Hey babe! Welcome back to my blog. This is one of the biggest questions I get as a coach and it’s understandable why. Many people opt for tracking macros because it is the most sustainable form of dieting. You know whether you are in a deficit, maintenance, surplus and you can control reverse dieting a lot better.
I love macros, I always have! But I follow them a bit different than most. I’ll get to that soon.
The first thing about tracking is you should know it’s not forever. This is not a sustainable way to live and if you have any type of eating disorder, disordered eating, or an unhealthy relationship with food, I suggest not tracking and always check with your doctor before beginning any diet or workout program.
Next thing I want to point out. There is no one size fits all. If you find something that you are getting results from and you enjoy it, keep up with it! As long as it’s healthy. Everyone prefers a diet that suits them so if Karen is doing keto and becky is doing clean eating, but you want more balance and love carbs, macros will probably be for you!
So what exactly are macros?
Macros aka macronutrients are your carbohydrates, fats, and protein. These are the things that every food you eat or drink consists of.
People also seem to confuse calories and macros and separate the two like they’re different. Carbs fats and protein consist of calories which is what our body needs to function and repair itself in any way, shape, or form.
**keep in mind that MFP calories are rarely ever accurate. I just follow the macros. Not the calories.. If you are hitting your macros, you are hitting your calories 🙂
Protein = 4kcal/g
carbs = 4kcal/g
Fats = 9kcal/g
Fiber (women) 25g/day
Fiber (men) 30-38g/day
Finding your macros can be super easy but again, there is no one size fits all. Find the ratio that your body loves and goes with your daily activities.
You will need to know your TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) in order to figure out how many calories you need to be consuming at maintenance. I suggest to be eating at maintenance or in a small surplus for awhile before you go into a deficit if that’s your goal.
Protein can be anywhere between .7-1.g per pound of lean body mass. If you aren’t sure what this is, a good rule of thumb is going by a “goal” weight and that should be plenty. We don’t need an excessive amount of protein. This will also depend on your goals.
I typically aim for 1g per pound of lean body mass.
Fats are calculated anywhere between 25-35% of your total calories.
Next is your carbs and these are all the calories left over after you find your protein and fat intake.
Fiber is very important as well and an important part of tracking and learning your food. You should learn how much fiber you need each day and where that fiber is coming from in your food. Fiber not only keeps you regular in the bathroom (you should be going at least once a day if you know what I mean), but it also helps regulate blood sugar levels and keep us full for longer.
Get used to tracking and what I meant by “I track differently than most” earlier is that I and my clients pay attention to the food we consume. We pay attention to what our bodies need, portion sizes that work for us to keep us satiated (not staving, not overly stuffed), and what our food consists of. It’s a more intuitive way of eating that isn’t so much robotic like mindless tracking can become.
After awhile, it gets easier to eyeball amounts and guestimate what we are eating and how much we are eating aka portioning out our food. We build healthy relationships with food and no food is demonized.
If myself or my clients are craving anything, we have that food and enjoy it. We don’t feel the need to binge eat on that food or restrict it. Healthy relationships are built at Bootifully Fit. This is the beauty of following an 80/20 rule. Some days it’s 50/50, others its 70/30 BUT for the majority of the week, life is 80/20. A majority of foods consumed are whole food. These foods are nutrient dense and not processed.
Another thing I wanted to mention is that there are no good foods and bad foods. There is food lol but not all food is created equal. Some foods will give you a ton of nutrients and energy, and others (typically the highly processed, sugary ones) will just taste good with very little nutrients in them. This is where balance comes in, unlearning all the current eating patterns you have and relearning all the healthier/balanced habits.
You are what you eat you will definitely feel it in your body and your energy levels.
If you are looking for more help with macros and want to learn more, create a healthy relationship with food and your body, email me at bootifullyfitwithcassie@gmail.com or go to my coaching page and see what Bootifully Fit is really about! <3
Disclaimer: I am not a registered dietitian. Please contact your doctor or dietitian before following or beginning a diet. If you have any type of ED or disordered eating patterns, please contact your doctor and work with a professional to help you. I am not prescribing anything mentioned in this post to any one person. This post is a basic guideline to follow at your own risk.
