Calorie and macro tracking
Logging food against a calorie and protein target, loosely or to the gram
Recording what you eat, usually in an app, so intake matches a target for calories and protein. Some people log every gram of carbohydrate and fat; others track only calories and protein and estimate restaurant meals in round numbers, which takes a few minutes a day. Tracking is the mechanism behind most structured cutting and bulking plans, and it doubles as a way to find maintenance calories by comparing average intake with average weight change over a couple of weeks. People who find it stressful often switch to weighing themselves and making common-sense food choices instead.
People on record
Sorted by strength of stance
Does it: documented as part of their own routine. Recommends: explicitly advises other people to do it. Discusses: covered it substantively without clear personal adoption; this can include criticism or disagreement.
- Dwayne JohnsonDoes it
Actor and former WWE champion · The Rock
Counts macros in what he calls a very specific way, though he is candid that a strength coach, a nutritionist and a lead chef work out the numbers and he simply sees results when they adjust them. The magazine lists the rest of the split as roughly 40 to 50 percent carbs and 15 to 20 percent fat.
Source: Men's Health: Dwayne Johnson December 2022 cover interview - Jeff NippardDoes it
Natural bodybuilder · Science-based lifting
He tracks loosely: calories and protein, not carbs and fat, and eyeballs a hard-to-log sushi roll at 500 to 600 calories. Five minutes a day, by his estimate. For people who hate tracking he suggests watching the scale trend and making common-sense food choices instead.
Source: jeffnippard.com blog: How To Get Lean & STAY Lean Forever (Using Science) - Sam SulekDoes it
Bodybuilder and YouTuber · Spring Bulk gym vlogs
Counting is the whole system, and he reckons a bulk forgives sloppy tracking in a way a diet never will. Dieting down, in his phrasing, needs Mr. Monk levels of care about the gram of fat per serving that most people read straight past.
Source: Fitness Volt: Bodybuilder Sam Sulek Shares 4,887-Calorie Winter Bulk Full Day Of Eating - Greg DoucetteRecommends
Coach and IFBB pro · Harder Than Last Time
Diet plans his team writes are built on target calorie ranges rather than one fixed number, with hundreds of meal options that fit inside them, guidance on meal timing and frequency, and instructions for handling social meals. Flexibility is the pitch, not precision.
Source: gregdoucette.com: Custom diet program
Aimed at the same thing
Other entries filed under fitness.
- HabitFREE, no cost
Daily walking
A long walk most days, often without headphones
On record from 19 of 62 tracked people: 14 do it, 5 recommend it - HabitFREE, no cost
Daily minimum workout
A floor you never drop below: 20 minutes of movement and recovery on your worst day
On record from 6 of 62 tracked people: 2 do it, 4 recommend it - HabitFREE, no cost
Daily step target
Hold a fixed daily step count so everyday movement does not quietly shrink on a diet
On record from 4 of 62 tracked people: 2 do it, 2 recommend it - Habit$$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.
Batch cooking protein
Cook a week of chicken, lean meat or fish in one session so protein is always to hand
On record from 3 of 62 tracked people: 3 do it - Habit$$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.
Diet soda and non-nutritive sweeteners
Zero-calorie sweetened drinks used in place of sugar or as an appetite tool while dieting
On record from 3 of 62 tracked people: 3 do it - Habit$$$Expensive: Several hundred dollars and up.
Personal trainer
Paying someone to program the session and push you through it
On record from 3 of 62 tracked people: 2 do it, 1 recommends it
Habit entry · notes paraphrased from cited sources, quoted excerpts copied from the transcript they link to. Not medical advice. Not affiliated with, endorsed by, or reviewed by anyone listed. How this works.