Macro Tracking Mistakes You Want To Avoid
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Macro Tracking Mistakes You Want To Avoid
When used correctly, tracking your macros can be a handy tool to help you achieve your health goals. But there are some common errors that can occur if you’re not careful, and these can sabotage your efforts.
If you want to use macros as a nutrition strategy, make sure you’re not making these big mistakes.
Obsessing over the numbers
It’s great to start off with a macro goal, particularly when you’re newer to tracking. It helps to give you greater awareness around what you eat and the energy it contains. But unfortunately, a common issue in the health & fitness community is expecting yourself to nail your macros every single day.
The reality is that there is no way to be 100% perfect at hitting your macros every day. Even if you ate the exact same food every day (sounds boring to me!) the natural variation in ingredients and labels means that you could still vary by up to 20%. This is not a sustainable approach – and as we know, if it’s not sustainable, it won’t stick.
Finding yourself fixated on the numbers? You may find that using portion sizes is a better way for you to track your nutrition. This allows you to keep working towards your health goals without freaking out that you went 5g over on your fat.
Putting the macros above everything else
On a similar note, your macro goals should not stop you from enjoying your life. If you find yourself:
Turning down your favourite foods
Skipping social occasions
Stressing out when you’re not sure of the exact ingredients and quantities of a meal or snack that’s been served
then it’s time to take back control of your life.
Remember, your macros are a tool that are supposed to help you achieve your goals. But there is no goal that is more important than you being able to enjoy other aspects of your life.
Skipping the tracking on items you’re unsure about
Ever had a meal out, but didn’t add it to your tracking? When you eat out, it can be hard to know exactly what is in the food you’re eating. But that doesn’t mean you should leave it blank.
A guestimate of the ingredients and portions is better than nothing at all. If it’s a little higher or lower than the actual, that’s fine. Remember, even food labels can be off by 15-20%, which is why consistent tracking is more important than ‘perfect’!
Eating meals you loathe
Just because you’re watching your macros doesn’t mean you need to eat boring, bland food. And you definitely don’t have to eat any food that you hate! If you think kale is the worst, don’t eat it. If chicken breast is the most boring food you can think of, switch it for another protein source.
For a nutrition approach to be sustainable, you need to enjoy food! Otherwise, you’ll find yourself yo-yoing between being ‘good’ and ‘falling off the wagon’ (which is a different discussion that we’ll save for another time!)
Need some healthy recipe inspiration that isn’t boring? Make sure you check through my recipe index here.
Staying in a permanent deficit
When was the last time you updated your macros? As much as you might wish you could stay in a deficit all the time and keep seeing results, that’s not how the body is designed. To be your happiest, healthiest self, you’ll want to incorporate periods for muscle gain (surplus) and maintenance.
How long should you be in each phase? It depends on you, your goals, your mindset around nutrition and your state of health. That’s why my 1:1 coaching clients receive a tailored nutrition plan – it’s designed to help them reach their goals.
Missing the micronutrients
Macros are only one part of the picture when it comes to your health. Sure, you might get shredded or jacked eating protein bars and powders – but that doesn’t mean you’ll be healthy!
Micronutrients are the key if you want:
A balanced, calm mood
Of course, you can still enjoy your treats, particularly if they fit your macros! But we always want to go in with a focus on micronutrient-dense foods as the majority of your intake.
The good news is that you can get plenty of micronutrients in low-calorie, macro-friendly wholefoods like vegetables. If you struggle to get your daily veg, give these tips a try.
Forgetting the nibble effect
If you’ve been tracking for a while and aren’t seeing the results you want, make sure you’re not missing the little nibbles and additions to your day.
The big one for me is making sure I avoid snacking while I’m cooking whenever possible. If I let myself snack, it can easily stack up to an extra 300-500cal.
It might be a spoon of peanut butter here, a slice of cheese there, half a bliss ball leftover from the batch… but it all adds up. And if you snack enough, it can demolish your deficit and push you into maintenance (or maintenance into surplus)
Choosing your meals on the day
If you track as you go throughout your day, you’re going to end up playing Macro Tetris. And inevitably, this ends in you eating a crummy dinner that is not balanced macro-wise and doesn’t satisfy you.
To avoid this, I prefer planning my macros 1-2 days in advance. This allows me to balance my meals and snacks to keep me satiated for the whole day, but it also gives some additional flexibility.
For example, if I know I’m meeting a friend for lunch, I can make sure both my breakfast and dinner have a good balance of macronutrients and micronutrients.
Looking for nutrition tips and healthy hacks to help you feel better?
Hey there, I’m Rachel!
NUTRITIONIST, PERSONAL TRAINER, WELLNESS COACH
Here I share healthy recipe ideas, training plans, and nutrition & wellness advice you need to know.
Check out my free guide to healthy eating to design your own version of a healthy lifestyle so that you can feel energised and vibrant, or hire me to work my magic on your health through mindset, nutrition, and movement.
While we make every effort to make sure the information in this website is accurate and informative, the information does not take the place of professional or medical advice.