Good morning/evening, UAC! This is a follow-up to the question posted by @Learningmoments in the June 6 thread:

I have been trying to follow Macros, but I can't seem to get it balanced. I try to come up with the perfect plan. I wind up very frustrated and worn out. I am trying to keep it simple, but feel it is never enough. This statement really stood out from my reading: It is more productive to start slow and be consistent than to be intense and burn out quickly.

I would agree with that statement. From my personal experience over these past couple years, it really does take A LOT of commitment, and a lot of trial & error, to create new skills/habits that stick. Especially complex ones like "following macros," because let's face it: this is something most of us never even heard of, growing up.

So there's a steep learning curve 📈 and there's a ton of confusing info out there 🤯 and it takes a lot of hard work 😓 to get it even close to right in the first place… and then it takes a lot of repetition 🔁 to eventually make it a true ingrained habit 😬

But: yes, it is possible 🙌 Yes, it can change your life 😁 And I say that because it has absolutely changed mine. Macros are mostly a no-brainer for me now: it's all automatic, with only very rare surprises… which means I have more time to practice even more wonderful new habits 😝

Continuing with macros as an example: when I started two years ago, I had zero idea how to make this work. I mean, I knew that rice is "carbs" and butter is "fat," etc. but beyond that, I was lost in an ocean of towering waves. I didn't know how to put a meal plan together, or how to get the ratios right. How do I know how much carbs/fat/protein are in a food item? What percentage of my meals should be protein/carbs/fat? Is low-carb eating healthy? Are my workouts considered "heavy" or not? (The answer to that question determines how much protein I should be eating per day.) How does my sugar/fiber/protein/fat consumption affect my satiety and overall functioning? Is there such a thing as too much protein in one meal? (Hint: the answer is yes.) Does the timing of my meals/macros matter, and if so, how? Can I get rid of cravings by eating the right things in the right combination? (The answer, again, is yes! Yay!) There was so much to learn and experiment with. So I started learning and experimenting 🤷‍♀️

It's all totally second nature for me now, but I absolutely had days when I thought "how does anyone get anything else done, while having to think about food all day long?!" Well, the answer is: they don't. They start somewhere, anywhere. They keep going. They invest some serious time for a while. They keep track of what they're doing, and learn from what they experience along the way. And after practicing for a while, it becomes something they no longer have to think about, and then they have time for other things again. That's it in a nutshell.

My recommendation is to think about other complex skills you have learned in life. How long would you say it takes a baby to learn to walk, and how many times do they get frustrated with their lack of progress along the way? It happens! Frustration is a great motivator: I really want to do the thing, therefore I will keep trying, no matter how hard it is! Do we get angry at a 10 month old, or for that matter a 3 year old, who hasn't yet learned how to walk without falling? I would really hope we all answered no… so why do we get impatient with ourselves for not yet having mastered a new skill? What's the great rush?

Do you remember learning basic school stuff, like reading/writing and math? Was that always easy and quick and free of frustration? How about learning to ride a bike, use a washing machine, drive a car, maintain a home, speak another language, cook a new dish, navigate someplace we've never been before? These are all complex skills, and it seems like we've always had them, but the reality is that we had to learn all that stuff too, and there were probably struggles and "I will never get this!" moments along the way. I remember being so proud of myself the first time I successfully boiled spaghetti 😂 Let's think of all our new skills in the same way. Is it going to happen instantaneously? Nah. Is it going to be easy and fun all the time? Probably not. Will we be better off later for it all? Yup!

Just keep going is a great reminder @takinitalloff

today - yes x 3 IF day

Monday

Exercise: Yes, Biking

Calories: Yes, stayed under budget

Tracking: Yes, logged everything

Pass Days: 0

yes

Yes

Yes

6/9

Exersized yes

Caleries yes

Logged yes

☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️

New month! Yay! 
Happy June Everyone!

✅ exercise 20+ min 
❌ within calories 
✅ track all
3️⃣ Pass days used

☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️

Macros:

Never heard of it growing up, not even as and adult either. Heard about it the last couple years maybe, but know nothing about it!! Don’t know anyone checking into it either. Was never curious enough to check about it. (Seems to be a lot of work!?! don’t know, just saying!)

Pass

Date: June 9
Exercised ✅ 50 min water fitness + 5 min swim
Calories ✅
Tracked ✅
Pass Days? 4

No exceptions. No excuses. 🥑

Discipline is self-love. 💝

Yes to everything today, still at only 1 pass day!

09/06/2025

Exercise - yes

Tracking – yes

Calories – yes

Pass days 1

I’m another who doesn’t worry about macros – it looks like a marketing ploy to me, so many products using the terminology as part of their advertising. I track calcium (I have osteoporosis) and keep an eye on protein but the rest is taken care of with a balanced diet with plenty of freggies.

9 June 2025
Weighing food: Yes
Tracking: Yes
Calories: over weight loss under maintaince
Exercise: walk done
Acv: Yes
Water: Yes
Pass days: 1

Xoxo

✅✅✅ 3️⃣ pass days left

Good reminder! @takinitalloff

Monday

Pass day.

Tracked Yes

Calories No

Exercise Yes