Should I Track My Macros?

This is a common question we get, and the answer is… it depends.

We know, a cop out, we’re sorry. Like most things though, this depends on the person, situation and goals. Do most people need to track their macros to lose weight, improve how they feel, and look or get healthier? No. They can very easily use the easy portion size charts (seen below from our friends over at Precision Nutrition).

This works really well for a lot of people because it is simple, no unnecessary tools, equipment or steps. It also is adjustable per person because the larger a person is, the bigger their hands will typically be, which means they will often require more food per serving.

We will also break it down by gender and recommend:

You’ve got to “hand” it to us, that was clever… dad jokes aside, now that you are “armed” with this information… we’re done, we promise. Most people can reach their goals just by using these steps and we know because we’ve helped hundreds of people do it. We want to see people succeed with the smallest amount of stress possible.

As we talked about with our Habit Forming Articles #1 and #2, when the tasks are easy and can be used with minimal effort, people are much more likely to do them and follow through on their tasks. We can’t make it much easier than simply putting your hand next to the food to figure out how large of a portion you need for each type of macronutrient, don’t know what that is? Check out article, What Are Macros?

What about the type A people, the ones who love data, and want to have more control over and knowledge of their food? Can they track their macros? Of course! We believe strongly that we should take each person’s individual personality traits, experiences, and skills and create coaching and diet advice that highlights those positives while teaching them more and helping them grow the things that are lacking. We aren’t here to change you, we want to help create a better version of you. If you are extremely comfortable with tracking your numbers and love to have data on hand to understand why you are seeing the awesome progress with our staff and program, then we are all about it!

We will do the math and help you factor in things like your SMART goals, training or exercising, timeline, and values. From there we will help you start picking nutrient dense, high quality meals and snacks that include all of the things above: High quality protein (plant or animal based), high quality carbohydrates, healthy fats, and vegetables.

After we learn the basics, we recommend people who decide to track their macros use technology (apps, websites, excel files, etc). This allows for another level of accountability and also reduces the math for both you and our coaching staff. The only problem is that tracking calories and macros can be both difficult and not always accurate. If used as a general guideline and accountability factor to help someone stay on track, it can work great, just like the hand portions and intuitive eating.

Whether you are tracking your macros or not we are here to assist you, and that is the most important part. We are here to support you and guide you on this journey to make you a better version of the already awesome person you are. We will work to help you learn more about food, how prepare quality food in the best ways, identify the best available options, and other food skills to help on our journey. Think about which way works best for you, and let’s get started, by CLICKING HERE.