Counting Macros - Interesting!

[decker_bear]

For all of you addicted to counting macros (and that used to be me!) I wanted to share an interesting story with you.

 

I've been trying to get my family to at least READ the book. I finally got my sister-in-law to at least borrow it from me (though I'm not sure she's opened it yet), I've talked to my brother and mom about the concepts in the book, but my step-dad won't even listen to what I have to say because he has a "friend who's a personal trainer." He swears up and down that calorie restriction, calorie tracking, and burning more than you're eating is the ONLY way to lose weight and be healthy. He believes those frozen microwave dinners are AWESOME for lunch because they're already portion controlled - he doesn't care that they're full of chemicals. Anyway, frustrating, but I digress.

 

I discovered the Whole30 over a year ago, and I've lived by the guiding principles in the book ever since. Even when I'm not DOING a Whole30, most of my meals are still Whole30 compliant. I haven't tracked a single macro since I discovered it and as long as I stick to the concepts - I feel fantastic. 

 

I was so frustrated and fed up with hearing about "my friend the personal trainer" and listening to my brother being told that religious counting, tracking and measuring was the ONLY way to improve health, I decided to track a few days on My Fitness Pal - just to see. I have no intention of throwing it in his face (although it's tempting and if I hear about "my friend the personal trainer" one more time I MIGHT lose it), but I was not surprised at all to see the results.

 

I didn't do anything different than what I would do on a typical day. I simply entered what I was eating and my exercise. Each and every day MFP told me that "if every day were like today," I would lose pounds. I found that on days I was exercising harder I needed more food, and on rest or yoga days I needed less. My ratios were off from what they "should" be - and two years ago that would have freaked me out and taken me back to the drawing board. But I trust the program, I feel great and I feel satisfied after my meals. I don't have to "white knuckle" through until my next "scheduled" meal or snack. The freedom from not having to count and measure every morsel of food that goes in my mouth is so liberating!

 

My message: Trust the program. Ditch the macro counter. The program works.