INTUITIVE EATING VS. MACROS: WHAT ARE THEY AND WHAT’S THE BEST FIT FOR YOU?

My personal opinion is that macros provide an amazing structure while still allowing for the flexibility to eat what you want when you want it. Macros are a great educational tool to learn more about portion sizes, eating in moderation, and what’s in the foods you are eating. Intuitive eating takes time to reach, and you want to make sure that you really are dialed in on your biofeedback and just the general response to the foods you’re eating.

Again, both have a time and place on your fitness journey. I have done both so far, but I am currently tracking macros. My eating styles change as my goals change. Right now, I’m doing a little bulk, so I tried intuitive eating. However, whenever I checked in with myself, I wasn’t getting enough calories… soooo back on macros until I can adjust to the increased calories. This is very interesting because research shows that people often underestimate their food intake—sometimes by as much as 30-50%. CRAZY.

This could be for one of two reasons: First, they don’t realize how calorically dense their foods are. For example, two slices of meat lover’s pizza could be upwards of 1,000 calories. I know you’re probably like, “Well, no shit, Link. It’s pizza,” but you get what I’m saying here—two slices are easy to eat, so we just have to be careful sometimes. The second reason is that it’s very common to misjudge portion sizes. Research shows that misjudging portion sizes happens 67% of the time. If we’re misjudging the portion sizes 67% of the time, then we’re obviously not eating appropriate portions for our goals.

This is where macro tracking comes in super handy! You have a goal for each macronutrient (carbs, fat, and protein) and if you hit them all accordingly or come within a range, you will hit or be super close to your calorie goal for the day. If you weren’t sure, macronutrients are the only things other than alcohol that make up the calorie count of the foods we eat. So, when we track macros for extended periods of time, we begin to retrain our bodies to better regulate the hormones that tell us when we’re hungry and full. From there, we can transition into intuitive eating because we can easily make any necessary adjustments to reach our goals.

I recently read a really good explanation of macros from Precision Nutrition, which said that food-tracking methods are like nutritional training wheels. They give you the guidance and calibration that you need to achieve balance on your own. Some people need these training wheels for longer or shorter periods of time, or they require a combination of tracking strategies to find their balance. Ultimately, the goal is to shed your training wheels and move towards knowing what, how much, and when to eat without tracking or monitoring. Very well said!

Tracking is a lot of work, though, and it can be overwhelming when first starting out. I’m such a big believer in the idea that having a coach is extremely beneficial for this, because sometimes we can get so overwhelmed that we crack. It does take time to learn, but it has been very beneficial for so many people. With that being said, I don’t recommend it as a long-term thing. I will never be that grandma at 65-years-old tracking macros. Nope, no way. But, when I have specific goals and I need to dial in on my nutrition, macro tracking is a great option.

So, that’s where intuitive eating comes in. Practicing this style of eating helps you tune into your body’s appetite signals. You’ll eat when you’re hungry and stop when you’re full. You’ll understand what your body needs at any given time and be able to fuel yourself properly without tracking it. You can use what you learned through macro tracking and apply it when you’re eating intuitively.

With intuitive eating, you’re paying attention to the experience, feelings, and sensations you have around eating. Practices like eating slowly and eating until 80% full are a part of this style of mindful eating. Instead of focusing on eating certain types or amounts of food, mindful eating teaches you how to regulate your food intake by noticing how your body and mind feel when you eat.

So, now that we know all that, which option is best for you?! First, you want to take a look at your goals. What goals have you set for yourself? Will your nutrition play a role in you achieving those goals? If so, to what extent?

If you want to lose weight, get a better understanding of your nutrition, feel better, improve your digestion, get to a certain body fat percentage, or work on your eating behavior, then maybe macros are your best fit. Macros are good for people who are number-oriented and highly structured. My one client, Taylor, is amazing at hitting her macros, but she also started developing really strong cues. She dialed into her biofeedback, so she knows what her body needs and knows how to provide while still staying on track towards her goals. I have another client, Meaghan, who is also crushing her nutritional goals because she is a very structured person. She makes a plan and then sticks to the plan. It’s what feels good for her! Overall, I’d say macros are best for short-term use (again, not a lifetime thing).

If you want to have a better understanding of your hunger cues, improve your relationship with food, have more freedom, feel less restricted by numbers, OR if you have struggled with disordered eating and feel triggered by the numbers, then maybe intuitive eating is best for you.