7 Steps for Transitioning from Macro Counting to Intuitive Eating
Feeling ready to take a break from tracking but unsure how to do it without losing your progress? In this episode of Embrace Your Real, we’re talking all about transitioning from macro counting to intuitive eating in a way that feels intentional and manageable. If you’re craving more food freedom while still honoring everything you’ve learned through tracking, I’m sharing seven simple steps to help you feel confident along the way.
We’ll dive into how to reconnect with your body’s hunger and fullness cues, gradually reduce your reliance on tracking, and use tools like portion awareness and protein focus to stay on track. Whether you’re ready to make the leap now or just curious about what this process looks like, this episode will empower you to trust your body and eat intuitively—without feeling lost!
What I discuss:
Step 1: Reflect on Your Why…
Step 2: Build Awareness Around Your Eating Habits…
Step 3: Eye-Ball Your Portions….
Step 4: Focus on Protein
Step 5: Gradually Wean Off Tracking
Step 6: Reconnect with Your Hunger and Fullness Cues
Step 7: Remember no decision has to be permenant
Remember, this isn’t about giving up on your goals or letting yourself go. It’s about finding a way to nourish your body that feels more sustainable and enjoyable in the long run.
If you loved this episode, I know you’ll also love…
Episode 217: How to Use Hand Portions to Reach Your Macro Goals
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Transcript:
[00:00:00] Hey, beautiful human. Can I steal five minutes of your time? I have something super important to share with. [00:00:05][5.4]
[00:00:05] You, but I promise I'll be really. [00:00:06][1.1]
[00:00:07] Quick. You're listening to my weekly bonus episode of Embrace Your Real with Me. Do I better? I'm about to give you a quick tip for building your confidence, honoring your body and unconditionally loving your authentic self. Stay tuned. If you're ready to embrace a real. Let's get it. Let's go. [00:00:22][15.6]
[00:00:31] Hello and welcome back to another bonus episode on the Embrace Your podcast. This is a podcast that is here to really help you build the body and life that you want by cutting through the noise and focusing on what truly works for you. I am so pumped about today's bonus episode because we're going to be diving into a topic that is new for us on the podcast, and that's intuitive eating. Like in the last episode, if you tune in to Monday's episode, I chatted about how to know if you're ready for it and kind of busted some major myths. And in this episode, we're going to be talking about kind of the steps that you need to follow, in my opinion, just my experience to successfully transition from macro accounting to intuitive eating and really how to do it without losing your progress or feeling totally lost. If you're someone who has been counting macros for a while, you know how much structure and confidence that it can bring. But let's be real. Like there can come a point where tracking every single bite or tracking every single meal just feels exhausting. Like maybe you're ready for some more freedom around food. Maybe you're in a season of life where tracking it just doesn't make sense right now. Either way, you might be wondering, like, how do I transition without undoing all of my hard work? And I've got you covered. I've been there. I know how scary can feel to kind of let go of the macro tracking app and just trust yourself. But here's the thing. Transitioning to intuitive eating isn't about giving up. It's about taking everything that you've learned through macro accounting and using it to build trust in your body. And so today I'm really breaking the process down into seven simple, actionable steps. And by the end of this episode, my hope is that you will feel confident about making this shift in a way that works for you. So let's just dive right into today's episode. Step number one Reflect on your why. So before you start, it's super important to really get clear in your why. Like, why do you want to make this transition? Is it because you're tired of feeling tied to the app? Do you want to have more freedom to enjoy meals without stressing over the numbers? Maybe you're realizing that food is taking up too much of your mental space and you're ready to kind of reclaim that energy. Whatever the reason is, write it down. Keep it somewhere where you can see it. Because as with any change that we make, there will be moments where it feels hard and really having a clear why will help you to stay grounded and to help you stay motivated. Step number two is to build awareness around your eating habits. So when you've been tracking macros, it's easy to rely on the numbers instead of paying attention to your body's cues. So the first step in intuitive eating is to really start to tune back into yourself. Like begin by asking yourself these questions kind of throughout the day. Like, am I eating because I'm truly hungry or is it out of habit or boredom or emotion? How do I feel before, during or after I eat this specific meal? Am I stopping when I'm satisfied or am I eating past fullness? This is not about judging yourself or feeling bad for your choices or decisions, but it's really just about gathering data to help, to learn, to recognize those patterns so that you can make adjustments over time. Step number three is really eyeball your portions. So one of the most helpful skills that you can practice during this transition is to learn to eyeball your portion sizes. I actually have a full episode on this that you can tune in to. It's how to use hand portion controls to reach your macro goals. I will link that in the show notes that you can easily go tune in to that, but essentially you don't need to measure everything to the gram any more. Like instead really let your experience guide you. So if you're out at a restaurant, think, okay, what portion size would I normally track? And then kind of do your best to replicate without stressing about perfection? Step number four is to focus on protein. So if there's one macro to really keep an eye on during this transition, it's protein. And why is that? Well, protein is crucial for muscle recovery. It's crucial for satiation. So feeling full that that feeling of fullness and just overall health. So really try to aim to include a solid source of protein at every single meal and that's it. Like just try to eat protein, try to prioritize at least a portion, if not a portion and a half of protein at each meal. Step number five is gradually wean off tracking so you don't have to stop tracking all at once. Like, in fact, I absolutely do not recommend you just going cold turkey because that in and of itself can feel super overwhelming. So for example, like maybe you decide that dinner will be your intuitive meal where you're really focusing on hunger and fullness cues instead of locking numbers. And over time you can increase the number of meals and snacks that you intuitively are eating until you're no longer relying on the app. Like this gradual approach can really give you time to build that confidence and trust in yourself. Step number six is to. Reconnect with your hunger cues and fullness. Q So here's kind of a tip. Think of hunger and fullness as a scale from 1 to 10. So one is like, I am so frickin hungry, I'm starving, and ten is like, I am very uncomfortably stuffed. The goal is to kind of start eating when you're around 3 or 4. It's like you're hungry, but you're not, like, ravenous, right? Like you're not like, my gosh, I'm so frickin hungry. And to really stop when you're around a 6 or 7, like you're satisfied, but you're not overly full. At first this might feel tricky, especially if you've been used to kind of eating according to a plan instead of your body's signals. But the more that you practice it, the more intuitive it will become. And kind of a pro tip is that you can pause halfway through your meal and really ask yourself, like, am I still hungry? How does my body feel? This is a simple check in to help you avoid eating on autopilot. And last but not least. Step number seven. Remember, no decision has to be permanent. I actually talked about this in Monday's episode, but just because you're eating intuitively this week doesn't mean that you have to do it next week. Like I always say that macro accounting is a tool in your toolbox and you can use it whenever you need it. It doesn't have to be this lifelong thing. And the same goes for intuitive eating. It absolutely can if you feel your best doing that. Same with macro accounting. It absolutely can be what you do for the rest of your life. I just want you to know that no decision has to be permanent. Like maybe you eat intuitively over the next month and then you go back to macro accounting for a few weeks and then you start intuitive eating again. Like it's again, there's no rules and you can intuitively decide which one is right for you at any given time. So there you have it. Those are kind of like your seven steps to transitioning from macro accounting to intuitive eating. Let me quickly recap what I talked about in today's episode. So step number one is really reflecting on your why. Step number two is building awareness around your eating habits. Step number three is eyeballing your portions. Step number four is focusing on protein. Step number five is gradually weaning off tracking. Step number six is reconnecting with your hunger and fullness cues. And last but not least, step number seven. Just remember that no decision has to be permanent. Again, remember that this isn't about giving up on your goals, are letting yourself go. It's really about finding a way to nourish your body that feels more sustainable and enjoyable in the long run. And if you're just kind of starting out this journey, I highly recommend tuning in to the episode that I mentioned earlier, but I will link it in the show notes. It's episode to 17 How to use hand portions to reach your macro goals. So again, I will link that in the show notes below. But I hope that this was helpful for you. I would love to hear kind of your moments. I would love to hear if you're enjoying this topic on my podcast, I would love to hear what other topics you want to talk about on this year. 2025 is going to be a big year. I'm so excited to continue to create content for you guys and hopefully just empower you, educate you or encourage you in some way, shape or form. But that is all that I have for today's bonus episode. I love you so dang much. I mean it and I'll talk to you in the next one. [00:08:30][478.6]
[00:08:42] All right, sister. That's all I 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 lot better. Yes, it's with 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. [00:09:13][30.8]
[00:09:13] With one last thought. [00:09:14][0.7]
Speaker 1: [00:09:15] 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 real because you're worth it. [00:09:15][0.0]