Counting Macros Is Not Freedom!

Before I begin, I have a disclaimer. Please know my blog is never to criticize anyone. And I pray for grace so that anyone who reads my blog, comes from a place of understanding and doesn’t get offended. Sometimes I say things and later worry whether someone took it the wrong way. Also, I am not a nutritionist, nor do I know everything about Macros. This piece is about my outlook about counting macros.

So, recently, I heard someone say that counting macros is freedom. I’m assuming it is freedom for this person, because, in her mind, she can track her food and then can eat other foods, based on the combination of healthy carbs, fat and protein she has eaten that day or that week. [Example, she ate healthy proteins and loaded up on veggies, leaving her the availability to eat a big slice of cake that day, because it wouldn’t affect her “numbers”].

If you don’t know what counting macros looks like, basically, it’s tracking your food to determine how much protein, fat, and carbs (macronutrients) you need to eat to either lose weight, gain muscle, or both; and how aggressive you want to be in these areas of losing/gaining/maintaining weight and muscle gain. Some people need more fat, while others more protein, etc. to lose weight and/or gain muscle.

Honestly, I don’t know much about macros and calculating them. It looks complicated, but I’m sure once you’ve figured out how to calculate your macros to reach your desired goal(s), it probably gets easier over time. However, the people I know who count macros and track their food, have a VERY detailed chart, which also tracks their hormone levels and other things (it is very complicated to me and looks like a job keeping track of it all! Haha).

So, here’s my question: how is counting macros and calories; and tracking your food and your hormones freedom?! How is it freedom when you must write down every little thing that goes into your mouth? AND write down all the calories and macronutrients in each food you eat at every meal, at every moment, EVERY. SINGLE. DAY?

I’m sorry, but this is not freedom, my friends.

It’s restriction. It’s a diet. It’s deprivation. Three things I’m against.
And if you’re not careful, it can lead to binge eating (something I struggled with in the past). And, not only that, deprivation messes with your body - physically and mentally (I know from personal experience).

I am a proponent of eating what you want, when you want, but intuitively (“everything in moderation”). Do I skip carbs at dinner sometimes because I had them with breakfast and lunch? Yes. Do I “watch what I eat” so I can be healthy? Yes. But my world does not revolve around food and calorie counting. If I want ice cream, I eat it, while focusing on the taste, how I feel eating it, and checking in with my “belly” to see when I’ve had enough. Do I overeat sometimes? Absolutely.
This is LIFE, and I want to enjoy it without counting every calorie going into my mouth. If we are so focused on these numbers and how much weight we will lose or gain, how are we free to really enjoy what we’re eating?

I doubt God intended for us to calorie count (I giggle at this thought!). On the other hand, I doubt He intended for us to eat processed foods that are terrible for our bodies. He wants what is best for us - mind, body, and spirit. Eating healthy and moving our body with some form of exercise, not only makes us feel good physically, it gives us clarity mentally, and makes us stronger spiritually. As I write this, bible verse 2 Corinthians 3:17 comes to mind: “Where the spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom”. His love, spirit, and direction give us freedom to live a life filled with his promises. In His Spirit, we find love, peace, kindness, gentleness, self-control, joy, patience, goodness, and faithfulness (Galatians 5:22) - all virtues we need to live healthy in mind, body, and spirit.

Freedom is embracing the body you have now and rejoicing in your “get to’s” - you ‘get to’ get up every day and go to work (or work within the home); you ‘get to’ exercise and move your body. You ‘get to’ dance! You ‘get to’ be a mom, dad, daughter, wife, sister, neighbor. Freedom is living the life you have NOW and not obsessing about every morsel of food you eat.

So, how do we do get free? We learn to change our mindset. We practice ways to embrace and love our body how it is right now. We lean into God and His truth, which leads to transformation inside and out. It doesn’t happen overnight. But it is possible. It is possible to get healthy, stay healthy, and be free. If it’s possible for me, it’s possible for you!

I want to help you achieve this freedom. So, join me for a weekend in September for my health and wellness retreat, Revive 🔥. It will renew your mind, Revive your spirit, and propel you into a new journey toward inner transformation that will transcend outward.

Let’s get free and stay free!