Counting your macronutrients is a great tool for those interested in making serious progress. Many people prefer the idea of eating freely, but when it comes to reaching goals, it tends to lead you down the wrong or much longer path. Although not everyone is meant to count their macros, I’ll be explaining why I believe it’s a great tool for progress. Here are 3 reasons I believe you should take the time to count.
1.It provides valuable data
Your goals may be big or small. No matter the size, most people want to reach them in the least amount of time possible. When it comes to your nutrient intake, not knowing your numbers is the least effective way of achieving results. Although counting everything you consume can be daunting, the value in knowing your numbers is unparalleled.
When you count your macros (and consume the same macros for an extended period of time) you find out whether you are gaining or losing weight. This is ideal if you’re serious about your goal as all the data is in front of you. You’ve followed the plan for weeks and haven’t lost a pound of body fat? Excellent, now we know the amount you’re eating is too much. We can effectively lower your total caloric intake from the correct sources and start seeing progress.
When you don’t count macros (and consume food without much thought every day) you run the risk of gaining the wrong kind of weight. Either that or you risk not losing any weight if your goal is to slim down. It’s easy to eat “a lot” of food if you’re trying to gain weight, but the quality of weight is less likely to be good. If you’re trying to gain muscle, you must prioritize protein and not go so high in carbs and/or fats. The unfortunate truth about food is most people don’t truly understand it. Counting doesn’t come naturally to almost anyone but is a valuable skill to learn.
2. Accountability
Counting macros provides you with accountability. By focusing on your numbers throughout the day, you are much less likely to over consume junk food as you understand the value in what you are eating. If you’re trying to reach your goals but end up at McDonald’s with some friends, knowing your numbers will help you choose better options at the register. Instead of ordering 2 Big Macs and a large fry, you know you can’t over eat in fats so you choose a healthier option. Eating at McDonalds isn’t exactly the best option if you’re attempting to lose weight. However, if you do find yourself on the road with no knowledge of food, make sure you don’t eat more than your allowed macros. This will ensure you stay on track with your goals.
3. Freedom of choice
Everyone has food they enjoy more than others. These range from healthy, to absolutely zero nutritional value, and it’s ok! Your body will always function and perform better with healthy whole food. However, this doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy a night with some pizza or celebratory donuts. Life is meant to be lived. The idea is to understand food enough make the right choices. In this case, counting macros can save all your hard work over the years.
Counting gives you the freedom to choose what you eat and when you eat it. For example, if your split is 150g protein, 150g carbs and 70g fats, it means you have these numbers to eat for the entire day. With this in mind, there’s nothing stopping you from having a donut that contains 35g carbs and 17g of fat. You simply take it away from your daily total. The remaining macros are what you can consume for the rest of the day. It’s a pretty simple concept and doesn’t take much time to get comfortable with. Personally, I use MyFitnessPal to calculate these numbers as they have a massive food database. Almost anything you can think of. Just make sure you choose the correct numbers. Sometimes a quick google search can sort out your confusion.
Summary:
Counting macros can be freeing, as well as restrictive. On one hand, you have the freedom to choose the food you want. On the other, you are limited to how much of it you can consume. This isn’t a bad thing, as most individuals end up over consuming on foods which aren’t aligned with their goals. Understanding food gives you the ability to consume what you want, while still being able to hit your target of weight loss or muscle gain. The coaches at NFormed Coaching know exactly what it’s like to have goals and want a positive social life. This is why our Online Coaching program is excellent for anyone looking to keep their food freedom and make incredible progress at the same time. We crunch the numbers so you don’t have to. Check out our Online Coaching program and start making the progress you’ve always wanted.
