DISCLAIMER: I will be discussing my relationship with food and weight. Please take care while reading. I am not a medical professional. I am sharing this for informational purposes only. This post also contains affiliate links. I may receive a small commission on items purchased through these links at no additional cost to you.
“What the heck does that mean?”
This is probably the question I get the most when people ask how I’ve been losing weight.
Most people assume it is aggressively tracking calories. I think of it as simply tracking macronutrients: fat, protein, and carbs within a daily calorie goal. You may have heard some people call this style of eating macro tracking or flexible eating.
Is this the only way to lose weight? Absolutely not. It has been the only one that has worked for me. I’ll be sharing my favorite tools and resources to get started in this post.
Weighing my food has been an eye-opening experience. I was shocked at how much I was overeating. I always felt lost on other “diets.” I never felt like I could achieve a healthy medium. Trying to follow a general meal plan left me bored or unsatisfied. Calculating my nutrient goals makes me feel like I actually have choices.
Why Tracking Macros Works (For Me)
There are no restricted foods. I love that I don’t have to cut anything out. Tracking this way has made me more mindful about prioritizing foods that help me reach my nutrient goals. I am making these changes to heal my relationship with food while setting my kids up to maintain healthy habits.
There are no good or bad foods in my brain anymore. I now think of foods as something to keep me full or something that can provide consistent energy until my next meal. Nothing groundbreaking. I try to keep these in mind when making my weekly grocery order. Knowing I get a sweet tooth about once a day helps me “budget” a couple of cookies or a serving of ice cream into my day.
“Do you really track EVERY bite of food you eat?”
I am not measuring every crumb that goes into my mouth. I do my best to measure everything, but I have been consistent in making better choices. If anything, this journey has shown me how much I’ve been overeating. Let me tell you: the serving size of ranch dressing that lived in my head was profoundly different than the one listed on the bottle.
In the first few weeks, I measured everything and logged it all in a notebook. This really helped me learn to make a more educated guess about my food when a scale wasn’t around. Sorry, but I don’t care enough to bring a scale to a restaurant to measure. I still put my best guess into my app for food I haven’t weighed.
Knowing that this is something I want to maintain for life makes it easier to breathe if I ever feel like I’m getting off track. But that doesn’t mean I stay off the track. Eating one carb on the keto diet had me questioning my entire existence. This is NOT that. It’s grace, and knowing exactly where I can improve the next day.
You do have to be honest with yourself.
If you’re consistent during the week, but eat everything around you on the weekends, you’re likely going to stay stagnant. Unfortunately, weekend food follows us into the next week. I’m speaking from experience here. I’m still eating chips on the weekend, but it has gone from an entire bag in one sitting to a serving size or two. I don’t feel deprived! If you’re thinking about getting started, I’ve listed the resources and tools that have helped me the most below.
Helpful Tools
Macros Calculator
I use this free macros calculator. It will ask for your email to view your results, but it is truly free! This will set your individualized goals. I have recalculated each time I’ve lost 15 pounds.
Macros Inc. Facebook Group
The folks at Macros Inc. have a free Facebook group that is incredibly helpful. If I ever have a question, someone else has likely asked in that group. The community there is supportive and has helped me more than they will ever know.
Digital Scale
A simple kitchen scale is a must. It does not have to be fancy. The scale should be able to measure in grams since that is the most common measurement on nutrition labels. I like this budget-friendly scale. It’s small enough to fit in my work bag so I can stay consistent on the go.
Nutrition Tracking App
I did pay for a premium membership of MyFitness Pal because I like their setup the most. You will get an estimate of what your weight would be in 5 weeks if you ate like that every day. There are tons of tracking apps out there. That adds a little more motivation for me each day. Find what works for you! I could absolutely calculate everything myself on paper, but I don’t have the time or math skills by 9:00 pm.