Approaching Week 4: Noticed Patterns

When starting a macros-based diet, I always tell my clients that the first 2 weeks are the hardest but stick with it. Mistakes and accidents are bound to happen. You are just learning how your body reacts to certain foods, a new food tracking app, and properly measuring your foods.

Well, stopping precisely measuring and log your foods for a while to getting right back into it is the same thing. The first 2 weeks are the hardest. I was notorious for taking a few chips here and a few chips there or thinking that I might have enough macros for a snack after dinner when in fact, I didn't accurately weigh it out. That laziness was the start of my downfall, to falling off track a bit. This time, I promised myself, made a "non-negotiable" if you will (check out my last blog, "How to plan for the weekend," to learn more about non-negotiables) to log everything, even if I went over, and to weigh myself daily.

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Patterns

Here are the patterns that I noticed. On the days that I went over a little bit, I would typically weigh a little less the next day than when I was right on par. Why is this? Because I am training and burning more calories than I took account for when creating my macro targets. My body needs the extra macronutrients to be able to perform optimally and recover quicker.

To eat is a necessity, but to eat intelligently is an art.

-Francois de la Rochefoucauld

At the start of the third week, I decided to make slight adjustments to my carb and fat intake, leaving my protein at 1.1/lb of body weight. This slight adjustment propelled my fat loss and left me feeling more satisfied at the end of the night.

I sometimes struggle with weighing myself daily, afraid that the numbers will start going in the reverse direction (legit fear). Admittedly, there were a few days where I did not weigh myself, and this small act kind of threw me off. I created a specific routine in the mornings, and not following through with something as small as taking the 10 seconds to weigh myself put me in a funk.

But the #1 act that you can take is to recognize the slip-up, understand why you did it, and start right where you left off. If you didn't have time in the morning to weigh yourself, or if you didn't plan for meals as well as you thought you did, starting the next morning again or the next meal is the best way to foster routine and preserve success.

Always remember that you got this! And the time is now to make a change!

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I look forward to chatting. 🙂