Track what you eat now
Before changing anything, see where you actually stand.
Log a full normal day of eating (2+ days if your routine varies) in a tracking app. This tells you if you're currently over- or under-eating.
- Use MyFitnessPal (web) or the iPhone app — the walkthrough below uses it.
- Prefer something else? Cronometer, Lose It!, MacroFactor, and FatSecret all do the same job — any tracker that lets you set custom calorie and macro goals works.
- Don't guess a food's macros — most foods are a mix of protein, carbs, and fat. Log it and learn.
Calculate your TDEE
TDEE = Total Daily Energy Expenditure — what you burn in a day.
Open the calculator and enter your stats. If you mostly work at a desk, pick Sedentary for activity level. Write down your TDEE number.
Open the TDEE Calculator →Pick your calorie goal
To lose weight, you need a calorie deficit.
In the Calorie goal section of the tool, choose one of the two loss targets:
- 0.5 lb / week — gentler, easier to stick to (−250 kcal/day)
- 1 lb / week — faster (−500 kcal/day)
Write down your daily calorie target.
Think of this number as a starting point, not a promise. Real weight loss is often a little slower than the math predicts, so give it a few weeks and adjust if the scale isn't moving.
Set your protein target
If you track only one number, make it protein.
Protein protects muscle while you lose fat, keeps you full, and burns the most calories to digest — about 20–30% of its calories are spent on digestion, vs. 5–10% for carbs and 0–3% for fat. In the tool, set your protein target first.
Aim to get it from whole-food sources like meat, eggs, dairy, fish, and beans. Whey protein powder counts too and is an easy way to top up. Protein bars and collagen are less useful — bars are often closer to candy with added sugar and fat, and collagen is missing key amino acids your muscles need.
Whey vs. casein — what's the difference?
Both come from milk, but they digest at different speeds:
- Whey digests fast (~30–60 min) for a quick amino-acid boost. Great after a workout or anytime you want a fast, filling protein hit.
- Casein digests slowly (up to ~6–7 hours), feeding your muscles steadily. Handy before bed or to stay full between meals.
For most people whey is the simplest default. Casein is a nice extra, not a must-have.
Adjust your macro split
Fill in the rest of your calories with carbs and fat.
Start with the low-carb preset, then nudge the carb and fat sliders to a balance you enjoy and can sustain. Keep your protein where you set it in Step 4.
Now you have your daily targets — track against them in MyFitnessPal each day.
How to use MyFitnessPal
A quick visual tour of your daily tracking tool — press play on each step.
Create a free account →clip-1.mp4
expected in mfp-screens
Good to know
A few things that make the whole process click.