hiii it’s Leah 🩷
Welcome to my FIRST EVER newsletter!!
This is where I can condense my video thoughts into a place that’s easier for you to skim through.
As a reminder, I lost 140 lbs (275 → 135ish) and successfully completed a full body recomposition over the course of 3ish years. Each newsletter is going to bring you pieces of things I learned along the way.
This first one is a topic I am insanely passionate about: ✨ Food Tracking ✨
You can track your food without going insane
Quick disclaimer bc I have to: I'm not a doctor, I'm just a girl who lost a lot of weight and did a TON of research to get to where I am. Talk to an actual professional if you need to.
I still track everything I eat, every. single. day. And I honestly think I’ll do so for the rest of my life. Tracking food isn’t something you “graduate” out of once you lose weight. It’s a habit you can pick up that keeps you on top of what you’re putting into your body, which will ALWAYS be important. It doesn’t have to be some toxic, super restrictive thing like it’s made out to be.
Calculating deficit + macros
If you're losing weight, you're in a calorie deficit, meaning you’re burning more calories than you’re consuming. That's it, that's the tweet, there’s no debating it.
All you need is a calorie calculator (like this one 😏) to see your deficit options.
Do NOT pick the lowest number to rush your results. Pick the one you can actually live with. 0.5–2 lbs a week = the sweet spot for most people 🩷
Also, BFFR. Be honest about your activity levels, or you’ll throw off the calculations.
Macros = protein, carbs, and fat. There is no villain macro. Carbs aren't out to get you, fat won't make you fat. My personal split for this (courtesy of my nutritionist) is: 50% carbs / 20% protein / 30% fat.
Protein is sooooo important. I know it’s talked about a ton, but it’s true!! It helps you stay full + build/retain muscle 💪
Aim for 0.7–1g per lb of your bodyweight or of your GOAL weight if you've got a lot to lose (I was 275 lbs, you’re insane if you think I was eating 275g of protein.)
Actually use your food scale
Make your food scale your new bestie. You may think you know what a tablespoon of something looks like. You do not. Literally none of us do 🙃 And that’s okay! Just use a scale so you can be precise. This is the one I use 👀
Two ways to use it, choose your fighter:
Tare method: put a plate on scale, hit zero, add food, log whatever number pops up.
Negative number trick: put a whole tub of yogurt/peanut butter/whatever on the scale, zero it out, scoop your portion, log the negative number that shows up. (This one is nice because you won’t use any extra dishes 😝)
Either way, be sure to measure everything in grams. It makes life WAY easier.
Logging your food
Scan it, weigh it, log it. Done!
I use MacroFactor, and here's why I love it:
It's adaptive, adjusts your calories weekly based on your weigh-ins, so I don't have to do mental math (I was a film major…)
It sets your protein goal for you, one less thing to think about
Save a recipe once, and you can log the whole meal in one tap literally forever after. Sooo good for meal prepping.
AI food tracking where I can just snap a pic and it estimates the ingredients and calories for me. Perfect when going out to eat and I don’t know the exact macros.
Code LEAHMACRO gets you an extended 2-week free trial, go give it a try!
Leah’s rapid fire tips
Some additional calorie-tracking thoughts for you:
Turn off exercise-calorie syncing, your watch thinks you burned 900 cals doing a brisk walk, your watch is lying
Hitting your calorie target is the win, going as low as possible is not.
Weigh in same time, same conditions, daily, and track the TREND not the day
this is the smart scale I use to track trends! use code 9SYX7OAM for 10% off :)
Track everything at the start, actually weigh it, no eye-balling, this is what builds the habit
One over-calorie meal will not undo your progress. I promise. Your next choice is what matters, not your last one!
More to come
INVEST IN YOURSELF!! It’s never too late, and there’s no wrong time to start. Thanks for trusting me, and I can’t wait to share more with you here!
To chat with me directly and collaborate with others on their health journeys, step into my locker room 🏋️
See you in your inbox soon 🩷
- Leah
👀 Since you’re here already, here’s some related content you can check out: