Ok, let’s get straight to the point …
5 major red flags that let us know you should NOT be tracking …
1. You completely ignore food quality and justify it because “I hit my macros!” I used to do this all the time. Zero veggies, a bunch of shit food, but hey … it fit!
My digestion was terrible, I had no energy, and I was constantly bloated, but at least I hit my macros, right?
Wrong. Quality is just as important as quantity. Sometimes the solution is to stop tracking and just focus on quality for a bit. Watch how much better you feel.
2. The thought of an untracked meal or day makes you anxious AF. Once again … that was me.
If you have separation anxiety from tracking … you need a break from tracking. I don’t necessarily recommend going cold turkey. But, take a day off and then watch how the world doesn’t end.
Then, take another day off and you’ll notice the same thing. It’ll be ok.
3. You ignore your body for the sake of hitting macros. Ok, as I’m writing these out I’m realizing just how fucked up I was lol. Disordered eating habits are rough.
Anyway, this one was also me and also not helpful. My body would say EAT but my macros would say stop. My body would say STOP EATING but my macros would say eat.
That’s not ok. Your body knows best … pay attention. Macros are arbitrary numbers that shouldn’t control your life.
4. The actual act of tracking stresses you out. This one needs a little caveat …
Anything new takes time and there’s always a learning curve. So, if you tried to track for a day or two and got frustrated that you weren’t a master yet … then, welcome to reality.
It takes time. However, if you’ve been tracking for a while and the act of tracking just adds stress to your day … then, you probably shouldn’t be tracking.
5. You can’t get over the imperfect nature of tracking. There’s no such thing as perfection when it comes to tracking.
Food labels aren’t 100% accurate. MyFitnessPal isn’t 100% accurate. And, there’s plenty of user error involved. If the thought of an imperfect system is too much to wrap your head around … then don’t use it.
I also don’t know why there seems to be this hard line in the sand when it comes to tracking vs. not tracking.
You want to know what the most successful approach is for our clients?
Hopefully you guessed … the method that works best for the individual! For some that means tracking. For some that means no tracking. And, for some that means a mixture of both.
The most important factor is what fits your body, goals, and lifestyle.
It’s easy to know what that will be after we look at your personality and dieting background.
Consistency becomes much easier and progress happens more efficiently.
We determine the amount of tracking that will feel the best for you.
Then, we make sure you’re eating enough protein and calories (regardless of how much tracking you’re doing) to allow your body to feel safe in letting go of unwanted body fat.
Our clients are often amazed that they’ve been eating too little which causes too much stress and energy preservation. They are pleasantly surprised when they can eat more and still lose fat. Especially after feeling like nothing has ever worked.
We also make sure you’re eating to support your training and recovery. This makes a big difference in body composition changes, as well as any performance goals you might have.
Then, we build in as much freedom and flexibility as possible so you can enjoy vacations, social events, alcohol, etc. with zero stress, guilt, or anxiety around food.
Lastly, we monitor the daily stressors in your life and other daily habits to ensure long term sustainability. Our clients often comment that their confidence levels go way up as they’re losing fat and feeling better because they know it will actually last this time.
That’s the power of our signature, 6-month 1:1 coaching program. Achieving the body you desire while getting rid of any mental stress around food does not have to be difficult.
