A SNEAK PEEK Inside My Macro Hacks!
Not seeing the results you want from your diet even though you’re eating pretty healthily overall?
Thinking about counting macros, but not sure where to start?
The change can feel overwhelming and intimidating. How do you hit your protein, carbs and fat for the day?!
What if your current diet is way different than the ratio you’re trying to hit!?
First…take a deep breath.
Second…start to break down the change into manageable pieces!
Any time I have someone making a change that feels intimidating, I have them start small.
Slow, steady changes build.
Changes snowball, especially as you see progress.
The lower your desire to REBEL against the changes you want to make so you can actually give a new lifestyle, new habits, a true shot to work.
All too often seeking PERFECTION right off the bat is what causes us to fall off and struggle to stay consistent.
So how can you break things down?
Where Do You Start?
If change seems intimidating, your first move should be to simply figure out what you are truly currently doing.
Just start TRACKING.
Enter the calories you want to hit and the ratios you plan to use and just simply TRACK.
Don’t try to change anything. Don’t cut out any foods.
Just LOG.
Often just this ACCOUNTABILITY, often just seeing what we are truly doing, gets us to start tweaking and making changes.
They may be small changes, and often it’s simply we skip that extra snack or make an effort to get more veggies, BUT we start to make changes.
Changes that alone will add up.
After you simply log for even just a week without judgement, making the small tweaks that simple accountability will help you do, you will then want to build on the HABIT of tracking.
Start With Something Easy:
As you log make note of what you seem to struggle with based on the diet and dietary preference you’re making a change toward.
Even make note of things you seem to “need” or crave.
Now you may be thinking those things you seem to crave the most would be what you want to cut out FIRST as they are often the not so healthy treats.
But instead, find things you can tweak that you AREN’T as important to you.
Find one thing you can change that almost seems too easy to swap out or adjust.
Add in 10 more grams of protein, as usually our protein requirement is the macro we struggle to hit.
Swap that processed cereal for a homemade oatmeal dish.
Add in veggies to your usual pasta.
Make a simple swap TOWARD your ultimate goal.
Start with something easy to change because being able to make that change quickly and easily will only motivate you to continue to move forward.
It also lowers our innate rebellion to change as we feel like we CAN do it.
Commit To One Change:
After you start with an easy change or too, commit to focusing on changing ONE THING.
This focus on one thing can help us continue to move forward and see bigger progress without becoming overwhelmed and feeling like we need to do it all at once.
If you’re going Keto, focus just on increasing that fat intake. Don’t even necessarily focus on the quality of your food first. Just hit that fat intake.
If you’re doing Macro Cycling, I tell clients focus on protein first. It may just be adding a few percents each week till you get there, but just focus on that ONE macro. Don’t worry about where your carbs or fat fall to start. And don’t worry about cutting out the foods you love. Just tweak them to hit that protein.
Yes, even if the QUALITY of your food isn’t there yet, hit those macros then dial it in.
Once you have the base set, you can then tweak all of those foods you eat, which WILL also fall in line as you hit the ratios.
For instance, maybe you’d like to ideally eat chicken and veggies for a meal but are currently eating processed pizza. Maybe you first start with a macro-friendly pizza. It’s healthier although not ideally what you’d like to do.
BUT it helps you start to get CONSISTENT and moving forward.
Plus, it’s still better nutritionally than what you were doing.
So even though you aren’t yet focused on the quality, it does have to be dialed in as you start to dial in those ratios!
Or you can even do the opposite.
Maybe it is easier for you to first focus on the types of foods you want to eat and then, once you have those dialed in change your macro ratios.
That is great too! Maybe you’re switching to Paleo and then want to continue to improve your body composition so first focus on cutting out non-Paleo foods THEN you focus on the ratios.
They key is to commit to changing ONE THING FIRST.
Don’t Expect Perfection:
No one, even someone who has been following a lifestyle for years, is going to be perfect every day. And perfection isn’t required for results.
Consistency is!
So as you make changes, don’t feel like a day is ruined if it isn’t perfect. Don’t expect perfection.
Just focus on moving forward and on accepting the deviations that will occur.
Life will get in the way and you just want to find ways to work around it.
If you have an “off day,” a day you wish you could “do over”…well you can’t. All you can do is learn from it and move forward. Maybe you can reflect and find a way to plan better in the future.
Or maybe you just chalk it up to unforeseen circumstances and keep moving forward.
Just don’t make yourself feel guilty. And especially don’t get down if you’re a few percents off the ratios.
That is normal and more than acceptable deviation!!
Ratios are GUIDES. Dietary preferences are GUIDES.
The key is consistency and tweaking over time!
PLAN PLAN PLAN:
You need to plan ahead when you first start.
By planning ahead we can make sure to have proper meal prep ready for those busy days.
This can help us grocery shop so we have the foods we need at home.
It can also even help us to plan out healthier meals for when we eat out.
It can help us prepare to stay on track so the slightest thing won’t throw us off.
When we plan out meals we can learn how to hit our macros correctly versus getting to the end of the day and being over in carbs and under in fat and feeling lost and discouraged.
Planning ahead helps make changes less intimidating.
HOWEVER, sometimes when you start to plan you may feel like you just don’t understand what to do. And this can prevent you from even getting started.
In this case, find a “sample” of what you want to do. Find a sample day where someone has done the work for you. Or have SOMEONE ELSE map out a plan for you.
While you may want to learn how to do it yourself, sometimes having someone else show you how they would do it, can help give you ideas.
It can also help you start to see portion sizes and recipes that could work so you have a base to build on when you start planning out things for yourself.
It also gets you moving forward and seeing results so you want to continue on even when doing it yourself may seem hard!
Don’t Go It Alone:
And don’t hesitate to even PLAN WITH A FRIEND! Do the planning and even the prep together. Or get your family cooking and involved.
That can make it fun and give you someone to share the struggles with.
Online communities can work well too for accountability and even for IDEAS.
Don’t hesitate to share your struggles and your victories with others.
It is key to remember you are not alone!
Everyone has had some sort of similar struggle when making a change and they will be there to support you and understand even if their struggle wasn’t exactly the same.
But knowing you are not alone also really helps!
So…What Ratios Are Best For Beginners? Or If You’ve Struggled To Make A Change?
It is first key you know if you are a “cold turkey” type person or not.
Do you do better going to extremes to start and cutting out everything? Do you do better when you just can’t have a food so you need to dial in that dietary preference first?
Or does this ultimately backfire and lead you to constantly fall off even if months later?
Often I’ve found while we think we need to go all or nothing, this is the mindset that ultimately leads to our demise.
Instead find the kindest version of a dietary preference and the least extreme ratio.
(This is often why I say dial in ratios first then dietary preference as you then aren’t making foods off limits as you are starting to make changes!)
Sometimes starting out, I’ll have macro cycling clients strive for 30% protein, 35% carbs, 35% fat. (This can also be a great ratio if you are simply looking to MAINTAIN your results!)
If you want to get started today, enter that ratio into a food track and just start logging!
Want to learn more? Loved this Sneak Peek!?
Whether you’re a beginner or an athlete…whether you’re looking to lose weight, build muscle or get a six pack…I have ratios and sample days and recipes to help you reach your goals!
I’ll help you figure out the ratios right for you!
If you’re looking to dial in your diet and want to learn more about the ratios right for YOU and YOUR GOALS, join my Macro Hacks!
