How to set your calories, carbs and fats
Your calorie target is built from your body and your week, not a chart. Protein, carbs and fats then divide it up. Here is the order I set them in, and what I change when progress stalls.
Calories are the energy in food. Your body either uses them or stores them as fat. That is the whole of it, and every number below is built on top of it.
Start with what you burn
Find out how many calories you burn in a day and eat below that number. To gain muscle, eat above it. Losing or maintaining weight comes down to a balancing act.
Two numbers decide it. What your body burns at rest, and what your activity adds on an average day. The free hour is where we work both of those out.
Then split it into three
Your body needs all three macronutrients every single day to function properly. Cutting one out does not speed anything up. The order I set them in is calories, then protein, then carbs around your session, then fats.
Protein leads because it is the building block for skin, hair and nails, and it is essential for recovery after a workout. Carbs and fats then fill what is left of your total, and neither one gets zeroed out.
Not all carbs are bad
Carbohydrates are your body's primary fuel source. They release energy quickly, which is what most muscular contractions run on. If your carb stores are low, exercise starts to feel like a real grind.
When a client reads that grind as being out of shape, I look at the fuel before I change the program. Low fuel and low fitness do not feel very different from the inside.
Where carbs go in your day
Quick carbs are for energy you are about to spend. Leave it unspent and it goes to storage. The slower kind releases over hours and is far less likely to end up as fat.
So the quick kind belongs near your session, and the slow kind carries the rest of your day. A 6 AM client and a 7 PM client do not put their carbs in the same place.
Which fats, and the cholesterol question
Omega-3 fatty acids are in salmon, mackerel and herring, plus almonds, avocados and peanuts. Unsaturated fats can lower total cholesterol and LDL when they replace less healthy fats. Saturated and trans fats go the other way.
The consultation asks about chronic conditions, cholesterol among them, before I write a single number. So choosing the right kinds matters more here than cutting the total, and moderation does the rest.
Your trainer
I am Brad Glaser. I own the studio and train every client myself. Five certifications: NASM CPT and Master Trainer, NASM-CES, NASM-PES, NCSF and PFIT, plus a current CPR card.
Those NASM credentials are what the nutrition side runs on. There is no separate nutrition certification. I train on the NASM OPT model, starting from the basics and advancing as you adapt.
Protein, and the training that uses it
A calorie target on its own will take muscle with the fat. Weekly resistance work is what spends the protein you eat, so the weight that comes off is the weight you wanted gone.
A posture and movement check is part of the free hour. If the overhead squat shows your low back arching, the gluteus maximus and hamstrings are probably the weak ones. Low back pain is the issue associated with that pattern.
What to track, and what to ignore
A food journal is a record, not a report card. You are not weighing lettuce. You are finding out whether your week matches the number we set, because guessing is what fails.
Your numbers do not stay in a notebook at the studio. VeraForma Premium holds your personalized target between sessions, and every studio plan includes it, a $29.99 per month value.
What the free hour asks
The consultation puts your activity level on a ladder. Sedentary means little or no exercise. Lightly active is one to three days a week. Extremely active means a physical job plus training.
Two more set the pace. What is your primary goal? When would you like to start seeing results, and why? Medication and any chronic condition come up too. If you have a condition, get cleared by your own doctor first.
When the numbers should change
A target is a starting point, not a verdict. When the week stops moving we change what you eat or what you burn. The $197 Monthly Check-In is one private visit a month for exactly that.
So we change one number at a time and watch what your week does with it. A target you keep beats a stricter one you quit by Thursday. Individual results vary.
Questions
How do I find my calories?
Start with what your body burns at rest, then add what your day actually costs you. Eat below that total for fat loss, above it for muscle gain.
Do I have to cut carbs?
No. They are your body's primary fuel source. The question is placement, not whether: quick carbs near your session, slower ones through the rest of the day.
Should I eat less fat?
Choose better fat rather than less. Unsaturated fats and omega-3 fatty acids go in. Saturated and trans fats, which raise total and LDL cholesterol, come down. Moderation does the rest.
Do you count macros for me?
Yes, as part of your plan. Calories set the total. Protein covers recovery, simple carbs sit around your session, and fats fill the rest in moderation. Individual results vary.
Where do I start with this?
Book the free session. It costs nothing, takes an hour, and no card is required at booking. Bring a typical day of eating and we will set your numbers from it.
Book your free session
The studio is at 17165 Von Karman Ave, Suite 103, Irvine, CA 92614. Hours are Monday to Friday, 6 AM to 8 PM. Closed Saturday and Sunday.
Call (949) 574-4755 or book online. The form takes your name, email and phone, and Brad will call you within 1 business day to book a time.
