Counting macros and calories are an effective way to lose weight and achieve your fitness goals. I know because I used to count macros and calories to some extend. But it wasn't sustainable for me for long term. Here are a few of my reasons why I stopped:
1. I don’t want to give the perception that you HAVE to count macros to achieve your fitness goals or eat well. Sure enough, I’m proof that you don’t since I’ve only started counting recently. If you’ve never done it before, it’s a great idea that you do it once or twice because it will give you a pretty solid idea of what a certain amount of protein, carbs or fat looks like. When counting macros, I realized that I actually eat a lot more fat and carbs than I thought I did, and that I was not eating enough protein.
2. It’s not a long term strategy for healthy eating and living. Are you going to constantly count macros for the rest of your life and for every meal that you eat? I hope not because that would be pretty damn hard and pretty boring, too! To me, as long as I’m consciously eating and I follow a 90-10 rule meaning 90% of my meals are healthy and balanced and the remaining 10% for the occasional cheat meals as well, then I’ll be good.
3. I’m not preparing for a body building competition or bikini contest. If you are and every additional gram of carb protein or fat matters then this would make sense to do. I am not planning doing either.
4. It’s pretty damn hard to do and I find that I was constantly disappointed when I didn’t hit my macros. It was making me a bit crazy about everything I was eating. That’s not a healthy way to look at food at all.
5. Everyone’s body is different. I had girls message me saying they were copying my meal plan, which was a big red flag for me. Everyone’s body, calorie requirement, macros and activity level are so different so you shouldn’t be copying what anyone is doing. Picking up a best practice here or there is a good thing but don’t copy someone’s meal and hope that you’ll get their results or that it’s what your body needs.
6. What about micronutrients? We talk about macros all the time but not enough about micronutrients. Those are as important if not more important to fight against diseases and preventing illnesses. Are you getting enough zinc, selenium etc?
7. I want to keep it simple: Half of my plate is usually filled with non starchy veggies, 1/4 protein and 1/4 starchy veggies or some form of carbs with a focus on eating whole foods. Healthy eating shouldn’t be so complicated.
What about you? Have you ever counted macros or calories? What made you start, continue or stopped?