Tracking your macros is a fantastic tool for understanding your food intake and making intentional choices that align with your goals. But let’s be honest—it’s not always straightforward. In time, you will be able to track macros like a pro. But mistakes happen, and that’s ok. We need to acknowledge they will be part of this experience. The goal is to learn from them and make small, sustainable improvements over time. 

In my eight years as a nutrition coach, here are six common macro tracking mistakes I’ve seen and how to fix them.

6 macro tracking mistakes to avoid

SWEATING THE SMALL STUFF

Tracking your macros can feel overwhelming, especially when you’re just getting started. There are levels of how accurate we can be with tracking and, while we do want to be as accurate as possible where we can, we also need to remember not to sweat the small stuff and instead focus on the big picture.

If we’re getting caught up or stressed out in how to track a specific recipe or meal out accurately but leaving weekends untracked and eating everything in sight, we’re missing the point! Instead of fretting over the “small stuff,” remember that tracking is a tool we are using to gain awareness and understanding of our eating habits as a whole. We want to be accurate where we can while also recognizing that the goal of tracking isn't to micromanage our intake or stress ourselves out.

BELIEVING NUTRITION LABELS ARE EXACT

Spoiler alert: they’re not. The FDA allows companies to round up or down within certain percentages, so you’ll rarely see odd calorie numbers like “241” or “87.” Instead, you’ll see rounded numbers like “240” or “85.”

This rounding also explains why some products are labeled “zero calories” but list macronutrients like 1g of carbs. They’re not zero calories—they’re just rounded down.

Focus on total calories over precise macro breakdowns. A few calories here and there won’t make or break your progress. These discrepancies are normal and nothing to stress about! In fact, I find the fact that labels are rarely accurate to be a comforting reality. It means we’re always just doing our best to be as accurate as we can.

TRACKING NET CARBS

Fiber is fantastic for digestion (we love being regular) and generally passes through your body without absorption. Because of this, some people calculate “net carbs” by subtracting fiber from total carbs. While this isn’t inherently wrong, it can create confusion when calories don’t align perfectly with macros.

Why? Companies use the same rounding allowances mentioned above, so there will always be slight discrepancies. Instead of getting caught up in net carbs, focus on total calorie intake and your macro targets. 

To avoid this issue, make sure your tracking app is not set to tracking only net carbs.

TRACKING INACCURATELY

Tracking doesn’t have to be perfect, but accuracy does matter. If we have the capacity and ability, we generally want to measure our food to best understand our intake habits and have the most accurate data. However, that may not always be in the cards. If you’re logging generic entries like “medium banana” or “medium apple,” you’re missing an opportunity to be more precise. Weighing your food in grams or ounces provides a clearer picture.

For example, all apples are unique in size and nutrient content, and using generic entries can throw off your actual calorie intake. If you have a food scale, use it! And do your best with verified entries (look for the green check mark in your tracker). For extra accuracy, cross-reference with tools like CalorieKing or Nutritionix.

Additionally, track food as it is prepared—“raw chicken breast” is NOT the same as “cooked chicken breast,” and dry rice differs from cooked rice. These details make a big difference over time!

However, when dining out or eating food someone else has prepared, do your best to track the meal--even if it's not perfect. Find a "surrogate" choice or something that appears to be similar if you can't account for it perfectly. We want to build the practice of tracking and have a sense of accountability.

We all think we’re better at eyeballing portions than we are. But let’s be honest—when was the last time your “one tablespoon of peanut butter” wasn’t actually closer to two? When I realized what one serving of peanut butter actually looked like, I may have shed a tear or two. 

Even seasoned macro trackers (like me) struggle with eyeballing. While estimating is fine in a pinch, weighing your food whenever possible is the best way to ensure accuracy. Plus, it helps you better understand portion sizes over time!

Challenge yourself: Next time you prepare a meal, try weighing portions and compare them to what you would have eyeballed. The results might surprise you, and you can build the skill and become better at accurately estimating when in a situation where you can’t weigh.

FAILING TO PLAN YOUR MEALS IN ADVANCE

One of my favorite mottos is: “Fail to plan? Plan to fail.” Having a plan in place removes decision fatigue and reduces the likelihood of making decisions that don't ultimately align with your goals.

Meal planning doesn’t have to mean prepping every bite in advance; it’s more about creating a roadmap for your day so you can hit your targets (or come close to them). Start with your protein, plan your meals around them, and leave room for flexibility. Planning ahead takes the guesswork out of your day and helps you stay consistent without unnecessary stress. Planning when we can doesn't mean we can never be spontaneous with our food choices. But planning when we can helps take the pressure off of constant decision-making and helps us create habits around how we make food decisions. Those habits can support us at times when we are making in-the-moment decisions.

IGNORING THE BLTs

We’ve all done it: the bite of your kid’s snack, the sneaky scoop of peanut butter [can you tell I'm still bitter about this serving size?], or the handful of chips you grabbed while cooking. These little “unlogged” BLTs (bites, licks, and tastes) can add up quickly! Doing our best to account for these little BLTs can make a big difference in not just how accurate our tracking is, but also acts as an awareness-building tool - Are we checking in with our hunger levels before we grab something to eat? Will that bite satisfy us or should we opt for a more satiating choice?

Sometimes it can be a good guideline for us to try and log something before we eat it so that we can check in with our hunger levels first and see if that’s something we really want to be eating. Beyond that, the longer you wait to log your food, the harder it is to remember exactly what you ate. If you’ve had a busy day and need to play catch-up on logging for the day, set a timer for 5-10 minutes and log everything you can remember. Imperfect tracking is better than no tracking at all.

THE BOTTOM LINE

Perfection isn’t the goal when it comes to macro tracking—consistency is. Each of these common mistakes represents an opportunity to learn and improve. Whether it’s weighing your food, planning ahead, or being more diligent with logging, small changes over time can lead to sustainable progress.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed, pick one habit to focus on at a time. Build from there. Tracking is a skill that gets easier and more intuitive with practice, and every effort you make gets you closer to your goals.