I just wanted to do a little followup post on tracking your macros. I realized in my excitement to inform you of the magic that is macro trackin' I left out some details. The overall concept is pretty simple. I hope you checked out Krissy Cagney's site...maybe even bought one of her e-books. That is going to give you the most in depth explanation of the concept. My random bursts of info on here won't really give you the full picture. She has actually taken the time to write out an e-book that makes sense and has a lot more detail. I don't want you to feel overwhelmed, it is NOT a hard process. Once you get the hang of it (maybe after a few days), it just becomes a part of your daily routine. In fact, you'll get to the point where you can estimate the macro content of different foods without even having to look at the label! Here are a few things that I wanted to touch on after reviewing my last post.
First of all, you may have been asking how in the world I keep track of everything I eat. No, I don't write it down on paper. I use an app called MyFitnessPal. It's great. Well, it's great after you use Google Chrome to download this script that overwrites how you enter your information. In the original app you are only able to enter your macros in percentage increments of 5%, which more than likely is not going to be exactly what you calculate your macros to be. For instance, you may need to have your protein set to 125g. But if you only have percentages to choose from then it may set your goal to 122g or 128g. Lame. Check out that script to learn how to change from percentages to grams and enter exactly what you need. If you have any questions, leave a comment here.
Secondly, I don't want to send the wrong impression that if you choose to go by a IIFYM (If It Fits Your Macros) method, life is all rainbows and sunshine. The idea is that you don't have to give up every single thing you like in life in order to get the results you want. It is impossible to hit your macros while eating burgers and tacos all day. However, you CAN have a burger and not kill your day. Just adjust your other meals. Planning is what keeps you on track. When I first started I found that I was getting to 8pm and was having to eat a bunch of random food that I wasn't really hungry for because I needed to hit my numbers. For me, planning the whole week is setting myself up for failure. Between Chandler's mood, what time I hit the gym and if Carson has a softball practice/game that day....almost everyday is different. If I plan my day out in MyFitnessPal in the morning, it makes it a lot easier to know what I need to eat and when. The great thing is that the app keeps track of what you have entered before, you don't have to have the item right in front of you! You can also enter your own recipes by entering all of the ingredients and how many servings it makes. The app will save it for you so you can select it later. You can't see the entire day, but here is what my day looks like for today:
Lastly, this method does not have to follow the whole "eat 5 or 6 times a day" mentality. I don't have time to eat 5 or 6 times a day. Most people don't. I am also never hungry in the morning until about 10 (I wake up at 7). Eat when you are hungry. Not when someone says you're supposed to. I tend to eat bigger lunches and dinners, maybe snacking on small things here and there. I always want to eat a snack when I watch tv at night. This is where my cheese and pepperoni snack enters the scene.
I hope this extra info helps! I seriously encourage you to check out those e-books, especially Flexible Dieting. If you have any extra questions, feel free to leave them below!
