Moving the Needle on Macros

“I’ve hit my numbers for 12 days in a row, and I don’t feel any different.  What am I doing wrong?”

This is a question I’ve asked myself personally, and have heard from clients on many occasions.  You see, we are NO different in our doubts and insecurities.  We encourage our clients to vocalize their struggles honestly with the group, because we ALL go through phases of frustration.  Flexible Dieting isn’t all sunshine and rainbows.  Sometimes it’s just plain hard. And most of the time hard is GOOD.  It allows us to grow and it empowers us to persevere! 

In the beginning, tracking macros can be really overwhelming.  However, the clients that we see jump in enthusiastically with both feet typically skyrocket to results.  They are meticulous about tracking, weighing and measuring.  They’re excited about a program that actually works, and they are motivated by their snowball of success.

However, after tracking my own macros for years I have caught myself on more than one occasion resting in complacency.  Have you ever felt like you were so good at something you forgot to do it?  I heard this quote the other day while driving and it made me stop and think.  Tracking my macros, at this point, has become second nature.  Many days I can get away with going through the motions with minimal effort. I am CONTENT with my physical appearance, but what I realized was that my contentment was turning into complacency.  It made me take a hard look in the mirror at my own life and re-evaluate some of my goals. 

After tracking your macros for a prolonged period of time you too could be at risk for complacency.  We want our clients to be proud of their accomplishments, CONTENT with their body image, but never lackadaisical about their goals.  Are you just going through the motions but wondering why your results aren’t as astounding as they were when you first started? Are you doing everything in your power to move the needle on progress? If you’re feeling anything like me, it might be time for some self-reflection and re-evaluation. 

1. Audit Your Accuracy. I’ll just take another day off.  I’ve earned it.  This looks close enough.  I can eyeball this instead of weighing it.  I’ll just take one untracked bite of my kid’s left over pancake… and ice cream.  Sound familiar? First, I want our clients to know there is NOTHING wrong with taking off-tracking days or eyeballing your food, however if you’re trying hard to move the needle on your progress, “close enough” and “almost” add up real quick.  Going the extra mile in accuracy is a game changer when it comes to results.  Reigning in the margin of error to the very best of your ability is the difference between striving for excellence and settling for good enough.
2. Micronutrients and Food Quality. I knew there was a problem with my own food quality when I went to type the word “egg” in MyFitnessPal and the first multiple entries that came up were Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup related items.  Thank you, Easter Target Cartwheel sale.  I had to actually scroll to find the egg entry.  Don’t get me wrong.  I have no shame in enjoying a guilt-free treat here and there, but eating whole, nutrient dense foods in the RIGHT quantity is where the magic happens.  If you’re hitting your numbers regularly, with accuracy, it’s time to look at how you’re spending that macro budget!  Think about small changes you can make within your macros to incorporate more vegetables and whole food options.
3. Sleep.  I know mamas, this is FAR easier said than done, but getting the proper amount of sleep (7 plus hours per night) can REALLY move the needle for fat loss.  Not only does sleep help to improve energy level, but it is vital for regulating hormones, mood and impacts your metabolism!  Want to see better progress?  Make sleep a priority.  Try heading to bed 30 minutes earlier.  Trade screen time and over stimulation for stretching, reading, or even a bath before bed.  You’ll reap the benefits both inside and out when you include sleep in your fat loss game plan.
4. Water.  Are you keeping track of your water intake?  Our bodies are made up of 60% water.  When you’re dehydrated your metabolism can slow, your training suffers, and your body doesn’t flush out toxins and can’t regulate itself as easily.  A good goal to shoot for is half your body weight in ounces plus 20 additional ounces for every hour of exercise.  Sometimes we assume we are good about our water intake and we stop being vigilant about it.  Recording the amount of water you take in everyday and being certain to hit your goal is another way to move that needle on progress. 
5. Fiber.  Along with tracking macros, we encourage all of our clients to track dietary fiber.  The 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends a minimum of 25 grams of fiber per day for women and 38 grams per day for men.  Chances are if you’re not paying attention to your fiber intake, you’re probably far below the recommended amount. Increasing your dietary fiber is beneficial for many reasons, most importantly for heart health, lowering cholesterol, keeping bowel movements regular, and to keep you fuller longer.
6. Feedback.  The beauty of our coaching program is that it has allowed us to connect with women on a very personal level.  We are NOT magicians.  We make educated adjustments based on our client’s DAILY biofeedback.  If you’re not making a daily self assessment about your hunger level, sleep quality, mental and emotional state, and performance in the gym, you are not taking full advantage of program.  You’re leaving your coach with a lot of guesswork and your weekly macro adjustments might not be as effective as they could be with detailed daily biofeedback.
7. Exercise.   Now that you’ve got your nutrition in a solid place, it may be time to start thinking about starting an exercise program.  Finding a form of training that you enjoy can not only help you physically, but it can help to rejuvenate your motivation and set new goals!
8. Patience and perseverance.  There is no “finish line” when it comes to your nutrition.  Your journey is a marathon, NOT a sprint.  12 days of following our program isn’t going to change a lifetime of food baggage.  Many times the answer is that you’re not doing ANYTHING wrong.  You might be doing every possible thing in your power to move the needle on macros, but your body likely needs more time.  You need to be resilient.  Have patience with the process and when the weeks turn into months, you’ll be so glad that you did.

Interested in our nutrition program? 

We open up new macro coaching groups at the start of every month. You can read more about that on our Macro Coaching Page. Send us an email at [email protected] to register for an upcoming session.