Freedom Through Discipline
The Case For Tracking Macros
The path of least resistance, while tempting, often leads us astray: sitting on the couch instead of exercising, going through the drive-thru instead of cooking real food, doomscrolling instead of reading a book. These are decisions people make every single day that feel good in the moment but are not fruitful in the longer term and do not consider the wellbeing of their future selves. When we ask the question, “Is this good for my future self?” before making decisions, it starts to become easier to pick the option that will ultimately make us feel happier, mentally clearer, and more fulfilled in the big picture. There are certainly countless times per day to ask this question, but I have found that one of the stickiest and toughest realms to make productive decisions in the moment relates to nutrition. There are infinite ways to skin this cat, but I’m excited to share my take.
I track my macronutrients Every. Single. Day. This means I keep tabs on everything I eat and hit targets for the grams of protein, carbohydrates, and fat I consume. I weigh my food and treat My Fitness Pal like a member of my family. As of writing this, I have tracked my macros 778 days in a row. When people ask me about my approach to nutrition and I tell them what I do, I get some variation of, “you’re crazy” in response. I often smile and nod and try to change the subject, but tracking my macros has drastically improved my life, and I think it is important for people to understand the massive benefits of this process. I also feel that it is an incredible way to stay (or become) healthy and allow for indulgences without feeling guilty.
Most of us have no idea what we eat in a day. We might try to follow a fad diet, do something extreme and unsustainable, or eat whatever we want, whenever we want. Macro tracking is the solution to all of these faulty approaches. It is easy to think that we don’t have any control over the composition of our bodies and to treat weight gain and loss as something ordained by a higher power. When you know down to the gram everything you consume, that outlook quickly changes. Suddenly, you have the power. You have FREEDOM through discipline. The freedom gained through this process far outweighs the minor annoyances of forming the habits to sustain it. In addition, this is not a restrictive approach to eating. If you plan ahead, you can eat almost anything you want and still make it all work. Eating unprocessed foods with limited added sugar or chemicals is always recommended, but when you have a night out and want dessert, or are dying for pizza on Super Bowl Sunday, you can absolutely make it work. And the beauty is that you can do it guilt-free because you can still hit your macro targets.
Most “diets” are so restrictive and can lead to adopting an unhealthy mindset about your relationship with food and nutrition. You may slip up for one day and then think you might as well give up on your wellness altogether because you ate a forbidden food. There are no forbidden foods when tracking your macros. However, there is discipline required. There is also give and take, and the ability for you to earn your own flexible choices. If you know you will be having a piece of chocolate cake after dinner, you just eat less carbs the rest of the day to make room in your “numbers” so that you can enjoy the cake. But that makes the cake taste that much better. And if you are anything like me, you will feel like you solved the puzzle and won the game when you hit your macros correctly at the end of the day. It is very rewarding!
I have gone through many iterations of “numbers” to hit. I have had periods of cutting body fat, gaining muscle mass, and maintaining current physique. All I had to do was adjust my TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) and apply the percentage of macros that works best for me. There are plenty of resources out there to find baseline numbers to start with in this process. I also outline a step-by-step plan to macro tracking in my guidebook. Often, people will gain a strong intuition about their macros and no longer feel the need to specifically track. I am at a place where that would likely work for me, but I love the process and have done it long enough that it is second nature. The weighing and the entering take mere seconds, and I have never felt better mentally or physically since I started tracking.
I understand that this process may feel daunting or insurmountable at first glance, but if nothing else, it will give you a great foundation for understanding how food fuels your body and how to eat in a healthy and sustainable way that works for you.
The best things in life come through productive struggle, and this is no different. It will take some getting used to, but if you push through and make macro tracking a habit, I am confident you will find freedom through discipline.
