Last year I started counting macros as a way to lose weight and build muscle. And I’ve learned a few things along the way. No gate keeping here, I’m sharing some helpful tips that will make macros for beginners a little bit easier!
The best part of counting macros is that you can balance your proteins, carbohydrates, and fats to eat things that you enjoy. That doesn’t mean that you will get to eat donuts everyday, but you can have cheese on your tacos or even pizza for a meal. I’ve tried and seen a lot of different diets and usually you are giving up the things that you love, and that never lasts!
Not to mention that abs are made in the kitchen! This macro meal planner goes great with my 30 Day Ab Challenge!
~This post may contain affiliate links. I earn a commission when you purchase through these links. Thanks!~
Macro Counting Tips
1. Use a Macro Calculator
Find out what macros you should follow. Everyone’s macro count is going to be different based on weight, age, and fitness goals.
Figure out what macronutrients you need to follow to meet your needs.
A macro calculator is going to ask you for your age, weight, daily activity, diet goals, and workout intensity.
Not all macro calculators are the same! The best one I have found is from Precision Nutrition. You enter all your information and then give your email address to get a complete calories and macro count.
What makes Precision Nutrition’s calculator so good? It offers you the diet goal option of body recomposition. This is really important for anyone who needs to lose 10 – 15 pounds, but also wants to build muscle at the same time.
2. Choose Gradual Weight Loss
When you fill out the macros calculator, most have an option for how fast you want to lose weight. Even though it seems like losing weight as fast as possible would be the easiest way, it’s really hard to stick to a strict diet.
Maybe you can do super low calories for a week or 2, but as soon as you start eating more food your weight is going to go back up.
Really you need to stick to a long term plan. Wouldn’t you rather lose those 10 – 20 pounds slowly and never put it back on again rather than yo-yo up and down?
Choosing a gradual weight loss goal is going to allow you to have more calories. Eating more calories helped me feel full and gave me energy to do better in my workouts!
3. Drink Water
We all know water is good for you! Sometimes it’s hard to make yourself drink water everyday. Grab a water tracker free printable and set a goal to drink water daily. Drinking water is great for your skin, digestion, and overall health.
4. Eat your Fats
I began macro counting following a popular Instagram fitness girl who has a workout app. She created a personal macro count for me that was 1380 calories (this was aggressive and only meant to be followed for 4 weeks). My fats were dangerously low for the amount of workout I was doing!
Eating a low amount of fats can make your skin dry and flaky, alter your mood, and mess up your hormones!
I highly recommend you find a nutritionist who knows your workout intensity and fitness goals. I currently eat 70 grams of fat a day and I’m seeing real changes in my body.
4. Plan Out your Weekly Meals
Write down your dinner meals for the week. I really love to plan a couple of meats that I will make to use for lunches later on or maybe incorporate into a meal later in the week.
If you have kids, try to plan your meals by themes. My kids don’t always eat the same dinner I eat for a couple of reasons.
First, my kids are picky! They aren’t going to eat fish or zucchini noodles. I’ve tried it a million ways and they never like it. So I’ve compromised. On spaghetti night my kids get their regular spaghetti and I eat zoodles. Taco nights, I make corn tortilla nachos or taco/rice bowl for me and they eat regular tacos.
Another reason, buying healthy meat can get expensive! So I save the fish and 93% lean ground beef for me and my husband.
I also make a meal ahead of time that the boys can have 2 times during the week, like a lasagna or chicken casserole. The kids always get a pizza night one night and they get tacos 2 times. I do make them eat my favorite air fryer lemon chicken and a pork option for the week. (Even though we get protests!)
Weekly Meal Planner Template FREE Download
5. Track your Daily Macros
Writing down your daily macros is important for staying on track! I know it can seem overwhelming at first, but once you get the hang of it meal ideas will come to you quickly.
Keep in mind that every meal or snack should have carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. I like to eat 6 meals a day (3 meals and 3 snacks).
An example of a snack: Apple (carb) Mozzarella cheese stick (protein) and Almonds (fat).
I usually plan out our dinners for the week and then plan out my daily meals the night before each day instead of planning for the week.
Macro Tracker Printable FREE Download
6. Track Your Meals Backwards
Start tracking your meals with your favorite meal first. Then plan the rest of your day around your favorite things to eat.
I usually plan my days around dinner. It’s the meal I make every day and my lunches are usually leftovers from the night before. So I track dinner first, and then plan my other meals.
7. Find Macronutrient Balanced Meals You LOVE
These foods can be really simple! I have a few favorite recipes that I follow for Lemon Air Fryer Chicken, Parmesean Baked Tilapia, and BBQ Pork.
I make 2-3 pounds of lemon chicken for us to eat for 1 dinner and 3-4 lunches through out the week.
Our lemon chicken goes great with a baked potato and veggies.
8. Learn What You can Substitute
Sometimes you will find that you are low or high on protein, fats, or carbs. Planning ahead will help you catch where you need to add more or less of your macros.
Learning how to substitute macros is also great because you can be flexible and eat more of what you like!
For example, yogurt isn’t a favorite snack of mine. But yogurt with almonds and Lily’s sugar free chocolate chips is the perfect after dinner snack! So I eat Oikos Triple 0% vanilla yogurt (0 fat) with a half serving of almonds and chocolate chips which means that I am replacing the yogurt fat with fats I actually like.
People usually find that they are typically low on one macro. For me it’s usually protein.
I like to use egg whites to fill in for my protein count.
Eggs contain fat (the yolk) and protein (egg white). If you plan out your day ahead of time and realize you are low on fat, then you can add another egg to your breakfast or need more protein add an egg white.
9. Eat to Fuel your Body
Eating to reach a certain body weight in the past has been really un-motivating for me.
Working out is the easy part. I love working out and when I realized that my food fuels my workout I have been much more inclined to stick to my macros.
With that in mind, maybe sign up for a race and work towards that goal. Fuel your body with the macros you need to do your personal best!
10. Buy a Food Scale
When you are first tracking your macros use a food scale. This will help you get a good idea of what portions you should be eating.
After using the food scale for a couple of months, I now have a pretty good idea of what portions are for the foods I eat all the time.
No one wants to have to weigh and measure their food forever, but at the beginning it will really help you track what you are eating.
This is the food scale I got from Amazon, it’s basic but does the job.
11. Watch Out for Sugars
Sugars aren’t apart of macros, but they can be a big problem if you’re trying to lose weight.
The American Heart Association says men should have 36 grams of sugar a day and women should have 25 grams.
Considering milk has 12 grams of sugar or a Coke has 32 grams of sugar, it’s easy to eat way over the suggested grams!
Try to pay attention to how much sugar you are eating.
Choose low sugar jelly, spaghetti sauces, and bbq sauces.
Try to cut back on creamers for your coffee. I’ve traded 2% milk (12 grams sugar) in my coffee for Almond milk (8 grams sugar).
12. Use a Protein Powder
Protein powder is an easy way to get more protein with fewer fats and carbs.
I usually have a protein shake after my workout. Currently my favorite protein shake to drink is banana, 1 TBS PB Fit, almond milk, and chocolate Ascent protein powder. We buy ours from the gym we go to, but it’s also available on Amazon.
Recently, I started eating a bowl of steel cut oats with a half scoop of casein protein powder at night before bed. Casein protein is a slower release protein that is optimal for eating at night before you go to sleep so that you can have that protein while you’re fasting (sleeping). I wake up feeling so much better and I’ve noticed I feel stronger in my workouts.
There are all kinds of protein powders. Everything from gluten free, dairy free, plant based, organic, and more! Find a protein powder that you like and makes you feel good!
SIDE NOTE: Some protein powders make people feel bloated or hurt their stomachs. Try to get samples or buy the smallest amount you can until you find something that works for you!
13. Plan your Treats
Counting macros is known as “flexible dieting” which means you can have a sweet treat or a favorite meal. So make sure you take time to enjoy and savor your favorite foods.
My coach told me and my husband that we could enjoy a pizza night by using macros from other days. If Friday is pizza night (which it is!) then we can save up macros from Monday – Thursday.
Spreading out our macros throughout the week for pizza night on Friday means that we aren’t starving ourselves so we can have pizza one night.
Being flexible makes it so much easier to stick to this healthy eating lifestyle!
14. Count Macros with a Friend
Staying committed to a new lifestyle can be hard, but doing it with a friend or spouse or significant other can help you get through the hard days.
My husband and I both sit down and meal plan together. This has been really helpful with getting my husband on board. We each pick out a new recipe to try and then we have to make the recipe. So he cooks one night! (yay!!)
Check in with your macros partner and find out what’s working and what’s not working. Share ideas and encourage each other along the way!
15. Don’t Stress!
Counting macros can be really overwhelming. Start by making sure you have a protein, carb, and fat at every meal and snack.
Then try to make healthier choices for each meal and snack.
Finally, start counting and tracking your macros.
Don’t worry if your macros don’t add up perfectly. I almost never hit my target. I’m usually a few grams over or under.
The goal is to be eating better and learning how food fuels your body!
