I always thought I had to go to extremes to lose weight, then I’d have these epic binges. When I met Emma and Craig and learned about calories and macros, energy balance, strength training and that carbs, sugar and dairy were not evil foods that would make me fat or give me cancer ?? I realised I didn’t need to be doing all these crazy diets to get the body and health I wanted.There are also heaps of misconceptions about macros and calories. When many women see these words they immediately start thinking restriction or they become overwhelmed. The truth is you don’t need to eat 1200 calories to get the body you want, and once you learn about energy balance, calories, macros and how to meal plan reaching your body and health goals becomes so much easier and more enjoyable.In this episode, Craig and I chat about:➡️What are calories?➡️Total caloric intake and how it impacts your weight➡️What are macros?➡️How your protein intake may vary depending on your goals➡️Doing caloric deficits (and how to do this properly)➡️How much fat, protein, and carbs you should consume➡️Eating at maintenance calories and macros➡️What it means to be in surplus➡️Calculating your maintenance calories➡️How long deficits should last➡️What to monitor during deficits➡️Refeeds and what they do➡️How to gain muscle or “get toned”➡️Laying your foundations firstHappy listening I hope you find this podcast helpful and don't forget to take a screenshot of the episode and share it on Instagram stories and tag me at @kittyblomfield. Each month I choose someone who has shared and they get a tub of Saturée Premium Collagen valued at $79.If you loved this episode please help us get the word out to more women and leave a written review and a 5-star rating. Leave a review and rating on iTunes HERE.You can review on Spotify HERE.LINKSJoin our 7-Day Eat More, Train Less, Get Results ChallengeLearn more about our 16-week Winatlife Accelerator Program: Book your callFollow:Kitty Blomfield @kittyblomfieldCraig Mcdonald @iamcraigmcdonaldSHOW NOTES01:15 - My crazy diet history01:49 - What I realize after meeting Craig and learnt strength training and tracking food accurately02:36 - How much calories I'm eating on maintenance phase03:27 - How planning ahead can be freeing04:35 - What are calories?04:53 - Total caloric intake and how it impacts your weight06:22 - What are macros?06:31 - How your protein intake may vary depending on your goals08:39 - Doing caloric deficits and how to do it properly09:13 - How much fat and carbs you should consume11:17 - What deficit, maintenance, and surplus phase are11:56 - How do you first determine and calculate your maintenance calories14:58 - Testing your maintenance calories for a couple of weeks15:33 - How long deficits should last17:50 - The benefits of Saturée Clean Casein and helped you hit your protein target21:37 - Refeeds and what they do24:22- Eating more food consistently and being able to perform hard in the gym25:18 - Doing body measurements25:30 - Why eating at maintenance could be good for women who have very severe issues27:33 - Creating new habits for a better version of yourself28:10 - How to gain muscle or “get toned”32:39 - Put the work and build the foundations first34:08 - Accepting slow progress36:43 - Fail forward37:06 - What it means to be in surplus39:03 - What's in our 7-Day Eat More, Train Less, Get Results ChallengeAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy