all about tracking macros
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At its core, counting calories is about ensuring you consume a specific number of calories each day. It's a straightforward approach focusing solely on energy intake versus energy expenditure. While this can be effective for weight management, it doesn't address the quality or composition of the food you're eating. Tracking macros, on the other hand, involves breaking down your calorie intake into three key nutrients: protein, carbohydrates, and fats. Each of these macronutrients plays a unique role in your body. By paying attention to the specific amounts of each, you can optimize not only your overall caloric intake but also support your body's functional needs.
Navigating the aisles of Trader Joes to find high-protein options can be manageable, even with the vast array of calorie-dense novelties and goodies. You can easily incorporate more protein into your diet by focusing on items with lean meats, plant-based proteins, and convenient prepared foods. This guide should be handy to help you make informed choices that align with your nutrition goals. And soon enough, you might find yourself a Trader Joe's connoisseur.
Disneyland and Disney World: the places where dreams come true and nutrition dreams go to die…or do they? As with any out-of-routine time including vacations, work trips, anniversaries, date nights, birthdays, and holidays, we have to ask ourselves: What is the experience that I want to have during this brief time? and Does your expectation of your time away match the reality of the environment where you are going? The way that you feel during or after periods of time outside of your regular routines does not mean that any permanent changes occurred. Whether the journey of your nutrition while on your trip includes macro tracking or not, the main focus should be on making confident choices even if those choices are less efficient than normal.
Tracking our food intake is a way to find out just how many calories we’re actually consuming. And we can take it one step further by trying to hit specific protein, carb, and fat intake goals. There was a time YEARS ago when I used a spreadsheet to track my intake. And when I told my mom the success I had with tracking, she started to do the same… with pen and paper. But since then, tracking has come a long way. And there are an abundance of apps available to individuals now–but I’m going to share with you the pros and cons of the three more popular apps, as well as my experience and opinions.
Whether you take it as gospel truth or just a catchy marketing slogan, chances are you’ve heard the phrase “breakfast is the most important meal of the day.” And it does seem like most people have some kind of strong opinion on breakfast — whether it’s related to its importance, overratedness, or which foods are acceptable breakfast foods. When it comes to your nutrition goals, breakfast isn’t necessarily any more or less important than any other meal, but it can be used as an opportunity to get a headstart on your nutrition goals for the day.
Intentional out-of-routine times, like the upcoming Valentine’s Day holiday, tend to cause panic around meals where panic need not be warranted. Nutritional and lifestyle habits might need to temporarily change but managing expectations, having flexibility with our choices, and giving ourselves the permission to intentionally get out of our routines can ensure that those occasional meals stay exciting (not stressful!). Understanding and establishing the intentions of our meals gives us more control over how our meals make us feel. Remember: we have the power over food, food does not have the power over us.
At first, tracking macros can seem cumbersome or obsessive, but there are so many benefits that arise from learning to track your food! Whether your goal is weight loss, muscle gain, athletic performance, or improved health, tracking macros empowers you to make informed choices about what you eat to help you reach your goals.
When I started tracking macros years ago, I avoided certain foods. Rice was one choice that I tended to avoid. Consequently, sushi ended up being a close follow. When I stopped fear-mongering certain foods and sought to embark on flexibility, I reintegrated rice and enjoyed sushi again. And I'm going to encourage you to do the same. So grab your chopsticks, and let's roll, queens.
Eating out is an important part of our lifestyle, but when it comes to work lunches, social events with friends, and family dinners, it often feels like we need to compromise our nutrition goals in order to enjoy a meal out. It doesn’t have to be that way! Today’s post will help you find strategies that will keep you on track in situations that are not totally in your control. It’s chock full of our best tips and tricks for how to approach eating out while tracking your macros or simply working towards your specific nutrition goals.
Eventually, there comes a time when you don’t want to or need to be tracking your macros all the time and it’s certainly not something you want to do forever. So, what’s the next step? In today’s post, I’m sharing how you can use what you’ve learned from the process of tracking your macros and transition to more mindful eating practices.
Whether you’re off to the beach for a summer vacation or heading out for some international adventures, traveling is great but can also be a bit stressful. We believe that eating the foods you enjoy should not require restricting, rationalizing, or guilt. This post will help you find strategies that will keep you on track as you travel and navigate situations that are not totally in your control.
Protein is one of the harder macronutrients to incorporate into our diet because it generally requires storage and prep time and therefore it can be less convenient. However, protein powder is super convenient! There are A LOT of different types and brands of protein powder out there, and it can be confusing to know which protein powder you should buy. Here is how to choose the right protein powder for you and a list of some of our favorites!
I know that getting adequate protein take can be really challenging. But I also know it can absolutely be done. And it can be done in a way that fits our eating preferences, that doesn’t require us to double our grocery bill, and that helps us build positive long-term habits.
If you’re new to tracking your macros, the idea of creating meals or planning a day that hits your macros can feel incredibly overwhelming. Many of our clients are parents, professionals and really busy individuals who don’t have a ton of time to spend on food but have health or weight loss goals and we believe that you can absolutely do both!
After over seven years working as an online nutrition coach (and years in the fitness industry before this!), I want to share four major nutrition mistakes we often see as coaches working 1:1 with our clients. These mistakes aren’t because our clients are uninformed or wrong; they’re just often things we have been told (incorrectly) most of our lives.
Something I often urge clients to do is to keep easy-win snacks on hand at all times, but especially during travel - whether that’s a day of work travel, a family road trip, or just a long day of errands where you’re out and about the whole day. While on the road, gas stations can be a fantastic place to find those “easy win” snacks.
If you’re new to tracking your macros, the idea of creating meals or planning a day that hits your macros can feel incredibly overwhelming. You may think you need to create complex recipes, weigh every part, and spend an hour of your day just doing math or playing macro tetris, but that’s not the case.
Weighing and logging food is a super helpful tool in training our eyeballs to recognize more specific portion sizes. During food logging adventures, we are bound to begin diving into recipes rather than individual food items. Logging recipes can be extremely helpful for switching up typical meals each week or grouping together similar daily food items to make logging even quicker. We like the app Cronometer as it’s by far the most accurate tracking database and provides a lot of data that can be helpful along your macro tracking journey.
If you are new to tracking your macros, the idea of tracking recipes can seem overwhelming. Adding a recipe into MFP is neither impossible nor time consuming. It can seem daunting at first, but is faster after some practice. I enjoy MFP for its ease of use, especially when it comes to adding recipes or repeat meals. We’re teaching you exactly how to do it in this post!
Today’s post talks about the power of setting minimums - how they can be an effective tool for progress, and the recurring theme that progress is about flexibility, not about an “all or nothing” approach.
Over the past week we have had some great questions come in about how to approach social situations when you have nutrition goals, so today we’re answering the big question: CAN I HAVE NUTRITION GOALS AND A SOCIAL LIFE?
I had an overwhelming response to my call for your nutrition questions, so here are some of those great questions answered in part 2 of this Q&A series. Nutrition can be confusing and overwhelming, and I hope some of these responses help clear up some questions you’ve been wondering about as well!
I had an overwhelming response to my call for your nutrition questions, so here are some of those great questions answered in part 1 of this Q&A series. Nutrition can be confusing and overwhelming, and I hope some of these responses help clear up some questions you’ve been wondering about as well!
Here at KLN, we don’t do meal plans. A meal plan doesn’t give you an alternative when it’s girls night, when you’re out for drinks after work, or when you’re on the road with your family. Most of all, a meal plan doesn’t take into account that life is chaotic and constantly changing.
When considering fat loss, the number one thing we talk about is energy balance. In order to lose fat, it’s necessary to eat a calorie deficit (eating less calories than you expend). However, our bodies aren’t made to exist in a calorie deficit forever.
We’re sharing a few of our favorites options that can help you still hit your macros while eating out - whether you’re on the road traveling or just need a quick bite while navigating your busy day.
Today’s post is the second in a two-part series all about tracking your macros. If you missed the first post, go back and read it here - we talked about what macros are and why you track them. In today’s post we’re going a little bit deeper into how you track your macros and how to know if hiring a coach is right for you.
You’ve probably heard the word “macros” or know someone who has “tracked” them when working towards a fat loss or performance goal. The idea of tracking macros is not new in the health and fitness industry, but if it’s new to you, it may seem confusing. We use the term Flexible Nutrition to describe the process of tracking macros, which is the approach we use with our clients who are working towards fat loss, performance, and overall health goals.
If you’re tracking your macros, you have the flexibility to enjoy a meal out when you want one. Eating out will always be an estimation, but there are a few easy strategies you can utilize to make sure your meal out fits with your nutrition goals.
When I start working with a client, they typically believe that they can't enjoy pizza AND eat “healthy” at the same time. Their experience tells them that pizza is a “bad” food, it’s a cheat meal, and it will definitely make them gain body fat. But often, that’s a fear of food and diet culture talking. By embracing a flexible approach to eating and incorporating some macro-friendly strategies, pizza can be part of a balanced approach to nutrition. Grab a slice, and let’s dig in!