Tracking Macros Part 1 | Why Keeping Track Works
Even with the freedom the Own Your Eating lifestyle brings, sometimes, when you’re standing in front of the fridge with the door wide open at 10 o’ clock at night trying to find something to hit those last 20g of protein, it can be hard to remember why tracking your macros is worth the extra energy.
We know that tracking your food adds work to your day, we’re not here to tell you it doesn’t, but here’s a little refreshing reminder as to why you should Always Be Tracking!
Benefits of Tracking Macros
1. “What gets measured gets managed.” ~ Peter Drucker
Learning how to improve your health and nutrition means stepping up to the plate and Managing Oneself. The more you track, the greater your chance of reaching your goals. If you don’t know how heavy your last 3RM deadlift was, how do you know what to put on the bar next time? How do you expect to get any stronger?
2. Practice makes perfect
Yes! We know it’s an old cliché and you might even counter with “perfect practice makes perfect.” Well when it comes to tracking, we don’t even need you to be perfect, but we do need you to be persistent. Remember what your first day in the gym felt like? Don’t forget that what seems hard now, will some-day feel like a warm up.
3. It’s better to track something versus nothing at all
Building awareness about what you’re eating helps you to adjust your perspective. You’ll naturally start to ask yourself whether you really want that cookie or whether you want to fit into that old pair of skinny jeans for your high-school reunion! Moreover, you’ll develop the willpower to resist short-term enjoyment in favor of long-term gain.
4. You can be Flexible!
It’s why Jason and I have found this to be the most sustainable and successful “diet”. Provided we hit our macros at the end of the day, we can eat what we want, when we want. Being able to adapt the way we eat according to what’s going on in our lives – appointments, training, dinner dates & birthday parties – has given us freedom to enjoy foods we love with the people we love AND still love the skin we’re in.
5. Bust through weight loss plateaus
No more, “Hey, so you’re on this diet, enjoy being in a deficit FOREVER!” With Own Your Eating we help you fix your metabolism so that one day you can enjoy eating more! Yes, that’s right, a world of reverse dieting and more donuts awaits! If you can commit to consistently tracking, we can help you get there.
Coming up this week we’ll be looking at how to keep track. Some of you may feel like you’re pros already, but something we know to be true is that mastering the basics always pays dividends in the long-run. Chase virtuosity in tracking and you will become a Master of Macros.
Get a head start and check out our eBook The Ultimate Guide to MyFitnessPal.