My coach gave me my macros to target… Now what?
Going from not tracking your food, to tracking every bit of food you consume can be overwhelming.
In this article, I share tips on how to make the process of not-tracking to tracking your food, simple and effective. These tips will get you on the path to success on your fitness journey in a timely manner rather than learning it all solely on your own.
So you’ve gotten your calorie and macro lay-out from your coach, where do you start?
1. Download a Calorie Tracking App.
The best place to start is downloading an app on your phone, for convenience to track your calories and macros. I really like MyFitnessPal! But there are a lot out there to choose from. Keep it mind the prices vary, so choose one that isn’t too pricy.
2. Buy a food weigh scale
This doesn’t have to be super fancy, you can buy a $10 — $20 scale from Walmart that does the trick. But having a weigh scale will get you used to weighing your food.
A few notes about weighing your food the RIGHT way:
a. Meat — weighs raw
b. Vegetables — weigh how they are cooked (raw or steamed)
c. Starches (rice, pasta, etc.) — weigh dry (pre-cooked)
3. Don’t get fancy with meal planning and macro counting
Choose foods and meals that are healthy, simple, easy to make and hit your necessary macro count. Simply input these foods into myfitnesspal (app) and play around with food quantity to hit these targets. This is what needs to happen to find your routine foods and meals. If you get “too” fancy with changing meals up constantly or buying new groceries, the routine and consistency is thrown off. This is where MORE work needs to be put into finding that balance and consistency within your meal planning. Bottom line, keep it simple and stay consistent.
4. Be honest with yourself
If you are tracking your macros, it is because you want to better your health, fitness, or physique in some way. This is something you are doing for YOU. Not your coach, you. So be honest with yourself if you truly didn’t hit those macros one day, or you opted for a donut instead of that chicken breast. We all start somewhere & the start is always the hardest. Stay true to you & don’t lose sight of why you are taking this journey. You got this.
5. Have fun!
Meal planning and macro counting can be really fun (and satisfying). Seeing yourself make progress, hit numbers and succeed can bring so much fulfillment! The discipline of macro and calorie counting ultimately provides the mind and body freedom from unhealthy food choices, guilt eating and other negative feelings associated with food. Macro counting is here to learn what our body needs, understand how our body feels after eating certain foods and to create boundaries that enable our mind and body to learn which foods to consume that allow us to function each day with energy, a happy mood, low stress levels and a satisfied feeling after each meal (in mind and body).
Impress yourself, show up for yourself & enjoy the process. The process is where we grow.
Thanks for reading — good luck with your meal prepping/planning and macro counting! I am in your corner cheering you on!
XOXO,
Diane
