The Mindset Shift Between Calorie Counting and Macronutrients

Many people believe that counting calories and counting macros are the exact same thing. They get stuck at the counting part. It’s important to understand that the mindset between the two is wildly different. 

The Calorie Counting Mindset

When you count calories alone, you often think, ‘okay, if I can eat only this many calories, I will lose 10 pounds this month.’ Then people usually count every single little thing from spinach leaves, to fruit by the gram, and panic about eating more than slice of bread. Then night comes and they are starving, which means they can’t sleep, so they either binge or suffer a sleepless night which creates more cravings the next day. It becomes a toxic domino effect.

This is the mindset many diet fads use. Telling you that you’re eating too much, that you are bad for eating so much, or for serving yourself a bigger plate. This undermines the reality that your body needs food in order to be able to do anything. In fact it has a minimum that you should not eat less than, called the basal metabolic rate, or you could cause yourself serious harm.

The Macronutrient Mindset

When you count macronutrients it changes your focus to nourishing your body. You start to feel the difference when you eat at least 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight. You feel full when you add hummus and olive oil to your carrots or peanut butter to your afternoon apple. You realize you have energy if you eat a slice of whole wheat bread with a boiled egg before working out. 

The guilt washes away because you know there is a purpose for every thing you put in your mouth. You see the purpose of protein, to protect against muscle loss. Carbs give you energy to keep you going and not feel sluggish. Fats help you feel full and level your hormones and energy levels.

The focus becomes; I need to eat at least this much to have the strength to succeed in my day. You can say it like this, “I need to eat at least 4-6 ounces of protein with lunch and dinner.” or, “I need at least a cup of non-starch veggies with my meals.” Of course, potatoes and dressings and so many other things still deserve a place on your plate, and that’s the point of this. When you fill your plate with what you need, and then with the things you want, everything comes into balance.

I can’t count how many times a client has said, “Wow, that is a lot of food! I don’t know how I’m going to eat it all.” Then as the months pass by, they notice they have so much energy, they are reaching their goals, and their cravings feel fulfilled rather than ignored.

When you hit those macro goals, you naturally fall into your calorie target while feeling amazing, and it becomes so much easier to reach your goals.

Then as you progress through your goals, the next amazing thing happens. You become in tune with which foods truly satisfy your needs, and which ones leave you craving and hungry. Your tastebuds begin craving the things that help you feel your best. So, you start making little food swaps to help you feel stronger and more energetic. When you do those things to care for yourself then you are making life long changes that contribute to your overall health.

Food is Fuel

This is the mindset shift I encourage in my clients. Food is fuel. It is a tool to help you feel your best, not something to be feared and thought of in terms of ‘bad or good.’ Instead, it should be thought in the focus of which foods are fueling you to reach your goals.