8 Reasons Why Macro Counting Isn’t a Fad Diet
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Is Macro Counting a Fad Diet?
In this episode of Embrace Your Real podcast, I address this question and give you eight reasons why Macro Counting is not a fad diet.
What I discuss:
Macro Counting avoids restriction and deprivation.
Macro counting educates you on nutrition.
Macro counting emphasizes balance.
Macro counting encourages consistency….not perfection.
Macro counting encourages individuals to focus on making healthier food choices overall. Healthier for both our body AND our mind
Macro counting gives you an individualized approach to nutrition where fad diets gives you a one size fits all approach.
Macro counting is based on science. You can’t argue science.
Macro counting focuses on flexibility.
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Transcript:
Speaker 1: [00:00:00] Hey there, 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 issue 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 hugs, girl. [00:00:21][21.1]
Unidentified: [00:00:26] Hello and welcome back to. [00:00:28][1.6]
Speaker 1: [00:00:28] Another episode eight Reasons Why Macro Counting is Not a Fad diet. You might be hearing as these words meaning like, Yes, it is. Usually it is a fad diet and I want to make my case. I personally do not think back or counting is a fad diet. I have personally been able to not only kind of mend my relationship with food, I really educated myself about food. I feel empowered around food, but it's also helped me to maintain my body for the last going on 11 years. And I think that macro canning gets a bad rap oftentimes because people just don't really know what it is. It's kind of grouped into all of their diets. And so in today's episode, I want to give you eight reasons why I believe macro accounting is not a fad diet. And so that's what we're going to be talking about in today's episode. I am always open to discussion. I just want you to hear me out so that you can kind of see where I'm coming from. Now, with that being said, do I think, you know, everyone has to follow macro accounting in order to see results? Absolutely not. I don't believe that. But I do believe that macro accounting can be a tool for many, many women to feel empowered and educated around food. And so I'm going to be kind of making my case, and this is from my perspective, from my personal experience. But before we dive in, I wanted to share this reveal comes from Kirsten C She gave a five star review and said, Julie is incredibly inspiring. I have been following Julianne social media for a while now and I was also once subscribed to her workout app. I highly recommend it. I've also recently started listening to her podcast and I love it. Cleanly edited, consistent volume and valuable content. She is inspiring and uplifting and gives a fresh perspective on mental and physical health. Keep up the good work. Julie. I'm a big fan. Well, I am so grateful that you are tuning in to the podcast. Thank you for highly recommending them. Julie App I'm so grateful that you found value with that and I just am grateful for every single one of your guys's review. So if you haven't already read it and read the podcast, what in the heck are you doing? If you could scooch over to Apple Podcasts or Spotify, that would really mean the world to me. Just leave reading and review. Let me know how the podcast is helping you. If there's been a specific episode that has helped you. I would love, love, love to hear about it. All right. We're diving into the controversial topic of why I personally do not believe that micro accounting is a fad diet. And I'm going to give you eight reasons why. Number one, macro accounting avoids restriction and deprivation. Fad diets all require cutting out food groups, cutting out your favorite food groups, eating as little amount of calories as possible, which leaves you feeling restricted. And this sense of deprivation. And to me, that's literally the definition of a fad diet like restriction and deprivation, whereas macro accounting allows you to enjoy a variety of foods, literally any food that you want, and it encourages a balanced approach to eating rather than restricting certain food groups, you know, and creating feelings of deprivation around food. Macro accounting also encourages you to eat enough food and really encourage you to eat, you know, the proper amounts of macronutrients in the proper balance. And I think that that's important. Number to macro accounting educates you on nutrition. Macro accounting requires tracking, monitoring food intake, which can actually increase knowledge and understanding of nutrition and how different foods impact the body. And I believe that this education can really lead to a better understanding and a better decision when it comes to food choices. First of all, it increases your awareness of food composition, which essentially just means like becoming more aware of the macronutrient content of the foods that you're consuming before you might have not had any idea of what your foods are actually made of. But once you're really being mindful of that and you're counting your macros, I believe that it can actually increase your knowledge of the nutrient content of different foods that you regularly eat and their roles of the macronutrients and how they play in your body. Like what are the functions of each macronutrient in relation to this food and the composition of this food, and then the role that they play in building the body that you want and kind of the overall role of like energizing your body so that you can live your life to the fullest. Macro accounting also educates you on portion control. So many of us really have no idea of like how much food our body needs. Like we don't really know what 28 or 30 grams of oatmeal actually looks like or we don't know what 100 grams or four ounces of chicken actually looks like or we don't know what you know, a serving of peanut butter actually looks like. But the more that we learn about what our body actually needs, the more we either recognize, Oh, dang, it's actually more than we. Or it's less than we originally thought. And most importantly, we learn to make informed food choices like we are choosing to eat certain foods so we can nourish our body and keep it energized. And we are informed on what our body actually needs. And therefore we're able to give our body what it actually needs. I believe that that's critical when it comes to macro counting and just being educated in general, because I think when you're following a fad diet, it there's so much shame put on food and it's like, how can we, you know, cut out this entire food group because we've got goals and like hashtag discipline, Like, I'm never going to have this food. And it's not educating us. It's especially if you were just following like a meal plan and that someone put together for you or that you found on like Pinterest or whatever social media platform, or you're just literally following what I eat in a day video from another influencer. You're not educating yourself on how much your body needs and then the food choices that you're having in relation to that. And lastly, macro counting actually educates you on food labels, which I personally think is a win. I think that the more we become familiar with them, the more we can understand. Like the macronutrient content's on different food. It can help us make more informed choices, and it can also familiarize ourself with foods that we are just educating ourselves about food, thus feeling more empowered around food instead of feeling timid and confused, which leads to feeling disempowered around food. Number three Macro accounting emphasizes balance. It really does emphasize the importance of finding the right balance of macronutrients for your individual needs rather than solely restricting calories or cutting out entire food groups. And you know what this does? This creates a sustainable long term approach to nutrition, right? Each day you're focusing on hitting, you know, a certain amount of protein or carbs or fats. This can hold you accountable for really keeping a balanced diet. I know how easy it is, you know, to just say, well, I'm just going to go on a low carb diet or I'm just going to go on a low fat diet thinking that, you know, if you slipped one day, then you can make up for it the next. Well, macro accounting really helps you break these beliefs that less calories is better and less carbs is better and that you need to make up for the damage that you did. It really teaches you this sweet spot of balance. And when you consistently focus on balance, you will actually see the results that you're looking for. And again, this goes back to I hear this all the time. People say, I never realized that I was under eating as much as I was prior to macro accounting. And this is why so many people, when we give them their macros or when they figure out their macros, whether it's, you know, through my free e-book or it's through I, you know, doing a deep dive and really taking all of your questions from your long questionnaire form and then creating a plan for you in terms of your customized macronutrients. People say, Oh my gosh, I could never eat this much food. And then I just I challenge him and I say, You can. You absolutely can. I know it's intimidating. I know you've learned this ridiculous saying of like less is where it's at when it comes to reaching out to fitness schools. But that's just not the case. And and then when people start to do it, you know, there are a week or two weeks in, then they come back to me and I'm like, oh, my gosh, I will never go back. I have so much energy. I'm actually like seeing more results than I was before, which is kind of counterintuitive to what I always thought. And it's the most beautiful thing that people are starting to slowly figure that out as they practice it. Number four, macro accounting encourages consistency. Right? Fad diets are impossible to be consistent with, whereas macro accounting makes it super simple to be consistent. It's also promoting lifelong habits, not short term changes. Let me say that again. It's also promoting lifelong habits, not short term changes. It encourages consistent daily habits of tracking and monitoring food intake rather than relying on extreme diet restrictions. And I personally, again, the more that we are around it, the more that we educate ourselves around food and food labels and how much food our body needs to, you know, in relation to where we're at and what our goals are, as well as like just being keenly aware of like how certain foods feel in your body and, and the amount of foods feel in your body. I just genuinely believe that it promotes a healthier relationship with food and it can actually help you to maintain your nutrition goals long term. Which leads me to my next point. Number five macro counting supports healthy habits, right? Macro counting encourages individuals to focus on making healthier food choices overall healthier for both our body and our mind. It forces you to nourish your body with what it needs daily, which pushes you to give your body, you know, the calories, the fat, the. Protein, carbs that your body needs daily. It's not pushing you to deprive yourself or fight off cravings or restrict yourself. It's getting you into the habit of nourishing yourself and not depriving yourself. But it's also getting you into overall healthier habits with your mind and your body. Right? Also, you have to remember that you aren't aiming for perfection. You are showing yourself on a daily basis that you can have all foods in moderation. You can have the ice cream, You can have chips. You can have French fries. I mean, if you're eating it every single day, are you really going to feel your best self? Probably not. But you can have all of these things in moderation so long as you are properly nourishing your body with the proper protein carbs, in fact, that you need daily like. I just personally believe that fad diets encourage unhealthy habits, whereas macro counting encourages healthy habits. Marker counting shows you like You will feel your absolute best when you know 70 to 80% of your day is filled with whole nutrient dense foods with allowing yourself the additional 20 to 30% of the remainder, like coming from sweets and treats that just are fun foods and they are good for your mind and and good to just, you know, eat because you love them and you're showing yourself that you can absolutely still reach your goals while eating your absolute favorite foods in moderation. Number six macro scanning gives you an individualized approach to nutrition. This is so important because fad diets are one size fits all. Do X, do Y, do Z. No matter who you are, how active you are, how old you are, what your gender is, what your goals are, it doesn't matter. You do X, Y, and Z and you get the outcome. Whereas macro counting really takes your individual factors into account. It looks at your age, it looks at your gender, your goals, your activity level, and it really is a personalized approach to nutrition. Right? My macros are going to be absolutely 100% completely different than your macros, and your macros are going to be completely different than her macros. It really takes into consideration also that you aren't always living in weightless mode, nor should you live in weight loss mode like it allows you to adapt your body to your body needs, like to your body's needs. Right? Like are you working towards building muscle? Awesome. Let's get you on a caloric surplus plan. Are you working towards losing body fat? Amazing. Let's get you on a body fat loss plan. Are you just wanting to maintain? Awesome. Let's get you eating at maintenance. Are you wanting to learn how to increase your caloric, your metabolic capacity? Amazing. Let's get you on a reverse diet like it is not a one size fits all because this is a completely individualized approach, which is also vastly different from what fad diets are. Number seven macro counting is based on science. The science behind macro counting is rooted in the principles of biochemistry, energy, balance and metabolism. First of all, energy balance refers to the balance between energy intake, the calories you eat and the energy and expenditure, the calories that you burn, including the calories burned outside of your workouts. To put it as simply as possible, when energy intake and expenditure are equal, body weight is maintained. When energy intake exceeds expenditure, weight is gained, and when energy expenditure exceeds intake, weight is lost. Plus the biochemistry of macronutrients is very, very important as they all play very vastly different roles in maintaining overall health and helping you build the body that you want. Carbohydrates, for example, they are the body's primary source of energy and are metabolized into glucose, which is then used by the brain and muscles for energy. The type and amount of carbohydrates consumed can affect blood sugar levels, insulin sensitivity and overall energy levels. Hence why it's important and why I always promote that the consumption of the proper amount of carbs for you daily is important. Proteins, on the other hand, are the building blocks for muscle tissue hormones, enzymes and other tissues. The amount of protein consumed can affect muscle growth, repair, hormone production and overall health and fats. They play a crucial role in the hormone production, the cellular function and energy storage. The amount of fat consumed can affect heart health, inflammation levels and body composition. So plain and simple, macro accounting is just essentially science. It's based in science. It is science, plain and simple. And lastly, number eight, macro accounting focuses on flexibility. Macro accounting allows for flexibility in meal choices as long as your macro rate. She ratios excuse me are met. This means it is more sustainable and more enjoyable than fad diets. Just simply put it like fad diets will greatly limit your food choices and flexibility is honestly my favorite difference between fad diets and macro counting. There is no more food shaming. There is no more good foods. There's no more bad foods. There's no more off limit foods. Everything is within limits. There is no more feeling like you need to be perfect. And if you aren't perfect, then you failed. There is no more eating boring meals that actually don't satisfy you. There's no more feeling guilt. There's only food, Enjoyment and macro counting encourages a healthy relationship with food, while fad diets encourage, in my opinion, a very unhealthy relationship with food. So all in all, I come to the consensus that macro accounting is not a fad diet. And those are the eight reasons. Let me recap why. Number one. Macro counting avoids restriction and deprivation. Number two. Macro accounting educates you on nutrition. Number three, macro accounting emphasizes balance. Number four, macro accounting encourages consistency, not perfection. Number five, macro accounting encourages individuals to focus on making healthier food choices overall healthier for both our body and our mind. Number six, macro accounting gives you an individualized approach to nutrition, whereas fad diets give you a one size fits all. Number seven macro accounting is based on science, and you genuinely cannot argue science. And lastly, number eight, macro accounting focuses on flexibility. So there you have it. That is me presenting the case as to why I believe macro accounting is not a fad diet. Now, let me ask you, once you heard all of those things, which one are you going to choose? Are you going to go back to the fad diets, the toxic cycles of overindulging and under indulging and then feeling guilty and then depriving yourself, And then it leads to more frustration, which leads to overindulging, which leads to guilt. You know, the cycle goes on and on. Or are you going to rip the Band-Aid off and say, it is time? No longer am I going to sit in the dark about food, No longer am I just going to blindly follow this meal plan or buying blindly follow this what I eat in a day and then get frustrated as to why I'm not seeing results. I'm going to finally educate myself as to how much my body needs and learn and utilize the to macro accounting if you want to learn more. I do have an academy. It's called the Macro Economy Temple Online Academy, and you can learn more by either going to macro economy simple dot com or clicking the link in the shownotes. But I believe overall that this will help you 100% learn how to properly fuel your body. And this is a lifelong tool that you will use and you will utilize and you'll go in and out of different phases in macro accounting and you'll feel empowered around food and you'll likely heal your relationship with both food and your body because you are focused on education and empowering yourself around food and also just putting it into practice. And lastly, you will finally start seeing results for all the hard work that you're putting in at the gym, because I know that frustration, that hamster wheel of you saying, Well, I am doing everything possible, I'm doing the workouts, I'm drinking my water. And then when I say like, what are you doing for your nutrition? You say, Well, I'm just trying to eat clean, I'm just trying to eat better. And it's like, man, you know that you are putting so much work in and all other aspects of your life, but if you really fine tune and you learn how to properly feel your body, your results will soar 100%. You just you will. You'll see results. You'll see energy levels soar. You'll see confidence levels soar. You'll see results soar in both your physical and your mindset. It is a win win. So I want that for you this year. I hope you want that for you this year. If you have a friend, a coworker, someone in your life that you feel like would really benefit from this specific episode or this podcast in general, I just ask that you share it out with them. You can copy the link, send it to them in a text message. You can also screenshot this posted up on your story. I love connecting with you guys and love hearing from you guys. That is all that I have for today's episode. I love you so much. I mean it and I'll talk to you in the next ten. 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 an eye in the middle for that daily poser about 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 Syria because you're worth it. [00:00:28][0.0]
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