Don't be a grumpy hangry monster

Achieving your fitness goals boils down to balancing your energy bank—the calories you consume versus the calories you burn. Let's create your roadmap to success, be it burning fat, building lean muscle, or simply maintaining your hard-earned progress.

If your goal is fat loss—a calorie deficit is the name of the game. But, it's a careful balance. Aim for a deficit that gently nudges your body to tap into that stored fat, but not so extreme that you feel like a grumbling, shaky, hangry mess.

The trick? Multiply your current body weight by 12. That's your daily calorie goal. Remember, slow and steady wins the race. How you lose the weight is how you keep it off. So crash diets and fad diets may work for a time, but what happens when you can’t keep up with it anymore? You’ll more than likely gain the weight back. Instead, healthy and sustainable fat loss happens at about a pound per week.

Having a coach handy to fine-tune your calorie intake, based on your lifestyle and activity level, is a life hack to consider.

Once you hit that sweet spot—your goal weight—you shift gears to maintenance mode. Your new magical number? Take your new weight and multiply it by 14. That's your daily maintenance calorie goal.

My recommendation for tracking is to use an app that will allow you to easily track your food intake. It should allow you to customize your calories and macros, have a large bank of food options, and include a barcode scanner for easier tracking. The 1st Phorm App and My Fitness Pal are two of the most popular fitness apps available, but I encourage you to find one that fits your needs and lifestyle.