Lately I’ve been sharing more of my fitness journey on social media and it’s been sparking more questions about what exactly am I doing. It really excites me to see that people are interested and have questions because maybe I can help someone else. I am by no means an expert of any sort. I’m just someone who wants to share what I’ve learned in the past couple years.
After I had my baby, I discovered macro counting and worked with an accountability coach to keep me on track. For me, Macro counting and flexible dieting is a SUSTAINABLE way to lose fat and gain muscle and I like that I can fit in all sort of food that are considered “clean” –but also a little “junk” to keep my cravings at bay.
SO what is macro counting? It just means that I track the amount of proteins, fats, carbs and fiber so that I can achieve the body composition that I want. It means I weigh/measure my food when I prepare it and measure out my meals ahead of time. Each macronutrient that I track has a calorie value per gram, and based on my goals I tried to plan out my meals based on what my calculations say to follow. Just for reference:
- For each gram of protein, there are 4 calories
- For each gram of carbs, there are 4 calories
- For each gram of fat, there are 9 calories
Fiber is just tracked to make sure I have an adequate amount to keep things moving if you know what I mean.
It’s really easy to find out what your macros are. There are free calculators online, but there are plenty of people out there that can walk you through it. Your macronutrients will vary based on age, and your daily level of activity. You can have the calculator figure out the breakdown to follow for either bulking and gaining muscle, or cutting by losing fat.
I use an app like My Fitness Pal to log my food daily and make sure I am hitting my macros. I make sure to plan all of my meals and snacks about two days before so I can plug in different foods to see what fits together. To me, it’s almost like a game of Tetris, but with food! Would it surprise you that I can fit in ice cream or pancakes several times a week and still lose weight? Because with macro counting and flexible dieting — I can! Macro counting and flexible dieting also makes me look at the foods I buy a little bit deeper. Over time, you find better options along that way and always keep my eyes peeled for new recipes or foods to try.
If I get really busy and forget to meal prep, that’s when things can get a little fuzzy. I am someone who needs to plan ahead, or I will overeat. Over time, with meal prepping and counting macros I hope to visually understand the proper servings so I don’t need to measure out everything I cook. From time to time I will take breaks from counting and practice what I think I’ve learned. Sometimes it’s a hit, sometimes it’s a miss.
So what’s the short of it all? Working out alone wasn’t changing my body, but watching what I eat does. I chose a sustainable way of “dieting” which allows me to factor in some fun foods here and there so I don’t go crazy and have a bingefest.
Does macro counting sound like something you would try?
I had heard about macro counting, but didn’t know what it was before. Thank you for the explanation!
Bless you, I think it’s too complicated for me though it makes a lot of sense. Nevertheless, I will check out the app that you use. I’m not good at meal planning in advance, but I will look into this to see if that app might help me incorporate this approach into my lifestyle!
I’ve heard of it – we had a lady here who sells her macro program online. I know it does wonders – she looks amazing but I’m not sure I would be able to commit mentally.
I didn’t know what you meant by the title but you explained this well. You are very disciplined with both diet and exercise. Bravo!
I’m very familiar with the whole gram to calorie thing from a physiological perspective, but I didn’t realize the technique was an actual think for dieting/calorie management. It’s definitely worth trying out!
I havent heard the term before, but it sounds like its working well for you. I would probably do best with something easier.
I have heard of counting macros but I had no idea what it was. You are very committed to stick with it, sounds like a lot of work!
I don’t think I knew much about this! Quite informative!
Thanks for the detailed description of your fitness and macro journey
I’m so glad you broke this down! It was really interesting to learn more about!