Counting or tracking macros is overwhelming. It’s intimidating. It’s hard. It’s annoying. It’s boring. It’s tedious.
It’s really sucky to start.
But it’s also the best way to get results efficiently while learning how to create a sustainable lifestyle balance so you can adjust your nutrition even as your needs and goals change over time.
If you truly want to understand your own diet?
You need to start tracking macros.
Because I know it can be a super hard and frustrating change to make, I wanted to share 3 common mistakes I see people starting out making and what you should do instead.
But first a bit on what macros actually are and why tracking isn’t the restrictive thing we can often make it out to be.
So…what are macros?
Macros, or macronutrients, are the nutrients our body needs in large quantities they are proteins, carbs and fats.
How we dial in the portion of our calories that come from each nutrient can impact the results we get.
And we may adjust the ratios we use as our needs and goals change over our life.
Working to lose fat? You may use one ratio.
Working to build muscle? You may change ratios.
Dealing with menopause? You may select a different macro breakdown.
Working to fuel your workouts to train hard for your endurance sport? You may even adjust your macro ratios over the course of your training as your training intensifies.
The point is, when you understand macros, you can make sure you’re fueling correctly for your specific needs and goals even as they change over time!
Now…What about tracking being super restrictive and obsessive?
The simple fact is…What you measure, you can manage.
If you don’t have a clear picture of what you’re consuming, you don’t know what you need to change.
It’s why we can feel like we’re eating super “healthy” yet not seeing the physical or performance results we want!
If you were training for a race, you wouldn’t randomly run or ride what you “felt like” that day. You’d have your mileage for the week, and even month, planned out so you knew how you were going to progress. And you’d track how each run went to make sure you were progressing the way you wanted.
Why wouldn’t you want to give yourself the same data to adjust your fueling?
I think so often we feel that tracking is restrictive because we’ve only used it to count calories for restrictive weight loss diets that left us feeling like we had to cut everything out and be miserably hungry.
But tracking itself is not restrictive. Your tracker isn’t judging. It’s just giving you a picture of what you’re eating.
So stop judging yourself and realize the data is there to inform you and help you.
See it as the opportunity to better fuel your body and give it what it needs!
Of course if you do have an eating disorder you need to seek out professional help, but too often we simply use this as an excuse to not make the hard changes we need and truly invest in learning how to fuel better.
So if you’re ready to get started tracking macros, here are the 3 mistakes to avoid and what you should be doing instead!
Mistake #1: Not tweaking what you’re currently doing.
When we are motivated, we often go to extremes in an attempt to get the best results as fast as possible.
But the second our motivation and willpower fades?
We are left with unsustainable habits and end up right back where we started.
That’s why it’s best to use that initial motivation and willpower to create sustainable habits, making small tweaks to what we are currently doing.
So before you even attempt to change anything in your diet and hit any specific macro ratios, just start by tracking.
Track what you are currently doing.
Don’t make any changes. Just see where you are at. You can then start to tweak from what you’re currently doing so that you don’t physically, or mentally, rebel against extreme adjustments.
Part of why we often fall off of tracking our macros is the struggle to hit ratios that are far different than what we are currently doing.
It’s such a dramatic change it can feel impossible.
So if we instead start tracking our current diet, we can begin to make adjustments that dial everything in without feeling crazy restrictive or impossibly frustrating!
You’ll be surprised by how even simply being accountable you start to see results. Not to mention how eye opening it really is to see the breakdown of the foods you’re consuming.
Mistake #2: Not putting protein first.
The more changes we try to make at once, the more overwhelming an already complicated process can be.
Often we dive in, not only shooting for a macro breakdown far different from what we are currently consuming, but we ultimately have to adjust EVERYTHING in our diet all at once.
And that can feel impossible.
So when we can’t hit the ratio, we give up.
Instead of shooting for hitting a ratio perfectly where you have to adjust every macro at once, focus on one thing at a time.
Often the macronutrient we most need to focus on is PROTEIN.
Whether you’re plant-based, omnivore or straight carnivore, protein is often the macro we tend to under utilize in our diet.
Let’s face it, carbs and fats often taste better and make up the foods we love.
But protein is key whether we want to lose weight while retaining lean muscle, build muscle, recover faster or even age well.
It becomes increasingly important too as we get older as we become less able to utilize protein as efficiently not to mention we have a harder time building and retaining lean muscle.
So focus on hitting your protein amount FIRST. Let your carbs and fats fall wherever feels best to start.
You can then start tweaking those other macros based on your training and goals.
And by starting with protein, you can see great aesthetic changes.
You’ll find it a much easier process to get lean while feeling fueled if protein is your focus to start!
Mistake #3: Not tracking everything!
Measuring and tracking everything is tedious to start. But it’s the best way to really understand your portion sizes and the true breakdown of the foods you’re eating.
Plus, let’s face it, often we don’t want to track because we don’t want something to count.
But guess what?
Even if you don’t log it, you still ate it.
And it’s going to impact the results you get.
So while you may get more lax in your tracking over time, start by logging EVERYTHING so you know how it all impacts you and your results.
Little things do add up. It may only be a cracker here or a little taste of something there, but those calories add up more quickly than we realize, not to mention change the actual macro breakdown we end up consuming.
And it’s not just only the day that it changes. Often we don’t recognize how those little snacks and bites daily add up over the weeks and months.
So LOG EVERYTHING.
It makes you much more aware of some of the unconscious eating we do or the eating out of boredom.
Remember, what you measure, you can manage!
We can’t adjust if we don’t have an accurate picture of what we’re actually doing.
So give yourself that true data to make changes!
SUMMARY:
Creating a new lifestyle and making lasting changes isn’t always easy or comfortable.
Those fad diets that promise a fast and easy fix don’t work for a reason.
If you want to truly create a sustainable lifestyle and understand how to adjust your diet even as your needs and goals change, you need to start tracking your macros.
It may be boring and tedious and frustrating to start, but it’s far less frustrating than spinning your wheels working hard not to see the results you truly want!
Dial in your diet and your workouts to work together based on what is realistic and sustainable for you…
No matter how much we may try, we can’t out exercise our diet. Trust me, I’ve tried.
If we want the best, and fastest fat loss results possible, we need to dial in our diet to complement our workouts.
That’s why today I want to take you through a typical day of eating that helped me transform from this to this, but before I do, let’s take a look at what truly makes a diet effective for fat loss….
Now the question is, what diet is the BEST when it comes to fat loss?
Daily it seems a new diet arises claiming to be the secret to all of our struggles. They promise us fast fixes. Instant results.
But if it sounds too good to be true?
Guess what, it is!
No matter what dietary preference you choose, from Paleo to Vegetarian to Low Fat to Keto, macronutrients and how you create your calorie deficit through your macro breakdown, is what makes the diet truly work.
There are no magic fat loss foods.
And cutting out whole foods groups just because someone said to isn’t a sustainable plan, especially if you happen to love the food you have to cut out!
If you want lasting fat loss results, you’ve got to dial in your macros to create a calorie deficit that keeps you feeling fueled while still allowing you to enjoy the foods you love.
Because if your diet feels like a horrible chore and if it doesn’t fit your lifestyle?
No matter how healthy it is? You aren’t going to be able to stick with it.
And fat loss requires consistency with your plan!
The key is finding something that doesn’t cause you to feel super restricted so that you want to rebel.
As you create the perfect plan for you, consider these 4 key things…
KEY FACTORS FOR CREATING YOUR MEAL PLAN:
#1: Create a smaller calorie deficit.
While it’s so tempting to try to do more to speed up results, like working out harder while eating less, this aggressive calorie deficit will ultimately backfire, especially the closer you are to your goal.
Not only can it lead to us feeling hungry and moody, or as I like to say HANGRY, but it can also cause us to catabolize more muscle tissue and actually lose fat slower.
It can lead to hormonal issues and quicker metabolic adaptations.
And often, simply the fact that we always feel hungry, can cause us to give up on the plan.
So if you want to maximize your fat loss while minimizing muscle loss, don’t go too aggressive with the calorie deficit.
While conventional wisdom says to cut your maintenance calories by up to 500 per day to lose 1lbs per week (which is safe and sustainable weight loss), you may start with a more moderate deficit especially to start of only 250 calories.
Even consider adjusting your macro ratio BEFORE you really start slashing calories lower because as much as we are told they are, calories are NOT all created equal.
#2: Focus on protein first.
While yes, weight loss in its simplest form is about calories in vs calories out, only focusing on a calorie deficit, can often lead to lackluster results.
Studies have shown that not only can increasing protein lead to better fat loss results, even while in a calorie surplus, but increasing protein can also help you retain and even GAIN muscle while in a deficit.
By focusing on getting more protein with each meal, you can help yourself achieve better body composition while feeling full and fueled in part due to the higher thermic effect of protein, which helps increase energy expenditure and create that calorie deficit.
So don’t fear getting “bulky” by adding in more protein. It may be what you need to actually look leaner!
#3: Adjust carbs and fat based on your workout routine and what you enjoy.
While so many popular diet emphasize adjust carbs or fat, studies have shown that, when protein is kept constant, neither a lower fat diet or a lower carb diet is really superior. That actually what impacts the results seen in the studies is the amount of protein, with the higher protein ratio almost always coming out superior.
How you adjust your carbs and fats may be dependent on the type of training you do, your overall activity level and simply the types of foods you enjoy. Specific medical conditions may even make one optimal for you and your health.
The key is making sure you feel fueled and that you can SUSTAIN the plan you choose. Choosing to go no carb if you love carbs will ultimately backfire.
And you’re an endurance athlete, for instance, you won’t want to cut your carbs super low. Whereas if you aren’t really training intensely, or even at all right now, you may want to decrease carbs and instead go slightly higher fat.
#4: Plan in foods you love.
When most of us start making diet changes, often the first thing to go is the food we love the most – our salty snack or sweet treat.
We cut this food out because we know it isn’t good for us.
However, this often backfires as it’s also the thing we want the most and we therefore miss having it in our diet.
So when we do indulge because we can’t take the restriction any longer? We often overeat.
That’s why it is key we find either healthy alternatives that satisfy us OR even start by planning in that food we love first.
The diet that will be most sustainable, and ultimately help us achieve the best results, is the one that helps us lead a healthier version of OUR lifestyle – not one that tries to live up to someone else’s standard of “clean.”
Because I’m a dessert person, I will often plan in the dessert I’m craving FIRST and work backward from that meal. That way I can hit my ratios, make tweaks to other meals but also not feel restricted.
So when first starting out, strike that balance and don’t feel you have to cut out things you enjoy. Work around them while maybe adjusting things you aren’t as attached to.
So what does a typical day of eating look like for me?
(Ready to create a sustainable plan based on YOUR needs and goals? Book a strategy call with Redefining Strength TODAY! –> Book Now)
A Typical Day Of Eating:
When cutting I like to cycle ratios every one to two weeks. Often I will repeat 40/30/30 or 40% protein, 30% carbs and 30% fat a few times throughout my fat loss phase. I like to set a calorie range from 1600-1700.
This means I consume between 160-170g of protein, 120-128 g of carbs, 53-57 g of fat per day.
I like to keep meal prep simple, repeating a handful of meals over the week. This keeps grocery shopping and even planning ahead quick and easy.
Studies have even shown that potentially more variety in your diet is associated with overeating and weight gain.
Plus, when you repeat the same meals and can even prep ahead of time, you have quick and easy options on hand when you’re stressed or busy and often tempted to reach for something not as healthy or inline with your goals..
I will even include a few restaurant meals in my planning so that I can have quick and healthy swaps when on the go.
One other quick side note about MEAL TIMING I’d like to mention…
You have traditional bodybuilding on one side that swears by 6 small meals a day. On the other side you have Intermittent Fasting and diets that often will even promote 1-2 meals a day to help you create that calorie deficit.
Both claim that their specific meal timings is key for fat loss.
My personal stance is to focus on fueling based on YOUR schedule. If you workout first thing in the morning at 5 am, fasting till 1 pm may be a horrible idea.
While forcing yourself to eat breakfast if you like sleeping late and skipping it, may also just lead to you overeating.
For me, I often like to fast till after my workout and then consume 2 smaller and 2 larger meals during the day. However, I never force myself to skip a meal if I’m hungry.
Pre-Workout:
My day of eating starts with just a black cup of coffee.
I’ll usually drink a cup or two an hour or so before I workout as caffeine has been shown to enhance training performance both for cardio and strength workouts.
It’s the only energy “supplement” I will personally ever take or ever even promote to clients if they ask about a pre-workout. Coffee not only can give me that boost for my workout, but it has also been shown to aid in fat loss, increasing your metabolic rate. Studies have shown that consuming caffeine can promote better weight loss through thermogenesis and fat oxidation.
After my workout, I’ll eat my first meal. I usually try to eat this within an hour of finishing my training to make the most of that post-workout anabolic window.
Meal #1 (Post workout):
Because this is a post workout meal, I focus on a quick digesting protein as well as a great carb source to replenish muscle glycogen and promote better muscle protein synthesis.
While your overall macros for the day are the most important, this is a great way to optimize your recovery while maintaining muscle in a calorie deficit.
My go-to is Oatmeal, a scoop of whey protein and berries. This meal is filling while getting my muscles what they need. And it’s an easy one to take on the go as well.
Meal #2 (Lunch):
For lunch I like to have something prepped ahead of time so I don’t have to cook midday.
One of the best tools out there for meal prep, is the slow cooker. Set it and let it do the cooking for you for the week.
You can prep a ton of meat ahead of time to use in different things.
I love to prep a 5 ingredient Slow Cooked Chicken Fajitas from my Lazy Kitchen cookbook. I can then use the meat for tacos, in a burrito bowl with rice on a salad or even on a baked potato depending on what other meals that day I’m pairing it with.
For 40/30/30 I really love the baked potato because it is also super filling. I’ll top that mixture with 2 tbsp of guacamole for some added healthy fats.
Meal #3 (Dinner):
For dinner, I’ll often focus more on just a simple protein and veggie based meal.
Each week I try to include a couple of meals with fish or fresh seafood for not only the healthy fats, but also micronutrient benefits, including Vitamin D, Vitamin B12, Iodine, and Selenium.
While we can see amazing results hitting our macros even if we include some…well…not as quality fuel, we promote optimal functioning of our body and therefore the best possible results when we focus on not only our macros but also our micronutrient intake.
Salmon is one of my favorite fish to include. I like to blacken it in the airfryer with even some basic garlic steamed broccoli.
Steaming vegetables is a great way to help them maintain as much of their nutritional value as possible.
Because I don’t like cooking fish often, I may even go out to one of my favorite local spots, Bear Flag to get this meal done for me. Having those quick go-to meals out is a great way to stay on track while still getting to relax and not have to worry about meal prep!
Meal #4 (Dessert):
I grew up having dessert every night. And in the past when I would go on a diet, this would be the first thing to go. But that’s why nothing was ever sustainable.
Now I always include dessert to strike that balance right for me.
To start I would even work backward, planning in dessert first to make sure I could hit my macros with my other meals.
Right now I’m loving vanilla greek yogurt with granola and peanuts. I don’t worry about when I eat this at night. I know there’s a popular meal timing myth saying you’ll gain fat if you eat late at night, but that simply isn’t true.
If you hit your calories and macros for the day, it doesn’t matter if you eat them later at night!
I find this last meal of the day helps me avoid getting hungry and allows me to fast till my workout the next day.
CLOSING THOUGHTS:
Remember the key to losing fat is creating a diet plan you can be consistent with.
Don’t slash your calories so low you become hungry.
And make sure to focus on hitting your macros while including foods you enjoy.
For quick and easy recipes, that all scan into my fitness pal, check out my cookbook collection at RSChef.com!
We need to stop saying that losing weight or gaining muscle is simply about calories in vs calories out.
Because that deficit or surplus we create, and the results we get from it, can be DRAMATICALLY impacted by the make up of our foods – by the macros.
Before you start arguing against this, take a second to be open and read the argument.
Also, start to think about it this way…
Yes, do you need to eat less than you expend to lose weight?
Yup.
Do you need to eat more than you expend to gain?
Yup.
But saying that calories should be the focus over macros is like saying, “SURE! You have no idea what you are doing, but you can go deadlift heavy weight. I mean if you can pick it up, it must be fine, right? Who cares about form!”
You would NEVER say that!
Because you know that while you may be able to lift it, it’s a sure-fired way to end up injured and NOT getting the results you want, even if you might see immediate benefits just from doing some sort of work out.
Saying that someone only needs to pay attention to calories is the same thing!
Maybe you’ll see some immediate results, but you’re basically setting yourself up for failure.
That’s why MACROS should be your primary focus.
And through focusing on macros, you’ll find so many other pieces of the puzzle, including your caloric intake, fall into place.
There are 3 reasons I think macros matter more than focusing on only the calories in vs. calories out…
And all 3 reasons relate back to the fact that a calorie isn’t really simply just a calorie…from how our body uses it to how we feel eating it.
A calorie isn’t simply a calorie because…
Consuming the “right” foods requires more energy.
A calorie deficit leads to weight loss, macros lead to lasting body recomposition.
Macros can help you avoid weight loss plateaus and help you avoid dramatic weight rebounding after dieting.
Now let me break down why these 3 things matter and just all of the reasons why you should make your primary focus on macros over just your calorie intake.
#1: Foods have different thermic effectsand require different amounts of energy to be used by the body.
Have you ever heard that celery is “negative” calories?
It’s because celery requires more energy to break down and use than it contains.
Now I’m not telling you to just go eat a ton of celery, but the point is…
Different foods require different amounts of energy to be processed and used by our body!
The more energy that is required to break down and use the foods we eat, the fewer net calories you are really going to end up truly consuming from those foods.
On average people use about 10% of their daily energy expenditure processing food BUT this number can dramatically differ based on the ratio of each macronutrient you consume.
Because each macro has a different thermic effect! (1)
Protein actually has the highest thermic effect at about 20-30% (meaning about 20-30% of the calories are used to digest the food).
While carbs have a thermic effect of about 5-10% and fats 0-3%.
You can see why adjusting the macronutrient breakdown you consume could now dramatically impact how many calories you should be consuming overall.
Researchers have even proposed we change protein from 4 calories per gram to 3.2 calories per gram because the thermic effect is so great. (Carbs are 4 calories per gram and fats 9 calories per gram.) (2)
Not to mention, studies of higher protein diets have even shown that when people consumed a hypercaloric diet, aka not only did they NOT eat in a deficit but they actually ate in a SURPLUS, they did not gain body fat.
So eating higher protein kept them from gaining weight even when eating 800 calories more than the lower protein group! (3)
Still think a calorie is just a calorie!?
This could mean if you ate higher protein, you may need to create what seems to be a “smaller” deficit and get better results than if you cut calories lower!
Plus, when you adjust our macro break downs, we also often dial in the QUALITY of our foods.
I know it’s become popular to see meals that “fit your macros” that aren’t so healthy, BUT what you often aren’t seeing is the veggie and protein meals being eaten to allow those people to then fit those treat meals in.
There is a balance going on there (that social media doesn’t always show). And this balance is key to getting lasting results with something that can become a lifestyle.
So by focusing on macros, often the quality of the foods you consume, in order to hit those ratios, also changes.
(Again why I think macros should be the first thing you focus on as other things will fall in line with them.)
The point is…the quality of your food ALSO matters!
Because whole, natural foods have a higher thermic effect than processed foods! (4)
Even something as simple as a more natural bread and a more natural cheese over more processed bread and cheese can make a difference (as shown by the study linked out in the (4) reference).
So even just based on this little bit…You can see that a calorie is NOT simply a calorie!
#2: Calorie deficits can lead to weight loss, but macros lead to lasting and SUSTAINABLE body recomposition.
I managed to maintain a healthy weight by counting calories. But macros changed my physique!
Most of us may say we want to “lose weight” but we don’t just want to lose weight truly…we want to lose FAT.
If you simply cut calories, you may lose weight. But that weight lost on the scale is more than likely not just going to be fat – it’s going to be muscle as well.
And while some muscle loss is to be expected when you lose weight, especially when if you have 50+ pounds to lose, or you cutting for a shoot or competition, you can minimize the amount of lean body mass lost by dialing in your macro ratios (specifically increasing your protein)! (5)
By focusing on protein, you can not only minimize muscle loss, BUT even GAIN muscle while in a deficit.
No way, right!?
Most of us have been told it isn’t possible to lose fat and gain muscle at once.
We’ve been told we need to pick one or the other.
And it’s because most of us have been told weight loss is simply about calories in vs. calories out.
Sure if you just count calories, it will be near impossible to do both.
But that’s why focusing on macros FIRST is key because then you CAN lose fat and gain muscle by including higher protein macro break downs! (6)
And not only can a diet higher in protein help you retain, and even gain, lean muscle while losing fat, but it can help increase adherence and even potentially improve your diet’s effectiveness.
Most of us want to lose weight and KEEP the weight off.
And part of doing that is finding something that doesn’t make us feel like we are starving all of the time.
A diet that keeps us feeling full and satisfied is going to be easier to stick with long term. And a diet higher in protein does just that!
(And I’m not just talking animal protein here…even vegans and vegetarians can increase their protein intake to improve their results!)
Not to mention, by focusing on macros in general, you’ll also often dial in the quality of your foods as I mentioned before.
Those more whole, natural foods will also help you fuel your body better to stay fuller feeling for longer!
If we give our body the nutrition it needs, guess what will happen?
It’s going to run better and function more optimally, which will only help us reach our goals more easily!
Also, by focusing on macros, you can make sure you get the carbs and fat you need to keep your hormones at optimal levels.
And by focusing on protein you can also keep yourself feeling fuller for longer while keeping your metabolism “healthy.” (7)
Many of us have heard that crash dieting can “hurt” our metabolism.
And while yes, extreme calorie deprivation will slow our metabolic rate, along with weight loss in general, this isn’t a permanent thing necessarily.
If you weigh less, and have less muscle, your body needs to use less energy.
Plus, when your body thinks it is “starving” it’s going to do all it can to conserve energy.
Both things result in a slowed metabolic rate.
And this is why balancing those macros can be so important over just counting calories.
When you focus on protein, you can prevent muscle mass loss to keep your metabolic rate higher AS you lose weight.
The higher protein, and macro focus, not only helps make the weight loss process easier, BUT it will also help you KEEP the weight off.
Because then as you start to adjust your calories to more of a maintenance mode range, you have the lean muscle mass on to keep you burning more calories even at rest.
You’ve set yourself up for long term success.
If you’d just focused on calories instead of macros to lose weight, when you actually hit your goal weight, you may find it is much more difficult to MAINTAIN your weight loss results!
It isn’t as simple as now just eating more because you want to MAINTAIN.
The idea that calories matter most may help us lose weight or gain it…BUT it most leads to a cycle where we are constantly yo-yoing between those two things over maintaining the results we’ve gotten.
Because it doesn’t truly teach us how to find that balance nor set us up with an ideal body composition to maintain progress!
#3: Macros can help you avoid weight loss plateaus and help you avoid dramatic weight rebounding after dieting.
Your weight loss has slowed.
So what do you do?
Either A. You give up. Or B. You try cutting calories even lower.
However, simply creating a bigger calorie deficit doesn’t always work.
And it can actually even BACKFIRE.
Ever feel like you’re barely eating anything, and are in a huge calorie deficit only to have the scale actually GO UP?
YUP…It can happen.
And this is due to many of the factors I’ve mentioned earlier.
But basically…
Your body simply is no longer burning as many calories at rest because not only have you lost muscle mass, which burns more calories at rest, but your body even “gears down” in response to the decrease in energy coming in.
You will tend not to fidget as much. Or be as active. Your workouts may even suffer.
Basically, you’re expending less so even as you increase your calorie deficit, aka cut your calories lower, that deficit may not be as big as you actually think and your body may be rebelling against further restriction.
So what happens?
The scale goes up?
And with more and more restriction often we mess with our hormone levels more and more.
This then makes our bodies scream at us to eat more, which often leads to the horrible yo-yo dieting cycle.
So how can you avoid all of this?
Guess what I’m going to say you should focus on instead?
MACROS!
If instead of cutting your calories LOWER when you hit that plateau, you simply adjusted your macro ratios, you may “kickstart” your progress again.
Our bodies adapt to what we give them.
So if we slightly adjust our energy sources, we can often avoid that adaptation and keep our results progressing.
And we don’t need to cut calories lower to do this, which can help us preserve that lean muscle mass and keep our hormones at optimal levels.
Even if you’re focusing on protein, you may adjust carbs or fats up or down to help ensure your body is functioning optimally.
Simply adding 5% to one macro, without any calorie change, can kickstart your progress, help you avoid weight loss plateaus, AND keep your metabolism “healthy” while preserving your lean muscle mass.
And you can include these variations in ratios each week or even over the course of weeks, depending on how complicated you want to make things or even on how experienced you are with macronutrients and tracking.
With Macro Cycling, I have clients adjust every 2 weeks to not only keep things “fresh” mentally, but also help them avoid plateaus and keep their bodies functioning optimally (while also not overcomplicating things with multiple ratios in a single week).
They point is, by focusing on macros over simply counting calories, you can see better and faster results and even more easily avoid those weight loss plateaus.
Now…let’s just say, you did hit that plateau and did instead decide to cut calories further instead of focusing on your macros.
Let’s even say you saw some progress on the scale after you cut calories lower.
The question is…what will end up being the cost of this even more extreme deficit?
The cost of this deficit may be more lean muscle mass lost as your body uses anything it can to fuel your activity.
So while you may see the scale continue to go down, it won’t be only body fat you’re losing.
And this reduction in lean muscle mass can result in an even lowered metabolic rate as well as hormone levels that are all out of “whack.”
Our body can begin to believe it is “starving” and it will scream at us to eat…and even actually OVEReat.
So then what happens?
We gain back all of the weight we lost and, unfortunately, often even more.
And not only do we regain the weight, but our body composition may even end up worse off than where it started!
Yup…we may end up with even more fat mass and even less muscle mass than BEFORE we dieted.
How is that possible?
Well, when we lost weight, especially because we didn’t focus on macros to maximize lean muscle mass retention, we also lost muscle.
We catabolized our muscle tissue potentially even more by eating too little.
So then when we overeat and the scale goes back up, it isn’t going up because we’re gaining muscle….
Nope…We’re just regain fat.
That muscle mass we lost during the diet is gone.
So our body composition may end up worse than where we started.
This yo-yo dieting cycle is what also leads to us feeling like our metabolism is “damaged.”
Because we have less lean muscle mass, we’re going to burn fewer calories at rest.
And it does take some time for hormone levels to normalize and our body to realize it no longer has to try to conserve energy.
All of this can make the process of trying to lose weight again even more difficult!
It can be why it seems like each time you start a new diet the process of losing gets more and more difficult!
It’s again why you can’t just focus on calories in vs. calories out!
So…to sum things up….
A calorie isn’t simply a calorie. And the calorie intake you need can be DRAMATICALLY impacted by the macro ratio you use.
It’s why if you focus on macros first, the calorie deficit or surplus you need will be created in a way that will lead to not only BETTER, but LASTING RESULTS!
Whatever your goals…whether you want to lose weight, gain muscle, get lean, fuel your training OR even avoid the dreaded weight gain often associated with menopause, MACROS MATTER!
I have mixed feelings about eating “healthier” alternatives to the treats we love and sometimes crave.
I think it is important we know when we need those macro-friendly versions to keep us on track and even when it is simply better to indulge in the real thing.
And I will personally do both, depending on the situation and even the specific craving.
Because we can find a balance between indulging and staying on track toward our goals. What that balance is though, will be unique for each of us!
Like I LOVE dessert.
Do I need a sweet treat at the end of the night?
No.
But do I want one?
HECK YES!
And especially as the weather warms up, my cravings for ice cream increase.
But I know if I get a pint of…well…anything…that whole pint will be gone.
And then I’ll feel crappy and won’t sleep well from the sugar and have a crappy workout the next day.
Now, sometimes, despite the fact I know this will happen, I still indulge and enjoy. (Balance, right!?)
BUT often I find I just feel better, and stay on track toward my goals, when I swap in a satisfying, but more macro-friendly alternative!
That’s why I love this Chocolate Greek Yogurt Ice Cream.
I can make the one serving, satisfy my sweet tooth and even pack in 20 grams of protein!
So if you’re an ice cream fiend too, try this delicious recipe!
Chocolate Greek Yogurt Ice Cream
INGREDIENTS: 2 1/2 oz Fat-Free Plain Greek Yogurt 1/2 scoop Vanilla (or chocolate) Whey Protein 1 tsp Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa Powder 1/2 cup Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk 1 tsp Vanilla Extract 2 tbsp Stevia or sweetener of choice
Blend yogurt, protein powder, cocoa, stevia and almond milk thoroughly.
Place in freezer.
Take out the ice cream after an hour and turn it over gently with a spoon to avoid it becoming one big ice block. Do it again every 30 minutes until it has the right consistency (it should take about 2 hours total).
You can either eat it right away (after the 2 hours) or keep it in the freezer for up to a week. If you leave it in the freezer, take it out 5-10 min before you serve it to let it soften up a bit.
I don’t care what your dietary preference is…Protein is key if you want to lose fat and build lean muscle.
(By dietary preference I mean Vegan, Vegetarian, Paleo, Gluten-Free…)
While you can lose weight by simply cutting calories to some extent that doesn’t guarantee you that lean, cut look we’re usually striving for when we’re trying to lose weight.
To get that lean look, you need to make sure to increase your protein intake while in a calorie deficit.
And for my non-meat eating friends?
It can be a bit more challenging, which is why I wanted to share one of the Vegetarian recipes from my 4-Week Macro Cycling Accelerator.
In a large nonstick, skillet, add half the garlic and ginger, cook for 1 minute, stirring frequently.
Add crumbled tempeh.
Cook for about 7 minutes; only stir 1-2 times (the goal is to attain browning). Add 2 tablespoons coconut aminos and Sriracha, stir to evenly mix.
Cook for another 7 minutes, again, don’t stir too much. Once browned well, set aside.
While tempeh is cooking prepare glaze.
In a small sauce pan, heat honey, 1 teaspoon of coconut aminos and the other half of the garlic and ginger over medium heat. Honey should bubble and boil. Let cook for 1 minute.
Let cool slightly then add sesame oil.
To prepare each wrap, add a bit of carrot, scoop of tempeh mixture to a piece of lettuce and top with a drizzle of glaze. ENJOY!
