As I write my first handful of posts, it occurred to me that the concept of counting macros might be elusive and confusing.
Let me try to clear it up a bit.
Counting your macros is a way to have flexible food intake. (You'll notice I'm trying to use "food intake" over "diet" since even though I'm talking about a diet of food, the word has been stigmatized to mean "deprivation.")
When I first met with Lida (my amazing nutritionist that everyone should get to know! Follow her on Instagram: @healthfulblisslife), she told me to approach the concept of counting macros like having a daily amount of money in the bank you needed to spend. It doesn't matter how you spend them (well, it does, but let me get to that in a minute), just that you spend the money every day and don't overdraw.
For someone who constantly felt like they were missing out on awesome food whenever I was trying to lose weight, this was a game changer for me. I could have whatever I wanted, so long as I budgeted for it.
For me, this made snacks that I would normally miss okay to pass up on. It's not that I couldn't have them, it's not that I was choosing not to, because the price tag wasn't worth purchasing.
When I first started counting macros, I had to do a metabolic reset. My poor metabolism was fried from years of food abuse.
I started with a daily allowance of 120 grams of carbs, 60 grams of fats, and 120 grams in protein.
Every calorie is constructed from 1 of 3 things: protein, carbs, or fat. (This means there is no such thing as zero carb vodka! If it has calories, it's got carbs, protein, or fat. Alcohol is processed like a carb.)
While I worked on correcting my metabolism, I started losing some weight as we started adding food. Before my cut, I was eating 200 grams of carbs a day, 60 grams of fat, and 130 grams of protein. It was delightful. I'd never eaten so much food on a daily basis consistently.
Flexible dieting (counting macros) means you get to choose what you eat so long as you are hitting your numbers every day.
Now, earlier I said it doesn't matter how you spend your numbers. Let me clarify.
2 Oreo cookies have 21 grams of carbs, 7 grams of fat, and 1 gram of protein.
Your body will process this the same way it would process 3/4 cup of sweet potatoes made with 1/2 tablespoon of avocado oil.
But obviously, the sweet potatoes are going to be a lot more filling. As Lida told me, there is a difference between health and aesthetic. Aesthetically, you could eat garbage all day every day, and as long as you were hitting your numbers, you would be making progress.
From a health standpoint, you would not be eating a healthy diet, because you'd be achieving those numbers by only taking in junk. All things in moderation. On some days, I really want those Oreo's. And I'mma eat 'em. But as I've made my way down this journey, I've found that eating wholesome healthy foods is much more rewarding in the long run.
It really is true, we are what we eat. Counting macros has helped me shift my mindset into "buying" (both literally and metaphorically) foods that are nourishing and awesome.
But let's be real, Halo brand ice cream is also a staple in my freezer. Find your balance. You never need to deprive yourself of foods you really love. And the foods that just don't fit your numbers? There are healthier ways to make them. I promise!
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