The Math of Macro Tracking
Macro Tracking has a tetris effect, it can be as mesmerizing. I typically base my eating on my height, weight, and activity level. The easiest way I’ve found it to use a food tracker, pick one that syncs with a wider variety of aps.
[bctt tweet=” How can people not love the idea of macros. It’s like a giant math puzzle that you get to solve every day with food.”]
I’ve been food tracking long before apps and websites made the math easy. Imagine using a book to look up each thing eaten, writing each item on paper, then calculating everything by hand.
I was seriously excited when computerized spreadsheets came along, I used the book for food values but, the spreadsheets did all the math.
I use an apps, like MyFitnessPal making balancing my eating daily calorie counts easy. Enter a personal recipes and the app calculates nutrients based of each serving size. Features like barcode scanning add products directly into your food log. Reporting includes: colorful pie charts, line grafts, and other details.
Fitness and nutrition has never been easier!
When coaching new clients, I ask them to make a list or report of a what week’s looks like. It’s the best way to learn how and what a client likes to eat and how it is prepared. When goal setting this helps determine which plan or protocol would work best for the individual. Tracking can be time-consuming at first, most food trackers memorize what you normally eat making entry a breeze. MyFitnessPal separates your daily food intake into meals for reporting, which helps keep meals balanced.
Use fitness and nutrition trackers short-term for client consults, or long-term for weight management; whatever fits your style.
Do you think tracking your nutrition is problematic, have you considered it for yourself?
Have you used a food tracker, if so, which one?
Does tracking intake scare you, if so, why?
Question # 3: Scares me. Many many reasons. I will see what I eat, in writing. I will hate to see what I eat in writing. I will see that I don’t have good time planned eating habits, and will hate to see that. I will see what hard work it will be to actually keep track. Keeping track will be an issue. Changes will have to be made. I am already stressed enough in life to have to get continually knocked in the head with the fact that I don’t and can’t seem to get my foods right. I will have to learn. I don’t have the energy to learn…………. one more thing on my plate. I get started, and I die down…….. same circle, over and over, you know Janet. I love you, and I love your efforts. I know I am probably one of the people in your life that you would like to see step in and “get this thing”………….. I’m just beat up, tired, and ……did I say tired? Sorry, just being honest. Not to complain, but for feedback purposes. You are such an inspiration, I wish I could do it, just because of that………………..
Laurie, often times I don’t like what I see myself doing in writing as well, even when I know better, I still can’t seem to follow along. Reading your post, I clearly see your internal battle with wanting to know, desiring to make changes, and struggling with the unknown. It’s normal to wax and wane with this type of thing and I totally understand your feeling tired and stressed out about the unknown and having to learn something new. I wish knew what I could do to help you get to a happy place within yourself and with all that you are doing.
Math is not my thing. I have absolutely no idea what a macro is and to tell you the truth I don’t want to know. One of the best things about growing up and being retired is the ability to spend time on only what I want to! Not to mention the ability to engage different-brained pros to do what I don’t want to. Ahh…the peace of mind!
Macro is short for macro-nutrient otherwise called carbohydrates, protein, and fats. It is nice to be retired and have the ability to spend time doing what you love, congratulations on that. I have the ability to brain power for you if you ever need help or assistance in macro math.
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