Well hello my friends!
The past few weeks I’ve been counting macros again and I really love it. <3 For those of you who aren’t aware of what macro counting is, it’s basically just keeping track of how much protein, fat and carbs you eat. It’s like counting calories, but a little more detailed. It can sound daunting and overwhelming and it is at first, but after a month or so it becomes a lot easier.
I won’t go on and on about the logistics of counting macros in this post, but if you care to, you can read this post and this post that I wrote about macro counting a while back. 🙂 I also think that this site is amazing! It really is the best “all in one resource” about macro counting out there. It explains what it is and actually has a macro calculator to help you determine what macros to start with.
I’ve counted macros on and off again for several years and it really is the one “diet plan” out there that I keep going back to. I put the term, “diet plan” in quotes because I like to look at macro counting as just a practical, balanced, deliberate and educated way to eat. It’s not a fad, scary, trendy, starvation, unhealthy kind of “diet”….at least the way I do it isn’t!
With that being said, the reason I count macros “on and off” and not “all the time” is because I don’t want to live my life that obsessed with what I eat! I love tracking my food because I learn so much and it’s so black and white, but I would hate to track my food forever. Blah. Quite frankly, I have a lot more important things to do with my time and my brain power, lol.
But, I really **love** macro counting periodically because it is such a great way to learn about the nutritional content of food, the way food responds to the body and it always helps me become more committed and aware of what I’m putting into my body! It really is eye opening!
I love it and think everyone should try it for at least a little while, even if it’s only for the education and nothing else!
Soooo, my approach to macro counting has always been to do it for a few weeks or months at a time to help relearn, recommit and refocus on my diet and my health. I always learn so much from it and then after I do it for an extended period of time, I like to transition to more of an “intuitive eating” kind of approach.
There’s a lot of buzz out there on the internet and on social media about intuitive eating, there’s a great book out there about it and there are just a lot of people talking about it. It’s great.
In a nutshell, intuitive eating is basically just listening to your body, paying attention to your hunger cues, having a healthy relationship with food, not associating guilt with food and just taking care of and loving your body.
I really haven’t read much about the “official” intuitive eating stuff, I just kind of do my own thang. I try to listen to my body, stay mindful with what I’m eating, strive to feed and fuel my body full of good, nutrient dense food and then enjoy a little crappy food here and there for good measure.
Intuitive eating is awesome and really is my preferred way to eat and live, but macro counting is a great way too. In fact, I think macro counting is the perfect precursor and partner to intuitive eating.
I think in order to have success with intuitive eating and in turn, maintain a healthy weight and achieve optimal health, it’s vital to have a basic understanding of the nutritional makeup of food. That’s where macro counting comes in! It’s been very helpful for me to be aware of what makes up the food I’m eating and to feel the positive effects of getting enough protein in and also keeping the carbs and fat in control.
Intuitive eating comes fairly natural to me because, thankfully, I’ve always had a good relationship with food and a healthy body image…even when I’m feeling hugely pregnant (I was not a cute pregnant lady!) or when I’m just needing to lose a little weight, which has been the case many times in my life!
So, although I’ve always had a healthy relationship with food, the key for me has always been to stay mindful, consistent and committed. I’ve had to learn to dial it in a bit, exercise some self control and eat in such as way as to achieve my goals and feel my best! My ultimate goal has always been to just find that happy spot and balance with healthy eating and healthy living.
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For example, when I was shopping with my 3 year old at Costco the other day, he asked if we could get a hot dog. Since he’s such a darling cutie pie and since a hot dog + a drink costs a buck 50, I said OK!
Although I like their hot dogs and I really like their pizza, I remained mindful and decided it just wasn’t worth it to me. So, I got one of their salads instead. Their salad is pretty basic; just romaine, tomatoes, chicken and a little Parmesan with some croutons and dressing on the side. It’s not the best thing in the world, but it’s decent.
I didn’t feel stressed out about this choice. I didn’t feel deprived or restricted. It was just a conscious decision to make a better nutritional choice for my body at the time….knowing that I would indulge another time when it was really worth it to me!
I’ve also talked a lot lately how I’ve been trying to have a green smoothie or protein shake every day. This has been such a great thing for me! There have been many times when I’m hungry and tempted to indulge a bit, but that’s when I remind myself to stay mindful and remember that I’m hungry….so of course, all of the cravings are going to start comin’!
That’s usually when I decide to have my green smoothie!
It’s the perfect mid-afternoon slump thang! Ya, it’s certainly not as tasty as a treat, but I just make it anyway!
I like to tell myself to just enjoy my smoothie and then if I’m still hungry afterward, I can have something else. The nice thing is that EVERY SINGLE TIME I choose to have my smoothie instead of junk, my appetite and cravings chill out and I’m in a much better spot to make good nutritional choices.
Again, I don’t feel deprived or restricted….I feel empowered. I’m always happy I made a good choice for my health and it makes it much easier to make good choices again and again.
I also love to make protein pancakes. My Chocolate Protein Pancakes are my very fave! I love to have some stashed in the freezer so I can pull one out and pop it in the toaster when I just need a little somethin’, somethin’. They always taste so good to me, almost like a treat! I love to top them with a little nut butter, fruit, Walden Farms syrup and a dollup of whipped topping.
Oh, and I usually like to have them with a side of scrambled egg whites to up the protein!
This is one of my all-time favorite no-brainer meals. It always tastes good to me! I also like to make a fresh batch of these when I’m in the mood to bake. They are extra good when they are hot off the grill and almost satisfy my need to bake!
Almost. 😉
Sooooo, since I’ve educated myself about the nutritional content of food (fat, protein, carbs) over the years, it’s a lot easier for me to automatically keep things in balance. Sure, it might not be as perfectly accurate as actually counting the macros, but it’s definitely more of a long-term lifestyle!
So, if I had a higher carb meal for breakfast (oatmeal, toast, cereal), I should probably have something lower carb for lunch (salad, eggs, chicken.) Or, if I had peanut butter on my pancakes (fat), I probably won’t put cheese on my eggs too.
It’s just like a little checks and balances system. It’s great and just makes sense to me. Again, the KEY for me is just to remain mindful and committed to it. It really does get SO MUCH easier over time and almost becomes automatic. I don’t obsess or stress about it though…I just try to be consistent.
Well, I think that’s all I’m going to say about macro counting and intuitive eating today. I will end this post by sharing just a few pics of some family happenings lately….
It’s birthday season at our house! My daughter turned SEVENTEEN (wha?????) last week. Sniff, sniff.
This same one and only daughter of mine went to prom last weekend as well.
Folks, it seriously kills me that she is growing up so darn fast!!! When she was little, I loved putting her hair in ponies and ribbons and bows. She loved dress ups and make up and ALL the girly things! I loved all the girly things right along with her! I’ve also enjoyed watching her dance over the years and go through junior high and high school.
She had her end of the year “Drill Team Showcase” last week and that was hard. She worked her little butt off all year in drill team (for those of you not familiar with drill team…it’s like a high school dance team) and it was hard to see that cute little team giving their final bows. My daughter was in tears, along with the rest of her team.
Kev was at the performace as well, but he was out taming our 3 year old, so he wasn’t in that pic. 😉
It just tears my heart out that my daughter is almost done with her Junior year. 🙁 I know she will be all grown up and gone so quickly.
Auuuugh.
My darling little 9 year old turned TWO DIGITS old last week as well. Here he is with his little bro and sweetie pie cousin. They are the three musketeers!
I told my son that I’m not a fan of this whole “growing up” business. I really can’t believe he’s TEN!
My little sweet 7 year old will be turning 8 next week as well! Sigh.
I’m also dying from planning all of the birthday festivities and parties. Super fun, yet exhausting.
Oh, how I love these sweet little kiddos of mine!! <3
Well, I gotta hit the hay! I’m trying so hard to get decent, consistent sleep. For some reason, it’s always a struggle for me….but I keep trying.
‘Night. Love you all!!!
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