If your goal is to stay “fit and healthy”, which is better: Tracking your weight, or tracking your caloric intake?
Let’s compare 2 groups. Both of them want to maximize their muscle mass while either maintaining, reducing or increasing their weight (based on their current and target physique). We will assume that all factors (adherence, workouts, quality of nutrition) apart from the ones mentioned below are the same between these two groups.
Group A: Tracking Calories
Given their specific goals, each individual has calculated their target caloric intake, probably with targets for certain macros as well. They check their weight every few weeks to correct for factors like NEAT etc. So if their weight is above/below their target, despite adhering to the calculated caloric intake, they increase/decrease it and check again after a while.
Group B: Tracking Weight
Given their specific goals, each individual has calculated their target weight for any given day. This group sticks to “intuitive eating” (estimating the correct amount of food) which is finetuned by tracking their weight. If they are above their target weight for a few days in a row, they know they need to reduce their intake a bit, and vice versa. Macros are accounted for by following a specific meal plan tailored to their macros.
Which group is more likely to reach their goals? So maximize their muscle mass while either maintaining, reducing or increasing their weight based on their current and target physique.
From what I can tell, if we assume that both groups manage to stick to this process, there’s hardly any difference between them, apart from one factor:
So at the end of the day, the comparison of these groups should boil down to the question: Is there any significant benefit to reducing daily fluctuations in caloric intake when trying to maximize muscle mass? Or am I missing something here?
>Is there any significant benefit to reducing daily fluctuations in caloric intake when trying to maximize muscle mass?
Just get a reasonable amount of protein mostly-daily (not too low, not obscenely high) and you’re good.
You’ve got a lot going on in your question(s). I’ll try to give you some relevant information.
Tracking daily weight is not ideal for any goal. Water levels in the body are rarely the same from day to day. Weight (not necessarily fat or muscle) will fluctuate daily as a result. Trying to “correct” that will be chasing your tail.
Also, you might try just starting to exercise before asking all these questions. The questions you are asking seem more academic, as if you have little experience working out. I think you’ll be able to form a more concise question when you can stick with an exercise regimen. That was a detail you glossed over, but it’s not easy. I mean this in the best way.