There is no right or wrong answer here, only what works and what doesn't work for every individual and their differing goals. You could have the most perfect magical numbers and the most perfect plan, but if you're not willing to do the work it takes to carry out the plan, none of it will work!
Outside of medical issues, tracking macros will enable any individual to reach any body composition goal they're after, as well as enabling athletes to fully support their training and athletic goals. However, you have to be willing to do the work!
Tracking macros is a simple approach that is anything but simple for some people. It is something that you really have to want to do because it does take responsibility and requires you to be honest with yourself! The "why" here is very important and really has to be stronger than your excuses!
If you aren't familiar with what it means to "track macros", click here.
To read about the benefits of tracking macros, click here.
Typically tracking macros involves a full set of macronutrient targets that you aim to get in every day. This would be a carbohydrate, fat and protein target. To track these, it requires a food log and measuring any foods you eat that are not pre-measured or packaged as a single serving.
There are ways around a full macro split, like focusing on calories and protein only.. just understand that with every little piece that you take and make less precise you are lowering your potential for progress, but again, if you understand that, and accept that, you can make some progress.
Any added bit of control is going to make a difference.
Let's take a look at some other common practices when it comes to dieting.
Intuitive Eating
If you had the ability to eat intuitively, you wouldn’t be reading this.
Let me explain!! Intuitive eating means:
you understand and listen to hunger cues
you do not let emotions dictate eating or cravings
you do not justify foods you’ve eaten
(I.e.) well it was grass fed organic butter and fresh avocado on sprouted grain bread so it was healthy - even though it was 80g fat in one meal
“I worked out hard for an hour so I can have a cupcake and it’s totally fine.”
”I overate so now I need to go for a run to burn it off.”
You can naturally maintain some sort of energy balance between your intake and your daily activities that keeps you feeling good, performing well and satisfied with the way you look.
Anyone who can honestly say “yes, yes, yes, yes, that’s all me!” Would likely not be reading this or looking at a nutrition support website.
Intermittent Fasting
Of course this practice can be utilized for different reasons and can also be used with other dieting practices, but generally speaking, this is simply a fancy term for shortening your eating window each day which will generally just create a caloric deficit.
If you usually snack a good bit after 6pm, but now you aren’t going to eat from 6pm to 10am, will you be replacing those calories in your eating window? Or just eliminating them?
What about measuring cups and spoons?
This could be a progression from just paying attention to the foods you’re eating and a step in the direction of knowing how much.
Again, any added bit of control is going to make a difference!
But measuring cups and spoons are dependent on your subjective guess of how much fits in that measuring cup or spoon and these amounts can vary wildly!!
If you’re going to take the time to pour your cheerios into a measuring cup, why not just pour it into a bowl that’s sitting on top of a food scale?
I don’t see any less effort in measuring cups and spoons and a food scale, they’re still both tools that take effort to use.
Measuring cups and spoons can be a good substitute when you’re somewhere without a food scale like grandma's house, vacation, etc.
What about Whole30?
Eating a diet consisting of 100% Whole Foods can be somewhat successful because generally speaking Whole Foods are much less calorie dense than most processed foods so you’ll naturally and unknowingly control your calorie intake just because you’ll get much more food volume and you’ll get full faster.
The caveat to this is foods with a high concentration of fat like nuts/seeds, avocado and fattier cuts of meat and seafood.
Just because it’s not processed and it doesn’t contain any chemical additives doesn’t mean it’s going to be “healthy” for you when you still eat too much of it.
And let’s be real, we live in America. Will you never go out to eat? Will you never go to a birthday party? Will you never eat a single processed food ever? Granola, salad dressing, almond milk…….
Even with tracking, we still advocate for primarily Whole Foods, but you’re inevitably going to consume foods that are processed and being able to include these when wanted or needed keeps the psychological scaries out of and away from your food and diet where it doesn’t belong!
When you go from eating with reckless abandon (or at least not paying any attention to what you’re eating) to trying to “clean things up” (or beginning to pay attention and be conscious of what you’re eating and general caloric contents) you’re going to create a caloric deficit naturally and it will work.. at first, but only for so long before you’ll find yourself at a “plateau”. In order to make changes, you have to have the ability to change things which means you have to know what you’re doing so you know what to change :)
People will read ingredients, but not macronutrient information!
Perspective
Do you have a retirement savings plan? Do you know how much is in it?
Do you know how much needs to be put into it each year to be where you want it to be at your retirement?
Do you do reviews of it to adjust for inflation or a change in your wages or life circumstances?
Do you check your bank account before you go to the grocery store?
Do you have a budget to make sure your bills get paid and necessities are bought before you spend money on fun stuff?
Do you do any type of training?
Runner.. do you track our mileage/improvements? Do you make a training plan to get better?
Weightlifter? Do you track your 1RM in big lifts? Do you track your stats in individual movements to make sure you're progressing? Do you follow a plan to get better?
My point is, most people track a ton of things on a daily basis. Finances, athletics/training, other hobbies, business stats, etc. But when it comes to the health of our bodies, it's completely wild and inconvenient to track what is going into your body (even for many who already track their body's output (calories burned)!!
So, do you have to track everything? "To get something you've never had, you've got to do something you've never done."