Macro Counting: 5 Tips to STOP the Dieting Cycle

Have you tried macro counting? If you’re sick and tired of the endless dieting cycle, like I was, read on for how I finally got off the hamster wheel using macro tracking.

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For me, the endless dieting cycle began in middle school. I was always bigger than my friends, and I struggled with body image like many women from that point on. I tried diet after diet. Some – like Weight Watchers and Tone It Up – taught me a lot. While others, like the Special K Diet and Body for Life, may have done more harm than good.

I can follow a plan like a boss. I am great with rules. Tell me what to do, and I’ll do it! The problem for me comes when things don’t go according to plan. Years of restrictive dieting has instilled in me an all or nothing mindset that is neither healthy nor helpful in maintaining a balanced diet. Hello, perfectionism, nice to see ya!

But the problem wasn’t sugar, or carbs or gluten or any food, it was my MINDSET. After years of dieting and obsessing about food, I found macro counting to be the missing link I needed to enjoy life without constantly worrying about food.

The top 5 mindset shifts you need to stop the dieting cycle

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Old Belief: Sugar, carbs, [insert food here] is bad

New Belief: Foods are made up of different nutrients

First, and perhaps most importantly, in order to stop yo-yo dieting and self-sabotaging, you need to realize and wholeheartedly believe that there are NO bad foods. I want to give a shout out to my girl, Fitlicity. Working with her in her small group program was a huge step in my nutrition journey. That’s because she doesn’t believe in a one-size fits all approach. She works with each individual to find what works for you. She doesn’t tell you what you can and can’t eat, but she helped me see how different foods impacted me physically and mentally. I learned SO much from her program about food and the macro- and micro-nutrients that they provide us. She taught me that ultimately, no food is bad food, it’s all just nutrients. But when you’ve spent years restricting certain foods, it’s really hard to make that mindset shift.

I can honestly say, that I now genuinely enjoy eating vegetables and nutritious foods that fuel my body. I feel good when I eat clean, whole, real foods. But, here’s the thing. I also LOVE desserts. I’ve tried sugar detoxes and all kinds of things to reduce my sugar cravings because I believed it was bad. When I started counting macros, I finally understood. No matter what food you enter into MyFitnessPal, it distills it down into protein, carbs, fat and other nutrients.

Old Belief: I fell off the wagon and need to get back on track

New Belief: There is no one track – I pave my own path!

This is a pet peeve for me. While I no longer follow the Tone It Up Nutrition Plan, I still love their app and their workouts and the community on Instagram. But I am constantly seeing girls posting about “falling off the wagon” or needing to “get back on track” with either their workouts or nutrition or both. And I used to be the same way. But this way of thinking is ultimately not healthy for us. It’s an all or nothing mindset that there is one path to being a healthy human, and that’s not the case. The “track” you’re trying so desperately to stay on, is actually a hamster wheel, which is why you’re spinning in circles. Get off the wheel and pave your own path!

Old Belief: “I’m bad for eating that. I have no self control”

New Belief: I am in control and I eat what makes me feel good physically and mentally.

We have been trained through diet culture to feel guilt about our food choices. Guilt leads to shame and we spiral. Guilt says “I ate something bad.” Shame says, “I’m bad for eating that. I have no self-control. I’m a sugar addict. I will never change.”

Shame does us no good, because it tells us that we are inherently bad, which means we don’t have the ability to change, and that’s not true. Guilt, is a necessary emotion when we do something we need to apologize for. But if no foods are “bad” there is nothing to feel guilty for. Focus instead on how your body feels when you eat certain foods and learn from it. Eat the food you want and ask yourself, “Does this make me feel good, or does it leave me feeling bloated, gassy, crampy or uncomfortable. Either way, no guilt needed, simply acknowledge, analyze and adapt – another key learning from Fitlicity!

Old Belief: If I eat this as fast as I can I won’t have time to feel guilty

New Belief: I eat slowly and mindfully to enjoy my food and feel more satisfied

By treating sugar like forbidden fruit, when I did decide to have dessert, I couldn’t stop myself. I would overindulge on things that weren’t even good or satisfying to me. I’d eat cake even if it was dry, store bought, and three days old, leftover in the kitchen at work.

Learning to eat slowly and mindfully without guilt and shame has taught me to enjoy my food and to see what actually satisfies me. I realized certain previously “unapproved” foods were ones I enjoyed and some were not. Pasta, for example, makes me too full, bloated and I just feel yucky. Plus, it’s just not that tasty to me! Warm chocolate chip cookies on the other hand? Hell yes.

My biggest fear with intuitive eating was that if I could have ice cream any time I wanted, I would go hog wild. But honestly, it never happened. After a day or two of eating processed, sugary foods my body naturally starts to crave vegetables and clean, whole foods because it is lacking in certain nutrients. Listen to your body, including your cravings.

Old Belief: Today is ruined because I had XYZ, so now it’s a cheat day

New Belief: One choice does not ruin my day, one day does not ruin my week

Body for Life taught me the concept of the “cheat day,” and it’s something I’ve had to work hard to undo. You don’t have to wait for the weekend and you certainly don’t have to give up all healthy habits for the day because of one choice. As a strict rule follower and perfectionist, I could follow a plan, but I didn’t know how to account for anything “off-plan.” I wanted someone to give me a cheat code, literally. Macro tracking has finally given me the freedom to eat whatever I want whenever I want, and the proof that one choice does not “ruin” my day.

By tracking macros, I’m able to take it easier on myself, because I can see actual data that one ice cream cone does not make much of a difference. Even after a party or a day I considered to be “overindulgent,” I was able to retrospectively put my food into MyFitnessPal and realized I wasn’t that far off of my macros for the day. Counting macros allows me to give myself grace. Remember every choice is your choice, it’s the overall average of your choices that counts.

Ready to try macro counting?

You can find tons of information online about how to calculate your macros and follow macro counting via the free MyFitnessPal App. I recently purchased Lauren Gleisberg’s Macro Book, which gives a quick and easy overview of the calculations as well as how Lauren and her husband use this method to maintain results over time. What I love about Lauren is that she makes healthy recipes 80 percent of the time, and she uses macro counting to enjoy some of her favorite, less nutritious foods like Doritos and pizza.

I’ve been tracking my macros for about two months, and combined with a regular workout routine, I’ve noticed a huge improvement in my mindset and in my results. I don’t anticipate tracking forever but doing it has given me the additional nutritional knowledge and data that I needed to fully change my mindset around food. I have lost a few pounds and am starting to see some baby abs peek out, but most importantly I feel great. I’m able enjoy meals with family and friends without constantly obsessing about food. I finally feel free.

What’s your biggest nutrition challenge? Have you tried macro counting? Tell me in the comments below!

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