Macro Tracking 101 for Beginners

00:00Real quick, the only ask I could ever have of you guys is to help spread the word so we can help more women lose body fat, build muscle, reach their goals, and feel insanely confident. And the only way we can do that is if you rate, review, and share this podcast. So the single thing I ask for you to do is if you could leave a review. It will take you 10 seconds, and it will mean the absolute world to me and may change the world of someone else. The first macronutrient, and this is what I would do for everyone, is just like, hey, we gotta get you eating more protein.

00:32And you're like, well, how do I get more protein? And what do I eat? What foods consist of it? And like, that was me at the beginning of my journey, you guys. I remember I had no idea what foods consisted of protein. I had no idea that chicken was considered protein. I had no idea that beef was considered protein. You know, trying to fit protein in doesn't mean that like you go grab the bars that have 10 grams of protein in it, but like 40 grams of carbs. Like, it's like really paying attention to the foods that are made up of lean sources of protein. It's now we're about to open up your world to understanding how you get more protein in.

01:07What is going on, you guys? Welcome back to The WarriorBabe Show with Nikki Stott, or if this is one of your first episodes. Welcome to the show. I am super stoked that you guys are here. On this podcast, we talk about mindset, methodologies, and tactics that will help you lose body fat, build muscle, be strong, and feel insanely confident. I am your host, Nikki Stott, and welcome to today's episode, episode 146,

01:40where I'm going to dive into a question that I get asked all of the time. And recently, I've been a guest on others' podcasts, and this question always comes up. And I'm like, you know what? This is a great idea to take as a topic of discussion and bring it to The WarriorBabe Show. And I'm sure that I've talked about the answer to this question in many, many, many episodes, but I don't think that I've actually highlighted it. And I'm like, how have I not highlighted this answer as a topic of conversation on the podcast yet?

02:15And it blew my mind. I was like, okay, where was I? I was on a podcast yesterday, and I got asked a question. I was laying on the couch, relaxing last night, and I'm like, huh. That's a great question to bring to the podcast. So here we are today, diving in to this answer that I just want to bring, you know, in to light for you all that are listening. So anyway, the question I get all the time,

02:45and like even on every single podcast so far that I've been on as a guest, is what do you do with clients? Or if you're like, you're a client, you're like, I have no idea what macronutrients are. I've never tracked a macronutrient in my life before. Where do I start? And when I'm on podcasts, the hosts are always asking me, like, Nikki, how do you start your clients off with like learning how to track macronutrients? If they've never tracked a macronutrient in their life, they have no idea what they are. I was like, this is such a good question.

03:18And because the answer I'm going to give you is going to be so elaborate because it's really a journey that we, I, the Warrior Big Coaches, take our clients on to get to the North Star. Of tracking the three macronutrients or tracking macronutrients in general. And so many think like that at least, or maybe I have this assumption, that many think like people come into the Warrior Big ecosystem and they're tracking macros out of the gate. And I'm like, that is not what happens.

03:50And I also been asked like in person when I'm at like the dog park of Maverick, if you guys don't know who Maverick is, he's my three-year-old Doberman. And we go to the dog park very frequently. And people always ask, what do you do? And I talk about Warrior Babe. And they're like, wow, I have no idea what macronutrients are. And I'm like, cool, let's chat it up. Let's talk about it. They're like, well, how do I even like track them? And so I'm like, well, first, like you don't even need to worry about the three of them. Like literally what I just said is like the tracking of the three macronutrients

04:22or tracking macronutrients in general is your North Star. Think of it like that. It's like, where are you going? Well, you're getting to the concept of fully understanding what macronutrients are. And that tactically, you tracking the three of them or tracking them consistently or playing around with them and totally understanding them is your North Star. Coming in to Warrior Babe at the start where you've, or like I'm talking to you in person, you're like, I've never tracked macronutrients in my life.

04:52I have no idea what to do. Where do I even start? This is what we do. This is like literally foolproof. Like it's also like the best freaking way that I would guide anybody and our coaches would guide anybody along their journey. So, okay, first of all, let's say you're coming into Warrior Babe. You never track macros. You don't know what macros are. Cool. Well, all that I and our coaches want to be able to see for the first week is how are you eating? What are you eating?

05:22And I really, and we really encourage all of the clients coming into the program to not try and like eat differently because it's not realistic. And like people come into the program like, I want to switch my habits immediately. And I got this coach and she's watching and like, I got to eat clean. And we're just like, dude, I just want to see how you eat. And it paints such a, it paints such a profound picture or like a very, very, very accurate understanding

05:55of the human that we're working with. Because first of all, everyone's different. But secondly, after a week of tracking how you normally would be eating, how you've normally been eating, you know, prior to starting any type of program, like maybe it's fast food or maybe it's like you're eating on the go and you're stopping at Wawa or you're stopping at a convenience store and you're grabbing a protein bar or you don't eat and like you hoard all your food for dinner or, you know, you eat first thing in the morning, but then you don't eat the rest of the day. Like everybody is so uniquely different. But after a week's worth of formulating that data,

06:26we're able to see what we're working with. And typically, 90% of the time, humans are overconsuming on carbs and fats and entirely under eating on protein. And so the first macronutrient, and this is what I would do for everyone, is just like, hey, we got to get you eating more protein. And they're like, well, how do I get more protein? And what do I eat?

06:57What foods consist of it? And like, just a little like pin here, like side note, that was me at the beginning of my journey, you guys. I remember, and I've said this in every single podcast I've been a guest on, I remember I had no idea what foods consisted of protein. I had no idea that chicken was considered protein. I had no idea that beef was considered protein. I had no idea that, you know, just, you know, trying to fit protein in doesn't mean that like you go grab the bars that have 10 grams of protein in it, but like 40 grams of carbs.

07:28Like it's like really paying attention to the foods that have lean sources of protein in it, that are made up of lean sources of protein. And I remember Googling what foods consisted of protein at the beginning of my journey. So like, if that's you, dude, totally fine. It's now we're about to open up your world to understanding how you get more protein in. And it's some of those food sources that I just recommended. Well, then it's like, I see, and there's so many more, I have episodes on other, on proteins,

07:58food, but I want to keep the concept to concept here. So, you know, then it's like, we see that they're eating like 60 grams of protein in a day. And I'm like, like, wowzers, like we need to get this up. And typically the North, so like I said, a second ago that the North Star is like macronutrients, understanding them, tracking them, like consistently, like paying attention to them. I'll like step down from the North Star and bringing it a little bit to like,

08:28maybe like the, the stratosphere atmosphere is a little bit of a closer reach than the North Star, right? Is my analogy that I'm trying to pinpoint there. But a little bit closer of a reach of a goal is, is, well, typically the first, what I'm trying to get people to is their body weight and protein, right? It's broadly speaking, depends on your goal, depends on the human I'm working with. Broadly speaking, I'm trying to get people, we're trying to get people to eat, their body weight and protein in a day.

09:00And right there, people were like, like, that's, that's, that's like the, like the North Star, right? That's, that's a part of the North Star of macronutrients. But like, something a little bit closer is like, if you're eating 60 grams of protein, but like, I want you to eat 150 grams of protein. When I say that, and when we explain that, and we're like educating our clients on like, what we want them to eat, their eyes are like, huh? You want me to eat how much protein? And so, sometimes that can feel too overwhelming,

09:31right? And we don't want to overwhelm our clients. We don't want to overwhelm you guys that are coming into our ecosystem of Warrior Bay. We want to realistically paint attainable goals for you to accomplish so that you feel like you can achieve that. And so, instead of it being the North Star of like 150 grams of protein in your body weight in a day, at the beginning, it's like, okay, let me just reach up a little bit high, like, you know, closer and focus on like 100 grams of protein in a day. And even like that, people are like, okay,

10:01well, how do I get that much protein? And that, think about it like this, easy number, 100 grams of protein is your goal. So, if you're eating, let's say five meals in a day, then you want to have at least 20 grams of protein in each one of those meals. And then you break it down a little bit more, that's a little bit more attainable to think about. It's like, okay, 20 grams of protein is like, maybe one protein shake to start your day if you're going to work out. Then the second one, second meal is like, you know, 150 grams of egg whites. The third meal is maybe like 200 grams of Greek yogurt.

10:34The fourth meal is maybe like three ounces of chicken. And then your last meal is like whatever you're having for dinner. I don't three ounces of beef. You're having, if you're doing tacos with your family, right? Like that's how you make it a little bit more attainable. But like first you need to understand and educate yourself on what foods are made of a protein. And then like the portion sizes of which will help you dose out your protein in a day. Hey, hey, just want to drop a huge appreciation to you guys listening to the show. It means a lot. I hope you guys are enjoying it.

11:05And there's so much more to come with it. If you are enjoying it, hit the subscribe button. I'd appreciate that tons. And also it would help this podcast reach others who need to hear these messages too. Thanks so much guys. Let's get back to the show. So that's usually typically like when people are like, I've never tracked macros before. Where do I start? First, we have you log and track as you normally would open up my fitness pal. It's super easy to do. There's not much of a, like there's a bit of a learning curve, but not much because there's an amazing feature inside of my fitness pal that has a barcode scanner.

11:36And you can go around, scan all the food that you're eating and you can easily log it. So we have our clients do that for the first like seventies. And afterwards we were able to look at it. We're able to assess it. We're able to understand, okay, this is, you know, what the metabolism most likely, what we're looking at is like what the metabolism has most likely adapted to, uh, through the months, years, possible decades of this client eating this way. Ladies,

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12:42Look, don't wait anymore. Take charge of your health and join our community of strong, empowered women. Visit warrior babe.com forward slash apply today to start your transformation. That's warrior babe.com forward slash apply. All right, let's get back to the show. And so, um, we are, then are then out of that. We're like, okay, no idea what macronutrients are, no idea how to track them. Let's just dive into focusing on the protein aspect as I just shared those examples.

13:16So we're just focusing on tracking protein, focusing on utilize, like getting like, that is just like the, if there's anywhere that you're trying to start and you want to start, you want to learn about macros, as hands down, by far, one of the most in the first steps that I would have you focus on. And also like the most important of the three macronutrients to be focusing on. Because protein helps in so many ways. It helps to curb your cravings. It helps to, um, make you feel fuller for longer periods of times.

13:47Um, it helps you to build muscle. It helps you to repair muscle. It helps you to grow muscle. It helps you to, um, honestly, it has a, a thermic effect. Uh, so that means that when you are consuming the protein, you're actually, as in the digestive process, you are burning the calories. Um, so it's, it is, what I like to say, it's the macronutrient, um, king. Of all the macronutrients. It is, it, it, it's one of the best ones.

14:19So that's all I can really say. I'm trying to think of more things to say about it. But protein is essential. Protein is so important. It's good for your skin, your hair, and your nails. It is, uh, it's good for all the things. It's good for fat loss. It's good for muscle building. And it's good for just overall health and longevity. So making sure that you are getting enough protein into your day, the beginning of your journey is the first and foremost. And honestly, the most like, you know, punt, no pun intended, but digestible thing to focus on, um, at the start of your journey.

14:50So, you know, from there, we're focusing on that. And that's like the, usually the navigation that we go with the clients. We're just like, this is it. That's all I want you to do. Because like I just said, it's more digestible. We don't want to get the client overwhelmed. We don't want them to be like, oh my God, I'm trying to get all my numbers, like plus or minus five, the protein fats and the carbs. And I'm like, want to pull my hair out because it's so freaking hard. And then, then that hardness, that, that, that concept, that, that, that story, that narrative, it blocks people from wanting to move forward.

15:22So we don't want to get to there. We want to focus on easy things, attainable things, adjustable things. So that's the first point. Okay. And then like, no joke guys, like if you just start focusing on those things, you are going and, and take this like seriously, like if you just focus on it and then you actually apply it, and then you consistently follow through with exactly what I just said for you guys to do, which is understanding where you're at in terms of food, saying that maybe the protein is under being under eight on a daily basis.

15:54And I'm focusing on utilizing protein, getting it in and eating it. Dude, you just do that. Two, three weeks, four weeks, you're going to feel, you're going to notice that cravings are subsiding. You're going to notice that you're feeling fuller longer throughout the day. You're going to notice that if you're giving your body what it needs in terms of protein throughout the day, you no longer have these insane cravings at the end of the day, where, you know, you're home from work. It's been a stressful day. You're about to sit down with your kids after dinner.

16:24And you're like, dude, I just ate dinner, but I'm still hungry. It's because you didn't give your body what it needed throughout the entire day. So it's like, and that's where a lot of things happen. Binging, eating, you know, like emotionally stressed eating, like all those things happen in the day. A variable may be stressed, but like it's because you didn't give your body what it wanted. Consistently fuel wise, fuel, the fuel is coming from food throughout the day. So just by doing those things,

16:55again, like you will notice some physical, emotional mood, and maybe even, I said physical, but I meant to say psychological. You will feel those changes. And then you may even see the physical side of things starting to happen. And you may even notice how your strength is improving everything inside the gym, just by doing what I just said. Then just wait. Then when we get like this down, and we're nailing that down. And like you're learning the importance of protein.

17:26And you're starting to pay attention to it. You're starting to track it. Like this is where you would start, right? I just said that. But then you stack on eating the carbs and the fats. And like you're paying more attention to the portion sizes and the quantity and the quality of the carbs and the fats. And like this may be like a couple weeks into your journey that you're starting to really focus on that. Like you may be eating them already. And like you're, well, I hope that you are. I hope you're not just eating protein in a day. Maybe I should like specify that.

17:56Please don't just not, don't just eat just protein in a day. Make sure you are actually eating carbs and fats. But like you're not putting too much of an emphasis on it yet. But then, you know, you're a couple weeks in. You're doing all the things I just said. And then you start layering in the carbs and the fats. Get ready for like next level energy, next level thought processes, next level strength inside of the gym, and even next level types of results that you want to see physically. Because at that point, now you're giving your body like essentially exactly what it wants.

18:30In terms of how many macros you should be consuming, how many calories you should be consuming. And you're, you're nailing it. You're like, you're dialing it in even that much more. And when you reach that level, right? And it's like, you'll, it depends on how much carbs, how much fat you'll be consuming. But all three of them work together. And they work together in freaking magical ways. There's some things that protein, without carbohydrates,

19:01protein wouldn't be able to fully do its job. Without carbohydrates, or without protein, carbs wouldn't be able to do 100% do its job. And then vice versa all around. Like the all three of them work together to make everything internally, the cells, the organs, the, the, the, the, all of it work together. And make you feel your best freaking self. So, and then that's where like,

19:31you know, that's, that's really, it's the, the main thing when I said there is like the tracking, the beginning, the protein is sometimes the hardest thing to do. But like, you're able to just break it down to that focus. And then you can later in the carbs and the fats a little bit later on. Like you're layering them in the beginning, but like you're putting more emphasis on it was what I'm saying. When you're getting a couple of weeks into your journey and you're eating the carbs and the fats, you're paying more attention to the numbers and you're getting closer to that North star. And, and then like in the beginning along the way,

20:03like when you, if you've never tracked macros before, you also too, like, okay, that's more of the tactical side of things. Like the second thing I kind of want to speak to here, another aspect I want to speak to, another concept I want to speak to is at the beginning, there's so many mental blocks happening for people that we see that we work with, or that I've worked with, that I've coached. And they're always like, I never want, I don't want to track macros. Macros, tracking macros is, is, it's, it's so time consuming or,

20:33you know, I'm too busy. I don't have time to track macros. I'm like, I'm like, like to me, it's in order for you to get a type of different result than you want, than what we have now, you have to do a strategy that is different from what you're doing now. It's that, it's that Einstein quote, like you, if you're doing the same thing over and over and over again, that of which, you know, you're doing before you come into a program, if you're doing that same thing over and over and over again, that is a definition of insanity.

21:06Doing the same thing over and over again, expecting different results. That is a different definition of insanity. insanity. So when people come to me and there's this mental barrier, these stories, these narratives, these thought processes, these things are holding them back. When I hear an excuse, I'm like, look, how bad do you really want said result? And I've, I've heard a plethora of different responses and I can always tell by the tonality of how bad somebody really wants it and how they're really just like talking themselves into how bad they really want it.

21:39And you got to really want it. You got to really want to make some type of change physically and mentally for yourself for you to get bought in that this concept works. Because there's so much like, oh, if I eat more food, if I focus on the, you know, X, Y, and Z with the macronutrients, I'm going to get fat. And I'm like, what evidence, what data do you have that supports that eating macronutrients or eating more carbs or eating more fats is going to make you fat? And let me remind you too,

22:10that our jobs as a coach, the job as a professional, me as a coach, our coaches as a coach, our job is not to make you fat. If we make you fat, we suck as coaches. Okay. And got a pretty good track record of not making people fat. I've been able to make people increase their weight on the scale because they have gained more muscle. But I have never directly been like, okay, we're going to go into this. I'm going to feed you this much. And the goal here is to get you fat.

22:43So these, these, what I'm saying with this concept, like the mindset, like if you want to, you never track macros, but you know, you want to track macros. And where do you start? Like you have to get past these stories, these narratives, these beliefs that you've been carrying on for so freaking long. Break them, break the paradigm of which those thoughts are living in, and allow you to embrace a new strategy, a new concept, and actually be able to follow through on it and take action. And then be what's the word we say is like,

23:18trust us now, believe us later. Because when you do do that, when you allow yourself to take action on it, you're going to formulate evidence that actually supports the fact that this is the way you should be going if you want to get to said goal. So if you like it, and then I always like to say to, if you're like, you're saying anything is too busy, like you're not making you yourself or the goal priority, because you being busy, there's also somebody out there that is just as busy,

23:48if not busier than you, who is doing and accomplishing and achieving the same goals that you have in mind. So just let that sink in. If you want to go in this path of learning how to eat better, learning how to eat more, and tracking macronutrients and learning them, and getting into this world, like honestly, I've said this on many, many podcasts too as well, it's like why macronutrients? It's because it's just backed by science. It just scientifically makes sense of what your, how your body will optimally,

24:19optimally fuel itself, function well, and in turn, get you the type of result that you want, whether it's, you know, you just, you're 250 pounds, you want to lose weight, or like you're 150 pounds, you want to tone up. It just scientifically is proven. And until it's proven otherwise, this is what I will solely believe in. So with all that being said, that is how I've taken people on the journey. Our coaches have taken people on the journey of,

24:50if they have the question, I never tracked macros, where do I start? Tactically, talked about how to just track for seven days, pay attention to it, log how you normally would, eat how you normally would, and then we have an assessment, and then we can focus on protein. And then we can get to the North Star of the three, the whole macronutrient package. And then more behaviorally, so there's tactical, there's always behaviorally. Behaviorally, it's like, what mindset blocks do we have to get past? Because I'm happy to address these mindset blocks right here, right now with you,

25:20so we can get past them, and so that you can get what you want faster. Because the mental is definitely something that gets in a lot of people's ways. Okay? I hope that you guys love this podcast. I hope that it was valuable, and that it shed light on this topic that maybe you've been wondering and been interested on, on how to start with tracking macronutrients. Where do you start in X, Y, and Z? So, I hope you guys found it valuable, and I will see you in the next one. Peace out. Hey guys, real quick, if you're interested in taking your body

25:51to the next level, lose body fat, build more muscle, feel more confident, do it alongside one of our 30 plus professional coaches. Work one-on-one with her to eliminate all of the guesswork that you may have, and all you need to do is just do the work that she tells you to do to get to those goals of yours. And to learn more, click the link below this podcast and apply to our VIP program right now.

This transcript was generated automatically and may contain errors.