Episodes
Monday Mar 12, 2018
#17: Tracking Your Calories & Macros: Is it Right for You?
Monday Mar 12, 2018
Monday Mar 12, 2018
*Disclaimer* This strategy is not for beginners or for those with a history of disordered eating. This is for those who have laid a solid foundation of healthy habits and a healthy relationship with food, body, and self and who are ready to pursue body composition changes strategically and without judgment or emotion.
How to know if tracking is right for you right now?
- What is your history with food tracking? Did you become obsessive, rebellious, isolated from your life in any way? If tracking made your feel stressed, overly focused on food, or out of balance in any way, it’s not a good strategy for you at this time.
- How do you feel if you eat something outside your meal plan? If you eating off plan causes you to feel overly judgmental or remotely ashamed, this is not a healthy tool for you.
- Does eating a whole foods diet feel normal to you now (aka have you been eating this way for at least several months)? If the answer is no, we encourage you to go back and listen to Episode 3: How and Why to Eat a Whole Foods/Paleo Diet and implement this way of eating. Tracking can come in a few months down the road if you have body composition goals.
- Is your weight loss goal coming from a place of fear/shame or from a place of curiosity? If you attach your self worth to your weight, please go back and listen to Episode 8: Body Image. You need to own that you are worthy NOW, before considering an intensive tool like food tracking.
- Have you been cultivating joy in other areas of your life (aka filling your mojo bucket)? Food tracking can be a way of seeking control over your life rather than addressing other critical areas that may need more attention. Self-care, joy, and play are key to a healthy, balanced life. Cultivate these areas and you are much less likely to seek food for pleasure of comfort.
IF YOU ANSWERED THE QUESTIONS ABOVE HONESTLY AND FEEL LIKE YOU’RE PREPARED TO DO FOOD TRACKING WITHOUT PERFECTIONISM, NUMBING EMOTIONS, OR OBSESSION, READ ON!
WHAT TO TRACK AND HOW:
If you need a refresher on macros and calories, please go back and listen to MYB Episode #4: What are Macros and Do Calories Matter?
1) Choose an app such as My Fitness Pal: I like this app because it has the widest database of foods and has a social component if you want it.
2) Establish a baseline: Track your food intake as precisely as possible for 3 days without changing anything. Be sure to include one weekend day if you tend to eat differently on the weekend. This will give you a baseline of your average calorie intake.
3) Set up Calorie Goals: Once you establish a calorie baseline, you need to set up your MFP goals. I don’t recommend reducing calories more than 20% from your baseline to start.
4) Set up Macro Goals:
Calories per gram for totals
- Protein*: .8 to 1 gram per pound of body weight
- Fats: no less than 40 grams for hormone production, brain health, blood sugar stability.
- Carbs: This depends on a number of factors: Activity levels, stress, thyroid, sugar issues. I usually don’t recommend women go below 75 or 100 grams.
5) Prepare Simple Foods: This makes tracking so much easier. You can input a whole recipe into MFP, however, if you wish.
6) Focus on Nutrient Density: Your body will respond much better if you are giving it the nutrients it needs to function. If you’re restricting calories, these becomes even more important. Trying to fill up your carb needs, for example, with sugar versus starchy vitamin rich veggies will undermine your overall health and make you more susceptible to cravings.
7) Be as precise as possible with quantities: Portion size is hard to eyeball unless you’ve been doing this a long time. A food scale can be helpful for a week or so.
8) Be As Detailed As Possible: You don’t want to undo your work by under or over reporting intake or putting in the wrong food. ALSO: don’t be neurotic. Your food logs don’t need to come out to the last gram. Remember: Alcohol needs to be tracked as well.
9) Consider Pre-Logging Your Food: This makes your decision making so much easier the next day. You can always adjust as needed if your meals change.
10) Adjust MFP Goals According To Your Results: Are you losing weight? Are you starving? Are you stuffed? Are you lethargic? These are all clues as to whether the calories and macronutrient ratios are working for you. You need to stay CURIOUS and SCIENTIFIC and adjust as needed.
11) What To Do As Your Body Is Adjusting: Don’t freak out. Just be willing to know there is an adjustment period and be curious. Don’t be afraid to adjust your calories and macros though if you need to. Be aware that cutting out sugar feels tricky. Ask yourself the question: Am I hungry for real food? If so, you may want to eat something.
12) Carb Cycling: This is useful for those who strength train or workout hard on certain days of the week. If you have the premium version, you can set different calorie and macro goals on workout days. This is useful for metabolic flexibility and recovering from training. Learn more about this carb cycling here.
13) No more than 8 weeks at a time: 8 weeks should get you started toward your fat loss goal without compromising your metabolism. Cycle back up to normal calories for at least a month before going into another fat loss cycle. For most people, it’s not healthy mentally or physically to eat at a calorie deficit for months on end. Be sure to consult with your health care professional about this if you have any concerns.
CONCLUSION:
Food tracking is not for beginners. It is not for people who base their self worth on a certain size or number on the scale. It is not those who tend to become obsessive about the numbers or feel ashamed if they deviate from the plan.
Food tracking is a next level strategy for those who are comfortable with a mostly whole foods diet and who are curious about some body composition changes. And believe it or not, (unlike other gimicky diet industry ads) we fully believe that you can live a whole, healthy life without it so if If you do try it and it’s not right for you, STOP. Go back to eating real food, moving in healthy ways, sleeping soundly, and cultivating joy and connection in your life. No app required. ;)
Questions? Concerns? Feedback? Please connect with us on our Facebook page!
xo,
Jenny and Lisa, co-hosts
The Mind Your Body Podcast
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