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Nutrition Basics and Advice: A Beginner’s Guide

Nutrition can feel overwhelming when you’re just starting out, but it doesn’t have to be. Let’s break down common questions into actionable steps to help you build a solid foundation.

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What Macros Should I Be Shooting For?

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\nMacronutrients—protein, fats, and carbohydrates—are the building blocks of your diet. The “ideal” macro split depends on your goals (e.g., weight loss, muscle gain, maintenance), activity level, and personal preferences, but here’s a general starting point for someone looking to lose weight:\n

\nProtein: 25-35% of your daily calories. Protein helps preserve muscle while in a calorie deficit and keeps you full. Aim for 0.8-1.2 grams per pound of body weight (e.g., 120-180g for a 150-lb person). \n
\nFats: 20-30% of your daily calories. Fats support hormones and overall health. Think healthy sources like avocados, nuts, olive oil, and fish.\n
\nCarbs: 35-50% of your daily calories. Carbs fuel energy, especially if you’re active. Focus on whole food sources like oats, sweet potatoes, and veggies.\n

For weight loss, a common split is 30% protein, 25% fats, 45% carbs, but you can tweak this based on how your body responds. Use our macro calculator to get a personalized estimate—just input your age, height, weight, and activity level.

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Calorie Deficit for Weight Loss: Time Limit or Range?

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\nA calorie deficit—eating fewer calories than you burn—is key to losing weight. Here’s how to approach it:\n

\nDeficit Range: Aim for a 10-20% deficit below your maintenance calories (aka Total Number of Calories to Eat). For example, if your maintenance calories are 2,000 calories, a 200-400 calorie deficit (1,600-1,800 calories) is sustainable and effective. Too steep a deficit (e.g., 50%) can lead to hunger, fatigue, and muscle loss.\n
\nTime Limit: There’s no strict cutoff, but 8-12 weeks is a common timeframe for a focused deficit before taking a break. Prolonged deficits can slow your metabolism or sap energy, so consider “diet breaks” (eating at maintenance for 1-2 weeks) every few months to reset. Listen to your body—fatigue, mood swings, or stalled progress might signal it’s time to pause.\n

A safe weight loss rate is 0.5-1 pound per week. Faster isn’t always better or sustainable.

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How to Compute a Diet for Your Body Size and Weight?

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\nHere’s a step-by-step process to tailor your diet:
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Calculate Your Maintenance Calories: Use our online calculator with your height, weight, age, sex, and activity level. Example: A 30-year-old, 150-lb woman, 5’5”, moderately active, might have maintenance calories of ~2,000 calorie
Set a Deficit: Subtract 10-20% (e.g., 200-400 calories) for weight loss. So, 1,600-1,800 calories becomes your target.
Pick a Macro Split: Using the 30/25/45 example:\n
1. 1,800 calories = 135g protein (540 cal), 50g fat (450 cal), 202g carbs (810 cal). (Note: 1g protein/carb = 4 cal, 1g fat = 9 cal.)
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Adjust for Size: Smaller folks (e.g., 120 lbs) need fewer calories (1,400-1,600), while larger folks (e.g., 200 lbs) need more (2,000-2,200). Scale macros proportionally.
Trial and Error: Track your food for 2-3 weeks (ElkShape Nutritionor My Fitness Pal). If you’re losing 0.5-1 lb, you’re on track. No progress? Cut 100-200 calories or tweak macros.

Your body size and weight dictate calorie needs, but activity level and metabolism play a role too. Start with estimates, then refine based on results.

\nAdvice on Meal Plans, Supplements, and Vitamins\n

\nMeal Plans: Focus on whole foods. Build meals around:

\nProtein: Elks, Deer, Chicken, turkey, fish, eggs, tofu, Greek yogurt.
\nVeggies: Broccoli, spinach, zucchini—fill half your plate for volume and nutrients.
\nCarbs: Rice, quinoa, potatoes, fruit—adjust portions to hit your carb goal.
\nFats: Nuts, seeds, avocado, olive oil—small amounts go a long way.
\nExample Day (1,800 cal): Breakfast: 2 eggs, 1/2 avocado, 1 slice whole-grain toast (450 cal). Lunch: 5 oz chicken, 1 cup rice, 1 cup broccoli (550 cal). Dinner: 4 oz salmon, 1 sweet potato, salad w/ olive oil (600 cal). Snack: Greek yogurt w/ berries (200 cal).

\nSupplements: They’re optional, but useful ones include:

\nProtein Powder: Convenient for hitting protein goals (e.g., whey or plant-based).
\nFish Oil: For omega-3s if you don’t eat fatty fish often.
\nCreatine: Boosts strength if you lift weights (5g daily).

\nVitamins: A multivitamin can fill gaps, but prioritize food first. Vitamin D (if you’re low on sun) and magnesium (for recovery) are common add-ons. Check with a doctor if unsure.

Overcoming the “No Idea What to Shoot For” Hurdle

\nIt’s tough to start from scratch, so keep it simple:\n

\nCalculate your maintenance calories.
\nPick a calorie target based on your maintenance calories minus 10-20%.
\nAim for 1g protein per pound of body weight as a anchor.
\nFill in fats and carbs with whole foods you enjoy.
\nPrep 3-4 go-to meals and repeat them weekly to build confidence.

You’ve got this! Start small, track what you eat, and adjust as you learn what works for your body. Nutrition’s a journey—frustration just means you’re ready to take it seriously.

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The deadlift is often called the king of lifts—and for good reason. It builds full-body strength, improves posture, and challenges both your muscles and your mental grit. But for all its benefits, it’s also one of the most commonly misunderstood exercises.

Although it's a pretty brutal movement. It actually requires a lot more technique than what people think. If your back hurts, your progress has stalled, or you’re just not feeling confident with your pulls, chances are you’re making one of these deadlift mistakes. Let’s break them down and show you how to fix them.

What is a common mistake for deadlifts?

A common mistake in deadlifts is rounding the lower back during the lift!

When your lower back rounds, it puts excessive strain on your spine instead of keeping the tension in your hips and legs. This increases the risk of injury—especially to the lumbar discs.

Let's discuss this more deeply.

1. Rounding Your Back

One of the most dangerous mistakes in deadlifting is allowing your back to round—especially in the lower spine. This puts serious strain on the vertebral discs and can lead to injury over time. It’s a silent killer of long-term progress.

If your low back often hurts during deadlifts, it’s usually because you're not properly using your hips—so your lower back ends up doing most of the work. In reality, the effort should be spread out between your hips, lower back, and the rest of your posterior chain. To avoid this, don't squat the weight down. Instead, hinge at the hips.

How to fix it:
Before you lift, take a moment to set your spine. Keep your chest up, shoulder blades pulled back, and head in line with your spine. Think about maintaining a \"proud chest\" and a straight line from your tailbone to the back of your head. Bracing your core will help lock this position in place. If you can’t maintain it under load, lower the weight and practice with lighter reps until your form is dialed in.

2. Standing Too Far from the Bar

If you start with the bar too far away from your body, it shifts your center of gravity forward. This throws off your balance, puts extra stress on your lower back, and makes the lift harder than it needs to be. For a stronger, more efficient, and safer pull, you want the bar close to your body—from the moment it breaks the floor to the moment you lock out.

To get a good starting position, the bar should be in contact with your shins. If you push your shins forward too much during setup, you’ll end up moving the bar away from your body, making the lift much harder—especially with heavy weights.

Don’t reach down by pushing your shins forward. That drives the bar away from you. Instead, hinge at the hips and get into position while keeping your shin angle mostly vertical.

If you’ve ever noticed lifters in powerlifting competitions with white powder on their thighs, that’s baby powder. It helps the bar slide up the thighs instead of sticking—because sweat or hair can cause the bar to drag, making the lockout harder.

How to fix it:
The bar should be directly over the middle of your foot when you set up—about an inch from your shins. As you lower to grip the bar, your shins should naturally make light contact with it. Keep the bar close to your body throughout the lift. Imagine dragging it straight up your legs on a vertical track.

$\"Deadlifting$

3. Pulling With Your Arms

Deadlifts are a lower-body and hip-driven movement—not a back row or bicep curl. If your arms bend or your shoulders shrug during the lift, you’re shifting the load away from the muscles that should be doing the work and onto smaller, weaker areas.

Some people mistakenly think the deadlift is like a squat. When they push their shins too far forward, they’re trying to squat the weight up. But deadlifts are a hip hinge movement, not a squat.

When people try to squat a deadlift, their hips shoot up before the bar even moves—taking their hips completely out of the equation.

How to fix it:
Let your arms act like straps—keep them fully extended and relaxed during the lift. Focus on driving through your heels and pushing the floor away with your legs. Think about standing up tall with the weight rather than pulling it up with your arms.

4. Not Bracing Your Core

A loose or unengaged core creates instability and puts your spine at risk. This is a common reason lifters feel tightness or discomfort in their lower back after deadlifting.

How to fix it:
Before each lift, take a deep breath into your belly—not your chest—and hold that pressure. This technique, called bracing, creates a tight, stable trunk that protects your spine and transfers force efficiently from your legs into the bar. Exhale slowly at the top, or reset your breath between reps. Best Core Exercises

5. Jerking the Bar Off the Floor

Exploding into the lift without control—what many call “jerking the bar”—destroys your form before the bar even leaves the ground. It can cause a loss of balance, a poor bar path, or even muscle strain.

How to fix it:
Set up with tension. Grip the bar, brace your core, and slowly pull the slack out of the bar until it’s tight against the plates. Then lift in one smooth, controlled motion. Think of it like a coiled spring: build tension, then release it. Smooth and steady always wins over fast and messy.

Also, remember: beginners often push the bar forward with their shins during setup. This moves the bar away from the body and makes the lift inefficient. Stay close to the bar from floor to lockout.

$\"Deadlift\"$

Final Thoughts

Let me tell you something—if you're struggling with deadlift technique, just remember: everybody goes through that, especially when starting out. If your form is a mess right now, it doesn’t mean you can’t get stronger. Stay patient, focus on the fundamentals, and your technique will improve with time.

Learn more about nutrition for losing weight if you’re interested

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