Macros / Week 1

Up until recently I always thought I ate enough. I ate every 3 hours, I had protein with most of my meals and I always had carbs every single day.

However, it wasn’t until recently when I became more aware of other people’s ‘food diaries’ posted on the likes of Instagram, Snapchat etc, that I stared to question my daily food intake. So, one week ago I decided to start counting my macros. I didn’t start with the intentions to continue for a long period of time. Instead, I started because:

• I wanted to find out my carb intake. Was I actually consuming enough carbs? (Especially as I carb cycle).

• How low were my carbs on low carb days?

• Was I getting in enough protein?

My particular macros and how many calories I aim to eat will be  irrelevant to you because of the factors such as height, weight, age and fitness activity (everybody is different!) However, the website I used to find out my macros is here. To then work out my macros in term of carb cycling, I used this website. As usual, before diving straight into anything it’s good to do your research first – i’m no expert, everything i’m doing is from what i’ve learnt from others and useful resources!

But, for those of you quite uncertain about what ‘macros’ actually are then here’s a little insight:

Macros is short for ‘macronutrients’. What we consume can be divided into two categories, macronutrients and micronutrients. Macronutrients are the nutrients that provide the body with energy aka, calories. These are divided into three different types: carbohydrates, fat and protein. However, micronutrients are smaller nutrients that the body still needs and is seen in the form of vitamins and minerals. So counting macros is you ensuring that you’re consuming a specific amount of each macronutrient daily.

I actually decided to keep a journal of my time counting macros. Before I started I was pretty damn sure that I wouldn’t enjoy it. I’m too impatient to stand around weighing things, I’m greedy, I can become too obsessed with things and lastly… I’m lazy. HAH!

Monday – 15th August ’16

• Under eating protein, carbs. Fat was just right. Quite enjoyed the first day of counting, surprisingly.

Tuesday

• 15g carbs, 12g fat and 16g protein left.
• Hard to hit protein.
• Need to add more carbs to snacks and more fat with every meal. Avocado?

Wednesday

• Macros adjusted slightly – Protein was ridiculously high.

Thursday (low carb)

• 2g carbs left for the day. Found it quite easy however a hot day so no appetite.
• Low on calories – find it hard to increase them without using carbs
• Only hit 108g protein and 57g fat.
• 22g fat and 95g protein left.
• Stomach upset from high fat foods (feeling bloated too)
• Drinking lots of water

Friday

• Got in more carbs by having avocado that as afternoon snack
• Hit my protein bang on!
• Left with 43g carbs and 21g fat

Saturday

• Protein hit spot on.
• Still under carbs and fat just a little. ARGGHH.

Sunday

• No macros counted for the weekend. Although I’ve eaten pretty healthy and know I’ve hit my carbs!
• Feeling less bloated too.

Overall, so far i’ve enjoyed counting macros. Quite the opposite of what I expected! As you can see i’ve found it hard to hit my macros – however, I haven’t been super strict about it. For me, counting macros has given me an overall idea that I need to eat more (especially carbs) but that my low carb days are pretty much spot on.

I’lll continue to count my macros for another week to see if I can get a little closer to hitting them. Fingers crossed!

If you have any questions… ask away! I’m happy to help – either on here or my Instagram where you can keep up to date with all the deets! @hannahandfit.

Love,

x