What is a macro?
“Macros” is a term for macronutrients. There are macro- and
micronutrients in everything that we eat. When you hear someone say that they
are tracking their macros, that means they are tracking how many carbohydrates,
fats and proteins they are getting throughout the day. You or someone else will
set your macros based on your age, activity level, goals and current body
composition in a mathematic equation that spits out your totals for each group.
Typically macros will look something like ‘60/40/20’ and that means 60% coming
from carbs, 40% coming from protein and 20% coming from fats – and like I said,
that number is different for each person as we are all different. Your macros
will fluctuate as your body changes. You don’t bother with calories as the
fiber content and other factors can effect caloric density and you just focus
on the macro count in everything that you consume. This can be tracked easily
on apps like My Fitness Pal and always with a food scale.
Why did you start in the first place?
Competitive bodybuilders use macro counting to ensure that
their body composition is in peak condition on the day that they compete. They
“bulk” and gain a lot of muscle and then cut back as competition nears to shed
fat and let their muscles pop out. I don’t have a desire to compete but I did
have a desire to change my body composition. I was “skinny fat” meaning that I
had lost a lot of weight (60 pounds) but still had a higher body fat percentage
than I wanted to. Basically, I wasn’t building a lot of muscle. I found that I
was undereating for an extended period of time and so my body wasn’t retaining
muscle gains (my body was basically eating muscle instead of growing muscle)
Did it work?
Yes. I saw drastic changes in my body composition in a
positive way. I learned a lot that allowed me to have a healthier relationship
with food – I wasn’t afraid to eat more thinking that I would gain weight back.
I stopped being weary of certain foods and just saw food as nourishment. I also
got a lot out of using the food scale. I was amazed at what a true serving size
looked like with some things (like fruit!) and was pleasantly surprised by
others (I was always so skimpy with my nut butters and came to realize I wasn’t
even using a whole serving)
Why did you stop?
I have a tendency towards obsessive behavior. Counting
calories and counting macros are both essentially the same thing. They are both
diets. You are restricting what you eat. You are placing restrictions on
yourself to change something about your body. Now, for some people that is
absolutely fine and they have a healthy relationship with food and their body
and it is a great addition to their routine. I just found myself overanalyzing
my body, not allowing myself to eat things because it didn’t “fit”, etc. It was
really, really time consuming. I was spending so much time planning out my
meals and making sure everything fit my macros. It just got to be overwhelming
and was causing me to have a really obsessive and negative feeling around my
fitness and my health. I also hate math, and it is a lot of math.
It also takes the focus away from important micronutrients.
A lot of the “IIFYM” community raves about how they can eat cookies, ice cream,
cakes and donuts and it totally fits their macros – and it DOES. But what is
that doing to their insides? Where are they getting their vitamins and things
that make you truly healthy? I was really turned off by that aspect especially
as someone who is educated on the health benefits of plant sources and the
detriments of pre-packaged foods.
Would you recommend trying it?
Yes. If you think you have a healthy relationship with food
or that some of the tools from macro tracking could help you for a short time,
do it! It is educational. It is a very efficient and effective way to shed body
fat (or bulk, depending on your goals) The food scale will definitely help you
understand portion if you struggle with that. It’s nice because you can take
the tools you learn and continue use even after you stop officially tracking.
Once you get an understanding on how it works you can even start setting your
own macros. It can also help you realize that one food group or type of food is
not BAD. A donut has the same macro value as something healthier etc. so it
does teach you that you don’t have to deprive yourself of treats to make
progress.
What are you doing now?
I am intuitively eating, if you want to label it. But
really, it just feels like I am trying to be my healthiest self. I now know how
much I need to feel satiated and have a good idea of how many meals I need per
day and at what times I get hungry. This is something you learn with
experimenting and with time. I eat a whole foods, plant based diet. I eat when
I am hungry and I stop when I am full. I am now at a place where I just eat
healthy because I enjoy it, I don’t have to obsess about what is about to go
into my mouth day in and day out. If I find a recipe on Minimalist Baker or Oh
She Glows that sounds really good to me, I make it. I eat it. I ENJOY it.
Tracking macros was not fun for me and I just want to let you know that if any
part of your life is causing you unhappiness in any way, fix that shit. You do
not have to track anything to meet your goals, you can. But you absolutely do
not have to. My personal suggestion is always to educate yourself, look into
changing your diet to include more whole foods from plant sources. Talk to me.
Ask me anything. We are in this together!
Are you worried that you won’t be able to meet your goals?
Sometimes. I let doubt creep in especially when I try to
compare myself to others or when I start wanting to look like someone else. But
I just keep focusing on what makes me happy and challenging myself to be better
every day. Right now I am trying to get more comfortable in the weight room at
the gym and trying new workout programs at home. One thing that you have to
realize and get through your head is that every single body is different. One
person may hold their fat in their legs and one person may hold their fat in
their stomach and one person may hold their fat in their arms. And each one of
those people is probably self-conscious about that and wishing they looked like
the person standing next to them.
If you would be interested in me doing a blog post on how to
eat for your goals WITHOUT tracking, let me know! I can share some of my tips
and what I have learned along my journey
XO
