Obsessing over macros and calories may be the exact reason why you’re stuck.
About 7 or 8 years ago, I found myself firmly entrenched in the mindset that I had to be perfect in order to see progress.
I had just discovered macro tracking and found it to be really effective in helping me lose weight.
However, I took a good thing and turned it into a negative.
Because I wasn’t ok with the imperfection of it all. I had to be 100% on point 7 days per week.
Which may not sound like a big deal …
Until you understand the sacrifices I made in order to hit numbers.
My friends wanted to hang out … I wouldn’t go.
My wife at the time wanted date nights … I wouldn’t go.
My family wanted to get together for various occasions … I wouldn’t go.
If I couldn’t be perfect with my macros … I found a way to stay home so I could stay compliant.
And it worked.
My weight dropped and dropped and dropped.
Which led to something interesting …
As my weight kept dropping … so did my happiness.
I hated my life. And ironically, I still hated my body.
I was using macro tracking as a replacement for life.
I was using weight loss as a means to fill a void.
Neither of those things ended well.
I started having epic binge episodes and I started rebelling. I found myself gaining weight back and feeling guilt and shame, which led to more restriction.
That cycle was a bitch.
But I had no choice.
I didn’t want to be miserable. I actually wanted to enjoy my life.
Someone asked me recently how I crawled out of that dark, obsessive place.
And the answer is … I didn’t feel like I had a choice.
Avoiding the people that I love and skipping out on life experiences didn’t seem like an option because the pain was too great.
I had to flip the switch on my mindset from: I have to be fit OR live life
To: I can live my life in a way that supports my pursuit of being fit.
So I tried.
From obsessive macro tracking to dietary freedom
I tried to create balance, I tried to remove the desire to be perfect, I tried to give myself grace. I tried to improve my relationship with food.
And it wasn’t easy. But every single day was a new opportunity to get better. Another rep.
Rep after rep after rep … and it finally made a difference.
Do I still have setbacks? Absolutely.
But I’m much more equipped to handle them.
Now … if you’re finding yourself in an obsessive state over macro tracking, counting calories, eating clean or being 100% perfect …
You’re likely doing more harm than good.
First of all, it creates an unsustainable expectation of what success looks like.
Second, it lends itself to an all or nothing cycle that is difficult to break.
And lastly, your results might not hold up to the “real life” test.
Meaning … when life gets messy and crazy and unpredictable … can you still maintain your results?
That’s the way we structure things for our clients. We want them to still be able to see progress through the craziness of real life.
The unexpected shit that always comes up.
Anyway, I also want to mention that the obsessiveness adds stress to your body which can add insult to injury.
Because when you’re trying to be so perfect that you’re actually stressing yourself out about it …
You can literally be halting your progress as a result.
So not only are you being 100% compliant, but you don’t have any results to show for it which is the most frustrating thing in the world.
In this situation, most people push harder until they eventually snap and break.
When in reality, the solution is to pull back.
Work smarter, not harder.
Do less.
Give yourself some slack.
The plan doesn’t need 100% perfection. That’s an impossible standard to uphold.
Your plan just needs overall consistency and has to hold up to the “real life” test.
Can you stay pretty consistent over a long period of time even on your worst days?
During our 6 month, 1 on 1 coaching program we have a phase called Lifestyle Integration to make sure that our clients have a plan that is suitable for the life they want to live.
That means they can be social, go on date nights, travel, drink alcohol, eat foods they love, and still make progress towards their goals.
I wish that I had this program when I was struggling with perfectionist tendencies and being too obsessed with macro tracking.
It’s much easier to have guidance through that process than to figure it out on your own.
I was stubborn and it cost me years of my life.
We always have the option to take the short cut and learn from other people’s mistakes.
Or we can make the mistake ourselves and learn the hard way.
If you’re tired of the food obsession and want to see real progress in a way that lasts forever and still allows you to live your life …
Then our coaching program might be the right path for you.
