I was talking with a petite girl on Insta and she shared how she was has been tracking her macros for a few months but she was becoming frustrated because nothing was happening.
And she thought “Macros doesn’t work for me.“
She was logging her foods each day – all of which were totally healthy and nutritious – with some occasional treats here and there. But nonetheless, it all looked really good from her perspective. But her body wasn’t changing. I asked her a few questions about how she was tracking her foods, and that is where the issue came to light.
Her problem was a typical one many people have, and today I am going to share with you what it is and how to avoid it, as well as two other common mistakes with macro counting and what to do in order to really see results!
Keep on reading to learn how to do the same…
When you start counting macros but you’re body still isn’t changing, there are generally 3 mistakes I find when I do a review of someone’s food log.
If you feel that your macros aren’t working for you either… take the time to check for these 3 mistakes listed below and determine if one of them might be your issue. Then block some time to fix it and be sure to track the results and changes after you make the fixes. That way you will know if they worked!
MISTAKE ONE.
Are your macros even right for you??
The first thing that you need to make sure is that your macros are right for you. Often this may be the #1 problem…you’re eating too little, too much, or not enough of the right stuff.
Figuring this out can be challenging. You may need to do some research. Or enlist the help of a coach to properly access. You can use a online macro calculator to find your maintenance (listen to Kier Here Podcast Episode 40 for to learn why petites shouldn’t go in a deficit right away), or you can track to find your maintenance first (episode 22) .
There’s a bunch of different ways to go about find them but it always depends on a number of factors including how tall you are, your body weight/fat, your activity level, hormones, age, sleep, stress, etc….
But how do you know if they are RIGHT?
The million dollar question.
You’ll want to start your macros at a point where you don’t feel too hungry but you don’t feel super stuffed either. Somewhere in the middle. This is your maintenance level or rather, your baseline macro requirements. Later on, you’ll want to slowly manipulate those numbers so that you are in a deficit to elicit change. But for now, you gotta start where you’re at.
If you start your macros too low below what you need you’re gonna end up feeling hungry, your body is gonna go in ‘starvation mode’ and it’s gonna hang on to every ounce it’s got to protect your organs (ie, no fat loss). Likewise, if you’re macros are set too high you’ll likely see the scale go up. Neither of which, you want.
Oh and p.s. Your macros should be to a specific number of grams, NOT to a percentage. Reaching your macro percentages doesn’t mean you’ll have the right number of calories. But when you reach your macro grams, your calories will also be where they need to be.
MISTAKE TWO.
Do the food you enter in your log have the correct macros??
This is generally mistake #2 – the foods you are entering in your log have incorrect macros. They are skewed or inaccurate or it shows only the calories but no macros.
This was the issue with one of my clients. She was having plenty of carbs throughout the day but by the time she got to dinner she still had so many carbs left so she would eat a carb heavy dinner. I showed her that her Ezekiel bread entry was inaccurate because it showed 12g carbs when her 2 slices were really 30g carbs. When she fixed that, she was way over on her carbs at the end of the day. And let me say this… she is not the first person I have seen this with. It is sooooo common.
Rule #1 of macro counting>>> Log accurately! Here are some tips:
- Use the bar code scanning feature to scan your products (be sure to check that they match up because sometimes that happens too)
- Use the verified foods (with the checkmarks) when able. If you are unable to use verified foods
- Measure your foods with a food scale before you eat them. Measuring cups/spoons are super inaccurate due to human error. I like to measure [almost] everything in grams on my food scale. I believe it’s way more accurate than ounces.
- Log your foods in the cooked form if you measure them in the cooked form. For example, raw meat always weighs more than cooked meat. If you’re measuring your meat cooked, make sure you are finding a cooked entry. If you are having chicken, don’t search ‘chicken breast’…. search ‘grilled chicken breast.’ I’ll do you one better… search ‘grilled chicken breast grams’ and you’ll get an entry with a serving size in grams so that you can measure more accurately
- Change the serving size when applicable. If the serving size of oats is 1/2, you can absolutely use 2/3 cup and then adjust the serving size.
- Log each food item individually. Example: If you’re eating a turkey sandwich don’t search ‘turkey sandwich’. Instead log the type of bread, the brand of turkey breast, and what ever else was on it including the lettuce, tomato, onion, mustard and mayo. It all counts!
- Log everything! from your food to condiments to drinks and supplements. You might be surprised where your macros are hangin out.
MISTAKE THREE.
Are you planning your meals BEFORE you eat them?
Okay THIS one is generally the mistake people do not realize really makes the difference. Just because you track macros doesn’t mean you’re COUNTING macros.
Tracking as you go is just data collection.
PLANNING in advance is winning the game.
Are you finding yourself with a weird amount of macros left at the end of the day? or way over on one macro but under on others? This is proof you’re not planning in advance. Logging after you eat is like shooting in the dark, hopping you reach your target…. ain’t gonna happen, sister.
PRO TIP – Plan your day of meals to meet your macros before it even starts.
I log all the food I’m gonna have over the next day or 3 days and adjust the serving sizes to meet my macros for each day. Then ALL I have to do is just follow what I planned. No more thinking needed.
Wanna know exactly how I do it?
Watch this YouTube video series to get allllllll the details from start to finish!
[Be sure to hit the subscribe button!]
Overcoming these three mistakes with your macros will help you become consistent with macros. Then you can begin to slightly adjusting your macros to elicit change in your body so that you can see and feel the fat shedding off your body.
And if you need help setting & adjusting this numbers for realz, you know where to find me
