When it comes to losing weight, we all want quick results. Results prove that all the hard work and energy you’re pouring into your health is worth it, right? Initially when you start macro tracking, you’ll see faster results, but there comes a point in your journey when the weight loss slows and you’re tempted to throw in the towel and call it another lost cause. Before you do that, I want you to evaluate these 5 areas of healthy weight loss.

When you first start your macro tracking journey, the main focus is on learning about macros and how to hit your numbers, but when you’re a few weeks in it’s good to expand your knowledge and efforts into these five areas of healthy weight loss to continue seeing results.

Move from 80/20 macros to 90/10

There is some wiggle room in macro numbers, so you can be above or below your exact numbers and still see results. However, if you’re not seeing the results you want, then you need to start reigning things in.

There’s a difference between hitting your macros 80 percent of the time, and missing the mark 20 percent of the time and hitting them 90 percent of the time. That difference could be what gets you to your goals faster.

To start reigning in your macros, you need to look at your daily and weekly choices and evaluate if you’re in the 80/20 zone or the 90/10 zone.

If you’re in the 80/20 zone, where you’re only hitting one of your macro goals a day, or you’re eating out multiple times a week, then you have room to improve. I tell my Macros Made Easy mamas, that the 90/10 zone looks more like eating out once a week and hitting at least 2 of your macros each day

Getting more ninja on your macro numbers will help you see the weight loss results you’re looking for.

Food quality

The second area I have my clients look at is their food quality. Before I was a macro tracker, I did the Paleo diet for a few years. While I never lost weight doing Paleo, I did learn an important lesson about eating more whole foods.

Whole foods are going to be better for your body than processed foods are. It’s just a fact. I’m not saying you can’t have processed foods; but if you’re trying to dial in your nutrition, you should make whole foods a priority.

For example, a lot of people use protein drinks to hit their protein goals. This is a great way to increase your protein, especially if you’re not used to eating protein regularly. However, if you’re having two or more shakes a day, then you’re not getting the real benefits of protein!

Protein in processed foods, like shakes and bars, is already broken down so it can be more easily absorbed. But because it’s already broken down, your body misses out on that step and it uses less energy to process the protein.

Whereas if you eat real animal or plant based protein, your body has to work harder, burn more energy, to break down and process the protein, Which will help you feel fuller longer.

Try to base your meals around whole proteins, whole grains, and veggies before you give up on macro tracking.

Moving your body

Diet is definitely the place to start in terms of creating a healthier life - you can’t outrun a bad diet, but that doesn’t mean that exercise isn’t vital for healthy living and weight loss.

If you’re not exercising, start walking! Walking is insanely good for our health and weight loss. Even just 10 minutes a day will make a huge difference. In fact, if you do exercise regularly you can still add an extra 10 minutes of walking to your day and you’ll see results!

If you are working out already, evaluate what kind of exercise you’re doing. Cardio is great for weight loss, but so is resistance training! You can burn calories for hours after you’ve finished a resistance training workout, whereas with cardio, once your heart rate comes back down, you stop burning calories.

Keep in mind, that if you choose to do resistance training, you might put on muscle weight. If the scale goes up after you’ve started weight training, then look at your body fat and body muscle percentages to see if you’re gaining muscle. The plus side to this is that muscle burns more than fat, so you could gain weight, but still be losing fat!

Mindsest

Mama, if you’re ignoring your mindset work, then I can tell you without a doubt, that, that is the reason why you aren’t losing weight.

You might think that your mind doesn’t influence your weight, but that’s just not true. Your mind keeps track of everything and then tells your body how to respond. If you’re telling it, “this isn’t going to work,” then your mind is going to tell your body, “we will not let this work.”

I know it’s woo-woo, but it’s true! There are so many scientific studies that have proven that our minds are the most powerful tool we have.

You must make managing your mind a priority in your weight loss journey. There are a million different ways to do this, but I’ve found journaling to be the most effective.

And I don’t mean you need to write a full account of your day, but you should write down: what you’re grateful for, the things that inspired you, your thoughts and feelings and why you felt the way you did.

When you write down what is holding you back, you can actually view it from an objective, analytical view instead of an emotional one. It creates some distance between the thoughts stuck in your head and circumstances that actually happened.

As you release the thoughts, feelings and emotions that are keeping you stuck, you’ll find that the weight starts to come off again.

Outliers

There are a lot of areas that contribute to healthy weight loss and healthy living overall. These three are important to pay attention to if you’re stuck in your weight loss.

Water

Water is the base of life, make sure you’re drinking enough! The old adage of 8 cups of water a day is a good start, but this formula will help you get enough water for YOU.

Body weight divided by 2 = ounces of water (ie: 150 lbs / 2 = 75 ounces of water)

You should add more water for

Every 30 mins of exercise you do
Every serving of caffeine you drink
Time spent in the sun

And yes, you’re going to pee more if you drink more, but it is worth it to not only lose weight, but improve your overall health!

Sleep

Mama, I know that sleep is the first thing you sacrifice when life is hectic. I do too! But we need to prioritize our sleep. So many important processes happen while we’re sleeping!

One of the most important for weight loss is hormone balancing. When we sleep, the hormones that trigger our hunger and full cues are balanced. If we don’t get enough sleep we will feel hungrier throughout the day, which usually leads to excess snacking and eating, which results in weight gain.

Aim for seven to nine hours to allow your body to perform all the necessary tasks that will contribute to your weight loss.

Fiber

Finally, fiber is an important area to track. Fiber helps keep you regular, controls blood sugar levels, lowers cholesterol levels, lowers risk of heart disease, balances hormones and aids in weight loss. Needless to say, it’s important to healthy weight loss.

Women generally need between 20-30g of fiber a day. Fiber is found in carbs! Most fiber comes from dark, leafy greens, fruit and whole grains. This is why your food quality plays an important role in your weight loss! Choosing whole foods more than processed ones will help you hit your fiber goals easier!

Mama, don’t give up on yourself just because your progress slows down. Macro tracking isn’t a quick fix, it’s a long-term solution to healthy living. If you’re feeling lost and frustrated with your weight loss and macro tracking, then it’s time to work together! In my Macros Made Easy program I can look at your nutritional and health habits and help you figure out what’s holding up your progress and how you can kickstart it again. Book a free discovery call to get started today!

Evaluate these 5 areas of healthy weight loss before you give up on macro tracking