“I tried counting macros for a week and I hated it”
When I first began transitioning from counting calories to counting Macros, I was quickly overwhelmed. Although the practice of counting calories was similar, macros were one step further. I was no longer just counting how many calories are in certain foods for a grand total and the end of the day but now I am counting how many of those calories are from fats, proteins, and carbohydrates. So I wanted to share some of my learnings to better help you step into Macro counting.
Annes Personal Tips to help you see success with Macro Tracking:
Download a Nutritional Tracker App, I use My Fitness Pal. Purchase a food scale. Several great brands fond on Amazon or Clean Simple Eats
(Code: ANNECRAIG) https://cleansimpleeats.com/products/scale
Practice Measuring your current Intake: Now rather than starting from scratch, eat as closely to your regular diet so we can see where you need to improve. By avoiding this feeling of “starting over” and replacing it with making smaller “swaps” you’ll feel like you are taking on less. Try this for a few days.
Start Small: Now that you have an idea as to what your current diet looks like (this may look like: overconsuming on carbs and fats and under consuming on proteins) Take 1 number- I suggest Protein and divide that Macro count by the number of meals you already tend to eat. Example: If my desired goal is to eat 135g of protein a day I would divide that by the 4 meals I eat. That means I should try to eat 33.75g of protein at each meal/snack.
Now Implement- Continue to work on that single Macro. Get really good at planning your meals around that number and don't stress the other two. This may even take some time to build up to that particular marco number. (Example going from eating 60g of Protein up to 135g of protein a day)
Build Your Whole Plate- As you continue to feel more comfortable with Macros, introduce other Macronutrients one at a time (carbs or fats).
Remember, the goal isn't about how quickly you can go but the direction you are working towards. Small sustainable goals allow for greater results when it comes to Nutritional health.
There might be a trial and error period but I can gladly share that by learning to track macros — the more you do it, the more you’ll be able to eyeball portion sizes. The better you get at eating a consistent amount of food each day, the more these portion sizes feel right and normal for you, to the point that you won’t feel deprived or feel like you need or want more.
As you practice and start to instinctively know how much protein, carbohydrates and fat you need with each meal, you’ll be more in control and able to know when you can be flexible with your food consumption.