I have a little secret. I don’t like tracking my macros! I absolutely know that tracking gives me much more success than not tracking; I know this logically. Just because we know something, doesn’t mean we want to do it! Ha ha
I know there are many people that love tracking their macros, and God bless them! But I also know there are many people just like me that don’t enjoy it. Maybe it brings up bad memories from our ‘bad dieting’ days or because it can be a lot of work depending on the meals we’re tracking.
I want to talk about this because I think there is this idea out there that we should just LOVE tracking our macros, that if we LOVE doing it it makes us more committed and dedicated.
Not true.
But, turning a blind eye to our macros will not help us as much as knowing where we stand. Those carbs creep in SO easily! So I wanted to give you some of my tips on how I avoid tracking (more or less) most of the month. When we do our group 7 Day Macro Tracking Challenge each month I DO track faithfully for one week, and then I feel I need a vacay because I’m so exhausted (kidding), but I do dedicate myself to that week every month because it’s a fantastic ‘check in’ and really helps me realize how many darn carbs are in EVERYTHING
Tip #1: For breakfast and lunch I eat the same thing most days. For me, I have a fatty coffee for breakfast, and at lunch I love a big salad with grated mozzarella cheese, grilled chicken (I batch cook it so it’s always in the fridge) and I have my homemade salad dressing always on hand (see image for my fave recipe, it’s SO easy). After my salad I make my Intentionally Bare Bone Broth Protein Shake (see image for recipe, I now add my new Collagen Peptides to that), and my dessert is my 2nd and last fatty coffee of the day. Having this lunch everyday that I am not doing an extended fast makes things SO easy. I don’t have to weigh and measure everything because I have it in my macro app tracker, each one is saved as a favorite. Most apps will allow you to copy and paste from one day to another as well.
Tip #2: Save all of your fave meals as favorites in your macro app tracker. Also do this for all of your fave foods that you use over and over again. This is a HUGE time saver and worth the effort to get them all saved.
Tip #3: Do some intermittent fasting/fasting (after you are fat adapted, so regular keto for 4-6 weeks). I think part of the reason I love fasting so much (besides the amazing health benefits) is that it means I DON’T HAVE TO TRACK!
Tip #4: Figure out your meals ahead of time. Plan ahead, know what you’re going to make and get those macros entered into your app ahead of time. Then when it’s time to eat you aren’t frustrated trying to enter everything in as you are really wanting to eat (I would say ‘hangry’ but we don’t get hangry on keto… but ‘angry’ might be the better word), ha ha
Do not feel you have to LOVE tracking in order to be successful on keto; there are ways to get around tracking if it’s something that bothers you. I always say that the ‘happiness factor’ is SO important! We don’t want to become frustrated and use that as our excuse to quit. It’s better we create the lifestyle that makes us happy AND healthy! I always believe we can have that ‘win-win’.
You got this!
Leta
~ Intentionally Bare
❗️ DISCLAIMER: Health information given here is based on public research and is not meant to take the place of your doctor's advice. Always do your own research and discuss it with your health practitioner before trying a new diet, supplement or exercise plan.
❗️ DISCLOSURE: I manufacture a line of 100% natural keto products under the brand name, Intentionally Bare. These products will be mentioned from time to time because they are amazingly healthy and fantastic for those on a ketogenic diet or anyone looking to improve their health. I am also a participant in the Amazon services LLC Associates Program, designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.** I ONLY ever post a link to products I personally USE and LOVE!
