute bridges and wanted to make sure they remain a part of my program.  I also like to do HIIT and ab training 2-3 times a week, so I added that in.  She has her rest days as Wednesdays and Sundays (Saturday is an optional rest day as well), however I like to workout Monday through Saturday so I added in some more HIIT and ab work.

I’d love to have you do the workouts with me and follow along with me on my Instagram page as well.  Once we are done with the first two weeks of workouts Jamie is going to release the next phase and I will share my workout log for those with you as well.

If you are interested in having me help you out with a nutrition plan to accompany this workout plan, please check-out my FitQuest Nutrition Coaching Page for program information and rates.

To download the From Fit to All That Workout Log CLICK HERE.

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Click HERE for the week 1 & 2 free workout log.

Click HERE for the week 3 & 4 free workout log.

Click HERE for the week 5 & 6 free workout log.

Click HERE for the week 7 & 8 free workout log.

Click HERE for the week 9 & 10 free workout log.

Click HERE for the week 11 & 12 free workout log.

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JON HINDS – Plant Strong Gym Owner

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSjBmn_cOpo]

“Train like a Gorilla, Eat like a Gorilla, Chill like a Gorilla”

I first learned of Jon Hinds through the T. Colin Campbell newsletter which I subscribe to.  Jon founded the Monkey Bar Gymnasium and has had a very successful career (Don’t you love the quote above from his website!).  He is a former NBA strength and conditioning coach and is currently a consultant for both the NFL and NBA.  Jon trained Darryl Strawberry (New York Yankees), Glen Braggs (Milwaukee Brewers, St. Louis Cardinals), Charles Smith (New York Knicks), Anfernee Hardaway (Phoenix Suns), Eric Davis (St. Louis Cardinals), Lucious Harris (New Jersey Nets) and members of the L.A. Clippers.

Personally Jon has achieved some amazing feats:

  • Gold Medallist in the 2000 Pan American Games – Brazilian Jiu-jitsu
  • Gold Medallist in the 2001 Rickson Gracie World Championships – Brazilian Jiu-jitsu

In an interview with Bodybuilding.com (click HERE for the interview in it’s entirety), Jon explained his nutrition philosophy:

For nutrition, I use a simple plan called the “Hand Plan”. The “Hand Plan” follows simple portion control with a plant based diet. Most people love to eat meat, or believe that you need to eat meat to keep or gain muscle, but I am trying to do and teach what is most healthy for the body and the environment and eating animal products is not the way.

We suggest people eat 90% or more plant based foods. This has proven extremely effective for burning fat as we average 17 pounds of fat loss and 5 pounds of muscle gain in the first 60 days of Monkey Bar Gymnasium training and nutrition.

The “Hand Plan” is simple: eat portion sizes that are as big as your open hand, keeping the majority of the plate or bowl green foods. Keep plenty of nuts, seeds and legumes in your intake as well.

Click on the link and enjoy the video where Jon explains what led him to eat a plant-based diet and what he has learned.

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Filed under Althletics, Education, Exercise, Fat, Protein, Vegan, Vegetarian, Video, Weight Issues