Why I Stopped Counting Macros in Favor of Eating Intuitively

First things first, I want to define what macro counting is. There are 3 groups of foods that are called the macronutrients. These groups are carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. The idea behind macro counting and the IIFYM craze is to adjust not only your calories, but the exact grams of each food group to optimize your results. There are apps that you can input your food in for each meal and it will tell you what your macros are down to the gram and percentage. The idea is that with adjustment and trial and error, you will find what your body responds the best to and reach your goals. Any questions on macro tracking are just a short Google search away ;)

PROS (from my experience):

-You can get great results in terms of your physical appearance. I know many women who love counting macros and have found it to be a lifestyle them enjoy which has gotten them the physique they were hoping for.

-I learned a lot about the importance of all 3 groups while tracking macros that I wouldn't have thought about before. I had a very low fat diet before and never realized it and tracking my macros enabled me to add more things like nuts, avocados, and olive oils to my diet. This helped me avoid the hangry stage and starve off that 3 PM blood sugar crash.

CONS (from my experience):

-You have to measure EVERYTHING. If you want accurate results, you need to plan this shit out to the GRAM, PEOPLE. This means buying a food scale and weighing your chicken breast, your cheese, your nuts, EVERYHING.

-It requires A LOT of planning. While I enjoy meal prepping and totally think it benefits myself and others with busy lives, with macros, you have to plan to have your proteins, fats, and carbs at a balance. It's like a puzzle-but for me, this puzzle became frustrating and exhausting.

-I would get down on myself if I didn't hit my macros. I based my day and if I had a "good day" based on My Fitness Pal. EFF THAT.

-It is an easy transition from a restrictive lifestyle and may encourage disordered thoughts around eating (or at least it did for me). Not only was I tracking calories now, but I was tracking everything I ate to an obsessive degree.

-It downplays the importance of MICROnutrients aka vitamins and what is INSIDE of the macro nutrients. With counting macros, a fat is a fat. That means an avocado is in the same category as a Twinkie. I would literally not eat an apple in favor of eating something that was definitely not as good for me on days when I had finished my carbs and needed fats. NOT good.

OK-RANT ON CONS OVER. I know this post may be controversial to women who are loving their macro plans. I am not trying to stop anyone from a diet that they have found to work for them. Like I said before, many women (and men!) really love counting macros and have seen fantastic results. I'm not one of them. For me, tracking macros enabled my ED thoughts to come into my head. It is another way to control your food in a way that can get unhealthy. If you do decide to track macros and have a past history of restricting or obsessing over food, please be mindful of warning signs that you may be triggered by this kind of plan.

Now, I eat mindfully and intuitively. I eat well probably close to 80% of the time. I try to eat when I am hungry and listen to my body. Some days I eat more, some days I eat less. I love lean proteins like chicken, fish, and eggs and incorporate them in most of my meals. I am also always snacking on apples and almonds-they are my go to snacks! If you are interested, I can talk more about intuitive eating in another post!

Sending balance your way,

Jules