Macros Aren’t For Most People. Ep. 2
Alex Moses (@moses.nutrition) and Craig Conley (@craigconley26) dive into why macros can set you up for failure, and some best practices to replace them with.
00:11
Welcome to episode two of the busy fit podcast. I will be your trusted source for all information, health and wellness. We're here tonight with Alex Moses and Craig Conley, nutrition team. We're going to dive into some questions around nutrition. Thanks for joining us. And we'll start us off with the first question and we'll have Craig go ahead and start us off and kind of go from there. First question is what does it mean to count macros or calories?
00:38
Counting macros just means that you are essentially tracking in some way, shape, or form your protein intake, your carbohydrate intake, and your fat intake. Those are the three macronutrients, carbs, protein, and fat. And there's a bunch of different apps and, you know, software that you can use in order to keep off of those. You can also do it on pen and paper if you'd like to.
01:07
what make up the macronutrients, and then those account for what in turn become your calories. So why has it become so popular and what are the flaws in this approach? I think that it's become so popular for a few reasons. One, I think that it's become popular. It's always been a thing to track macros, but I think it's become more popular because more people are showing how they're doing it on social media.
01:36
um, fitness influencers, actual bodybuilders and athletes. Um, I think that people seeing others track has sparked a lot of interest in it. Um, I also think that just the amount of research that we've been able to do in nutrition, um, a lot of the research is super specific, just off the top of my head, like we've had a lot of research in like specific sports and.
02:05
these are the amount of grams per kilogram body weight that you should have to maximize performance. So now people can take that number and put in their own weight and find what it is that could maximize their performance. So I think that like now that we've been able to get into specifics on the research side and people have actually demonstrated how to do it online, it sparked a lot of interest and really made it.
02:35
popular.
03:04
depends on you hitting this number, right? And in a way that's really straightforward compared to some of the other nutrition information that's out there, right? So I think people latch onto that. It's like, oh, I know what I'm supposed to do. Let me go do it. Which has made it a little more popular, but it's not always that simple and that can have its flaws too.
03:24
What's the nutritional approach that we generally use with our clients? Obviously, if macros is not the way to go, but we still generally get pretty good results, what are some things that we do or some best practices I would like to suggest for people listening? The base of any good nutrition advice is we still have those specifics in the background. So even though I don't like just handing macros over to a client.
03:52
it's still something that is calculated out on the back end. So it's not like we're just saying like, here, eat a carb serving and you'll be good. Like we've actually like calculated that out. And yes, that's what this individual needs is 30 grams of carb and that's a carb serving. So in our heads on the counseling side to make it easier for the client, we're just telling them, hey, you need a carb serving instead of just telling them you need 30 grams at this time.
04:21
Um, so we still are using macros because it is a valuable number on the back end, but we like to make it more simple for clients and not just more simple, but more, um, flexible for them, because I think a lot of times macros can kind of put people in a hole. Um, so I think that our approach just helps it be a little bit more friendly to you as a human rather than just like you as a.
04:51
an athlete or a performer. One of the main words that I know we like to use is practicality. We want to make those macros, we want to make what we're, the nutrition education that we're providing as practical as possible for people to include into their life and be able to help them create habits around the food that they're eating and their eating habits, rather than just focusing on a number.
05:19
At the end of the day, those numbers may change one day, your lifestyle may change. And so developing the habits in order to eat in a healthy way for your lifestyle is way more important than, you know, just hitting a number. What are some factors when you guys are, you know, kind of looking at just like what the nutrition prescription for someone may need to be? I think that the majority of like things that I'm looking for going into a console is.
05:45
A lot on weight and diet history, like what have you done in the past? What's worked? What's not worked? Obviously, if they're coming to us, there's something that hasn't worked or at least stuck. So like if something, you know, quote, worked for them, what is it that made it not a constant success for them? Weight history is a really big one. I think that...
06:12
a lot of people will come in and be like, I wanna lose five to 10 pounds. But if you haven't been that five to 10 pounds lighter since high school, that's important for me to know. Or have you been that weight just last year or just during COVID? It's really important for me to know the timeframe of where we are looking at different weight changes.
06:40
because that tells me a lot about just how your lifestyle has changed throughout the years and how your goals have changed throughout the years. And then of course on the dietitian side, like I really need to know what are like common foods that you are eating. Like are you have you eaten the same breakfast every day for the last five years? Like I need to know that. Have you had any nutrition deficiencies pop up?
07:09
blood work before? Are you currently taking any supplements? And what medications are you taking? Because a lot of medications have implications on the nutrition side, even ones you don't really think about having in effect, like antidepressants, anti-anxiety, like all those things play a role in your metabolism and how I would make a nutrition plan for you. So those are, I would say, like the big things that I hit on.
07:40
I think that the best part of nutrition and the best part of having a nutrition team is that my approach isn't the same as Craig's approach and we both can get the same information in different ways. So that's kind of the route that I go. But what do you do, Craig?
07:58
If I'm doing it for the first time, I look into some of those things, but I also look into more of the lifestyle side and what their life situation is. If our client has kids, they might be cooking for three or four people on a daily basis rather than just the one. Taking that into account for their nutrition plan is huge if they're single versus married. Obviously, what their training habits are and what their training goals are.
08:28
Like you said, if from a weight perspective, you want to lose five to 10 pounds, we need to know that. If you are planning to run a marathon, we need to know that in order to create a solid nutrition plan for you. So goals and lifestyle situations are a really big thing that I take into consideration. And then combining those with very science-based practical things that you mentioned as well. What are some common issues you see with blanket?
08:56
nutritional programs that you see, whether it may be an app or something like, you know, Octavia or Weight Watchers, what are some issues that you guys feel like are common within those programs? A lot of those programs have people under eat drastically. And I don't know exactly what energy expenditure calculator they're using to, you know, provide those calorie recommendations.
09:22
But majority of the time when I'm talking to a client that we just signed or someone out on the street asking about nutrition, they're like, oh yeah, I'm eating like 1300 calories. And that's what my app recommended. I am hungry just talking to you right now. That's wild. So there's a couple others, but I'd say that's the biggest one that sticks out to me. The under eating, I would say that's a really big one. Another big one I usually see is just...
09:51
the inaccuracy with food logging. And it's partially the person using the app too because a lot of people don't know serving sizes or at least don't know true sizes of things. But the apps that are usually free to use usually don't take into account really anything other than like food you're logging.
10:20
So if you're doing that part inaccurate, it's going to be pretty inaccurate with what it spits out at you. So I think that that's a really common thing. And then I think a lot of apps will also like, if we're getting into ones that are specifically made for different diets, like you said, Justin, Weight Watchers, there's a lot of times the issue of making things really generalized, where if you're...
10:48
on Weight Watchers, it's just assuming that you want to be eating a lot less calories or you have the ability to eat a lot less calories at every meal, every snack. And I don't think that's always the case with people. I think that there are people like we can go through a list of our own clients. There are people who don't eat breakfast and an app is going to tell them, well, you need to get all of this in at breakfast.
11:17
or you're not going to achieve your goal. Like our approach is telling you like, hey, if you can't fit that in or you're not a breakfast person, like let's work on something in the morning. But like, if you are a big lunch person, like, okay, put it at lunch, that's okay. I think a lot of times the apps just like, will really generalize the amount that people need at meals or assume that people are eating their biggest meal as dinner and...
11:47
especially a lot of our really busy clients who have kids, we can say that that is definitely not the case. That's probably the time to eat the least because they're taking care of a bunch of kids at night. So I think that those are like the biggest ones when it comes to the app approach is just the generalization of it all. What would you say to someone that they may have tried those things in the past, they may have lost some weight and they put it back on and they were really enjoying that process or not feeling good about it and so they're gonna have hesitations around.
12:17
nutrition coaching or improving their nutrition anyway, you know, and you see you go in and they're already nervous to talk to you. They already have that like anxiety knowing that like this is something they're genuinely afraid of. And so how do you handle that conversation? Yeah. Well, I will say that I think that with how much like AI and all this other stuff is coming into the world.
12:41
One thing that it will never replicate and what an app can never replicate is human interaction. And I think that I'm going to really like hype up our team. But I think that as soon as people talk to our team, they really realize that talking to us and working with us is more individualized care than they have ever received from anything else. So I think that if someone is
13:10
meet or even get a nutrition plan. I always encourage just have a quick call with us, hear what we're about. We are really meeting people where they're at. I think a lot of times people are nervous because they think they're not ready or like, oh my gosh, I don't want to talk to her about my nutrition. I've been eating pizza the last three weeks, three times a week.
13:40
Like, I'm not ready for that. And I just have to say, like, you're not alone. We have clients who came from that. And I think that the more that we can show that we are open and we are just here to help you with where you're at, the better. So I would say that, again, hyping up our team, but talking to our team, you'll just hear why it's different. I really like the...
14:09
the phrase that you use and we'll meet you where you're at. Because at the end of the day, that's what we're trying to do. We want to help you in the position that you're in and get you to where you want to go. And I feel like you mentioned a few of the limiting beliefs that we see when people come in. And one of the big ones is shame of just like, hey, I have not been on top of my nutrition. I have not been on top of my workouts. I sleep three, four hours a night. And like, I don't even want to talk about it.
14:39
And that belief of, you know, I don't even want to talk about this or I don't deserve to talk about this is what's going to keep you in the same exact spot. We want to help you and move you past that. And we're not going, I mean, we've been in unhealthy spots ourselves, you know, so we're not going to shame you for it. We're going to help you move through it. So I really like what you said there. For the person that's really busy, you know, they're going a million miles an hour, you know, they have.
15:08
probably have kids, they're getting home and they have to like do bath time and all these things and they're worried about getting like a good dinner on the table and they may not even be able to cook like we talked about with our previous episode, Aaron's a big cereal guy. You know, what are a couple of quick suggestions that each of you have for someone that's just like really busy and they just want to find a couple ways to improve their health or improve their nutrition?
15:38
Throw that in the microwave, steamed vegetables, throw that in the microwave, and then some sort of protein that you can have, something that you can make within 10 to 15 minutes, and you get your carbs, you get your healthy fats and the protein, and then you get your vitamins and minerals in with the vegetables as well. So something quick and easy, and you can still watch your kids out of the corner of your eye as things are going on in the microwave too. I would second what Craig was suggesting in that there's a lot of things that you can do.
16:08
at home to make a really easy quick dinner. I always tell people to have frozen veggies, frozen proteins, some sort of sauce and pasta or rice on hand because those are the quickest things to make. And I think that those are things that are all really customizable. So if you have a family, unless you have like
16:36
the most perfect family in the world. I highly doubt everyone is eating the same thing. I have yet to meet a family with young kids that everyone eats the same thing. I think that that's a miracle in itself. So having a lot of really simple things around also helps you to make it not only towards your goals, breaking it down, obviously a kid might not need as much as the adult, but also make it different.
17:05
Flavor wise, it's really easy. Like if you're making like something simple, like you're making pasta, broccoli and chicken. Like if your kid doesn't like red sauce, toss them in butter and garlic for the kids, put it in marinara for yourself, add some sort of like cheese on the broccoli for the kids. Maybe you don't want that. It's a really easy thing to like customize once you have like.
17:33
really simple ingredients ready. I will also say I don't think there's anything wrong with getting takeout every now and then. So if you're having a busy day, like there's definitely no shame in grabbing food on your way home from work or having something delivered. There are a lot of really good options from those places and that's kind of been a guide that I've
18:00
started or a series that I've started on our guides on Facebook is just starting with some chain restaurants. Chipotle, we have Panera coming out this week. We have even like gas station convenience coming out soon. There is always a way to find a more nutritious option anywhere you go. It's just a matter of how do I find it and that's a big role that I play because
18:30
As much as we love setting programs and like here's this is what you should do all week. Life happens. There are days that those things don't happen. And if you are like, hey, I'm running and I'm getting pizza, like how can I make this better for me? Like that's part of my job is helping you find a better option when you're picking up pizza. Again, meeting them where they're at. Alex, when you're out, can you give like a general guideline on
19:00
what you're looking for when you're eating out. I feel like sometimes people are like, I don't even know where to start. Obviously, every takeout place is different. Everyone has their favorites. But I think at the root of it, most takeout food that you are getting is already going to be decently high in carb and probably pretty high in fat. So it's just a matter of how can I get in enough protein in this meal and how can I add some sort of veggie.
19:29
So like the pizza example, if you're like dead set on your toppings for a pizza and you're like, I'm not adding chicken to my pizza, get a side salad, add some sort of chicken to it, chicken Caesar salad, I'm pretty sure are at most pizza places in America. Like have that as a side with your pizza.
19:51
then you're at least getting in all of those nutrients or all of those macros that you need. Great, well, hope you guys enjoy that. Thank you, Alex and Craig
