This is your flexible dieting trick-or-treat guide: how to navigate Halloween candy, social events, and alcohol with confidence… no guilt, no “starting over Monday,” and definitely no skipping the Reese’s.

🍫 The Macros Behind Your Candy Bowl

Before you dive into the fun-size free-for-all, it helps to know what you’re working with. Most Halloween favorites land between 60–100 calories each, with a few grams of carbs and fat.

The takeaway? Most candies you’ll encounter in your kids’ treat stash are roughly equivalent to half a tablespoon of peanut butter or a splash of cream in your coffee. A few pieces of your favorites will not make or break your progress.

Awareness is what keeps a few pieces of candy from turning into an accidental candy coma. When you know what you’re eating, you take the mystery (and the guilt) out of it. Avoidance might feel easier in the moment — “I’d rather not know!” — but that’s what leads to the all-or-nothing cycle: restrict, binge, regret, repeat. Knowledge gives you freedom to enjoy with intention, not shame.

👻 Tips for a Flexible Halloween (or Any Social Weekend)

🍬 1. Plan your treats first

If you know you want a Reese’s or two, log them early and build the rest of your day around it. It’s a simple way to enjoy what you love without feeling like you “messed up.” When treats are planned instead of impulsive, they lose their power to derail you.

🍸 2. Be intentional with alcohol

Alcohol isn’t off-limits — but it does add up fast. Stick with simple drinks like a vodka soda with lime (~100 calories) or a light beer (90–120 calories), and skip the sugary mixers when you can. If you’re tracking, you can log alcohol as carbs or fats — or just note it mentally and move on. The point is to intentionally decide, instead of being caught off guard and throwing your game plan out the window.

🧠 3. Indulge with your true favorites

Instead of mindlessly grabbing whatever candy is in reach, choose the one(s) that really feel Halloween-y to you: the Reese’s Pumpkins, the fun-size Twix, the classics that only show up this time of year. You’ll enjoy them more, feel satisfied faster, and skip the mindless munching that never actually hits the spot.

❤️ 4. Zoom out

One night (or even a weekend) won’t make or break your progress. It’s your consistency over time that matters. If you overdo it, resist the urge to restrict or “make up for it.” Just get back to your normal habits the next day. That’s how real progress happens — consistency over perfection.

🕸️ Final Treat: A Reminder

Flexible dieting isn’t about perfection. That’s why it’s flexible, duh. With a little intention and awareness, you can enjoy the things that make life fun while still feeling good about your choices the next day.

So enjoy the costumes, the candy, the chaos — and remember, the real win is showing up for yourself consistently, not perfectly.

What’s your favorite Halloween candy? Hit reply and tell us which one’s worth it for you 🎃

Understanding meal timing is key to unlocking better performance during your gym sessions and faster recovery afterward. It’s not just about calories in vs. calories out; strategically timing your nutrient intake, particularly carbohydrates and protein, can influence everything from energy availability and muscle breakdown to glycogen replenishment and muscle growth. This article explores the science-backed advantages of paying attention to your meal timing and how you can leverage it to look, feel, and perform your best.

Like most things with nutrition, meal timing is highly individualized. Strategic meal timing ​​influences hormones such as insulin, cortisol, and growth hormone. Timing meals around our work or most active times of the day can help optimize nutrient partitioning, or how our body uses the nutrients we consume.

The benefits of optimal meal timing include managing hunger through hormone regulation (stable blood sugar levels help reduce cravings!), faster recovery, and increased muscle retention during a fat-loss stage.

Pre-Workout Meal Timing Benefits

Pre-Workout Carbs:

Since carbohydrates are our body’s preferred energy source, eating a carbohydrate-dense meal or snack before our most active times can help preserve our stored energy and boost stamina and athletic performance. This is especially true for activities that last over an hour.

Pre-Workout Protein:

Adding protein before training provides additional amino acids (the building blocks of protein) to your bloodstream. These extra amino acids can help minimize muscle loss, especially if you’re training in a fasted state!

Practical Strategies for Pre-Workout Nutrition Timing

Everyone is unique in their goals, preferences, and tolerance of foods. However, there is a general framework for fueling around our highest points of activity.

Timing Guidelines: 1-3 Hours vs. 30-60 Minutes Before

1-3 hours before, aim for a balanced meal with carbs and protein, and keep the fats to a minimum. A good example could be a turkey sandwich with a side of fruit. 30-60 minutes before your workout, choose a smaller, easily digestible snack that is low in fat and provides quick-digesting carbohydrates. A banana with Greek yogurt or a rice cake with nut butter are two great examples.

Choose Easily Digestible Options

The “right” foods for you will be unique to YOU! However, most do well with bland foods such as bananas, rice cakes, toast, egg whites, yogurt, and applesauce. The key is to try a few different options and ensure the combination sits well on your stomach throughout your training session.

Post-Workout Meal Timing Benefits

Fact vs. Fiction: The “Anabolic Window”

The “Anabolic Window is a long-standing term that refers to a short time post-workout where the body takes in and utilizes nutrients more efficiently than at other times. Recent studies, such as this review from The Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, suggest that overall, daily nutrient intake is much more important and plays a larger role in recovery, muscle gain, and overall fitness than nutrients consumed in a specific time window (1).

Replenishing Glycogen Stores

Our body has a streamlined system of storing carbohydrates for energy in the form of glycogen. During intense exercise, our stored glycogen can be used for energy. Think of it like tapping into a reserve gas tank. Consuming high-quality, complex carbohydrates after a workout can help replenish the glycogen stores in our muscles. This is especially important for those who train multiple times a day or have back-to-back high-volume training days.

Stimulating Muscle Protein Synthesis (MPS)

Consuming protein after a workout helps provide the amino acids needed to rebuild our lean mass. If possible, aim for complete protein sources (those that contain all essential amino acids) such as whey, eggs, or animal proteins.

How to Optimize Workout Recovery Nutrition

Protein Power: How Much and What Kind?

Aim for 20-40g of high-quality protein such as whey, eggs, or animal protein.

Simple vs. Complex Post-Workout

Simple carbs like rice, fruit or a sports drink are great for rapid energy replacement. They will be absorbed and used quickly by the body. Aim for complex carbohydrates, like whole grains and fibrous veggies, later in the day to help you recover for your next session.

The Synergy of Protein and Carb

Pairing protein and carbohydrates after a training session can maximize muscle repair while also helping to replenish glycogen stores. Some ideas include chocolate milk, a protein shake, a piece of fruit, or a lean protein with a starchy vegetable.

Nuances in Nutrient Timing for Athletes

Intra-Workout Fueling

Intra-workout nutrition can help maintain energy levels and delay fatigue in sessions lasting longer than 90 minutes. The most popular sources are simple carbs like sports drinks, chews, or energy gels as they are easily digested and portable.

Does Meal Timing Matter on Rest Days?

Meal timing for athletic performance matters most on training days. However, prioritizing balanced meals on your rest days will also help with recovery and ensure your body is ready for the next training session.

Total Daily Intake

The most significant factor and what matters most is your daily routine over time. Meal timing can amplify the effectiveness of your nutrition, but it isn’t a replacement for sustainable habits!

Integrating Meal Timing into Your Lifestyle

Practical Meal Timing Tips for Busy Schedules

Try to anticipate your needs by packing fast and convenient snacks like bars and protein shakes you can eat on the go. Meal prep and batch cook when possible to reduce the daily chores of preparing meals. Ensuring you have groceries and supplies on hand for the week will help prevent last-minute meals out or missing a critical fueling time!

Listening to Your Body

As mentioned above, meal timing and food tolerances are highly individualized to both the person and their training. It’s best to practice and track behaviors to find out what works best for you and your training. Working with a nutrition professional can help you streamline the process and ensure you’re giving your body what it needs to perform its best.

The Bottom Line on Meal Timing Benefits: Consistency Over Perfection

Meal timing strategies are beneficial only after you’ve established a foundation of quality, sustainable habits built on whole foods.

Harnessing meal timing benefits doesn’t have to be overly complicated, but applying these principles strategically can be a game-changer for your performance, recovery, and body composition goals. By paying attention to your pre- and post-workout nutrition timing and considering the overall picture of nutrient timing for athletes, you provide your body with the resources it needs precisely when it can utilize them most effectively. While the guidelines provided a solid framework, remember that individual needs can vary based on your training, goals, and lifestyle.

If you’re ready to stop guessing and get a personalized nutrition plan that optimizes your meal timing to accelerate results and ensure you fully optimize workout recovery nutrition, expert guidance can make all the difference.

Learn More About 1-on-1 Coaching

References:

1. Aragon, A. A., & Schoenfeld, B. J. (2013). Nutrient timing revisited: is there a post-exercise anabolic window? Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 10(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/1550-2783-10-5

As you age, your body’s collagen production naturally slows down. This is why it’s helpful to understand what collagen is and how it benefits you.

Let’s explore what collagen is and how it works and the best way to supplement with collagen.

What is Collagen?

Collagen is a fibrous protein that acts as a structural building block for cells and tissues in your body. It is made up of amino acids—the building blocks of protein—mainly glycine, proline, and hydroxyproline. These three form the triple helix structure that gives collagen its distinguishing structure, providing flexibility and strength to several areas of the body.

To date, at least 28 different types of collagen have been identified. The most common are types I, II, and III.

• Type I collagen makes up about 90% of the total collagen in your body. It’s dense and is found mainly in the skin, tendons, bones, and connective tissue.

• Type II collagen is primarily located in cartilage, which helps make it more elastic and super important for healthy joints.

• Type III collagen is found in arteries, muscles, and organs.

Functions of Collagen

In the beauty world, collagen is often advertised for its ability to promote skin health and hydration, which can help reduce signs of aging so you maintain a youthful appearance. However, there’s much more to this protein. Collagen has many vital roles:

• Skin elasticity and hydration. Collagen supports the skin’s structure, improving firmness and moisture levels, which leads to a smoother appearance. A loss of collagen can lead to sagging skin and wrinkles.

• Joint and bone health. Collagen helps to preserve cartilage, the rubbery tissue that cushions your joints. It’s also essential for maintaining bone mass and density. Strong bones reduce the risk of osteoporosis as you age.

• Hair and nail strength. Every part of your body comprises proteins, including your hair and nails. Collagen is a building block for keratin, which is rich in these areas so that adequate collagen can promote healthy growth and durability.

Benefits of Supplementing with Collagen

Your body naturally produces collagen, but as mentioned before, this production slows down as you age. Hence, collagen supplements have been trending for a while now. These supplements gained popularity due to their potential for negating lost collagen and increasing health benefits.

Collagen supplements are broken down into individual amino acids during digestion that your body then uses to build collagen and other proteins it needs. Some studies suggest that taking a collagen supplement with a well-balanced diet may support your body’s collagen production and offer other benefits.

• Skin benefits: Collagen supplementation can improve skin elasticity, allowing skin to look smoother and reduce wrinkles.

• Joint health: Collagen can reduce joint pain and symptoms of osteoarthritis by supporting the integrity of the cartilage between joints.

• Overall health: Collagen supplements are continuously being studied, but overall research points to many potential health benefits, such as bone density, improved muscle mass, nail health, and gut health. Collagen also aids in heart health by providing structure to arteries.

Collagen supplements are found in various formats, including powders, pills, and liquids. This makes it pretty easy to work into any routine. These supplements come in three primary forms:

• Hydrolyzed collagen: This form of collagen is broken down into smaller amino acids, and it is also known as hydrolysate or collagen peptides.

• Gelatin: This form of collagen is only partially broken down into amino acids.

• Raw: Also known as undenatured collagen, this collagen protein is entirely intact.

Collagen in its natural form is challenging to digest so that you may be more familiar with hydrolyzed collagen or collagen peptides. This form is easier for your body to handle because it’s broken down into smaller pieces. But no matter which form you choose, your body will break it down further during digestion and then distribute the amino acids as needed.

Natural Sources of Collagen

Your body naturally produces collagen. And if you eat a variety of foods, chances are you are getting at least some collagen-rich foods in your diet. These foods are higher in collagen:

• Animal skin, such as chicken skin or pork rinds (made from pig skin)

• Whole, small fish (sardines, smelt, mackerel)

• Salmon with skin

• Bone broth

• Gelatin

Other foods help support your body’s ability to produce collagen. Vitamin C plays a big role in collagen synthesis, so eating foods with a good dose of this necessary vitamin is beneficial:

• Citrus fruits

• Berries

• Peppers

• Greens

Getting enough overall protein is also important to support collagen in your body, as well as vitamin D, calcium, copper, and zinc.

Factors Affecting Collagen Production

Collagen production naturally decreases as you age, and it becomes looser and more fragmented. This loss can start as young as 18. By age 40, the average person loses about 1% collagen yearly.

However, several diet and lifestyle factors can also speed up this process. Smoking cigarettes, excessive drinking, too much sun exposure, and a diet high in ultra-processed foods and added sugar can all contribute to collagen breakdown in the body. Chronic stress and poor sleep can also impact the body’s ability to repair and regenerate collagen.

To minimize collagen loss, supporting your body’s ability to produce and retain collagen is important. A well-balanced lifestyle, including a balanced diet, regular movement, hydration, and good skincare habits, can all support healthy collagen levels.

Common Myths and Misconceptions About Collagen

There are common misconceptions about the benefits of collagen supplements and how they work.

Myth: All collagen supplements are the same, and the body does not absorb them.

Not all supplements are created equal. Different supplements are made from other forms of collagen. Studies have shown that hydrolyzed collagen, broken down into smaller peptides, is more easily absorbed and utilized by the body.

Additionally, supplement manufacturing is not currently regulated by the Food and Drug Administration, so it’s important to get a collagen source from a trusted brand. Look for a brand that provides proof of rigorous third-party testing so you can be sure that what you see on the label is what you’re getting.

Myth: Collagen is only beneficial for the skin.

While collagen’s skin benefits are well known, its impact on joint, bone, and muscle health has been equally significant. Collagen is a type of protein, and we’re digging into all the benefits of protein in general, so it makes sense that collagen would support these health impacts. There’s continuous research in this area, but so far, it looks pretty good!

Myth: I’m too young to need collagen.

You can start losing collagen production as young as 18. While it may take longer for your body to show signs of collagen loss, think about loose skin and wrinkles; the process has already started. Lifestyle factors, like diet, smoking, and alcohol, can also affect how quickly your body starts to break down collagen. Starting a collagen regimen in your 20s or 30s can provide a beneficial boost to support your body’s natural ability to produce collagen.

Choosing the Right Collagen Supplement

Collagen supplements are generally safe for most people and aren’t typically associated with adverse side effects. However, it is always best to talk with your healthcare provider before starting a new supplement regime.

When selecting a collagen supplement, manufacturing matters. It’s essential to consider factors like:

• Source: For the highest level of bioavailable nutrients, look for supplements derived from grass-fed, pasture-raised animals or sustainably sourced fish.

• Types of collagen: Different types of collagen have different benefits. For example, bovine collagen can support joint health, muscle recovery, gut health, and hair and nails. Marine collagen is typically considered more bioavailable, supports skin, hair, and nails, and reduces the effects of aging. There are also vegan sources of collagen. Choose a supplement that aligns with your health goals.

While side effects are minimal and rare, pay attention and assess. If you notice anything, such as headaches, dizziness, or digestive discomfort, it may be best to back off when using a collagen supplement.

Integrating Collagen Into Your Daily Routine

Because of the various formats, incorporating collagen into your daily routine is super simple and versatile.

Incorporate collagen powder into your diet by adding it to smoothies, coffee, tea, or other beverages. You can also mix collagen into baked goods like muffins or breads or stir it into overnight oats. Drinking or utilizing bone broth as part of your meal is another great way to increase collagen intake.

To boost your skin, look for topical products that contain collagen-boosting ingredients like retinoids (vitamin A), vitamin C serum, peptides, and hyaluronic acid. And don’t be shy about protecting your skin from too much UV exposure with a healthy use of sunscreen.

The Best Collagen Supplements to Try

• Vital Proteins Collagen Peptides

• Ancient Nutrition Multi Collagen Protein

• Thorne Collagen Fit and Collagen Plus

• Garden of Life Collagen Peptides

• Orgain Collagen Peptides

Final Thoughts On Collagen Health Benefits and Supplementation

Collagen is a powerhouse protein that provides many benefits for your body, from enhancing skin to supporting joint health. Natural collagen production declines with age, but supplementation and a collagen-rich diet can help maintain collagen levels and support overall health and wellness.

If you’re curious about the benefits of collagen, why not try incorporating it into your daily routine now? Whether through diet or supplements, collagen can be a simple and effective way to boost your skin, joints, and overall health.

References:

1. Cleveland Clinic. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/23089-collagen

2. Naomi, R., Ridzuan, P. M., & Bahari, H. (2021). Current Insights into Collagen Type I. Polymers, 13(16), 2642. https://doi.org/10.3390/polym13162642

3. Bolke, L., Schlippe, G., Gerß, J., & Voss, W. (2019). A Collagen Supplement Improves Skin Hydration, Elasticity, Roughness, and Density: Results of a Randomized, Placebo-Controlled, Blind Study. Nutrients, 11(10), 2494. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu11102494

4. Paul C, Leser S, Oesser S. Significant Amounts of Functional Collagen Peptides Can Be Incorporated in the Diet While Maintaining Indispensable Amino Acid Balance. Nutrients. 2019; 11(5):1079. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu11051079

5. Lugo, J. P., Saiyed, Z. M., & Lane, N. E. (2016). Efficacy and tolerability of an undenatured type II collagen supplement in modulating knee osteoarthritis symptoms: a multicenter randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Nutrition journal, 15, 14. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12937-016-0130-8

6. Zdzieblik, D., Oesser, S., & König, D. (2021). Specific Bioactive Collagen Peptides in Osteopenia and Osteoporosis: Long-Term Observation in Postmenopausal Women. Journal of bone metabolism, 28(3), 207–213. https://doi.org/10.11005/jbm.2021.28.3.207

7. Jendricke, P., Centner, C., Zdzieblik, D., Gollhofer, A., & König, D. (2019). Specific Collagen Peptides in Combination with Resistance Training Improve Body Composition and Regional Muscle Strength in Premenopausal Women: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Nutrients, 11(4), 892. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu11040892

8. Hexsel, D., Zague, V., Schunck, M., Siega, C., Camozzato, F. O., & Oesser, S. (2017). Oral supplementation with specific bioactive collagen peptides improves nail growth and reduces symptoms of brittle nails. Journal of cosmetic dermatology, 16(4), 520–526. https://doi.org/10.1111/jocd.12393

9. Chen, Q., Chen, O., Martins, I. M., Hou, H., Zhao, X., Blumberg, J. B., & Li, B. (2017). Collagen peptides ameliorate intestinal epithelial barrier dysfunction in immunostimulatory Caco-2 cell monolayers via enhancing tight junctions. Food & function, 8(3), 1144–1151. https://doi.org/10.1039/c6fo01347c

10. DePhillipo, N. N., Aman, Z. S., Kennedy, M. I., Begley, J. P., Moatshe, G., & LaPrade, R. F. (2018). Efficacy of Vitamin C Supplementation on Collagen Synthesis and Oxidative Stress After Musculoskeletal Injuries: A Systematic Review. Orthopaedic journal of sports medicine, 6(10), 2325967118804544. https://doi.org/10.1177/2325967118804544

11. León-López A, Morales-Peñaloza A, Martínez-Juárez VM, Vargas-Torres A, Zeugolis DI, Aguirre-Álvarez G. Hydrolyzed Collagen—Sources and Applications. Molecules. 2019; 24(22):4031. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules24224031

If you’ve ever typed these questions into Google (guilty 🙋‍♀️), you’re not alone. It’s hard enough to plan dinner for the week, let alone knowing when or how to weigh your food portions.

Working Against Gravity nutrition coaches know that flexibility and individuality make all the difference to whether or not a nutrition plan is successful. Because of this, weighing and tracking food can look different from one person to another.

Why Weighing Your Food Matters

First, let’s talk about one of the biggest tools for making sure you’re actually on track: weighing your food. It might not sound exciting, but it’s a game-changer for accuracy—and that can make a huge difference in how quickly and consistently you see results.

When you track food in an app, you’re not just logging what you eat, you’re logging how much you eat. And small discrepancies can add up quickly. A scoop of peanut butter “by eye” might be 1 tablespoon… or it might be closer to 2. That’s the difference between 95 and 190 calories. Multiply that by a few meals a day, and it’s easy to see why progress might stall.

Using a digital food scale helps eliminate the guesswork. You weigh your portion, log that weight into your tracking app, and the app calculates the macros for you. Simple, right?

A quick (and often confusing) note: the weight of a food is not the same as the amount of protein, carbs, or fats in that food. For example, 100g of grilled chicken isn’t 100g of protein—it’s about 31g of protein, with a few grams of fat.

Do You Have to Weigh Your Food?

Not necessarily. If you’re looking for maximum precision—like prepping for a competition, hitting a weight class, or accelerating progress, you’ll benefit from weighing everything. But if your priority is long-term sustainability, you can absolutely get results without weighing every bite. In fact, many people start by weighing for a few weeks just to get a feel for real portion sizes, then shift to a more relaxed approach.

Bottom line: even a short phase of weighing can be an incredibly helpful learning tool. It gives you a much clearer understanding of what your meals actually contain, and that knowledge empowers you to make smarter choices, whether or not there’s a scale nearby.

One Crucial Tip: Match the Form

If you weigh your food raw, log it raw. If you weigh it cooked, log it cooked. Cooking changes the weight of food due to water loss or absorption (think: grilled chicken vs. boiled pasta). So, always make sure the food entry in your app matches how you weighed it—otherwise, your macros might be way off.

Food volume changes when cooked due to either losing or absorbing water. As a general rule of thumb, proteins lose weight when cooked, and starches gain weight. But, when the weight changes, the calories and macronutrients don’t change — 225g grams of raw chicken breast has the same nutrition as 153 grams of cooked chicken breast.

Because of this weight change, weighing your food raw is the most accurate way to measure your portions. You can’t completely control the volume change, which can make a big difference in portion size. Nutrition labels are also usually written with raw weights listed. But, we know weighing your food before you cook it can make it tough to prepare anything in advance or cook more than one serving at a time, so it’s not always realistic.

Unless you’re training for an important time-bound goal (like an Olympic weightlifter who needs to make weight for a meet), you can probably get away with searching for cooked entries in your tracking app. Just stay consistent — you’ll be more accurate if you always track your food cooked or always track your food raw than if you flip-flop regularly and don’t double-check your entries.

Last Word on Accuracy

You don’t need to be perfect forever—but practicing accurate tracking for even a short period can level up your awareness and make future decisions way easier. You can be successful and still make progress towards your goals without weighing every bite. But if you’re aiming for fast or specific results right now, weighing your food might be the next best step.

If you’re not sure what’s right for you, working with a WAG coach can help you make the call and adjust along the way. You’re never in this alone.

Slow cookers can be meal prepper’s best friend! Today, we’re sharing some of our favorite slow cooker meal prep tips and recipes.

5 Benefits of Using a Slow Cooker

1. Slow cookers allow for a “set it and forget it” approach to meal prep. Just throw all your ingredients in your crock pot, set the temperature and time, and get on with your day. Whether you use that time to relax, get some work done, hit the gym, or read a book, you can rest (or cook or train) assured, knowing a healthy meal will be ready for you when you’re done.

2. Slow cookers are easy ways to cook large cuts of meat or larger recipe sizes. Cook once, and use the output for multiple meals throughout the week.

3. Slow cookers are a low-cost way of cooking. They are energy-efficient and allow you to purchase cheaper, tougher cuts of meat and cook them tenderly.

4. Slow cookers (usually) make your food more delicious. The slower cooking method pulls out the flavors and distributes them deeply and evenly throughout the dish.

5. Slow cookers provide minimal clean-up!

Tips for Slow Cooker Meal Prep

Prep Once, Cook Twice.

When prepping your ingredients, double the recipe and split the ingredients into two even portions. You’ll have plenty to cook immediately, and you can freeze the rest when you’re in a meal prep pinch. Leave out the wet ingredients and write measurements and instructions on the Ziploc bag to remember what you need. Pull the bag out in the morning if you want to cook your next meal overnight. Pull it out before bed if you’re going to cook in the morning!

Pro tip: Freeze prepped ingredients flat so they thaw faster, and run under cool water to speed up the process.

Prep Protein

If full recipes are not your thing, using a slow cooker can still be a game changer. Pick a protein source, add enough stock to cover it by about one inch, and allow it to cook until you can easily flake it with a fork. Add your protein to dishes throughout the week or utilize it as a snack when you need a little protein pick-me-up.

Here are some rough cooking guides:

• Chicken Breast: 5-6 hours on medium

• Beef Cubes: 4 hours on medium

• Large Roast (beef or pork): 8 hours on medium

• Pre-cooked Legumes: 3 hours on low

Utilize Your Tracking App for Slow Cooker Meal Prep

Do you want to track your slow cooker recipe once it is done? Luckily, popular food-tracking apps like MacrosFirst and MyFitnessPal have taken the guesswork (and macro math) out of tracking recipes. Learn to create a recipe and log a single serving in MacrosFirst here. Learn how to do it in MyFitnessPal here.

Hold the Seasonings

For one-food meals that reduce as you cook (e.g., meat), avoid adding salt until you finish cooking to avoid overcooking. If you’re following a recipe, you should be fine adding the suggested seasoning portions, as the author has taken the final volume into account.

Customize Cooking Time

If you’re in a pinch and need to reduce cooking time, use smaller chunks of meat. As long as you keep an eye on them, they won’t dry out!

Slow Cooker Meal Prep Recipes

Here are some of our favorite slow cooker recipes

• Crockpot Crack Chicken

• Slow Cooker Chicken Fajitas

• Slow Cooker Beef Stew

• Crock Pot Lasagna

• Crock Pot Chicken Enchilada Casserole

Final Thoughts on Slow Cooker Meal Prep

Making healthy choices as easy as possible is one of the best ways to reach your goals, and slow cooker meal prep is one way to ensure you have healthy meals ready to go when you need them!

For more meal prep tips, check out our Ultimate Meal Prep Guide or work with a 1-on-1 nutrition coach who can provide specific recommendations based on your macros, schedule, and food preferences!

Today, we’re breaking down one of the most controversial, misunderstood minerals. When you hear “sodium,” you probably immediately think of salt. While sodium is a part of what makes up salt, it’s more than just a tasty flavor enhancer.

Sodium is important in maintaining your overall health and well-being, from keeping you hydrated to helping your nerves and muscles work properly. Let’s walk through where sodium comes from in your diet, how it supports your body, how much sodium you need, how to manage intake for optimal health, and the potential effects of sodium imbalance.

What is Sodium?

Sodium is a natural mineral found in most foods you consume. When you add chloride to sodium, it becomes sodium chloride, or what we know as table salt. You might sprinkle this on top of your food for a little extra flavor.

Sodium is an essential mineral your body needs. It’s one of several electrolytes that support your body’s functions and internal balance. It does a lot of work for your body, like helping to regulate blood pressure, maintaining optimal fluid balance, and supporting nerve function and muscle contractions.

What Foods are High in Sodium?

Because sodium is a naturally occurring mineral – think of all the fresh saltwater on earth – it’s in virtually all food and beverages you consume. The amount of sodium in fresh fruits, vegetables, and minimally processed foods is generally low. But if you’re monitoring intake, it’s important to remember that everything contains at least some sodium.

The most common source of sodium in the diet is from processed foods. Sodium is often used as an additive in processed and packaged foods to help preserve them, extend shelf life, and make them tastier.

Most convenience foods, like frozen meals and snack foods, are significantly high in sodium. You’ll also find high amounts of sodium in canned soups and broths, processed meats like bacon and sausage, packaged snacks, and store-bought sauces and condiments.

How Much Sodium Per Day to Lose Weight?

So, how much sodium do you actually need?

The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends no more than 2,300 mg of sodium daily for the average adult to maintain good heart health. The AHA also suggests consuming even less—closer to 1,500 mg per day. But there are things to consider for your sodium intake, including age, race, sex, current health conditions, health risks, activity level, and hydration.

Consuming a lot of sodium can make you retain water more easily. So reducing sodium in your diet may help you lose water weight, along with bloat, as is a common trait of water retention. Excessive sodium also pulls water into the bloodstream and leads to high blood pressure, which can eventually lead to more serious illnesses like heart disease.

However, sodium is an essential mineral, and your body needs it. Not having enough sodium in your diet can lead to electrolyte imbalances and issues like muscle cramps, fatigue, or poor nerve health. Finding the right sodium balance for your body is crucial for health and weight management.

Figuring out how much sodium is right for you depends on your unique factors, like your lifestyle, training frequency, and health goals. Talk to your doctor or chat with a WAG nutrition coach for more personalized guidance in developing a nutrition plan that works for you.

Have you ever watched a player fall to the ground with leg cramps during a sporting event? Intense exercise or activity causes you to lose sodium—and other electrolytes like potassium, magnesium, and calcium—through sweat. Sodium helps control muscle contractions, making you more susceptible to muscle cramps when you don’t get enough sodium.

Aside from this, sodium does many great things for your body like:

• Balancing fluid levels

• Keeping you hydrated

• Regulating blood pressure

• Supports proper nerve function, ensuring communication signals move throughout the body efficiently

• Supporting digestion—you need sodium for good stomach acid, which helps break down food and absorb nutrients

Health Implications of Sodium Imbalance

Sodium balance is important. Negative health impacts can result from too much or too little in your diet. High sodium intake is strongly linked to high blood pressure, which is a major risk factor for heart disease, stroke, and kidney disease. But low levels in your body also pose a risk. In the case of hyponatremia, where sodium levels in the blood are too low, you may experience fatigue, confusion, and muscle weakness/cramps. In serious cases, this can lead to seizures or coma.

Sodium imbalance, high or low, can greatly impact cardiovascular health because it disrupts fluid balance and electrolyte levels in your body. This can be problematic and lead to issues like compromised blood circulation, irregular heart rate (arrhythmia), swelling, or edema.

How to Manage Your Sodium Intake

Taking control of your sodium intake may seem overwhelming, but it’s absolutely possible. Just a mix of mindfulness with a little research, planning, and practice. Here are four quick tips.

1. Log Your Food

The first step is to get familiar with the foods you eat regularly and begin to make informed decisions. Start reading nutrition labels on your staple items and calculate the amount of sodium you’re consuming on a regular basis. From there, logging your food in an app can help. Don’t forget the add-on items, like cheeses, sauces and condiments.

A food-tracking app like MacrosFirst or MyFitnessPal is a great way to monitor your sodium levels. At WAG, our coaching portal allows you to sync your MacrosFirst or MFP logs so your coach can also see what you’re eating and help you monitor your overall intake—including sodium levels.

2. Pay Attention to Serving Sizes

Pay attention to serving sizes. We’ve all been there: eating spoonfuls of peanut butter straight from the jar. But contrary to what we wish, the serving size is not half the jar. Servings add up quickly, so be mindful of how much goes into your body.

3. Opt for Fresh and Frozen

Fresh fruits and veggies (or, frozen fruits and veggies without added seasoning or sauces) are naturally very low in sodium. Canned fruits, veggies, soups, and other more processed options tend to have added sodium that adds up quickly.

4. Get Creative in Your Kitchen

Being creative in your own kitchen puts you in the driver’s seat. Use aromatics—fresh herbs and spices—when cooking your favorite dishes. Add in flavor from citrus fruit or vinegar to enhance the taste of your food. And play around with different cooking techniques like steaming, grilling, roasting and sauteing. Each one can increase natural flavor in its own way without adding too much salt.

Conversely, if you’re eating mostly whole foods and heavily limiting processed foods, salting your food can help you increase your intake and get enough sodium throughout your day.

Tips for Eating Out While Managing Sodium Intake

If you think managing sodium intake while going out is too challenging, we’ve got you covered. Here are a few things to keep in mind when you go out to eat:

1. Research in advance and choose simple and fresh. Identify lower sodium options before you step foot in the restaurant, and opt for dishes with fresh, whole ingredients prepared through simple cooking methods, like grilling, steaming, or roasting.

2. Modify as you wish. Don’t be afraid to ask servers for special requests, such as asking to omit cheese or bacon in a salad.

3. Be saucy on the side. Ask for condiments, sauces, and dressings on the side to control how much you use.

4. Pay attention to portions. Restaurant portions tend to be large, so consider sharing an entrée or boxing up some of it as soon as it arrives at your table.

5. Stay hydrated. Flush out excess sodium with plenty of water to wash down your meal.

Debunking Common Myths About Sodium

Let’s bust some myths about sodium that may be holding you back from optimal health.

Myth: All sodium is bad for you.

Sodium often gets a bad rap because of the link between salt and heart disease. But remember, sodium isn’t inherently bad for you! Your body needs it for optimal function, and moderating intake while getting sodium from quality sources like whole, nutrient-dense foods and minimizing intake from processed foods is key.

Myth: Only salty foods contain sodium.

Yes, processed snacks like chips and pretzels are salty and often high in sodium. But you’ll find sodium in most foods, even the ones that don’t taste salty, like sweet breakfast cereals or juices. That’s why it’s important to read nutrition labels and stay aware of what’s in your foods.

Myth: Salt causes high blood pressure in everyone.

While excessive salt intake can contribute to high blood pressure in some people, it won’t be the case for everyone. Individuals respond differently to sodium. Factors like genetics, lifestyle, and overall diet also contribute to how sodium impacts your body.

Final Thoughts on Sodium Intake

Knowing how sodium impacts the body through optimal hydration, muscle health, and nerve function while addressing misconceptions about sodium and health is important for making informed decisions.

You are unique, and your response to how much sodium you consume will also be unique. Understanding your daily sodium intake is the first step in knowing how to make adjustments.

You can better control your sodium intake by reading nutrition labels, opting for fresh and frozen foods, and being adequately prepared to enjoy a meal out with friends or family. The key is focusing on a balanced diet while being mindful to enjoy the benefits of sodium in your body and increase overall health and well-being.

If you need help monitoring your sodium intake and adjusting your food choices, WAG Pro combines in-depth health data with personalized guidance from a registered dietitian to help you better understand what your body needs to perform, recover, and feel your best.

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References:

1. American Heart Association. (2024). How Much Sodium Should I Eat Per Day. Retrieved from https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/healthy-eating/eat-smart/sodium/how-much-sodium-should-i-eat-per-day.

2. American Heart Association. (2021). Get the Scoop on Sodium and Salt. Retrieved from https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/healthy-eating/eat-smart/sodium/sodium-and-salt.

3. U.S. Food & Drug Administration. (2021). Sodium In Your Diet. Retrieved from: https://www.fda.gov/food/nutrition-education-resources-materials/sodium-your-diet.

4. Nutrients. (2023.) Sodium Homeostasis. Retrieved from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9862583/

5. Healthfully. (2011). Sodium Choloride and Digestion. Retrieved from: https://healthfully.com/sodium-chloride-and-digestion-7445140.html

6. Nutrients. (2019). Sodium Intake and Hypertension. Retrieved from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6770596/

7. Cleveland Clinic. Hyponatremia. Retrieved from: https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/17762-hyponatremia

8. Cleveland Clinic. Edema. Retrieved from: https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/12564-edema

It’s a frustrating cycle, and it’s often a sign you’re approaching overtraining and burnout. While training hard is part of being an athlete, inadequate nutrition and rest to support that intensity can majorly contribute to these negative effects.

Today, we’re covering five key nutrition strategies to help you avoid burnout and overtraining while optimizing your recovery.

Understanding Overtraining & Burnout

Overtraining and burnout happen when you push your body too hard without adequate rest and recovery. While pushing your limits is part of an athlete’s journey, listening to your body is essential. Some overtraining signs include chronic fatigue, decreased performance, mood swings, increased injuries, and even changes in sleep patterns.

Think of your body as a car; If you keep pressing the gas and never fill the tank, you’ll run out of fuel and eventually break down. Proper nutrition is like the high-octane fuel that keeps you performing your best.

5 Nutrition Strategies to Avoid Burnout and Overtraining

Here are five essential nutrition strategies to fuel your body and avoid burnout and overtraining so you can achieve your athletic goals:

Prioritize Protein Intake

Protein is crucial for muscle repair and recovery after intense training sessions. Without enough protein, your muscles struggle to rebuild, and you’re more likely to feel fatigued and sore.

As an athlete, aim for a daily intake of at least one gram of protein per pound of body weight (this can vary based on your training). Good protein sources include lean meats, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy, beans, lentils, tofu, and protein supplements (if needed).

Fuel with Complex Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are your body’s primary energy source and are particularly important for athletes who need sustained power and endurance. Focus on complex carbohydrates like whole grains (brown rice, quinoa, oats), sweet potatoes, and fruits and vegetables. Unlike simple sugars that lead to energy crashes, these provide a steady release of energy.

Hydrate Properly

Dehydration can significantly hinder your recovery and exacerbate fatigue. Don’t wait until you feel thirsty—stay consistently hydrated throughout the day, especially before, during, and after workouts. Water is the best choice for most situations, but you may also need to replenish electrolytes with hydration enhancers after strenuous workouts.

Embrace Healthy Fats

While often demonized, healthy fats are vital for hormone production, cell function, and joint and ligament health. Include sources of unsaturated fats in your diet, such as avocados, nuts, seeds, olive oil, and fatty fish (salmon, tuna).

Time Your Nutrition Strategically

When you eat is almost as important as what you eat. Aim to eat a meal or a snack that is high in carbohydrates and protein 1-3 hours before your workout and another meal or snack within 30 minutes of finishing. This will help you fuel your workout, replenish your glycogen stores, and initiate muscle repair.

Avoid Burnout and Overtraining: The Bigger Picture

Remember, nutrition is just one part of the puzzle. To truly avoid burnout and overtraining, you also need adequate rest and sleep, effective stress management techniques, and a well-structured training program. By focusing on these recovery nutrition tips, you’ll be on your way to a more sustainable and successful athletic journey.

Optimizing your nutrition can be challenging, and personalized guidance can make a significant difference in your athletic performance and recovery. Ready to take a more personalized approach to your nutrition?

Whether you’re training for a specific goal or simply want to feel stronger and recover better, the right nutrition strategy can make a big difference. If you’re looking for more personalized support, WAG Pro gives you a deeper look at your health and nutrition with guidance designed around you.'

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Cooking in bulk saves time, money, and sanity — but when it comes to tracking macros, it can get confusing fast. Do you weigh the ingredients before or after cooking? Do you divide it by servings? What if I eat different amounts for each serving?

You can cook in bulk and family-style without losing track of your goals. Once you learn a few simple systems for portioning and logging, you’ll never have to choose between family dinners and macro accuracy again.

In this week’s post, we’ll cover:

• How to cook for multiple people when tracking macros

• Simple ways to track bulk recipes and shared meals

• Coach-tested tips for making meal prep work long-term

We’ll make this simple so you can spend less time doing macro math and more time enjoying your food.

Why Bulk Prepping Food is Important

Cooking in bulk isn’t just about saving time (though that’s a big one). It’s about making your nutrition goals easier to stick to, especially when life gets busy or you’re feeding more than just yourself.

When you cook in bulk, you:

• Save time and energy. One kitchen mess, multiple meals.

• Reduce decision fatigue. Fewer “What should I eat?” moments throughout the week.

• Stay more consistent. When balanced, macro-friendly meals are already made, you’re less likely to grab random snacks or skip tracking altogether.

• Keep family meals flexible. You can build one base recipe that everyone eats and still adjust your own portion sizes to fit your goals.

Bulk cooking is one of the easiest ways to bridge the gap between real life and staying on track. Once you stop thinking of it as an “all-or-nothing” task and start seeing it as a tool, you’ll wonder why you ever cooked one serving at a time.

How to Cook for Multiple People While Tracking Macros

Cooking for yourself is one thing. Cooking for a partner, kids, or an entire family while trying to stay on track? That’s next-level.

The key is to start thinking in “base + build” meals — one shared base that everyone eats, with simple add-ons to make it work for different needs.

Here’s how:

• Start with a flexible base. Think proteins, starches, and veggies that can be used in different combinations — like grilled chicken, rice, and roasted veggies. Everyone eats the same foundation, but toppings and sauces can change it up.

• Add variety through toppings. You can easily make one meal fit multiple preferences by changing the add-ons. Example:

  • You: grilled chicken + rice + avocado + salsa

  • Kids: grilled chicken + rice + shredded cheese

  • Partner: chicken burrito bowl with tortilla and sour cream

• Batch cook, but store separately. Keep your proteins, carbs, and veggies in separate containers instead of mixing everything together. It makes portioning (and tracking) much easier later.

• Keep a few “family favorites” with known macros. Once you calculate the macros for a bulk recipe (instructions next!), save it in your tracking app. That way, you can reuse it with one tap instead of starting from scratch every time.

Cooking for multiple people doesn’t have to mean sacrificing accuracy or flavor, it just takes a little structure.

How to Track Bulk Meals

Here’s the truth: there’s no one right way to track bulk meals. It depends on your cooking style, your goals, and how precise you want to be.

Below are two simple methods you can use.

Option 1: The Recipe Method (most accurate)

1. Weigh each ingredient before cooking and keep the weights handy — make a note in your phone or use a post-it.

2. After cooking, weigh the entire finished recipe. Pro tip: this might require you to weigh your cooking dish empty beforehand empty, so you can subtract it from the finished product!

3. Create a new recipe in your tracking app and designate the number of servings as the total finished weight in grams.

4. Weigh your portion and now grams = servings for exact accuracy.

Example:

Your entire pot of chili weighs 2,106g after cooking. You log it as a recipe and designate there are 2,106 servings.

Weigh your portion. Say it’s 345 grams, so you log 345 servings.

Or, play with the serving size to fit what your macros need that day, then scoop your portion accordingly.

No math, super accurate.

Option 2: The Serving Method (fastest & easiest)

If your current goals don’t require you to care about exact grams, this one’s for you.

1. Log all meal components or recipe ingredients into your tracker.

2. Decide how many servings you’ll divide it into (e.g., 6 servings).

3. Save it as a recipe with however many servings you’ve determined.

Then, when you dish it up, just log “1 serving” or “1/2 serving.”

Perfect for casseroles, soups, or slow-cooker meals, where the serving size is going to be pretty uniformish.

Real-Life Example: Family-Style Taco Night

Let’s put this all together with a simple example.

Say you’re making ground turkey tacos for your family:

• 2 lbs (907g) lean ground turkey

• 1 packet taco seasoning

• 1 cup salsa

• Optional sides: rice, cheese, sour cream, lettuce, tortillas

Here’s how you could track it:

1. Weigh and take note of all ingredients (raw turkey, taco seasoning, salsa.)

2. After cooking, weigh the full pan of taco meat — let’s say it’s 1,200g cooked.

3. Save the recipe with 1200 servings.

4. Scoop your portion, weigh it (say it’s 250g), and log 250 servings.

5. Separately log your portions of rice, cheese, sour cream, lettuce and tortilla.

Everyone else can eat the same meal with their preferred toppings and individual serving size, while you stay right on track — no separate dinner required.

Coach-Tested Tips for Simplifying Bulk Cooking

Tracking bulk meals doesn’t have to feel like a science experiment. A few small habits can make the whole process smoother:

• Use consistent containers. Having go-to containers (like 3-compartment meal prep boxes or Mason jars) makes it easy to eyeball portions and stay consistent week to week.

• Save recipes in your tracker. Once you’ve logged a bulk recipe, save it under a name you’ll remember (like “Taco Bake”). That way, you can reuse it instead of rebuilding it every time.

• Batch once, remix all week. Cook your proteins, carbs, and veggies separately. Then you can mix and match different meals (bowls, wraps, salads) without starting from scratch.

• Don’t chase perfection. We’re here to guide you, not stress you out. A few missed grams from a home cooked meal is not going to make or break your progress.

Keep It Simple, Keep It Sustainable

Cooking in bulk is one of the best ways to save time, reduce stress, and stay consistent, especially when you’re balancing family, work, and a full life outside the kitchen.

The goal isn’t to measure every gram forever. It’s to build awareness, find your rhythm, and make your nutrition goals fit your real life.

Try one bulk recipe this week — chili, pasta bake, taco meat, or sheet pan chicken — and practice one of the tracking methods we covered. You’ll be surprised how quickly it becomes second nature.

And if it still feels tricky? That’s exactly what our WAG coaches are here for. We’ll help you simplify, problem-solve, and find systems that actually work for you.

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This article will explore the signs indicating you’re listening to your body and provide tips for creating a more sustainable diet.

What Does It Mean to Have a Sustainable Diet?

At its core, a sustainable diet indicates you’re giving your body the nutrients it needs, and your body feels good as a result. Part of this means having the right energy balance–or the right balance of macronutrients.

Food is the energy your body requires to function optimally. Eating the right foods in the right balance ensures your body is fueled and ready for anything. When your energy balance is off, you may feel those disruptions physically, mentally, or emotionally.

What Happens When I Don’t Fuel My Body Appropriately?

Hormone Imbalances

Your body relies on a delicate balance of hormones to function properly–all fueled by the nutrients you absorb from food. An imbalanced diet can disrupt this equilibrium, which may cause problems like trouble sleeping, weight gain or loss, fatigue, and mood swings.

Appetite Disruptions

Ever have a day where you day where you don’t feel like eating? Or a day where you can’t get enough food? While this can also be a result of physical activity or a woman’s menstrual cycle, extreme hunger or a lack of appetite on a regular basis may indicate you’re not eating the right foods. (And if you’re like most people, being hangry on the reg definitely won’t help your goal to be more zen.)

Inflammation and Chronic Pain

A lack of nutrients in your diet and eating too little or too much can contribute to inflammation. In turn, inflammation in the body shows up as chronic pain and other health and metabolic conditions, like insulin resistance.

9 Signs That Your Diet Is Sustainable Long-Term

So, how do you know if your diet is good for you? Think about these signs as you go through your normal day-to-day.

1. You Have Good Appetite Awareness

You can recognize when you’re hungry and decide how hungry you really are. You can also easily determine when you’re full or have had enough to eat. Along with understanding your own internal cues, you have established a regular eating routine with satiating meals. It’s no problem to stick to your routine.

2. You Don’t Have Regular Cravings

Salty and sweet cravings can make it difficult to stick with planned meals. And reaching for snacks between meals can wreak havoc on your goals, for sure. When you’re eating enough nutrients and in the right balance, you’ll likely find these cravings don’t happen as often. You probably won’t even need to snack as much because you’ll feel satiated for about three to five hours or until your next meal.

3. You Can Manage Your Weight

Daily weight fluctuations are normal. When your diet is sustainable, you can keep within the same average weight range week after week without much effort. You understand what foods make you feel good, and while you may track your meals or macros, you don’t necessarily need to. You can go a few days without tracking and easily stay within your target weight range.

4. You Have Sustainable Energy

A sustainable diet means good, sustainable energy. If you experience jittery highs and crashing lows, it usually means your blood sugar levels are not regulated well. Fueling properly makes you feel restored after eating and have lasting energy throughout the day. While that afternoon cup of coffee may be a habit, you could just as easily pass on it. (And no need for that post-meal nap!)

5. You’re Focused and Productive

We’re all too familiar with the term brain fog these days. A well-balanced and nutrient-rich diet gives you essential vitamins and minerals that are important for brain health. Feeling alert and efficiently working through your daily routine and tasks are good signs of a well-balanced diet. Bye-bye, brain fog.

6. You Sleep Well

Restless sleep and waking in the middle of the night without being able to fall back asleep can be another sign of an imbalanced diet. Eating heavy meals late in the day may mean your body is still digesting food while you attempt to rest, making it hard to fall asleep. Not eating enough during the day can cause a blood sugar drop at night, prompting a burst of cortisol to balance it out, which means you wake up and stay up.

Although external factors like stress, schedule changes, and travel can impact your rest now and then, eating the right balance of foods for you in the right amounts during waking hours can be a key factor in promoting regular quality sleep.

7. You Recover Well

Occasional soreness isn’t such a bad thing, but constant aching is an energy drainer and can impact your efforts in the gym. Good rest also means your body can efficiently recover from your daily CrossFit workout, a lifting session, or your long-run day. Recovery time is essential for detoxification and keeping your body running smoothly. The right meal plan makes this a breeze.

8. You Can Face Stress Head-On

The gut has been dubbed the “second brain” for good reason!

A sustainable diet with good nutrition promotes hormone regulation and supports serotonin production—the “feel-good” hormone that helps boost mood. This all makes it a little easier for you to handle stress. While stress management techniques are still important, a good diet makes it easier to handle stress appropriately, stay level-headed, and reduce mood swings.

9. You Find it Easy to Make Food Choices That Feel Good

A sustainable diet goes hand in hand with a good relationship with food. When it works for you, it is easy. When it doesn’t work, there’s trouble in paradise. Making choices in the moment that you know will make you feel good in the long run is a sign that you’re on the right path. Enjoying a dessert or taking advantage of an occasional treat without feeling guilty or obsessing over numbers means your mindset is in a good place.

How to Create a More Sustainable Diet

If you’re struggling to find the right foods or meals that work for you, it’s OK! Or if you were in a good place, but something went off course, try some of these tips to help tweak your plan.

Check Your Hydration

We sometimes mistake thirst for hunger. Return to your liquid intake goals and ensure you get enough water throughout the day. Hydration is also super important for energy and productivity–for many people, this could be the straightforward fix they need that makes a world of difference!

Keep a Food and Feelings Journal

Part of finding a sustainable diet means understanding your body’s needs. Documenting what you eat and how it makes you feel can provide valuable insights into what’s working and what’s not working. Notice that a bag of potato chips in the afternoon makes you crave something sweet after? Try swapping it out for an apple with nut butter and take note of what differences you may experience.

Adjust Your Macros for Satiety

As you age, as your body or goals change, or as your lifestyle and activity ramp up or down, your energy needs will be different. It may be necessary to adjust your macronutrient ratio from time to time. This ensures you’re getting the right balance to meet your needs in any given situation. Play around with increasing carbs and decreasing fat to get more fiber. Or maybe you need more fat instead of carbs to feel more satiated. Perhaps you just need an extra 10-15 grams of protein. Find the balance that works for now.

Enjoy a Variety of Foods

Variety is the spice of life! Well, that’s what they say anyway.

If you feel bored or out of tune, try incorporating new foods into your plan. Experiment with new recipes, flavors, or textures. Allow yourself a treat or two. Sometimes, just trying something new and different can reinvigorate your senses and give you the desired satisfaction.

Final Thoughts on Creating a Sustainable Diet

A sustainable diet is not a one-size-fits-all approach. It’s about understanding your body, making informed choices, and finding the balance that works for you. By recognizing the signs of a well-balanced diet and making gradual adjustments, you can have a long-lasting, satisfying relationship with food.

If you need help nailing down what works best for you (or, if you need permission from a pro to enjoy a treat now and then!), we have your back! Our coaches can help you lose weight, sure, but we also specialize in habit change and provide you with the tools to nail down a nutrition plan that feels easy and right for your long-term health goals.

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Before diving into how to hit your macros, we need to ensure your macro tracking app is set up correctly. MacrosFirst and MyFitnessPal allow you to set your macro goals right in-app. Ensure your targets are set correctly, and you keep tabs on them as you follow the steps below.

How To Hit Your Macros: Our Top Tips

Here are five quick tips to help you hit your macros regularly. These work in succession—so start with tip one and go from there!

1. Plan Ahead

Don’t wait until the end of the day to figure out what macros you’re missing. Spend a few minutes in the morning (or the night before) to plan a successful day. When you have a full day of macros to work with, you can make room for foods you enjoy and experiment with variety.

Pro tip: Remember, you don’t have to have everything cooked and portioned out to put it in your food tracker ahead of time. Keep tabs on what is in your refrigerator, know what you want to cook, and then plan portion sizes accordingly based on your daily macro needs.

2. Start With Your Staples

Enter the most important pieces of your day first based on your preferences and priorities. Maybe it is your post-workout meal, the easy grab-and-go breakfast you rely on, the lunch you already have prepped, or the dinner you’re looking forward to. Starting with your staples gives you a solid idea of the “leftover” macros you have to play with.

Pro tip: Make sure your staples include protein and veggies! These are the toughest things to get enough of when you aren’t intentional about it. Here is some healthy meal inspiration.

3. Add Foods You Love

Next, consider your favorite foods (yes, this can include a treat!). A nutrition plan that doesn’t bend will break; at WAG, we don’t believe in “good” or “bad” foods. Leaving room for your favorites (looking at you, Cadbury Chocolate Eggs, or a glass of wine with friends on a Saturday night!) is essential to long-term diet success and sustainability.

Pro tip: Treats are generally higher in carbs and fats. This means you may not be able to enjoy all of your favorites on the same day. Remind yourself your numbers reset in the morning, and you can always enjoy a different favorite tomorrow!

4. Fill in the Gaps

After adding your staples and favorites, check your totals and fill in the gaps. What macros are missing? How many macros do you have left? Are you low on protein? Add an extra protein snack or increase your serving size of protein at dinner. Need more fiber? Add more veggies! Low on everything? Add a small snack or meal. The infographic below will provide inspiration based on your needs.

Pro tip: Don’t just look at how many macros you’ve used! Utilize your tracker’s charts and graphs to monitor how many macros you have left as you add foods. You can do this by swiping across the top of your MacrosFirst logs screen or using MFP’s “Diary” view.

5. Adjust Portion Sizes

Did you go over your macros? No biggie! That is why planning ahead is so helpful—it allows you to adjust before you eat something and feel stuck. Cut back on a few portion sizes (you probably won’t have to delete anything entirely). A few small tweaks across your entire day should bring you back within your ranges without significantly impacting your meal size or food choices.

Check, tweak, and repeat until you’ve found the right combination of foods to hit your macro goals. Wondering how precise you need to be? The infographic below is a good starting place, but these ranges may be wider depending on your goals.

Pro Tip: Nothing is set in stone until you’ve eaten it. So, don’t stress if you have to go back and adjust. This stands true if something throws off your day—you can adjust macros as you eat if necessary, but planning as much ahead of time is still ideal and helps limit frustration and not-so-great choices in moments of stress or hunger.

Get 1-on-1 Nutrition Coaching

Hitting your macros takes time and practice, and even with these easy tips in your back pocket, nutrition coaching can help you take any guesswork out of the process. We’d love to work with you.

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What is Shift Work?

“Shift work” refers to a schedule outside of the typical “9 to 5”. This includes nurses, doctors, emergency medical services workers, firefighters, pilots, flight attendants and airline personnel, industrial workers, those in call centers, and many, many more.

These professions can involve 12-hour shifts, overnight shifts, broken-up shifts, or even working for 48 to 72 hours straight.

These professionals have careers that challenge them, and the schedule itself can also present some nutritional speed bumps outside of the “work day” or “work night.”

When it comes to overall health and nutrition, here are some key challenges that working in shifts can present:

• Difficulty planning meals and snacks

• Limited time to eat or drink during shifts

• Easy access to breakroom snacks and calorically dense foods with low nutritional value

• Trouble navigating the transition from workdays to days off

• Disrupted sleep patterns

Let’s break down some of the ways this can impact your body before we dig into some nutritional tips and tricks for shift workers.

Does Shift Work Affect Your Hormones?

Your natural circadian rhythm is thrown off when you go to bed in the sunlight and stay awake at night. Then, throw in the general lack of sleep seen during longer shifts, and you’ve got the recipe for potentially unhappy hormones.

Sleep deprivation and disruption to the circadian rhythm can impact two key hormones: melatonin and cortisol. Let’s look at them…

Melatonin is produced in your brain as a response to darkness. So when you are exposed to light at night or when you are sleeping when your brain would not typically produce melatonin, you might not produce as much.

Cortisol is a stress hormone. When it works efficiently, it helps control blood sugar levels, regulate metabolism, help to reduce inflammation and assist in forming new memories. Unfortunately, shift work can cause the body to produce too much cortisol, which can negatively impact your body. Too much cortisol puts your body in a “fight or flight” state.

Hunger Hormones and Shift Work

Many people who work shifts will find themselves constantly hungry, not satiated by the meals they’re eating, and drawn to calorically dense foods that provide very little nutritional value.

Lack of regular, restful sleep, which often comes as a product of shift work, impacts two more hormones: Ghrelin and Leptin.

• Ghrelin is known as the “hunger hormone” because it stimulates our appetite and helps us feel hungry. Think “stomach grumble ghrelin,” and it will be easy to remember! Eating when hunger is non-existent isn’t fun or enjoyable, so you need some ghrelin in your body. Those who do shift work can sometimes produce too much ghrelin, which can lead to never feeling full or satiated and, therefore, overeating.

• Leptin is produced by fat cells and helps regulate fat storage, appetite, and metabolism. When you are not getting enough sleep—quality or quantity—the body produces less leptin. Leptin helps you feel full, and with less of it, you feel more hungry, more often.

Hormones play a really important role in your body. As we’ve mentioned, the sleep cycles and routines that often accompany shift work can impact those hormones and throw them out of whack.

Healthy Eating Plan for Night Shift Workers

All of this information can sound really daunting and may be. If you’re a shift worker, you may think, “How can I beat this and continue prioritizing my health, nutrition, and fitness goals?”

As a shift worker, it can be challenging to maintain a schedule in ALL areas of life. If you let it, shift work can control sleep, schedule, body functioning, and so much more.

This doesn’t have to be the case.

There are some careers where working in shifts might be unavoidable, and we want to support you in doing what you LOVE to do.

So, we’ve put together some tried-and-true tips to help you (or the people in your life who work shifts) continue to prioritize your health and your goals. We are here to be the bearer of good news and tell you that there are many things that you can do and focus on to prioritize yourself and feel your best!

Nutrition Tips for Shift Workers

Plan & Pack

Prioritizing health and working towards specific fitness and nutrition goals can be hard. In fact, working towards any goal can be challenging!

Every individual faces challenges on their way to their goals and as a shift worker, you likely will have additional ones, especially when it comes to nutrition. One of the best things you can do is to be prepared ahead of time with your own snacks and meals that fit within your nutrition plan.

• Pack protein. This will help stabilize your blood sugar levels and give you a steady supply of energy during your shifts. Some examples are Greek yogurt, protein powder, jerky, protein bars, or hard-boiled eggs. Here are a few more!

• Incorporate high-fiber and high-volume foods. Bring pre-cut fruits and veggies and pair them with lean protein to keep you feeling full and satiated. This will keep the energy high and hunger under control throughout your shift. Some examples are baby carrots, mini peppers, cherry tomatoes, precooked or raw broccoli/cauliflower, celery, and cucumber. Pair with an example from above!

• Focus on balancing out your meals (when you can!). Aiming to have protein, carbs, and fat in every meal and snack. Some examples are hard-boiled eggs and fruit, a wrap with some deli meat, cheese, veggies, oatmeal and chia seeds, or nut butter, or some shredded chicken, rice, avocado, and your favorite veggies.

• Grab a smoothie! Smoothies can be a great option when you are in a pinch or short on time. Some go-to smoothie ingredients are frozen fruit, protein powder, Greek yogurt, chia seeds, nuts, and spinach or kale!

• Build a “snack pack.” This involves a variety of quick and easy snack-type foods that are similar macros to a typical, balanced meal but in easy-to-grab-and-eat snack form. You can pre-track your snack pack, graze on it throughout your shift and know that it will help you hit your nutritional goals if you finish it up! If any is left at the end of your shift, weigh it out, subtract it from your macros/plan, and add more fuel when you get home or finish it on your drive home.

Aim for a Regular Meal Schedule As Much As Possible

Although shift work can be very disruptive to your schedule, you can still develop a regular meal schedule for work days and off days, too!

Adjust your schedule

During a typical day, when you sleep at night, you might have meals at 7 am, 10 am, 1 pm, 4 pm, and 7 pm. With shift work, shift this schedule! If you wake up at 6 pm and start work at 9 pm, you might aim for meals at 7 pm, 11 pm, 3 am, and 7 am or 8 am prior to heading to bed. If you are able to follow this schedule on a regular basis, your body and hormones will likely adjust.

Try “48-hour macros” on overnight shifts.

This means combining two days of macros into a 48-hour period if you’re awake and asleep at times that make it tricky to eat in a normal 24-hour cycle. Double your macros for those two days and aim to finish them up within the 48-hour period without worrying about which day they fall on.

Using 25-35% of the next day’s macros during an overnight shift works best for most people. This works well when you have a really long day when you are awake, followed by a day when you are awake for a very short time.

Notice patterns

If there are times when you usually feel a bit off or nauseous or when eating is challenging, you can plan accordingly. Perhaps you get a good chunk of your macros in prior and use that time to focus on your water intake.

Make Hydration (and Especially Water!) a Priority

When you work late night shifts or multiple days at a time, it can be easy to fall into the trap of consuming multiple caffeinated beverages, not drinking much water, or a combination of both. Staying hydrated not only keeps you feeling better and more alert but being mindful of how much caffeine you drink and when you drink it can also help improve your sleep.

• Remember that coffee, caffeinated teas, and energy drinks are okay to have, but we recommend consuming them as you might on a “regular” day. If possible, limit caffeine to the first half of YOUR “day” (as in, the time you’re awake!) so it doesn’t impact sleep.

• If necessary, set a timer on your phone, Fitbit, or smartwatch to remind you to drink water. A water bottle with a straw attachment can make it even easier to sip throughout the day!

• If drinking during your shift is a challenge, find opportunities in your day when you can prioritize your hydration. This could be aiming for a chunk first thing when you wake up, sipping on a bottle on your drive to work, or drinking a bottle during your workout… as long as it isn’t shortly before bed! **Pro tip: leave an extra-full water bottle in your car so you always have some with you!

• If flavored seltzers or flavored water are your jam, those can be great options, too. The important thing is that we are aiming to drink as much water as you would if you were awake on a typical schedule and day. Also, keep an eye on digestion and bloating. Lots of bubbles can bother some people’s stomachs!

Dial-in Your Sleep Routine

Getting high-quality and quantity zzz’s might take a bit more time and effort as a shift worker, but it can be done, and many things are within your control. When it comes to sleep, some things that we have found to be helpful are:

• If possible, don’t get a workout in, and then try to go straight to bed. Even just an hour or so to eat and wind down after a workout before bed can help.

• Have a bedtime routine, even if it is during the day. This might involve routines like brushing your teeth, showering or washing your face, reading a book, journaling, or a mindfulness/meditation activity. If you don’t have a routine before going to bed, this can be a great time to create one!

• Make sure that your environment is optimal for sleep. For most people, this means keeping the room dark and cool. Blackout shades, an eye mask, and a fan are some easy ways to do this—especially if you’re trying to sleep during the day.

• Block out any noise that might make it hard to fall asleep or wake you up from sleep. Complete silence through earplugs can work for some, while others might prefer a fan or a white noise machine.

• If aiming for 8 hours of sleep doesn’t seem to work for you, that is okay. If your schedule allows, sleeping for a few hours, having a few hours of wake time around the house and then going back to sleep is better than nothing.

Define Success in a Way That Works and Fits YOU

Many of us (okay, pretty much all of us!) feel the need to be “perfect” with our nutrition on work days and off days. This often leads to falling into that “all or nothing” trap and can make us feel like we are unsuccessful when things don’t go as planned.

At Working Against Gravity, we know that being perfect isn’t realistic and puts unnecessary pressure and stress on ourselves. We recommend:

• Start with simple goals. If you have a hard time eating at all during your shift, perhaps your only goal is to eat at least one meal or snack and then build from there.

• Let the times when things don’t go as planned roll off your back. Maybe you have a couple of bites of the cookies that are in the breakroom. This happens sometimes, but it doesn’t mean the rest of your day is completely washed. Think about it like getting a flat tire. If you pull over with a flat, it doesn’t make sense to slice the other three, right? Return to your usual routine at that next meal or snack, and finish the day strong!

• Remind yourself that you don’t have to do everything at once. Pick ONE thing to start with (ex. meal planning, prioritizing sleep, dialing in water intake), repeat it until it is a habit and then build from there. If you focus on super small improvements each day, you will be amazed at how that can add up over the course of a month, a year and longer.

When it comes down to it, prioritizing your health and nutrition goals while working shifts can be challenging. But that doesn’t mean it is impossible, and you don’t have to do it alone.

WAG Coaches have worked with hundreds of shift workers to help them navigate their unique challenges and find the best plan for them. Nutrition is not a “one size fits all” thing, and we are here to help you or the shift worker in your life find what works best for you.

References:

1. Costello, Rebecca B et al. “The effectiveness of melatonin for promoting healthy sleep: a rapid evidence assessment of the literature.” Nutrition journal vol. 13 106. 7 Nov. 2014, doi:10.1186/1475-2891-13-106

2. Li, Jian et al. “Impact of shift work on the diurnal cortisol rhythm: a one-year longitudinal study in junior physicians.” Journal of occupational medicine and toxicology (London, England) vol. 13 23. 14 Aug. 2018, doi:10.1186/s12995-018-0204-y

3. Cibele Aparecida Crispim, Jim Waterhouse, Ana Raimunda Dâmaso, Ioná Zalcman Zimberg, Heloisa Guarita Padilha, Lila Missae Oyama, Sérgio Tufik, Marco Túlio de Mello, Hormonal appetite control is altered by shift work: a preliminary study, Metabolism, Volume 60, Issue 12, 2011, Pages 1726-1735, ISSN 0026-0495, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.metabol.2011.04.014. (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S002604951100117X)

It may seem silly, but starting slow is the key to success. We would know… WAG coaches have helped over 35,000 people reach their goals, and it almost always starts with a few simple steps.

Tips for Starting a New Diet

Here are five quick and easy things to do if you recently started a new diet.

1. Invest in a Food Scale and Tracking App

Intake awareness is the most important factor in making meaningful changes to your diet. A food scale and a macro tracking app help you measure what you eat and monitor your overall daily intake.

If you are wondering how much you need to eat or need support learning to weigh and measure your food, learn more about ongoing 1-on-1 WAG Nutrition Coaching here.

2. Do a Kitchen Cleanse

Make the healthy choice the easy choice, and remove tempting foods that don’t support your goals from your house (look at you, junk food and desserts!). Donate nonperishable goods, bring snacks to work, and compost as needed.

If you have kids and can’t chuck the Goldfish, put their snacks on a “kids only” shelf and set a goal to stick to your own sections of the pantry or refrigerator. The more you can remove unhealthy options from your line of sight, the less tempting they’ll be.

3. Hit the Grocery Store

Once your kitchen is cleansed, it’s time to refill the fridge and pantry with healthy options. Fruits, veggies, and protein sources are great places to start. From there, grab for starchier carb sources like brown rice, oats, quinoa, and whole grains. We recommend including plenty of single-source macro foods to help you reach your goals in a pinch.

4. Bulk Prep at Least Two Protein Sources

Now it’s time to prep! Protein is the trickiest thing to get on the go, as it usually requires some kind of cooking. Bulk prep a few protein sources you can use throughout your week—throw them on top of a salad or add a veggie and starch for dinner.

Try our viral Crockpot Crack Chicken or Air Fried Chicken Thighs. If you’re not into chicken, you can bulk-cook beef, turkey, or seafood using a crockpot, instant pot, grill, or oven. Check out this article for protein inspiration if you prefer a vegan or vegetarian diet.

5. Pick an Easy Meal to Repeat All Week

Repeating meals helps speed up the prepping, planning, and cooking process. Keeping one meal relatively similar from day to day keeps things simple, and simple is the key to success—especially in today’s busy world and when you’re learning something new. If you eat dinner with your family every night, we recommend choosing breakfast or lunch to repeat, as these tend to be less family-centered.

Beginning something new can be tricky. So, start slow and focus on adding or adjusting one habit at a time. Over time, you’ll notice huge changes in your routine and your health. If you need support, WAG is here for you!

In this post, we’ll break down how to set goals effectively, and then dive into smarter ways to track your progress so you can stay motivated and grounded along the way.

What are your goals?

Goal setting is more than a checkbox, it’s a tool for transformation. When done right, goals help you imagine the future you want and take the steps to create it. If you’ve ever set a goal and fallen short, chances are you didn’t set it up in a way that truly supported your success. That’s what we’re here to help with.

The 3 Types of Goals

Long-Term Goals

These are the big-picture outcomes you’re working toward. like losing 15 pounds, qualifying for a competition, or shifting your relationship with food. Long-term goals are important, but research shows that focusing only on the long-term can be discouraging without smaller, actionable steps to guide you.

Short-Term Goals

Short-term goals bring that long-term vision into the here and now: what can you do this week, today, or even in the next hour to make progress? They’re powerful motivators and great confidence builders.

Process Goals

These are the daily actions and habits that move you forward. Things like meal prepping, logging food, or sticking to your bedtime routine. They are 100% within your control and create the foundation for lasting change.

What Makes a Goal Effective?

To be effective, your goals need structure. We love the SMART goal framework–you’ve probably heard of this, but it’s worth revisiting:

S - Specific:

Clear beats vague every time. “Eat better” is too broad. “Prep three meals on Sunday night” is a plan.

M - Measurable:

If you can’t track it, how will you know if you’re succeeding?

Examples:
“I will reduce my body fat by 5%” → measurable.
“I want to get leaner” → not measurable.

A - Attainable:

Be honest with yourself. Is this realistic right now? HUGE goals are great—but not if they set you up for failure. Better to build slowly and gain momentum than burn out trying to do too much, too fast.

R - Relevant:

Ask yourself:

• Why do I want this?

• Will it actually improve my life?

• Is this my goal—or someone else’s idea of what I should want?

If it’s not deeply meaningful to you, motivation won’t stick.

T - Time-Bound:

Deadlines create urgency. Set a realistic, but specific timeframe. “Someday” is not a plan. “In six months” is.

Avoid the “0-to-100” Meltdown

It’s so common to get excited and overcommit (gym 5x/week, zero processed foods, meal prep everything, etc.) and then when motivation dips, as it always does, you crash and burn.

This happens when expectations are too high and change is too drastic. And when progress feels slow, you start to lose faith in yourself.

Here’s the truth: Consistency > Intensity.

You need to protect your self-confidence and build trust in yourself. Every time you set a goal and follow through, even a tiny one, you build that trust. That’s the foundation of long-term success.

Your Secret Weapon: Aim Low

Yes, you read that right. Aim low, on purpose.

Pick process goals that feel laughably easy. Things you know you can follow through on.
If it seems too easy, you’re doing it right.

These might be:

• Drinking one glass of water with breakfast

• Logging one meal a day

• Getting to bed 15 minutes earlier

These micro-commitments are your “ninja moves”—they build confidence, and confidence fuels consistency.

Let’s Set Your Goals

Now it’s your turn. Grab a notebook or piece of paper and we’ll walk you through our three-part framework:

1. Set Your Long-Term Goal(s)

Where do you want to be in a year? Five years? What’s your “why”?

Examples:

• Qualify for an event

• Lose/gain a certain amount of weight

• Create sustainable habits

• Set a healthy example for your family

2. Establish Short-Term Goals

Next, break your long-term goal into stepping stones.

Examples:

• Long-term: Run a marathon
  → Short-term: Sign up for a 5k

• Long-term: Shift food habits and mindset
  → Short-term: Gain awareness by tracking food every day for 30 days

• Long-term: Stay healthy and fit for my family
  → Short-term: Lose 20 pounds

3. Process Goals

Now you can break your short-term goals into action steps. What specific actions will move you forward this week?

Examples:

• Long term: Run a marathon

• Short term: Sign up for a 5k
  → Process: Start the “Couch to 5k” program

• Long-term: Stay healthy and fit for my family

• Short term: Lose 20 pounds
  → Process: Hire a nutrition coach

These process steps will become clearer as you start working towards your short term goals, but start with 1 or 2 for now. And remember, make them too easy.

Setting strong goals is only half the equation. Without a way to measure progress, even the best-laid plans can feel like guesswork—and that’s usually when motivation starts to fade. This is where tracking comes in. Tracking your progress the right way gives you proof that your efforts are paying off, even on the days when it doesn’t feel that way. Let’s dig into the most effective ways to measure what matters.

You Need Objective Data

Objective data is information gathered through consistent, measurable, repeatable methods. Think:

• Weighing yourself under the same conditions

• Taking progress photos every few weeks

• Logging your food and reviewing macro consistency

• Measuring performance (like gym PRs or endurance benchmarks)

Objective data gives you something solid to lean on, especially when progress feels slow or invisible.

Because here’s the thing: subjective data (how you feel things are going) is important, but it’s also influenced by mood, stress, sleep, hormones, and more. You might feel like nothing is working—even when it actually is.

That’s why having objective markers in place is so powerful. They help you:

• Stay focused on facts, not feelings

• Celebrate small wins you might otherwise overlook

• Make smart adjustments based on actual trends

Let’s walk through the most effective ways to track progress when it comes to your body composition. We encourage you to find objective data points for all of your unique goals, but this one is our specialty.

Three Objective Measurements We Like to Track

Bodyweight

The scale is one of the most common tools people use to track physical change. It’s easy, accessible, and gives you a number to compare over time. And if your goal is to lose weight or change your body composition (like gaining lean muscle or losing body fat), then yes, the scale can provide helpful data. Here are our scale tips to get the most accurate data:

• Take your weight first thing in the morning before eating or drinking and before engaging in any exercise

• Take your weight with minimal or no clothing on

• Track your weight daily, but find your weekly average to assess progress week-to-week

• Remember the factors that can impact the number you see on the scale (like sleep quality, workout intensity, frequency of bowel movements, your stress level, etc.) and avoid reading too much into any one data point

The number on the scale is just one piece of the puzzle. And if it’s the only way you’re measuring success, you’re likely to get discouraged, especially when your body is making changes that the scale can’t capture. More on this later.

Circumference Measurements

Circumference measurements taken with a tape measure can sometimes be more telling than bodyweight when it comes to how your body is physically changing. Unlike bodyweight which fluctuates from day to day and throughout the day as you eat, train, sweat and hydrate, body measurements are a little more steady and may change more slowly.

We recommend taking circumference measurements once per week.

Keep the location of your measurements consistent from week to week by using body landmarks - such as measuring for “chest” at the nipples, “waist” at the belly button, and “hips” at the widest part of your butt.

Progress Photos

We recommend taking photos once per week, from the front, back and sides so you can see the changes happening in your body from different angles. If you’re strength training, progress photos might be the most accurate way to assess muscle gain and fat loss.

• Take your photos on the same day each week, first thing in the morning before exercising, eating or drinking

• Wear similar (or the same), minimal clothing, like a bathing suit or underwear

• Try to keep your photo location, lighting and angles consistent

• Selfies work with a large mirror, or try setting your camera on a counter or dresser and use the 3 or 10-second timer

Beyond the Numbers: Understanding Fluctuations & Tracking the Full Picture

Now you understand three key objective ways to measure body composition progress: bodyweight, progress photos, and circumference measurements. These are valuable tools when trying to change your body weight or composition, but they still don’t tell the whole story.

Let’s Talk About the Scale

Weight fluctuations from day to day are completely normal and they do not reflect your overall progress. That’s because your weight is influenced by far more than just fat loss or muscle gain. Some totally normal (and temporary!) factors that impact your scale weight include:

• You didn’t have a bowel movement yet.

• You ate later than usual or had a large volume of food (like a bunch of fibrous veggies).

• You had a salty meal or more sodium than usual.

• You had more carbs than usual (which pull water into your muscles and tissues).

• You’re dehydrated.

• You drank alcohol (which can dehydrate and bloat).

• You did a tough workout (hello inflammation and water retention).

• You’re feeling sick or under the weather.

• You started a new supplement (like creatine or even a protein powder that doesn’t sit well).

• You didn’t sleep well.

• You’re experiencing higher stress (hello cortisol, goodbye predictability).

• You’re on your period (fluctuations are super common).

• It’s hotter or more humid than usual (you’re sweating more or retaining water differently).

All of these factors can lead to scale weight fluctuations that have nothing to do with fat gain or fat loss. It’s just your body being your body.

A Better Way to Weigh In

Rather than focusing on a single weigh-in, we recommend zooming out and tracking your weekly average. Compare week-to-week averages to spot true progress and avoid being thrown off by a random fluctuation.

This is why WAG clients check in with their coaches just once per week, because that longer view gives a much clearer picture of what’s working (or not).

As you move forward:

• Keep tracking your weight if it serves you.

• Continue to record your other objective measures: photos, measurements, journal notes, etc.

And most importantly—if the scale starts to become a source of stress, it’s okay to step back from it. Focus on the many other markers of progress instead:

Remember: the number on the scale is not the whole story. You’re more than a data point and you’re doing great.

The Big Picture

Progress isn’t always linear, and it doesn’t always show up on the scale first. By setting meaningful goals and tracking multiple indicators, you get a more complete picture of how your body—and your habits—are evolving over time.

If you’re tired of second-guessing yourself and want a coach to help you set the right goals, stay accountable, and track your progress in a way that works for you, that’s exactly what we do at WAG. We’re ready when you are.

Learn More

Whether you’re a committed PSL fan or you’re curious about the new Pecan Oatmilk Cortado, these seasonal favorites are hard to resist. But if you’re tracking macros, it helps to know what’s in your cup before you order.

We’ve pulled together a nutrition breakdown for the most popular fall menu drinks so you can plan to enjoy them mindfully, or keep reading to see some easy swaps if you’re looking to save on calories, carbs and fat.

Starbucks Fall Menu Nutrition Breakdown

These numbers are based on a Grande (16oz) drink order.

Swaps for Macro-Friendly Drinks

Surprised by some of the numbers above? You don’t have to give up your favorites. Just tweak them a little:

• Size down: ordering a Tall (12oz) instead of Grande (16oz) can save 70-100 calories and 10-15g carbs.

• Ask how many pumps of syrup are in a typical drink and cut that in half to save 40-80 calories and 10-20g carbs.

• Choose almond or oat milk for dairy-free creaminess without as much fat as whole milk or cream.

A few WAG Coach-Approved Orders

Final Sip

You don’t have to choose between the nostalgia of cozy fall flavors and hitting your body composition and performance goals. You just need a little flexibility and the right tools.

That’s the heart of how we coach at Working Against Gravity: teaching you how to enjoy the foods (and drinks!) you love, while building consistency and long-term results.

Learn More About Coaching

Here’s a few of our best tips for navigating social events while in a calorie deficit (or, while chasing any nutrition-related goal, really!)

Plan Ahead, and Stay Flexible

If you know where you’re headed, plan for lighter, high-protein meals earlier in the day. This will free up calories for your event. Focusing on high-protein foods means more volume and eases the pressure to find quality protein options while you’re out. Aim to leave some flexibility for choices to ensure you are able to choose from a variety of foods.

Scout it Out

Many restaurants post their menus online and a good amount of them even share the nutrition info. Reviewing the menu ahead of time allows you to go into the event with a plan. Look for descriptions like grilled, baked, roasted and steamed as they represent lighter choices. Try to avoid words like fried, creamy or smothered.

Prioritize Protein

When we’re out and about it’s easy to fill up on bread baskets, chips, or sweets. Aim to start with protein. Protein helps keep us full and satisfied while also helping to slow the absorption of carbs. Look for items like chicken skewers, shrimp, steak, or beans.

Use the “One Plate” Rule

When there’s a buffet or potluck, commit to building one balanced plate instead of grazing endlessly. Do a visual sweep of everything that is offered before making your choices. Then, fill half with vegetables, a quarter with lean protein, and the last quarter with carbs or a treat you’re excited about.

Practice Mindful Indulgence

Reaching your body composition goals does not mean you have to say “no” to every higher calorie option. Aim to practice mindful indulgence. Choose what you’ll enjoy most, slow down while eating, and savor it. Often, a few bites of dessert or a small serving of something rich is enough to feel satisfied without feeling restricted.

Lean on Your Friends

If you’re with close friends or family, it’s okay to let them know about your goals. Most people respect honesty, and you might be surprised how supportive they are. Sometimes just saying, “I’m trying to be more mindful about my nutrition” can remove pressure to overeat. I’ve found over the years most people ask questions out of curiosity rather than judgement. Just sharing your goals and plans can go a long way.

Remove Food From Center Stage

Remember, social settings aren’t only about eating. Focus on the people you’re with and do your best to remove food from the center of attention. Focusing on connection vs the meal can help refrain our mindset around the event.

Ditch the All or Nothing Mindset

One healthy meal doesn’t make someone reach their body composition goals, the same way one “off” meal won’t break your progress. After years of coaching we know what matters most is your consistency over weeks and months. If the day doesn’t go as planned, that’s okay. Wake up and start fresh the next day. There’s no need to reduce calories or increase exercise, simply get back to your normal routine.

The Bottom Line

Life is meant to be celebrated, social events don’t have to derail your goals, and should be something we look forward to. With a little planning and a balanced mindset, you can enjoy food, connect with others, and still stay on track with your nutrition goals. Clients who can manage their nutrition in various environments are the ones who sustain their progress long term. The more you practice, the easier it gets!

While there’s nothing wrong with thinking big when it comes to your health and nutrition, thinking too big can backfire. The bigger the goal, the harder it can be to recognize the smaller wins happening while you’re on the right track. If your goal is realistically going to take months or years to achieve, how will you even know if you’re moving the right direction?

The answer: set goals you can actually measure, and give yourself credit for the progress happening along the way. Let’s dive in.

Quick Tips for Nutrition Goal Setting

Think big, then go small.

Set your long-term goals (think five to ten years out) and then trickle them back. Draw direct parallels between where you want to be and what stepping stone achievements you’ll need to knock out along the way. Our goal-setting guide will help you set long-term health and nutrition goals and determine actionable, daily steps to get there.

Let Go of Judgement

Reflecting on your actions is not about judgment. If a tough situation gets the better of you, think of it as a chance to learn for next time. Identifying actions or mindsets you want to employ in a similar future situation can help you head into it with more confidence.

Celebrate Your Successes

People have an unfortunate tendency to minimize their accomplishments. Give yourself permission to be excited about hitting a new milestone, even if it’s ‘only’ half a pound or being able to pass on the second glass of wine confidently. The small wins add up and bring you closer to achieving long-term goals.

When you’re confident with how you handled an obstacle, identify what went well so you can double down on those positive actions or mindsets.

How to Track Progress With Your Nutrition and Health

Set Measurable Goals

Your goals need to be ‘check-off-able.” In other (real) words, you need to be able to look at your short-term, daily goals and be able to clearly say, “Yes, I did that” or “No, I didn’t.”. Want to drink more water? How many ounces per day? Want to work out more? How many times per week?

Track Weight Loss and Body Measurements Correctly

Weight loss is not linear, and believing it to be is the fastest way to get frustrated and give up. Accurately measuring your weight loss, body measurements, and body composition change ensures that you have all the information you need when determining if your program is working and when it needs to change.

Take Your Time

Seeing results takes time. Make sure you have clear, realistic expectations regarding how quickly you’ll see progress—this also helps limit frustration and keeps you moving towards your goals. How long it will take you to reach your health goals is extremely individualized, and a 1-on-1 nutrition coach can help you hone in on what to expect based on your body, preferences, and so much more.

Write it Down

Since behavior shifts are less cut and dry than losing a specific amount of weight, keep an ongoing journal to assess and reflect. This could be as simple as sitting down each night to write out a few things you did that day that worked well and a few things you want to handle differently the next day. Wondering how to track progress without the scale? Here’s how!

Work With a Coach

WAG Coaches have years of experience helping our clients set goals in the nutrition, fitness, and health space. Your coach will help you identify your long-term goals and provide actionable stepping stones to get there. Along the way, they’ll provide the accountability and program changes needed to keep you moving, learning, and creating sustainable progress.

Learn More

You’re already walking the walk — we’ve thrown together a little dictionary you can use to talk to talk.

Accuracy (n.)

When “close enough” doesn’t cut it. Real deal tracking that delivers results.

“I switched from tablespoon measurements to using a food scale. My accuracy leveled up fast.”

Ambivalence (n.)

The coexistence of conflicting feelings towards a situation or goal, AKA when your goals and your social life start arguing.

“I’m feeling some ambivalence about my goal this week. I want to stay on track and I want to go to happy hour with my friends.”

Behavior Change (n.)

Focusing on the activities and actions that lead to a shift in habits.

“The biggest behavior change that has kept me successful in my journey has been waking up earlier to eat a solid breakfast before work.”

Compliance (n.)

Sticking to the plan. Doing what you said you’d do even when no one’s watching.

“My compliance was solid this week. Progress is boring and that’s fine.”

Consistency (n.)

Showing up, day in and day out. The secret nobody wants to hear because it’s not sexy.

“My goal to be consistent keeps me going when motivation runs out.”

Deficit (n.)

Eating less calories than you burn. The land of hunger and progress (when done right).

“I’m back in a small calorie deficit — emphasis on small, I’m not that crazy.”

Estimation (n.)

When your scale’s at home and you’re eyeballing portion sizes like a pro.

“I put my estimation skills to good use when I went out to dinner last night.”

Expectation Management (n.)

Being honest with yourself. Adjusting your expectations to match your effort.

“I’m not in a deficit, so no, I’m not expecting fat loss this week. Expectation management: achieved.”

Flexibility (n.)

The entire point. Eat what you like, hit your goals, skip the guilt.

“Flexible dieting means I can enjoy dessert without having an identity crisis.”

Intermittent Fasting (IF)(n.)

An eating pattern that alternates between periods of fasting and eating. Supports calorie control and insulin sensitivity for some people.

“I’m not skipping breakfast, I’m biohacking”

High Volume (adj.)

Foods that fill you up without burning through your macros. Generally higher in fiber and can be used to utilize hunger.

“Wow, these blueberries are so high volume; I can eat 100 g for only 15 carbs!”

IIFYM (abbr.) — If It Fits Your Macros

The OG flexible dieting motto. Forever true, but please eat your veggies.

Intuitive Eating (v.)

A non-diet approach to eating, focused on listening to hunger and fullness cues instead of counting or restricting.

“According to my body, I need pizza.”

Keto (n.)

A very low-carb, high-fat diet that puts the body into ketosis, where fat becomes the primary fuel source. Usually means fewer than 50g of carbs per day.

“I’d love to come to lunch Do you know if they serve butter?”

Logging (v.)

Tracking your food intake to collect data and hit your targets.

“Logging isn’t obsessive; it’s information gathering.”

Long-term Goal (n.)

Desired results or achievements set in the future, accompanied by short-term strategies to achieve them. The “why” behind all the tracking, prep, and eye rolls.

“My long-term goal is to lose 20 pounds and keep it off. This requires consistency from me today.”

Macrofice (n.)

That one meal that blows your macros but was absolutely worth it.

“This burrito was a macrofice and I have zero regrets.”

Macro-dense (adj.)

Foods that have more macronutrients (usually carbs and fats) per volume. Tiny portion, big macro hit.

“Peanut butter: small spoon, big consequences.”

Macro-fatigue (n.)

When you’re over tracking, but not over your goals.

“Macro fatigue hit me hard. Taking a week to track loosely and reset.”

Macro-friendly (adj.)

Food that doesn’t torch your daily budget. Generally lower in carbs and/or fat.

“These protein waffles are macro-friendly and mildly depressing, but they work.”

Macro-hoarding (v.)

Saving macros for a “special meal.” Usually ends in chaos and should not be a habit.

“Macro-hoarded all day for the cookout… now I’m bloated and confused. Lesson learned.”

Macro Off-Roading (n.)

When your plan and reality part ways.

“That wedding buffet sent me macro off-roading. We recover, we move on.”

Macro Tetris (n.)

The nightly puzzle of making your macros fit. Weird combos encouraged.

“One egg white, 8 grams of shredded cheese, and a single grape - perfect Macro Tetris achieved.”

Maintenance (n.)

The grown-up phase of nutrition. Not cutting, not bulking, just living. Calories in and calories out are relatively even.

“Maintenance is boring but underrated. It’s where you actually build confidence.”

Meal Prep (v.)

Future-you insurance. Any food prep you do in advance to make your life easier.

“I meal prep because my decisions get worse as the week goes on.”

Non-scale Victory (n.)

Progress that doesn’t involve the scale.

“I finally hit my protein every day this week. Massive NSV.”

Placebo Entry (n.)

A pre-logged meal that hasn’t been eaten yet, utilized so you can plan ahead.

“Placebo entry for chocolate after dinner — now I can build around it.”

Plant-Based (adj.)

A diet centered on foods from plants: vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds. Can fall on a spectrum, from fully vegan to including some animal products in moderation.

“Yes, I get enough protein. Do you?”

Process Goal (n.)

The strategies that get you to your outcome, connecting your day-to-day actions to your long-term goal.

“Process goal: prep breakfast the night before so my day isn’t ruined before it even starts.”

Protein Flex (v.)

Casually dropping your protein number into conversation.

“Yeah, I eat 150 grams of protein most days, it’s not that hard.”

Refeed (n.)

A strategically higher-carb day that keeps your metabolism (and soul) happy.

“Friday refeed, sushi night. Coach’s orders.”

Reverse Diet (n.)

Gradually increasing calories after a cut. The real glow-up phase.

“I’m reverse dieting, so I’m less hungry and somehow still lean… wild but I’ll take it.”

Scale Victory (n.)

The rare moment the number actually moves how you predicted it would.

“Scale victory today. Not the point, but still satisfying.”

Self-efficacy (n.)

The confidence that you can do it, because you’ve proven yourself to be capable.

“Tracked through the weekend even though it was busy. Good reminder that I know how to stay consistent when I try.”

Snackcident (n.)

When “just a bite” becomes a serving (or two). Common with Costco-sized purchases.

“Had a little snackcident with the trail mix, I really need to buy the single-serving bags next time.”

Sustainability (n.)

The measure of whether you’ll still be doing this in six months.

“If it’s not sustainable, it won’t be successful.”

Surplus (n.)

Calories in > calories out. The gain train, population: you.

“In a surplus and living my best life. Don’t ask me about the scale.”

Tag-along Macros (n.)

The sneaky macros hiding in “pure” foods.

“I’m disappointed to learn that this chicken breast still has two grams of tag-along fat.”

TeamWAG (n.)

A group of people who get it and support one another in reaching their goals.

“Joining TeamWAG was the best decision I ever made!”

Tracking (v.)

Paying attention. That’s it.

“Tracking isn’t forever, but it’s how you learn and make tangible improvements.”

Tradeoff (n.)

Choosing one thing over another intentionally.

“I’ll have dessert tonight instead of wine. Tradeoff accepted.”

Untracked Territory (n.)

Living life off the app without spiraling.

“Exploring untracked territory on weekends. Feels good.”

Verified Entry (n.)

A food option in My Fitness Pal that has been verified by the company as correct.

“I opt for a verified entry whenever possible for optimal accuracy.”

WTF (abbr.) — Where’s The Fiber

A helpful question when your day is 180g protein and 5g fiber.

“WTF moment when I realized I hadn’t eaten a vegetable in two days.”

Those are just some of the many words we use to communicate on a daily basis. Don’t worry, the more you read and hear them, the easier they will be to remember! Did we miss any? Let us know!

At WAG, we don’t just throw around buzzwords — we teach you how to actually use these concepts to reach your goals.

Learn More

The five tips below will help you create a fall schedule that minimizes stress, keeps you present, and allows you to prioritize your goals and your health—even when you’re pulled in a million different directions.

1. Prepare and Prioritize

In the absence of a plan, you welcome unnecessary temptation, stress, and anxiety into your daily life.

Determine the top few things you need to get done each day and schedule them into your routine—using the calendar on your phone, a planner, or a good old-fashioned refrigerator list will help you stay organized. From there, you can identify a few tasks that it would be nice to finish but don’t make your top priority list.

Life likes to throw curveballs, so hold yourself accountable to your to-do’s without setting unrealistic expectations or standards. Learning to compromise and being okay with things not always going to plan is as important as the plan itself.

2. Manage Your Time Wisely

Time management is of the utmost importance when you have a full fall schedule. Sadly, the things you need most to remain on top of your game are the things that end up ignored or pushed to the side when you’re feeling crunched for time.

If you don’t allow yourself adequate time to sleep, exercise, fuel appropriately, and relax, you leave your body with less energy to tackle your tasks. Deprioritizing your health impacts your mood, motivation, and ability to get sh*t done.

How to plan around your self-care:

• Sleep: Aim for 7-8 hours (minimum!) per night. Then, work backward from when you need to wake up. Set an alarm to remind yourself when to start winding down for the night, and ensure you’re in bed for more than 7-8 hours to allow yourself time to fall asleep.

• Personal time: Set aside time for yourself each day—even if it is just five minutes. Obviously, the more, the better, but setting low expectations here will help ensure you stick with it and feel proud of your efforts. Try going for a short walk, getting some stretching in, or committing to a morning or nighttime gratitude journal.

• Nutrition: Meal prep is an excellent way to ensure you get adequate nutrients in your day (read: lots of protein and veggies!) without spending too much time cooking when you’re busy. Meal prep can look a million different ways, and a WAG coach can help you nail down what routine works best for you, your goals, and your schedule.

• Exercise: If you have limited time, allocate your time to the training you love the most. This will ensure you never skip it. And, remember, something is almost always better than nothing. If a work meeting runs late and gets in the way of your usual gym time, commit to completing something at home with the time you have.

3. Create Routines

Before your new busy schedule hits, take the time to create appropriate and effective routines for your day, which include your daily activities such as meal prep, training, personal errands, and relaxation time.

Solid routines are a game-changer when time constraints are tight, as they allow you to work on automatic, reduce stress, and increase efficiency. If you feel there is a faster way to do something, there usually is.

When creating your routine, identify your most productive periods and schedule the tasks that require the most mental or physical output for those times of the day. The more time you gain by being efficient, the greater time you have to play, relax, and spend time with the people you love!

Try building your schedule around these routines:

• Morning Routine (ex: drinking water, reading, stretching, keeping your phone away)

• Bedtime Routine (ex: brushing your teeth, washing your face, journaling)

• Training Routine (ex: training at the same time each day)

• Work Routine (ex: planning other activities around meetings and to-dos)

4. Outsource

Everyone needs a little help now and then, and we encourage you to ask for it if and when you need it. These don’t have to be all-year-long financial commitments, but when you have a busy few months coming up, it can be helpful to hire some support.

Here are a few things to try:

• Meals & Nutrition: A meal prep service will save you tons of time when you’re in a scheduling pinch. And, offloading nutrition decisions to a coach can free up mental space.

• Cleaning: Choose the things you don’t mind and outsource the rest. Ask yourself, “What is my time worth” and if you need to hire someone to help with some fall cleaning, do it!

• Grocery Shopping: Do your grocery shopping online and have it delivered to your work or home. You can also do a car-side pickup if that is more convenient.

• Exercise: If you spend tons of time driving to and from the gym or have to bend over backward to make class times work, try training from home. A treadmill, bike, or rower paired with home gym equipment like kettlebells or dumbbells can provide a solid sweat sesh with less stress on your busy schedule. If you need a little accountability, hire a personal trainer to come to you!

5. Be Patient and Positive

Set realistic expectations of yourself and understand that there is only one of you. When you place unrealistic demands on yourself, you set yourself up for frustration and disappointment. Start small, commit to things that feel “too easy” initially, and build from there.

It takes time and practice to get into a routine that actually works, and you may not nail it the first time. Use each day as a learning experience and an opportunity to pinpoint what is working and what isn’t.

If you want some support keeping fall as stress-free as possible, hire a WAG nutrition coach. Not only will we support your body composition and performance goals with a personalized nutrition plan, but we’re also masters in accountability and routine building.

We’ll help you head into fall with a support system in your corner, so you spend less time thinking about food and more time thinking about the people and things you love.

Get a Coach

When progress isn’t as fast as you’d like, it’s tempting to jump ship. It makes sense—at least then you’d be doing something about it.

We love the idea of progress being linear: every week the scale trends down, muscle mass goes up, and body composition shifts predictably. But in reality? Progress is rarely a straight line. Weight fluctuates, measurements bounce around, and sometimes your body just needs more time to catch up.

So, how can you know if a macro adjustment is needed? Adjusting things too quickly can backfire, while waiting too long can stall your progress. Let’s get into it.

Questions to Ask Yourself Before Considering a Macro Adjustment

1. Am I giving it enough time?

Progress is rarely linear. The scale may go up one week and down the next, even if your nutrition has been consistent. This doesn’t mean your macros aren’t working. It may just mean your body hasn’t fully caught up yet.

Think about everything that can affect your weight in the short term: water retention, soreness from a tough workout, higher sodium intake, hormones, or even a stressful work week. These things can easily mask fat loss or muscle gain.

Rule of thumb: Give your body at least 2 full weeks (sometimes longer) before deciding that a change is needed. One week of flat or fluctuating results is not a failure—it’s data.

2. Am I consistent and accurate?

Changing macros without consistency is like fixing a recipe before you’ve followed it exactly. You won’t know what’s truly working.

Ask yourself:

• Am I logging all food daily?

• Am I weighing food in grams, or relying on scoops and tablespoons?

• Am I hitting my targets within ±5g for carbs and protein, ±3g for fats most days?

If the answer is “not yet,” the solution isn’t new macros—it’s tightening accuracy. That way, you’ll have clean data that actually tells you whether your current numbers are effective.

Pro tip: Peanut butter and oils are classic culprits here. A tablespoon “scoop” can easily be twice the portion you think it is. A food scale will show you exactly what you’re consuming.

3. Are lifestyle factors interfering?

Sometimes the problem isn’t the numbers.

• Sleep: Inconsistent or poor sleep elevates cortisol, which encourages water retention and messes with hunger cues.

• Stress: Chronic stress can mask fat loss on the scale and make recovery feel harder.

• Training & recovery: Muscle soreness, dehydration, and intense training sessions can all cause temporary shifts in weight.

If these pieces aren’t in check, changing macros won’t solve the problem.

4. Am I struggling with compliance?

Even the “perfect” set of macros won’t work if you can’t stick with them.

Ask yourself:

• Am I rewarding myself with extra untracked calories after a hard workout, or am I truly hungry and need more fuel?

• Am I force feeding myself at the end of the day just to hit the numbers?

• Am I just giving up out of frustration, or because these numbers truly aren’t realistic?

Sometimes, a change is warranted to make your plan more livable. Shifting just 10–15g of carbs or 3–5g of fat can make hitting targets smoother, without derailing progress.

Remember: the best plan isn’t the one that looks perfect on paper, it’s the one you can follow consistently, long-term.

Guidelines for Macro Adjustments

If you’ve determined the numbers need adjusting, start by taking a look at your total calorie number and decided how big of a change is warranted:

• Calculate average weight change from week-to-week

• Calculate shifts in body measurements

• Look for changes in body composition using your weekly pictures

• Consider changes in performance, mood metrics and other measures of progress:

From here, check out this chart to determine your calorie shift:

Then, adjust your macros as needed.

Adjusting Protein

Your protein target is initially set based on your body weight and training style. Typically, this macro will not need much adjustment (at least for the first few weeks of your program). However, if you are really struggling to reach your protein target, you may consider adjusting slightly it so that it’s easier for you to hit.

Adjusting Carbs

Carbohydrates are the macronutrient with the most “leeway” for adjustment. However, for people participating in regular exercise carbohydrates are a great source of energy. For example, if you’re feeling lethargic or tired, it may be beneficial to increase carbs.

Generally, if you’re looking to increase your caloric deficit for fat loss, you should first adjust carbohydrates (before fat or protein). Typical carbohydrate adjustments are made by adding or reducing 10-30g of carbohydrates—individuals that are smaller/leaner should make adjustments closer to 10g and those who are larger/have higher body fat % can adjust closer to 30g.

Adjusting Fats

There are several reasons why you might adjust your fats. For example, if you feel consistently very hungry, you might consider adding fats (because they are often more satiating than carbohydrates).

Or, if you want to increase your caloric deficit, you might reduce fats a little. You might also adjust fats if you want to maintain a particular macronutrient ratio. A minimum of 20-35 percent of your calories should come from fats. For women, keeping this percentage at or above 25% is recommended.

Don’t forget to take psychology and compliance into account. If you are struggling to stay within +/- 3 grams of fat each day or missing certain higher-fat foods, you may want to adjust fats accordingly. A typical reduction in fats could be 2-5 grams in a given week.

The hard part about making self-adjustments...

We’re going to be honest here: it’s really hard to make objective decisions for yourself when setting macros. It’s easy to over-think it and even easier to fall into the trap of allocating macros based on what you feel like eating—not what your goals need. Be honest with yourself.

How much weight should you expect to lose?

If you’re using a moderate caloric deficit, losing 0.5-1% of your body weight per week (in terms of true fat loss) is a realistic expectation.

So if you’re 160 pounds, for example, this could look like 0.8-1.6 pounds per week (depending on your body fat percentage, more on this below).

Larger individuals will often lose fat at a higher rate. Also, keep in mind that if you are currently quite lean and aiming to become even leaner, your rate of fat loss will likely be on the slower end because you do not have much body fat to lose. In addition, men typically lose weight quicker than women.

Although losing 0.5-1% of your body weight per week might not seem like much, keep in mind that a slower, steady stream of fat loss is likely to be much more sustainable, long-term, than losing weight rapidly.

The goal is to find a plan you can follow consistently over a long period of time.

The Bottom Line

Changing macros can feel exciting, like you’re “doing something.” But in reality, the smartest move is often holding steady.

Before making any adjustments, ask:

• Have I given it enough time?

• Am I consistent and accurate?

• Are lifestyle factors interfering?

• Is compliance the real issue?

If you can answer “yes” to all of the above and progress is still stalled, then it may be time for a small, intentional macro adjustment. But remember: more change isn’t always better. Sometimes the best plan is to keep going exactly as you are.

👉 Need help figuring out if your macros should change?

It’s tough to make objective calls about your own nutrition—especially when progress feels slow. That’s where 1:1 coaching can help. With personalized guidance, you’ll know exactly when to stay the course, when to make a shift, and how to keep moving toward your goals without all the second-guessing.

We live in a fast-paced, better-keep-up, stressed-out world. Stress is an almost unavoidable part of our lives. Some stress is definitely good.. the kind that pushes you to reach a deadline or helps you reach peak performance during a competition.

However, whether it’s due to work pressures, personal challenges, or global events, the effects of stress can take a toll on your mental and physical health. It can manifest in many different ways, like anxiety or depression, inflammation, or joint pain. Chronic or long-term stress can not only affect your mental state, but it can also contribute to a variety of illnesses, including heart disease, high blood pressure, and weakened immune function, all impacting overall well-being.

The good news? Effective stress management techniques can help mitigate these effects, allowing you to feel calmer, happier, and live a healthier, more balanced life.

6 Tips for Managing Your Stress

Let’s explore a few meaningful strategies to help reduce your stress load and increase your quality of life, from understanding and recognizing your stress to specific actions to help ease your burdens.

1. Assess to Destress

Understanding the sources of stress in your life is the first step to managing it effectively. List what stressors are affecting you in the following categories:

• Physical (injury, illness, poor sleep, etc.)

• Mental (overwork, decision fatigue, chasing perfection, etc.)

• Emotional Stress (grief, anger, guilt, fear, etc.)

• Social (relationships, loneliness, lack of community, etc.)

• Environmental (pollution, noise, violence, etc.)

• Existential (feeling hopeless, despair, lack of fulfillment or meaning, etc.)

Determine which areas contribute to your highest stressors, then identify which factors are within your control and which aren’t. For example, you can’t control other people’s actions but you can control how you set boundaries on your time and space.

Focus your energy on addressing the stressors directly within your control, including your mindset and emotional responses to things outside your control.

2. Move, Move, Move

Daily movement and exercise are beneficial for physical health and play a crucial role in managing stress. Regular exercise releases endorphins and stimulates serotonin production, boosting your mood and reducing stress levels by promoting more stable emotions.

Serotonin is known as the “feel good” chemical and supports reduced anxiety and depression. This neurotransmitter can help you look on the “brighter side” of things and remain calm in emotionally charged situations. Movement also stimulates efficient digestion, which is crucial for optimal serotonin release.

Getting at least 20-30 minutes of intentional movement each day can be beneficial, whether walking, engaging in intense exercise, or just doing chores around the house. This doesn’t even have to be all at once—break it up into five- or ten-minute chunks. Take a mental break from work every few hours and walk around your office or neighborhood. Moving more throughout the day can help boost your mood and spirit.

3. Find Moments for Mindfulness

Relax your mind by incorporating mindfulness moments into your daily routine. These are short activities or practices to cultivate a sense of calm and rest when you feel overwhelmed. And it can be whatever you find enjoyable! Whether it’s through meditation, stretching, reading, or journaling, taking a five-minute break to focus on the present moment can profoundly impact managing your stress levels and inducing calm.

Make a list of activities you enjoy and keep it handy and accessible next time you need a break. When you’re ready for a mindful moment, scan your list, pick the activity that resonates with you at that time, and go for it! If you need to return to work or the activity you were doing previously, set a timer and give yourself grace and space to enjoy the moment.

4. Level Up Your Nutrition

Your brain needs fuel to function well. And the fuel it gets comes directly from the food you eat. Filling your plate with high-quality, nutrient-dense foods helps you get the array of vitamins and minerals you need to support cognitive function and mental health.

Eating a balanced diet rich in fresh fruits, vegetables, and lean proteins gives your body the nutrients it needs to reduce internal oxidative stress and cope with mental stress effectively. Pay attention to your macros and incorporate foods high in antioxidants that support digestive health. Limit highly processed foods and added sugars to reduce inflammation and promote overall well-being.

5. Get Adequate Sleep

This one may be a no-brainer, yet so many people struggle to get quality sleep and enough of it. Sleep is crucial for mental recovery and detoxification in your body. Prioritizing sleep as part of your stress management strategy can be super powerful. Figure out how much sleep you need (we recommend starting with 7-9 hours each night), and set up a sleep schedule to get to bed on time. A consistent sleep routine can help promote quality sleep so you wake up rested.

Use some of these tips to help promote better sleep:

• Take a warm bath or shower.

• Use blackout curtains or a sleep mask to ensure darkness.

• Turn off electronic devices 30 minutes to one hour before bed.

• Clear out and declutter your space.

• Stretch or meditate.

• Brain dump or journal – get everything out of your mind onto paper.

• Check the thermostat and keep your room comfortably cool.

• Use a fan or white noise machine to help drown out external sounds.

Get even more in-depth tips here!

6. Seek Support

Finally, remember that you don’t have to navigate stress alone. If you’re feeling overwhelmed and stuck, don’t hesitate to seek support from a trusted ally or a qualified mental health professional. There’s no shame in asking for help; knowing you’re not alone is important.

If you feel comfortable opening up, you’ll likely find that your closest friends struggle with some of the same feelings you do. Reaching out for support and having a safe space to share can make a world of difference in managing stress effectively.

Final Thoughts about Effective Stress Management

Managing stress is a journey, not a destination. Because stressors are present daily, effective stress management is essential for maintaining mental and physical well-being in today’s hectic world. You can proactively combat stress and promote health and happiness by incorporating strategies of listing and addressing your stressors, moving more, being mindful, supporting nutrition and sleep, and seeking support when appropriate. Remember to be patient with yourself and celebrate small wins throughout your journey.

If you’re ready to take control of your stress and prioritize your well-being, consider taking WAG’s 21-Day Nutrition Challenge. It's designed to give you personalized structure and support to help you reach your health and wellness goals.

Take the Challenge