Counting Macros

I decided to go on a journey of counting macros. Albeit, it was only for a week, but still it gave me so many answers.

Now before thinking, ‘what could I possibly learn in a week?’, I think it’s awesome to know that in just this short span of time, there are answers to be had. So, if one has been thinking about counting macros, I’d totally recommend it and believe that even in a week’s time, one will get a lot of the answers they are looking for.

When I took on this challenge of counting macros, my aim was to just document. I didn’t want to go into it too much with trying to reach certain levels in any category, I just wanted to sit back at the table, eat healthy, and see what happens when it comes time to adding it all it up.

Here is what I quickly learned.

Snacking will add up

It’s no secret for me that I find myself eating out of the bag. Jar, box, fridge, whatever it may be. One of the biggest things that I snack on are nuts. When I got to calculating the macros behind nuts, I realized just how much (are few) I needed of them.

This opened my eyes to the whole snacking routine. That of having a yogurt here and a smoothie there, as well as a protein bar and another bowl. These can quickly add up in macros even when they are healthy. Suddenly, I am intaking way more than I need to.

Helped me be more mindful and disciplined

The first day, I didn’t do any naughty behavior. Within a day or two, I had thoughts and urges of snacking and having a little extra, but for some reason, I just couldn’t get myself to do it. Now I don’t know if it was the knowledge of knowing how many extra calories I’d be packing on or the fact that I didn’t want to record extra or both, but I was being way more mindful with how I went about food choices and the snacks I did decide to take on.

These urges kept creeping in for the rest of the week and I didn’t fold once. There was discipline in keeping this macros count going and I believe this led to discipline in not over-indulging.

Pleasantly surprised by the amount of protein

Protein is a whole subject of its own and I never was sure if I’m getting enough of it. In some cases, I’m still not 100% sure. My biggest question was always if I’m getting enough. After counting macros, I was at least notified that there is more protein in food than I originally thought.

This week I made sure not to take any supplements so I can get a true feel for the number of macros I was getting from food, especially protein. I quickly realized there were many foods like yogurts, seeds, nuts, and meats, along with other foods that packed a punch in the protein category. Cottage cheese was probably my biggest surprise and really became a satiating snack. I was happy to know I can reach my protein levels even without supplements.

Able to gauge how to cap the day

Going through this exercise, it really helped me keep a tab on my day and I always knew in the back of my head where I stand at. This was a big help as the day started to wind down.

There were a couple of times where I was having dinner and I already knew that I would already be having a snack to make up for the macros I didn’t get throughout the day, and vice-versa. This really came with little effort too if I was calculating in real time and making sure to document. Ultimately, it was a big help.

Nuts are amazing but in moderation

I love nuts! And we probably all do. They’re super in many ways, and with them being so super, I believe they must be consumed in moderation. They’re not the biggest in size, so it can be easy to over-indulge, plus they taste so good.

So, with that being said, when looking at the macros on these nuts, they are high in fat. Albeit, healthy fats, if not in moderation, it can be a lot. Also, some nuts may have macros more suited for you. Each one has nutrition benefits, but an example of this are pecans which have way more fat than cashews – so maybe being more selective with pecans is the way to go.

Either way, this can lead us to just savoring nuts more for the powerful food that they are.

Not easy work

Ok, at times, counting macros was very tedious and annoying. Now this is in my case. It might not be the case for you. I will say, even though it was tedious work, I still am very happy I did it because of how much I learned. Also, the fact that it was for only a week, also makes me think that the work is worth it, and I can only imagine what a month would reveal.

Database is very quickly built

One final thing that I really appreciate from this exercise is that it built a database for me. All of sudden, I was beginning to learn the macros of the typical meals I have and was able to calculate before even putting it in my notes. This also made the process easier as there were more and more times where I could just copy and paste.

Most of all, it gave me a great picture of what I’m consuming. My intent was not to build a database. Quite frankly, there was not too much intent other than just making sure to document the macronutrients that I was consuming.

In conclusion, I’m happy I did this exercise and I believe this can be helpful to everyone. Not fluff talk… everyone. We are what we eat, so this is another step into being more in touch with ourselves which I always believe is a win.

Here is to becoming more mindful on what we eat.