The Life-Changing Lessons I've Learned Counting Macros at 50

12/8/20239 min read

My Journey started at 50

I'm a 52-year-old woman who, until a couple of years ago, believed that restricting my daily intake to 1,200 calories would lead to a toned and skinny physique.

Despite years of attempting to keep my food intake below 1,200 calories, I failed to achieve the desired results. I found myself consistently tired, without the the energy to do a workout. Going to the gym became more of a daunting task than an enjoyable experience. Do you relate?

My struggle with diets continued, and my relationship with food remained unhealthy. I alternated between extreme calorie restriction one week and indulgent binge eating the next two weeks, caught in a never-ending toxic cycle. It felt like a constant pendulum swinging between extremes, leaving me feeling guilty and in a constant state of self-punishment. I was totally lost

I'm immensely grateful to my friend for introducing me to the concept of counting macros!

Counting macros, also known as flexible dieting, involves tracking the intake of macronutrients (carbohydrates, proteins, and fats) to achieve specific health and fitness goals. In my case I wanted to lose fat and gain muscle. Not much hey!

It sounded too good to be true. I’d never lost weight successfully without being incredibly restrictive, so how were these strong women out here losing weight while still enjoying occasional indulgences? It didn’t make sense, but I was intrigued enough to give it a try. I committed to letting it take as long as necessary because I was desperate to lose weight and not gain it all back again like I had so many times in the past.

I was already counting calories so I was familiar with the concept of logging my food and portion sizes but that was just a tiny part of the whole concept.

What you will need

There are a few tools that you will need before you start:

My Tips For Getting Started

Create a Baseline

If you don’t know where you are, it’s a whole lot harder to get to where you want to be. That’s just as true with tracking your food intake as it is with getting directions to drive somewhere. For that reason, I always suggest that the first thing anyone should do before tracking calories or macros is to track your food as accurately as possible for at least 3 or 4 days to create a baseline for where you’re at.

I won’t lie to you: this very well may be the hardest part. Once you can see how much you’re eating, especially if you’re overeating, it can be tempting to change your habits or skip tracking something because it makes you feel guilty. Not only will honest tracking get you in the habit of being accountable to yourself, but it also goes a long way to help you make sustainable adjustments.

Baby Steps

Once you know where you’re starting, make small adjustments. Of course, bigger changes will lead to quicker results, but hear me out. If you suddenly cut 600 calories out of your diet, or you drop from having 60% of your food intake as carbs down to 25%, trust me when I say that your body will notice. You’ll have hella cravings a few days in, and you’ll probably give in to them. If you’re anything like me, this will dishearten you and further your belief that you are incapable of losing weight without taking drastic measures or following a rigorous diet.

So give it time. Make small adjustments to your intake – maybe a 100-200 calorie deficit to start. Assess your progress weekly and make additional small changes as needed. Don’t let the suggestions that online calculators or apps throw out make you feel like you need to eat 1200 calories if you want to make any progress — that is insanely restrictive and will make you miserable long-term.

Use a Food Scale

I’ll keep this one short and sweet: serving sizes can be ridiculously misleading. 10 chips rarely weigh 28g. 1 cup of almonds can weigh a lot more than 225g. The nutrition information on the label is always based on the weight of the food you’re eating. Using a food scale takes the guessing out of portion sizes and, as a bonus, makes it so you have a lot less measuring spoons and cups to clean out.

Plan Ahead

Set aside some time every evening to plan out what you’re going to eat the next day. Take stock of what you have in your fridge, and play a little game of tetris with your tracking app to fit in what you’re planning to eat the following day. You can always make adjustments if something you’ve planned for doesn’t sound particularly appealing the next day, but going into each day with a plan will make success feel much more attainable.

Keep Protein Consistent

Of all of the macronutrients, protein is the most important to be consistent with if you’re looking to lose fat and gain muscle. Use an online calculator to help determine what your protein intake target should be based on multiple factors specific to you! If you need to increase or decrease your total calories, make those adjustments by playing with your carbs and fats.

Some of my favourite proteins listed below :

Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard Whey Protein, Double Rich Chocolate

Bulk Essential Whey Protein Powder Shake, Vanilla, 1kg

Impact Whey Isolate Protein Powder, Natural Chocolate

Use a Range, Not a Number

I’m a Type A person. I like everything to be planned and tidy and perfect. For that reason, one of the silliest things I did while tracking my macros was stressing over the number of carbs in cinnamon. CINNAMON. Because what if an extra teaspoon of cinnamon pushed my daily carb goal over its limit by a few grams? What a disaster that would be! I measured every single thing I put in my mouth, to the exact gram, for months and months. It was obsessive and, quite frankly, very detrimental to my mental health.

Now, if I’m tracking my food for a few days, I’ll use a range instead of a set number for my calorie and macronutrient goals. For instance, instead of saying I’m going to eat 1800 calories, I’ll set a range between 1775-1825 as my goal. Instead of aiming for 150g carbs, I’ll say 145-155. Be flexible with yourself. Nobody is perfect, and trying to force yourself to achieve perfection will just lead to mental exhaustion.

Supplement the Scale

I recommend weighing every day to see how you’re progressing, but weighing is just one parameter. The scale can be impacted by SO many variables on any given day, which can really start to mess with your head. Maybe you had an intense workout yesterday and your muscles are retaining some water. Maybe something you ate yesterday made you bloaty. Maybe you’re constipated and haven’t had a good poop in a day or two. Maybe you didn’t drink enough water yesterday so your body is dehydrated. All of these factors have nothing to do with your calorie or macro intakes, but can and will cause your weight to fluctuate.

To avoid confusion and frustration from these natural fluctuations, I highly recommend using a tape measure to record a measurement of the smallest part of your waist (in cm) as well as a progress photo in the same place in your home every time you weigh in. That way, even if you’re seeing a plateau or fluctuation on the scale, you have multiple other ways to see that you are still making progress!

Figure Out What Makes You Feel Good

Keep a journal of how you’re feeling, even if it’s just jotting down a few quick lines at the end of the day. The questions I always ask myself include:

  • How were my energy levels today? Did I feel like I needed a nap at any point in the day? If I worked out, how was my strength and stamina?

  • Did I feel hangry today? If so, what time did that strike?

  • Did I poop today? How many times? Was it a healthy poop?

  • How much water did I drink today?

  • How well did I sleep last night?

  • What small victories do I have to celebrate today?

These questions are usually enough for me to notice patterns. As I evaluate any necessary adjustments for the coming week, I can look back at this journal combined with my tracking app to figure out what adjustments I can make to my diet to improve my quality of life the following week. For example, if my energy was consistently low, I know I need to give my body a 10g boost in carbs the following week. If I haven’t had a regular poop schedule, I’ll try to adjust my diet to include 5g more fiber each day in the coming week. This isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach! It takes a lot of experimentation to figure out a good balance for you, and the more documentation you have the easier it will be to find that balance.

Make it a Lifestyle You Can Live With

Looking back, the top thing I wish someone had told me was that the end goal with macro tracking should be to determine the right balance of nutrients for my body to thrive off of without having to continue tracking forever.

Go into this with a mindset of it being a lifestyle, not a diet. Even once you’re in maintenance and no longer tracking everything you eat, going full YOLO and eating a bunch of junk food every day will undo your progress. You’ll need to be mindful of how well-balanced the meals you’re eating are for the rest of your life, so don’t track in an overly-restrictive way just to get to your goal faster and expect to be able to maintain that approach forever. Sustainability > Speed.

No amount of exercise will help you against an unhealthy diet. Remember how you feel once you hit your goal weight. Returning to that feeling of pride and happiness will empower you to continue to make healthy decisions going forward. This makes maintenance easier, and helps you keep a level head when it comes to the occasional overindulgent meal or streak of exercise-free days (and those can be important, too!). We want to focus on lasting change and better health for years to come.

Consistency over Perfection

Here's the thing: That all-or-nothing mentality isn't going to do you any good. Have some grace with the idea that from time to time, things aren't going to go as planned. There will be slip-ups. Rather than get angry and throw your hands up in the air, be proud of yourself for prioritizing your own wellness in the first place. Every single second, you have an opportunity to start with a clean slate.

I thoroughly recommend this book! Atomic Habits by James Clear 

Invest in Your Own Personal Wellness

When I started I worked out in cheap T-shirts and cotton leggings. Over time, I began to realize that if I wanted to perform better and feel more comfortable, I needed to invest a little bit more in my workout wardrobe. The good news: There are tons of great options out there that have technical gear at lower price points. I started to accrue a collection of gear that lasted the washing machine test, and also made me feel more confident when the workout began.

CRZ YOGA - this leggings are soft and luxurious. I have Lululemon leggings and they are almost identical.

This Earphones work really well and they are under £25 !

I also swear by my Apple Watch. If you have the budget I highly recommend considering it.

Water Really Is Your BFF

I've never been "good" at drinking water. I don't particularly love the taste of it (which sounds weird, perhaps) and making sure to get enough felt like a total struggle.

When I made getting healthier a priority, I started downing at least six glasses each day. With that, I started to notice a real difference. I felt better, my skin looked better, and I performed well when it came to my regular workouts, staving off that ever-annoying headache that likely was a result of previous dehydration.

This is a great water bottle! Sports Water Bottle 1L Leakproof

The Mental Transformation Is Just as Important as the Physical

Honestly, I'm still working on my inner dialogue and being kinder to myself. When a big transformation happens on the outside, it's important to take the time to really think about who it is that you are, what's important to you and who you want to be going forward. As a self-proclaimed forever work in progress, I find that regular journaling and making time to reflect on my feelings helps me stay grounded. I'll never forget about the teenage girl who had trouble finding jeans that fit standing in her local mall. But I know, now, that she's not who I am anymore.

Conclusion

Through counting macros, I've gained a deeper understanding of my body's needs and how to fuel it optimally. It has empowered me to make informed choices, enjoy a wide variety of foods, and achieve my health and fitness goals. It has taught me valuable lessons about nutrition, portion control, and building a healthy relationship with food.

If you're considering counting macros, I encourage you to embrace the journey with an open mind. It may just change your life, as it has changed mine.

I would love to hear from you if you have any questions.

Stay tuned for more upcoming blog posts!

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