SIX TIPS FOR GETTING STARTED Tracking MACRONUTRIENTS

TIP #1 - UNDERSTAND MACROS

The first tip I have when it comes to tracking macronutrients is to, however you need to, understand what macronutrients are and how to track (and follow) them based on a plan made for you. Tracking macros can actually be one of the most freeing ways to eat, instead of constricting and overwhelming. Okay, it can be overwhelming, but once you get a handle on it, that's where the freedom comes in! For me, choosing what I’m going to eat based on macronutrients feels like one of the most accommodating ‘diets’ I’ve experimented with (if we want to call it a diet) because it quite literally allows for me to eat the things I want as long as it fits in my macros. When following macronutrients, there is no space in life for the mentality that any one food is bad, and if you’ve been in and out of ‘diet culture’ like the rest of us for the past bazillion years, this is huge. 

To help you with TIP #1, let me go through some of this with you. First off, let's talk about nutrients. What are they? Nutrients are substances that nourish us and whose nourishment is essential for our survival. They are the substances in our food that our bodies process in order to be able to function. Nutrients give us the energy to go about our day-to-day life, and they also fuel our ability to build tissue, grow (physically mostly, but mental growth is important too), and fight off all the bad germs floating around in the world. 

Nutrients can be broken up into two types - MACROnutrients (the ones we need in large amounts) and MICROnutrients (the ones we need in, you guessed it, smaller amounts).

Macronutrients make up all of the food that you eat, and they themselves can be divided into three main categories: fats, carbohydrates, and proteins. The substances that are classified as macronutrients are substances that have their own calorie value - which makes sense because by now, we should all know that calories give us energy (fuel) and that's exactly what macronutrients are responsible for - giving us energy! 

What do I mean by caloric value? Well, let's just put it this way:

1 gram of carbohydrates = 4 calories

1 gram of fat = 9 calories

1 gram of protein = 4 calories

Instead of simply counting calories (which many people still do), counting your macros allows you to understand where the calories you are eating are coming from! Its no surprise to anyone that weight loss happens when your caloric intake is less than your caloric burn, but its important to know more than just that. The source of your calories as well as how they’re affecting your body is also important! By counting macros, you learn that not all calories are created equal and you start to even learn that it's possible that you digest certain calories different than your friend, your partner, and even your mom! By focusing on macros, you are able to find foods that work for you and your body - foods that ultimately make you feel great, and get you one step closer to seeing the results you’re looking for. 

Carbohydrates are essential nutrients that your body will turn into glucose in order to provide you with the energy to function. Carbohydrates (carbs) are made up of fiber, starch, and sugar and the amount you eat directly impacts your blood sugar. Dunnebells recommends that we get somewhere between 45-60% of our calories from carbohydrates. That means if you were to eat a diet of 2,000-calories, you’d be aiming for anywhere between 900 to 1,300 of your calories coming from carbs. One gram of carbs contains four calories, which means between 225g and 325g of carbs would be your target intake daily. 

It’s overwhelming at first, but it gets easier. 

Low fat? No fat? How about more fat. Fat is actually so important to our overall health, so please don’t overlook it. To quote a research scientist at Harvard, "Fat helps give your body energy, protects your organs, supports cell growth, keeps cholesterol and blood pressure under control, and helps your body absorb vital nutrients. When you focus too much on cutting out all fat, you can actually deprive your body of what it needs most.”

Dunnebells recommends that we get somewhere between 10-35% of our calories from fats. That means if you were to eat a diet of 2,000-calories, you’d be aiming for anywhere between 200 to 700 of your calories coming from fats. One gram of fat contains nine calories, which means between 22.2g and 77.7g of carbs would be your target intake daily. 

Protein is where we really want to make sure we’re hitting our targets. This magical macronutrient is the one thing that will actually make us feel full, and that alone can have so many benefits. On top of that, protein speeds up our recovery time, builds lean muscle, helps us maintain a healthy weight, and helps makes antibodies that fight off infections. More often than not, we find that women specifically are eating way less protein than they should be and this is something we work closely with women on and the benefits are incredible. 

Dunnebells recommends that we get somewhere between 20-35% of our calories from protein. That means if you were to eat a diet of 2,000-calories, you’d be aiming for anywhere between 400 to 700 of your calories coming from protein. One gram of protein contains four calories, which means between 100g and 175g of protein would be your target intake daily. 

Information overload? Sort of - which is why we really recommend speaking to someone who is an expert in this to sort of guide you in the right direction. Booking a 15-minute phone call with our head coach here at Dunnebells, a certified trainer and nutritionist with five years of experience, can get you set up for success right off the get-go. Often when you work with a professional, you will get custom macros that are specific to you, your body, your lifestyle, and your goals. 

In the end, you’ll need to make sure that your macros are set up to be fulfilled 100%. Above, you’ll see ranges that are recommended for each macronutrient, and making sure that yours are arranged so that you’re hitting 100% is key. One example would be to have your calories (determined by you yourself, or with a professional) be made up of 50% carbohydrates, 30% protein, and 20% fat.

TIP # 2 - TRY TRACKING

Now that you’ve read about what macronutrients are, how they affect your body, and what percentages of each make up an ideal combination for overall health benefits, the next step is tracking them.

You can do this by using old fashioned pen and paper, or you could even punch all your numbers into a spread sheet and do it that way.

However, we do recommend (for the sake of it being extremely accessible and convenient) downloading and using the app MyFitnessPal to track your macros. Once you’ve determined what your macros are, tracking them is extremely important and a whole lot easier with this app.

Now, please know that the goal is not to be tracking your macros forever. The goal is to track for a few months, playing around with different foods and combinations of foods until you start to notice how these foods and different amounts of them affect your body (and your results). Likely, after a few months, you’ll get the hang of how much food you need to eat, what foods you feel best after eating, and so on. Tracking macros is, we believe, a way to really set yourself up for success long term - a way of learning which foods make you feel good, and portions that actually fill you up and fuel you.

Watch this video to learn more about My Fitness Pal and if you have any other questions, please send a DM to Lucy @dunnebells_ on Instagram or an email to hello@dunnebells.com.

TIP # 3 - PLAN A DAY IN ADVANCE

You’re not going to want to hear it, but sometimes it's best to plan ahead. When I use My Fitness Pal to track my macros, sometimes I input my macros for tomorrow, before tomorrow comes, just to see different ways I can play around with the foods I have on hand. 

For instance, if I know that there is a 100% chance that I’m going to eat a bowl of apple crisp that I have left over on my counter calling my name, I’ll just go right ahead and input that into MFP before the day even starts. That way, I can work backward with what I have left in my macros for the day. The worst thing when counting macros is to eat and eat throughout the day and then have to sit down at dinner and input ALL the things you ate over the course of the day only to realize you’re way over on your carbs and you’ve eaten hardly any protein. 

By working backward (planning ahead) you set yourself up for success AND you get to include foods that you know you’re going to eat! Simply winging it never worked for me while tracking macros, and likely it won't work for you either until you at least get the hang of it and know what certain foods are made up of. 

Spend some time on the app figuring out how you can arrange and rearrange foods you like to eat, foods you regularly have on hand, and foods you maybe want to try so that you’re as close to your macro goal as possible.

TIP # 4 - STICK WITH THEM

Once you’ve figured out your target macros (either by yourself or with a coach) you should aim to stick to them for a minimum of four weeks. During this time, your body will go through a period of adjusting, and the last thing you want to do is switch up your targets too soon. Nothing great is achieved in a short amount of time, so do whatever you have to do to trust the process.

Implementing fitness into your life as well as tracking your macros at the same time may be a bit of a change for you if you’re not currently doing anything at all. Your body needs time to adjust, to understand what you’re up to, and get the hang of it. You may not see results in the first week (okay, let's be real - you won’t) and that's totally normal. By the end of week four, your body has had enough time to adjust, and it's then that you’ll be able to sort of tell if what you’re working towards is actually working for you or if there are some small tweaks that could be made.

Likely, you’re going to work through some of the things that you maybe thought were tough in week one or two. During week three you might feel one thing, but in week four, you find yourself pleased with something that was hard the week before. What you could eventually find (and this might be worth seeking advice on if it’s unbearable) is that by week four are feeling absolutely exhausted at the end of the day and are very hungry. Maybe, in this scenario, you need to adjust your macros to include more protein. There’s no way to determine exactly how you’ll feel, but more often than not from people who use this method, the general sense is that it feels good, and most peoples’ bodies react in a positive manner.

Another scenario might have you realizing in week four or five that you’re constantly going over in your fats but are totally under on your carbs. That's okay! Working with your coach to readjust your macros is definitely something you can do. 

Stick it out for at least four weeks, and really take mental notes (or physical notes too, if that's your jam) documenting how you’re feeling, mentally and physically, throughout the process. You may not need to adjust anything after four weeks, or maybe you simply need the tiniest of tweaks, and you’ll be good to go!

Stay consistent. You’ve got this.

TIP # 5 - HIGH-VOLUME FOODS

Research HIGH-VOLUME FOODS (foods that are high in nutrients and low in calories).

These foods are quite literally going to be your best friend when it comes to macro tracking.

The more high-volume foods you implement into your diet - the more you will be able to eat.

And, if you’re anything like me, that is the goal. I can not imagine a life where I have to limit my food intake - it’s simply too high a priority for me - I LOVE EATING!!

TIP # 6 - PROGRESS > PERFECTION

Do not, I repeat, DO NOT, aim for perfection.

Please. 

The last thing anyone should want is another thing weighing them down. If tracking macros is a massive trigger for you, then do not even consider it. If tracking anything is a trigger for you, then I suggest you don’t ever track macros. 

If you’re interested in tracking macros then please know that aiming for perfection is going to drive you bloody nuts, I promise you. We’re not here for perfection at all, and that's why I like to think of counting macros as a short-term thing; an educational period.

Getting close to your protein goal is a win.

Getting close to your fat goal is a win.

Going over your carbohydrate goal by less than 40g is a win.

Doing better than you did yesterday is a win. 

Eating three slices of cake and having a whoopsie moment for the day is a win, too.

Understanding, the way we see it anyway, that your macros are a target only, is important. You’re allowed (and encouraged) to get close to your target, but not hit it directly. You’re allowed to do great one day and then not so great the next day. You’re meant to experiment, to learn. You’re allowed to enjoy the process.

And in order to do that, please whatever you do, do not aim for perfection.

Instead, aim to learn. Aim to grow. Aim to have a little bit of fun.

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Does everyone believe in tracking macros? Nope.

But as the world has proved lately, not everyone believes in being good people either (which is mindboggling), so don’t worry. Not everyone has to agree with you at all times. If you’re wanting to track macros - please do. If you don’t want to, don’t. 

If you’re not sure and want to talk to a professional about it - I highly suggest you get your questions answered.

One of the main things that people bring up as a reason against macro tracking is that, because it's such a free diet (in that you are able to eat whatever you want as long as it fits your macros), people aren’t learning how to eat healthily. 

Which is a great point! I’m all for healthy eating and stuffing my face with as many vegetables as possible. It’s true that if you’re filling your macros up with fast food, cookies, sugary drinks, and highly processed foods then likely you’re not going to get the benefits that you’re looking for. Tracking macros isn’t a thing so that you can eat whatever the heck crap foods you want and feel like you’re healthy. It’s really so much more than that.

Eating healthy is the most important thing (as it should be). We want you to be eating foods that are good for you, and treating yourself to foods that are maybe less nutritionally beneficial to you as you see fit. As a rule of thumb, we suggest eating a healthy diet at least 80% of the time and bending the rules the other 20% if that's something you want to do. 

Cakes and cookies and pizza aren’t bad - but you shouldn’t be eating them all day every day if you’re wanting to really live a healthy lifestyle. 

Soda, beer, and orange juice also aren’t bad, but we do recommend drinking mostly water during the day and rewarding yourself with these other beverages every now and then. 

Remember, this is your one shot at life, and you are only ever going to get one body - so it might make sense to take care of it. If you were only given one car for the rest of your life I can guarantee that you’d really good care of it, taking it for regular maintenance and routine checkups to make sure it lasts as long as possible. I encourage you to think the same way about your body, and the things you’re eating to fuel it. You only get one shot.

And, as always, if you have any questions, please reach out.

You can sign up for our FREE 7 DAY TRIAL by clicking HERE, and you’ll even get the chance to book a 15-minute call with our CEO, Lucy Dunne as an incentive. 

If you know you’re ready to make some life changes and want to jump right in, click HERE to read all about our 8 WEEK PROGRAM.

Not sure where you stand but understand the value of community, connection, and conversation? Head over to our FREE Facebook Group by clicking HERE to join the movement of women all over the world choosing themselves for once!

Have a great week!

Stay Strong! BE THE FIRE!

Oh yeah, I’ve put together a whole folder of YouTube videos made by yours truly that you might want to check out as they do cover a lot of the same concepts that I talked about in this blog. Trigger Warning - there is talk about eating disorders in some of the videos so please exercise whatever caution you need.