11 Ways Macro Counting Changed My Relationship with Food
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Do you always think about food, try to restrict yourself eating food, have food guilt when you do eat food, and punish yourself for eating too much food?
I hate to break it to you, but these things are not healthy. If you experience any of the above, you have an unhealthy relationship with food. So, what do you do about?
Macro Counting! In this episode, I share 11 ways macro counting helped me transform my relationship with food and help me break free from food constantly controlling me.
Ready to start macro counting? Join my Macro Counting Made Simple Online Academy:
TRANSCRIPT:
Hey, they're beautiful human. You're listening to Embrace Your Real with me, Julie Ledbetter, a podcast where I empower you to just be you. With each episode, I dish you a dose of real talk and actionable advice for building your confidence, honoring your body and unconditionally loving your authentic self. Stay tuned if you're ready to embrace your real, let's get it, let's go.
Hello and welcome back to another episode of the Embrace Your Real Podcast. If you have an unhealthy relationship with food, listen up. This episode is going to be one for you. I offer a solution in today's episode called macro counting. You likely have been familiar with this term. Maybe you don't know that much about it. Maybe you have been tuning into my podcast and you're on this journey of learning more about it. In today's episode, I'm going to be sharing 11 ways that macro counting helped me transform my relationship with food and really helped me break free from food constantly controlling me. But before I dive into the episode, I wanted to share this really sweet review. It comes from JSCHEIRA. She gave a five star review and said, "A true gem. I stumbled upon this podcast a few days ago, and I am loving it. Thank you for providing such a positive approach to health and wellness. Your energy is magnetic and a true blessing to me. I also just signed up for your daily workouts and joined the accountability group. Let's get it, let's go."
I love, love, love to hear it. I am so grateful that you are part of the Movement with Julie community. Welcome. You have just entered one of the most amazing groups on the internet and I just absolutely love these girls. I work out with them every single week and it's just amazing to connect with them. So thank you for your review. Thank you for tuning in. If you haven't already left a rating and review and this podcast has helped you in any way, that is my one ask of you. Scooch over to Apple Podcasts and you can click that rating and review section. Scroll all the way down once you type in Embrace Your Real. And you'll see there, it takes less than 30 seconds, but it really does help us out in the podcast world. So thank you. Thank you. Thank you in advance for doing that.
Okay. So let's dive into the 11 ways that macro counting changed my relationship with food. Number one, counting macros changed the way that I looked at food. So I previously used to focus so much on eating "good foods" and would do everything possible to avoid bad foods. With every single food that I ate, I was labeling food as good or bad. And if it were good, I would eat it without guilt. If it were bad, I would feel so incredibly guilty after eating it. And I would honestly just constantly think about how that's going to make me fat, and how that meal is going to make me fat, and how that food is going to make me fat. And it was just this toxic cycle. And really macro counting taught me and helped me break free from having to label foods because I no longer looked at them as good or bad.
I really started to look at all foods as fuel. And I realized that a calorie is a calorie, whether it's a donut or broccoli. At the end of the day, 100 calories is 100 calories. It's simply just a unit of measurement. And it's really not something that I should feel guilty about or punish myself over. So instead of looking at foods as good or bad, I was able to look at foods for what they were, how many carbs, protein and fats did they have? How nutrient dense were they? Were they going to make me feel good? If a food had more carbs, that's okay, because I could alter the meals and snacks depending on what I wanted to eat that day. And really what I learned is the less that I labeled food as good versus bad, the more free I really became and started to feel within myself around food in particular.
Number two, macro counting really allowed me to eat the foods that I love. So previously, like I mentioned earlier, I used to avoid all foods, like the foods that were labeled bad, no matter how badly I wanted them, I was craving my favorite foods. I would truly try to use all my willpower inside of me to avoid them. Honestly, it sucked. And when I did, when I ate the foods that I loved, I actually rarely enjoyed it because I was constantly beating myself up about it. I would feel so guilty. And it was really all that I could think about it, like all that I could think about. And to make up for it, I would over-restrict with the foods that I ate the next few days and even weeks. And I would make sure that I would work off every single calorie I ate.
It was such a toxic cycle, but really once I learned about macro counting and the tool of macro counting, I realized that I could eat the foods that I loved any time that I wanted to. So if I wanted to have pizza on a Wednesday night, I could enjoy it without guilt. Or if I wanted to have ice cream on a Tuesday, I could do it without feeling the need to punish myself. I didn't feel like I had to wait until my cheat day or wait until I couldn't handle the craving any longer. I could literally eat my favorite foods any day of the week and I could start eating it the moment that I started craving it. And what I learned is, as I was able to eat that food and fit that food into my daily allotment of macros, it really didn't matter how often I ate it because it was no longer this quest of how long can I go until I eat this food?
Because as human beings, we don't like being told we can't do something. We have a rebellious side of us and we have that curiosity inside of us. And so when we tell ourselves, or when we're told we can't eat X, Y, and Z, or we can't do X, Y, and Z, what's the first thing that comes to our brain? We want to do it. We want to eat it. And so really just learning about all foods and educating myself about that and realizing that I could eat whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted to, it was no longer this quest of, okay, I'm going to try and go as long as possible. And then my willpower would break. And then I would cave in and I would overindulge. It was no longer like that because I realized if I wanted to have something, I could truly have it whenever I wanted to.
Number three, macro counting really gave me the confidence in how I started to fuel my body. In today's world, it is so freaking confusing to figure out what you should and shouldn't be eating. Should I be vegan? Should I be eating more meat or less meat? Do I need to eat only organic food? Do I need to have these supplements? Do I need to eat these fancy health foods? You always feel like you're doing something wrong, or you need to be eating something you're not, or shouldn't be eating something you are. It's honestly exhausting. And this is why I truly love macro counting. I no longer need to stress about any of those things. As long as I hit my daily allotment of macros, none of those things really matter. They're really just making nutrition way more complicated than it needs to be because every single person has an opinion. Every single person has their preference.
And I feel like people are trying to fit these preferences, and they're trying to say that, well, it's my preference that I do X, Y, and Z. And so thus, if I want to be vegan or if I'm going vegan, or if I'm eliminating all things, but organic foods, then you should too. And we live in this society, especially on social media where you're second guessing everything. And then really macro counting allowed me to eliminate all of that second guessing because for so many years, I was second guessing everything. I was so confused. I would read these women's fitness magazines and articles, and they would tell me to do one thing. And then the next month they would tell me to not do that same thing that they just said, and it was so confusing.
And so really just learning how to properly fuel my body also took the guessing game out of my nutrition. I no longer needed to guess what I should and shouldn't be eating. I could simply eat whatever I wanted as long as I hit my daily protein carbs and fats. And it really was a lot less stressful, like having confidence in how I am personally fueling my body has been a game changer. And of course I have found along this journey of learning how to properly fuel my body, that prioritizing nutrient dense food is important. It's important for my energy. It's important for how I feel, my digestion, all of those things, but it really took laying the foundation and building the foundation of learning how to properly fuel my body and macro counting was really that tool that enabled me to do that, that allowed me to no longer feel like I was constantly second guessing myself, like I mentioned, and just not having that guessing game anymore about nutrition has been so freeing and has allowed me so much opportunity to enjoy eating food again.
Number four, macro counting means no more restriction. So personally I used to drastically under-eat, especially calories. My goal was to eat around 1,000 calories a day. I know that sounds crazy now, especially now that I'm eating like well over 2,200 calories a day, and I'm even in a body fat loss phase, to think that I was trying to only eat 1,000 calories in under is crazy. But that's what I thought that I needed to do in order to lose weight. And macro counting really showed me that it's actually not even close to how much or how little I should be eating daily.
It's in fact, like I mentioned, I need to be eating double that amount. And I went from feeling so fatigued, always lacking energy, always struggling with brain fog and always really battling hanger, like that hanger inside of me to feeling energized, nourished, revived, and full, like actually feeling full after a meal, not overly full, not underly full, but feeling well fueled. And it's really crazy what happens when you're actually able to give your body the fuel and nourishment that it needs. Like amazing things can happen both mentally and physically. And I'm walking proof of this. I look at photos even from five or six years ago, and I was just really getting into the hang of my fitness journey. But five or six years ago, I was still in competition mode. And so I was not eating as much, definitely not eating as much as I am right now.
And then even when I look back at my age 21 versus age 31, I'm 31 now. I actually look younger now than I did at 21. And it's simply because I was not fueling my body and fueling my body properly has had such a drastic impact on my physical appearance. Not only physically, but mentally, but it's crazy to look back at those photos because not only do I look so different, but I remember feeling, I remember the feeling that I had and I felt so, so different back then. Really lacked energy, really lacked zest of life, always felt fatigued, always felt stressed, my hair wasn't growing, my nails were brittle, my skin was constantly breaking out and I was a mess, honestly. And it really, I mean, a lot of that is attributed to properly fueling my body now.
Number five, macro counting has helped me break free from overindulging. And you know what happens when you restrict yourself? You then overindulge. I was constantly swinging back and forth on this pendulum where I would over-restrict, and then I would overindulge and then I'd go back and forth, and back and forth, and back and forth. And I would restrict myself so much that I would eat only, truly only eat the most boring foods in the world. And then I would have a bite of something that actually tasted good. And once I had that bite, it was like I had zero control over myself because I had allowed myself so much time of resisting that food that when I actually had, it was like game over and I just could not stop eating it.
But where I'm at right now and having learned how to properly fuel my body through the tool of macro counting, I really never hit that point anymore. Since I can have any food that I want, anytime I want it, I can have the pizza, I can have the ice cream, I can have whatever it is that I used to label as bad literally any time, I don't feel the need to overindulge. Of course there are moments where I'm like, man, I ate a little bit much. I don't feel great, but I can tell you, I mean, I can count those on one hand in a year setting. Whereas before, it was like every single week I had multiple different times throughout the week where I just felt like I would resist, resist, resist to the point where I couldn't anymore. And then I would just go all out. And before I used to feel like I needed to overindulge, because I really had no idea when I was going to allow myself to eat the food again.
And now since I can eat whatever I want, whenever I want it, I no longer have this scarcity mindset when it comes to food. And I really have adopted really an abundance mindset allowing me to break free from my overindulgent tendencies. And I do want to say this, that I am very well aware that binge eating, like actual diagnosed binge eating is something that you should take very seriously. I was never diagnosed with that. I never truly struggled with a binge eating disorder. So if that is you, please seek medical help. I am not saying that macro counting is going to work for everybody, but I am saying for me, I would just go into these overindulgent periods and I would have an overindulgent tendency. And so I just kind of wanted to make that clear that I am not a binge coach. I've never claimed to be that. And so if that is something that you are truly struggling, please, please, please reach out to a medical professional that can help you in that specific instance.
But in my specific story, and this is what I'm speaking from on this podcast, from my specific experience, learning the tool of macro counting really did help me break free from overindulging and just constantly feeling the need to restrict myself to the point where, like I mentioned earlier, I couldn't take it anymore. And then I would overindulge. So just wanted to kind of clarify that there for anybody who is seriously struggling with binge eating and has been diagnosed with that. Please seek a medical professional that can help you in that realm.
Number six, really learning the 12 macro counting and macro counting itself has helped take a lot of food anxiety away from me. So I personally used to have so much anxiety around birthdays, especially holidays, special occasions, even date nights, girls nights, vacations. I was so worried about what I would eat and how much I would be eating. And that anxiety really would eat at me. And it would take me away from actually enjoying the experience. I was never living presently because I was feeling so anxious about food. I would either be anxious about what people would think of me if I didn't eat the food. And I would also feel anxious about how much weight would I gain if I did eat the food. And it was just this constant anxiety that I lived in. And really learning how to properly fuel my body has completely honestly eliminated all food anxiety when it comes to any of those occasions, birthdays, holidays, special occasions, girls nights, date nights, vacations. I will truly live in the moment. And I have learned that oftentimes I'll work around my schedule.
If I know that I'm going to be eating out for date night, then I will really make sure that I'm prioritizing my protein for the day. And I will make sure that my, let's say for example, I'm going out to dinner, then I will make sure that my breakfast and my lunch and any of my snacks are really protein dominant. But that doesn't mean that I'm completely eating zero carbs up until the time that I'm going out to eat. Or let's say, for example, it's a date night. I'm still incorporating carbs, a moderate amount of carbs into my meals, my snacks. I am just really prioritizing water intake protein, and just knowing that I'm going to be having a larger meal later in the day. So kind of accounting for that.
And I've also learned honestly, that one day or a few days of not eating "perfectly" which I don't think we ever achieve, but eating related to hitting your macros is not going to completely derail the two years of progress that you've had, or even the six months of progress that you had. What I always say is if you've gotten off track and if you have completely went over your macros or just totally disregarded your macros for a meal or a day or whatever, just get back on track the next meal. There's no need for you to spend your energy or any brain power, honestly stressing about it, feeling anxious about it. It's not going to do anything. You cannot change the past. All you can do is ask yourself, is there a way, or is there, in the future, is there something that I could do differently? And if the answer is honestly yes, take that advice, that constructive criticism about yourself and try to do better in the future. There's no need to go back and dwell on what you did or didn't do.
Number seven, it helped me be more consistent with nourishing my body. Seriously. If I had a dollar, especially in college for every time that I fell off track or I needed to get back on track, I would be a multimillionaire, especially in my college days. Because when you're eating habits are restrictive, it is impossible to stick to that long term. Is it really going to be possible to eat 20 grams of carbs a day for the rest of your life or never eat the foods that you love again? No, it's not possible no matter how hard you try. And so with macro counting, I have just learned that I am nourishing my body with what it needs. I'm eating enough food daily. I'm not overeating. And the foods that I'm eating are the foods that I love, which makes it 100% sustainable long term.
I honestly don't remember the last time that I said I need to get back on track because I never feel like I fall off track anymore. It's exhausting to fall off track and having to get back on track all the time is even more exhausting. It takes even more brain power and more energy that likely you don't have. Life is so much more enjoyable when you can just stay on track. Sometimes I stray away from the track, but I never fully fall off the track because I love how I feel when I'm nourishing my body with what it needs, if that makes sense. Of course, there's going to be weeks where I'm like, man, I'm really lacking on eating enough protein, or I'm really lacking on my water intake or maybe I've had like too many carbs and I don't feel as great as I know I do when I'm properly fueling my body.
And that's the other beautiful thing about macro counting is that I've learned what it feels like to properly nourish my body. So when I'm not properly nourishing my body for a day or even a few days or a week, it is like I can instantly tell. And I know, oh, it's likely because I'm not drinking enough water, or it's likely because I'm eating too much of this, or I'm not prioritizing my nutrient dense foods and meals and snacks. I'm really going the opposite route. And so just having that knowledge and that foundation has truly been irreplaceable and has allowed me and saved me honestly so much time when it comes to the times where I stray off track. Not get off the track, but I stray off track. And it saves so much more time because I know, oh, I've identified what it is and then I know how to get back to feeling my best.
Number eight, macro counting really has helped me build the body that I wanted. And like I mentioned earlier, in my early 20s, before I started macro counting, I was working out all of the time. And when I say working out, I was not lifting weights, I was scared of the gym. I was scared of weight training. I was simply just doing cardio. I was doing cardio. I was doing some classes, like cycle classes. And so when they would pick up weights, it was like one or two pound weights on the back of the bike. And honestly, I was working out all the time and yet I still couldn't seem to tone up my body. I still couldn't seem to see the results that I wanted. I was extremely thin. I was not toned. And I was just so confused. And I also had so much body dysmorphia.
And so even though I was like a double zero at one point at five nine, how tall I am at five nine. I literally still thought that I was fat. It was crazy, but I was so perplexed honestly, why and how I was working out so hard at the gym, like so hard at cardio every day. And I was "eating clean" and yet I still wasn't seeing results that I wanted, no matter how hard I tried. But at the time, I was also so scared of eating protein because I truly thought protein would make me bulky, which literally makes me laugh now because I'm like, oh, if only I would've known, if only I would've known. But here I am now, and this is honestly why I have this podcast because I know there are people listening to the sound of my voice right now, who are in my shoes. And if I can save any ounce of energy or any more time back for you, that is truly ... I've done my work because man, I wasted so much time, so much energy.
And so, yeah, anyways. Kind of side tangent. But once I started macro counting, I really started forcing myself to eat protein at first. And it was scary. I remember telling Josh, my boyfriend at the time, husband now. I remember saying, "This is going to make me bulky. This is going to make me fat." And he was just laughing at me. He went to school for health and exercise, science, sports, nutrition, very well versed in nutrition and just how to properly fuel your body. At that point, he was a body builder so he was eating very clean, but he knew about nutrition and he knew the fundamentals of nutrition and he just laughed at me. He was like, "I cannot believe that you think protein's going to make you bulky. Babe, no. It's not going to. So just trust the process."
And after doing it consistently, I realized that not eating enough protein was truly one of the main reasons why I wasn't seeing the results that I wanted. And yet at the same time, I wasn't eating enough food in general. So my body didn't have what it needed. I needed more carbs to help me replenish my glycogen stores and my muscles for them to rebuild and grow. I needed more fat because in fact, dietary fat is essential for burning fat. And of course, I needed more protein. Without protein, my muscles literally could not grow. And the more muscle you have, the more fat you burn. So with macro counting, it really helped me to ensure that I was eating enough food overall for my body to function optimally. And it really ensured that I was eating enough of each macronutrient to change my body composition, which kind of leads me to my next point.
Number nine, macro counting ensured I was working with my body and not against my body. I was depriving myself of calories and each macronutrient, I thought depriving myself would give me the body that I wanted. But in fact, by doing so, I was actually working against my body. My body needed the calories, it needed the carbs, the fats, the protein to build the body that I wanted. So by depriving myself of those things, while still working out super hard, I was literally trying to paddle a boat upstream. You can still get to where you want to go eventually, but it's going to take so much longer and so much more work to actually get there. Why make things harder than they need to be? Because once I started macro counting and properly fueling my body, I realized that there was a lot more efficient and effective approach that would take a lot less energy and time to see better results. Yes, honestly, better results, in less time and with less energy, which is crazy. But that's honestly how it works when you start properly fueling your body.
Number 10, macro counting really gave my body what my body needed. I used to honestly, just copy what everyone else was eating. I would look at a woman who had the body that I wanted, especially in magazines, because at this, time social media wasn't the way that it is now. We didn't really have what I ate in a day. I mean, I vaguely remember those in 2014, 2015, but not to the popularity of where they're at right now. And so for me it was really fitness magazines, it was articles on the internet. And so I would literally just go into Google and I would search like 1,000 calorie meal plan and then I would follow it. I would eat exactly what that person said to eat. And if she ate 1,200 calories, I would try to eat 1,000, I would try to reduce it at least by 200 calories because I really couldn't get myself to eat over 1,000 calories. Whatever she said, I would do.
But here's the thing about nutrition. Nutrition is not a one size fits all. The amount of calories that she needs is not the same amount of calories that I need. The amount of calories that I need are not the same amount of calories that you need. The amount of carbs and protein and fats that I need are not the same as you need. And plus, where are those numbers coming from that I used to be copying from. Like maybe she just made them up and now I'm going to copy it. I really, at the time, didn't put two and two together. But now looking back on it, it was simply because I didn't have the proper education about how to nourish my body. And so it felt like the easiest, safest route. And I wasn't really thinking. I would tell myself, well, if this is what she looks like, and I want to look like her, then I must do that.
And the fact of the matter is when I learned macro counting, I learned how personal nutrition actually is. I also learned about my body and what my body needed based on my weight, based on my body composition, my goals, my age, my height, my activity level, all of those things. And it was 100% customized to what I needed, not anyone else. So once I started fueling my body based on what my body needed, that's when I actually started to see the results and they started to come pretty quickly. And since then, since learning that never again, will I ever, ever, ever base my nutritional needs on someone else's nutritional needs. That was one of the biggest mistakes that I've ever made. And so if that's you, if you're looking at these TikToks and these Instagrams of what I eat in a day and trying to completely copy them, because she looks a certain way and you want to look like that.
I'm telling you can absolutely take things from what I eat in a day, is you can take it for meal inspiration or ideas, or I think that there is a part of those what I eat in a days that can really ... They can be a helpful tool, but if you're not looking at it through the right lens, they can be very dangerous. So just be careful there and just remember that her needs and her nutritional needs are not the same as yours.
And number 11, macro counting really helped me to stop thinking about food. I don't know about you, but literally food used to consume me. When was I going to eat next? What was I going to eat next? How could I get myself to not eat the entire work day or the entire school day? How am I going to avoid eating X, Y, and Z? Oh my goodness, I'm having a craving. How do I crush my craving? These thoughts, these were honestly the thoughts that consumed every single part of me, always, at every single hour of the day. I always felt hunger, I was always craving something, and the food was always consuming my mind. I was miserable. It was miserable to live in that mindset.
I honestly, there were points in that time period where I would kind of be knocked to reality. And I would say shouldn't I be using my brain space for something deeper, more meaningful? Why was I using so much brain power just literally thinking about food, like thinking about how I could restrict my food, how I could control my food, X, Y, and Z? It was literally all that I thought about. But once I learned how to properly fuel my body, especially learned about the tool of macro counting and in relation to how much my body needed, food stopped controlling my thoughts. I was really not thinking about what I would eat next, because if I were hungry, I would eat. And learning how to properly fuel my body. And of course, when you first start macro counting, I'm not saying that you're just going to not think about food. Like definitely, just like any skill that you learn, that you go on this quest to attain more knowledge about, or more experience in, you're going to spend some time with it. And there might be thoughts that you maybe have not thought before.
And for me, once I learned about macro counting, my eyes were open to learning about the protein, carbs and fats in each food that I was eating and how much I needed and X, Y, and Z. And so of course, you're going to be thinking about food, but it was not in this toxic way where I was constantly thinking, like I mentioned above, what am I going to be eating next? How am I going to be eating it? How can I get through the entire day without eating? How can I avoid eating X, Y, and Z? It was not those types of thoughts about food once I learned the tool of macro counting, it was more so on an educational basis of, oh my gosh, this is so cool that this specific food is fueling the proper needs of protein, carbs and fats. Or this specific food is fueling the proper needs of just protein and fat. I never knew that before. It was mind blowing. It is incredible. And it is so empowering.
I am telling you, it is so empowering to know how to properly fuel your body. And then also just feel confident around food. And I think, for me, that has been the biggest thing when it comes to macro counting and just feeling empowered and educated around food. Because prior to that, when you're not educated around something, you're kind of left in the dark. And that was me. I was left in the dark of these food. I had been told X, Y, and Z food was not good for you. I had been told that eating anything other than "clean foods" were not good for you.
And so when I started to take macro counting seriously, and really learn the tool for myself and apply it in my own life, I started realizing, oh my gosh, this is so empowering to know that I know how much my body needs. It's no longer a guess. I know how much protein my body needs. I know how many carbs, and fats, and overall calories my body need if I have a specific goal or based on the activity that I'm doing on a weekly basis. It's just empowering. And then on top of that to know, okay, since I know what my body needs, in terms of protein, carbs, and fats. On the other layer and the other puzzle piece to it is, okay, so how am I going to fuel my body properly to ensure that I'm properly fueling my body to get the outcome?
And man, I'm just telling you, if you haven't looked into macro counting, or if you haven't really learned the tool of macro counting, as you can probably have heard just from this entire podcast, it has completely changed my relationship with food. So if you're wanting to learn more, if you're wanting to develop a healthier relationship with food, I honestly couldn't recommend macro counting enough. And there are so many different approaches to macro counting. I've mentioned them before on my other previous podcasts, but just briefly, if the thought of counting protein, carbs and fats all at once, especially when starting out seems daunting to you, don't. I encourage you to at least track your protein so that you are making sure that you're eating enough protein and then just try to track your overall calories. And with that, that means that your fats and your carbs will be interchangeable.
But if you're he trying to properly nourish your body and you're hitting your protein goal and your overall caloric goal, that is a great start. Don't try to stress yourself out if the thought of counting all three macronutrients is super overwhelming to you. You don't have to do that. Honestly, I am about 10 years, almost 10 years into my macro counting journey. And it's evolved in tremendous ways simply because now I am so educated about food. I know when I look at a food, I basically know the serving size because I've educated myself about that. I likely know about how many protein, carbs and fats are in that food. And I feel empowered around it. And so my macro counting journey has changed significantly from when it started. And so just know that as you grow and as you get more and more comfortable and just overall educated about food, and how you feel about certain foods, like how you physically feel when you eat certain foods, it's going to change and it's going to evolve and it's going to be for you.
And so, yes, macro counting, while macro counting is a tool, and it's a tool that anybody can use, the way that you use that tool is going to look different for each person. So just remember that. And if you're curious about macro counting, you want to learn more about macro counting, I have two resources for you. The first is a free ebook. That is a 40 plus page ebook that I've put together for you that really educates you about how to properly fuel your body. I teach you more things and go more in depth than I did in this podcast about macro counting. I also give you a step by step guide as to how to calculate your own customized macros for you. So if that's something that you've been curious about and confused about, definitely download that free ebook.
If you're like, hey, I don't think I need the free ebook, I just want to start. I just want to go. I want to do a deep, deep, deep dive into it. I have a macro counting course for you and inside there, we actually calculate your customized macros for you. So we send you a link to a questionnaire form. You fill that out. It's a extensive questionnaire form so we really get to know about you, about your lifestyle, about your goals. And then we send that to you. We send you the PDF and we show you step by step how we did it so that you're not in the dark about that. You know how to do it in the future. We also have modules that will teach you in depth, everything that you need to know. We also have recipe ebooks available for you if you are wanting some delicious macro friendly recipes.
So if that is something that interests, you can actually sign up. You can learn more and sign up by heading over to www.macrocountingmadesimple.com. Again, those two resources, either my free ebook or the Macro Counting Made Simple Online Academy, both of those links will be in the description of this podcast. So you can go head over there, if you go to my social media on Instagram, Julie A Ledbetter in my link and bio, I also have all the links available for that there.
I hope this episode was helpful for you. Like I mentioned, I just know that there are people listening to my voice right now that are maybe confused about macro counting. Maybe you were in my shoes and how I really lived in college, like feeling so defeated when it came to food and feeling so overwhelmed and so confused. And if that is you, you are not alone. I know how that feels, but I'm telling you that the tool of macro counting has not only transformed my relationship with food. I've seen it transformed thousands of women that we've worked with over the years and just see how it has been such an amazing tool for them to not only achieve the results that they're looking for, but do so in a sustainable way. Because they are loving the food that they're eating.
So again, I will go ahead and link my free ebook, as well as the Macro County Made Simple Online Academy. I hope that this episode served you. I hope that this empowered you or educated you in some way, shape or form. If you have a girlfriend or someone in your life that you feel like would really benefit from this episode, I just ask that you shared out with them. You can copy the link and send it to them in a text message. You can also screenshot this and post it up on your Instagram story. Be sure to tag me Julie A Ledbetter, as well as Embrace Your Real account. Thank you again for tuning in, and I'll talk to you in the next episode.
All right sister, that's all I've got for you today, but I have two things that I need you to do. First thing, if you are not already following me on the Gram, be sure to do so. Julie A Ledbetter, yes, it's with an A in the middle for that daily post workout, real talk, healthy tips and tricks and honest accountability to keep your mind and heart in check. The second thing. Be sure to subscribe to Apple Podcasts to never miss an episode. Thank you so much for joining me. It means the absolute world, and I'm going to leave you with one last thought. The most beautiful women that I have met in my life are the ones who are completely confident and secure in being authentically themselves. Remember that beauty goes so much deeper than the surface. So go out there and embrace your real because you're worth it.