Why Macro Counting Is The Best and Most Sustainable Nutrition Program
There are MANY ways to approach nutrition, and I feel like a new one pops up yearly. I’ve been macro counting consistently for 5 years and it’s helped me achieve several goals from cutting weight and putting on lean muscle to supporting my athletic endeavors. My body has always felt supported by my macros and that’s my goal every time I prescribe macros for my clients.
Macros are adjustable. Those macro numbers (carbs, fats, and protein) will also change if you change your goal. If a client decides to cut weight, I’ll discuss the full experience with them and then we work together to come up with a plan to systematically remove macros so that they feel somewhat comfortable while still achieving their goals. It’s the same process for a client wanting to put on weight: we incrementally adjust the numbers to help them achieve their goals.
Macro counting is sustainable. How long has your friend sustained their keto diet? Some people can do it for a while and that’s great for them. For a lot of people, particularly the active people that I know, it doesn’t work for long. Plus their body tends to react very strongly once carbs are reintroduced. Doesn’t sound super sustainable, right? Our bodies have a “baseline” for macros. That’s the calories that our body burns at rest and what we burn through exercise. To stay at our current weight and body composition, we’ll focus on what I call maintenance macros. Some people will stay in maintenance for years (I’ve been on maintenance numbers for 3 years to focus on my athletic career), and then we have the freedom to adjust them if our goals change.
You don’t have to weigh and measure forever. Or at all! Yes, counting macros sometimes brings up thoughts of lugging a food scale to a restaurant and weighing your portions. It doesn’t have to be that way. I’ll be honest, I did it one time and the experience was so uncomfortable that I never did it again! Some of my clients simply use hand portions and do not touch a scale. I use this trick too when I travel or go out to eat. Fun fact? It’s nearly as accurate as weighing your food. For the average person, this is a SOLID way to approach nutrition. Your hand is always with you so I would also call that a sustainable approach! I break down my clients’ macros into portions per meal so that they know how much they need to eat. They have the freedom to alter them as needed, for example: combining their afternoon snack portions with lunch if they know they won’t have time to eat.
You have flexibility. I never ask my clients to completely forgo foods that make them happy. Research has shown that this tends to lead toward a binge down the line. We may adjust how much and how often we indulge in those foods but I never place restrictions on them. Our goal is to fill up on whole foods like fruits, veggies, lean proteins, and healthy fats. You can make room for a delicious espresso martini with your girlfriends, your mom’s apple pie, or anything that lights you up! All you have to do is consider the macros, text me if you need help, and we can figure out how to make it work.