Transitioning Away From Tracking
Gasp! I no longer track my macros. I stopped in 2019 after tracking my food since 2016. I made this decision for a few reasons:
I'm not training competitively at CrossFit anymore and I don't have body composition goals because:
I'm eating to recover my health, which in my case isn't necessarily achieved by tracking.
I have tracked my macros for such a long period of time that I feel confident enough in my skills and knowledge to leave tracking behind.
Before I get into how I made this transition, I want to discuss why I think tracking is a valuable tool.
Tracking macronutrients teaches people:
What components make up a well-balanced meal. Before tracking, a lot of folks don't incorporate protein, carbs, fats, and vegetables into their meals, and they don’t know which foods contain specific macros. Tracking can literally show us this data! For example, we learn over time that chicken breasts are high in protein and lower in fat, whereas chicken thighs are higher in fat and protein. We learn that if we eat a snack that only consists of a rice cake and jam, we’re probably going to crash in a few hours. But, when we eat a snack with turkey, bell peppers, carrots, hummus, rice cakes, and almonds, we’ll feel much more satiated and energized.
About proportions and food portion sizes. Most of my clients soon realize in their first week of tracking that they've been under-eating protein. For others, they have a disproportionate amount of fats to carbs (or vice versa) in their diet, which can affect how they feel, sleep, recover, train, and much more. Let’s use nut butter as an example to talk about portion sizes. One serving of nut butter is equivalent to 2tbsp = 32g by weight. Have you ever measured out 2tbsp of nut butter with a spoon and compared it to 32g of nut butter? Yeah…they’s going to look VERY different. Tracking teaches us what 30g of carbs or 20g of protein looks like on our plates.
How to add variety to our diet as well as a whole, nutrient-dense, minimally processed food. With our BIN software – I can go into my clients’ food logs and see if they’ve changed up their food choices for their proteins, carbs, fats, and veggies for the week. Food variety and nutrient-dense, whole foods are incredibly important because they help us get in a wide range of micronutrients. If we eat the same thing every week - or don't eat enough fruits and veggies and other whole foods, we may become deficient in vitamins and minerals. That can lead to a myriad of health issues since micronutrients are responsible for most of our bodily functions.
Meal timing and meal frequency. I found that if I went too long between meals, I’d crash in energy or become extremely hungry. Tracking taught me how to plan my meal timing out and helped me figure out how many meals I should eat to feel my best.
How to fuel their training and eat for health. When I first started tracking macros as a BIN client, I quickly found out that I had been under-fueling for years. Now, I work with my own clients who have a history of under-eating as well. Tracking isn’t just for fat loss – it can be used as a tool to make sure you’re eating enough.
How to lose weight sustainably. If you have aesthetic goals and body composition goals, one of the easiest ways to achieve those goals is to track your food. Although possible, eating intuitively is not the easiest way to reach body composition goals.
All that being said - I don't believe folks should track their macros for the rest of their lives. It's not sustainable, and it's not necessary. You're not going to be 70 years old playing with your grandchildren during Christmas while weighing your cookies out and logging that information in MFP.
Here at BIN, our coaches teach you the skills and knowledge that you need so you can eventually do this on your own, or so you can feel confident with making your own decisions around your nutrition.
Which brings me to my next point. How can we begin to transition away from tracking?
First and foremost - comprehend and understand what a well-balanced meal looks like. Your plate of food should have protein, complex carbs, healthy fats, and vegetables. I try and split my plate into 4 sections. ¼ of it is filled with protein like salmon, another ¼ is filled with complex carbs like sweet potatoes, and the last ½ is filled with vegetables like Brussel sprouts. If I cooked my vegetables in olive oil – I’ve covered my healthy fats too. However, salmon is a source of healthy fats as well!
Stick to the habits you developed when you were tracking! Just because you’re transitioning away from tracking, doesn’t mean you let go of the habits you worked HARD to incorporate into your routine. I still menu-plan and figure out what I’m going to eat for the week. I still have set days I go to the store. I still food prep in bulk. I still meal prep my breakfasts and lunches based on my work schedule. I didn’t suddenly STOP doing these things simply because I don’t track anymore.
With tracking, I found that I do best with 3 meals a day and at least one snack. Now, I make sure I’m eating breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and have a midday snack. Meal frequency and meal timing are still things I prioritize.
Pay close attention to your portions when you do weigh out your food. For example, I eat sweet potatoes, avocado, ground turkey, and spinach for breakfast. When I started to move away from tracking, I would feel how much these ingredients weighed in my hand or on a plate before I weighed them on my food scale. I would take mental notes about what 20g of C in baked sweet potatoes looked like on my plate, or what 150g of raw spinach looked like in a bowl.
Guess your portion sizes. Pick up a sweet potato and guess how much it weighs. Then, weigh it out and see if you’re close.
Incorporate a few untracked meals into your routine. You can start slow, with one meal a week, and build up from there.
Only track protein for a few weeks and calories for a few weeks.
Stop using your food scale, but still track in MFP for a week or two using estimations or hand portion sizes.
Keep a food journal. Write down what you had for your main meals and snacks.
Understand that it’s OK to use tracking apps to check in with yourself on occasion to make sure that you’re not over or under-eating.
Work on your mindful eating habits.
Take 5 deep breaths before you eat.
Think through your meals and take your time before making any decisions.
Chew your food thoroughly. Not only is this the first part of digestion, but it will allow you to actually TASTE your food!
Set your fork down between bites.
Sit down and eat your meals without distractions. Put your phone away. Turn the TV off. Eat your food sitting down at a table – not in your car or standing up.
Eat to satisfaction (not starving and not stuffed).
Enjoy the food you decide to eat without regret or guilt.
Increase your self-talk. Ask yourself things like:
What can I add to this meal to make it better?"
"What's missing from this meal?"
"Why do I want that food and do I really need that food now?"
"What is the end result/outcome of these decisions/choices?" and,
"Will I be happy with this decision/choice as well as the outcome tomorrow?"
Here’s one of the most important ones. Use your coach! Your coach is there to guide you and provide constructive feedback. This can be a scary, but exciting, transition to make. Having support and guidance can be key. Together, you can formulate a plan that’s tailored to you and your needs. And, just because you’re not tracking anymore doesn’t mean a coach can’t help you in different ways!
At BIN, we have a specific program tailored towards transitioning away from macro tracking called BIN Thrive. This is a program for anyone looking for a “no numbers” approach to nutrition and nutrition coaching that doesn’t involve weighing/measuring food, tracking macros or calories, taking progress pictures or body measurements, and definitely no getting on the scale. This program is for those who want to lean into habit based wellness coaching in order to improve their relationship with food and your body, sans numbers.
There are other ways to care about your nutrition and reach your goals that don’t involve counting calories and tracking macros through weighing and measuring your food. If hand written food journaling and eyeballing portions sound more appealing to you and your mental health, this habit-based coaching is for you. You and your coach will use metrics other than the scale and measurements to mark progress and improve your relationship with food and your body.
I have one last piece of advice: try and trust yourself. If you've been tracking for a very long time, you have the knowledge to be successful. If this is something you would like to work on, reach out to your coach so you can collaborate and come up with a plan together.
Written by: Megan, Nutrition Coach