If you’ve found yourself here you’ve probably already heard about the macro diet and done some research.
You probably already know about how the macro diet works and why it’s effective for so many people.
But just in case you’re new to the world of macro dieting – be sure to check out my Ultimate Guide To Counting Macros for a more in-depth look at this eating style!
Discloser: I am not a trained health professional. All articles are based on my own experience and opinions. Please consult with a health professional before making lifestyle changes.
So I’m assuming at this point in your journey you’re ready to get started!
You’ve read all you want and you’re ready to get started.
So where do you start?
How To Start The Macros Diet
This post may contain affiliate links and I may earn a small commission when you click on the links at no additional cost to you. As an Amazon Affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases. You can read my full disclaimer here.
Step one: Set Goals
Not everyone doing the macro diet wants to lose weight. In fact it is a really good way to gain weight if that is your goal.
It’s also a great eating style if you’re just looking for a balanced, healthy diet.
So first you need to define what your goals are. Do you want to gain weight? Lose weight? Maintain weight? Develop a healthier lifestyle? Kick a habit? Reduce Inflammation?
It can be a number of reasons, but you need a clear reason to eat this way and a clear desired outcome.
If you’re just “dieting” to diet you’ll straight up fail.
But, for example, if you’re changing your eating style to prevent diabetes you’ll have the motivation to stick with it.
So, grab a piece of paper and really think this through.
Connect with yourself to understand what’s really important and what you want the outcome of this eating style to be.
Step two: Take Measurements & Before Pictures
If you’re wanting to follow the macro diet to make changes to your body you’ll need to take measurements.
These include your weight as well as measurements in inches of your waist, thighs, and arms. When measuring yourself with a tape measurer it’s best to have someone help you or use a mirror to get the most accurate measurements.
Write these down somewhere where you can keep track of them and update them as you go.
I highly recommend taking before pictures and measurements because the scale is often so deceiving to us. It may look like you only lost 5 pounds, but on the macro diet you’re gaining muscle as you lose fat. So you may have lost 10 pounds but gained 5 pounds in muscle, meaning the scale will only show you down 5 but you might be in smaller clothes.
Taking this step in the beginning will not only give you confidence, but also let you see what is and isn’t working as you continue on your macro journey.
Step Three: Determine your macros
Next step – doing the math. Don’t worry, it’s not hard.
Your macros will depend largely on where you are at this moment and what your goals are.
It’s important to understand how we calculate macros because as you get closer to your desired results you may need to adjust them to continue losing or gaining weight.
Go here to read all about calculating your macros and to determine your own.
Step four: Develop a meal plan
Meal planning is an essential part of this eating style.
There are a ton of ways you can go about it depending on your personal style.
THE DIY-ER
If you want total control over your meal plan and want to design it with only foods you like and will eat, it’s best to create a custom meal plan. This can be a bit of a challenge at times, but with practice, you’ll get better. If you like figuring out puzzles and don’t want to try too many new recipes you can check out my meal plan template here.
THE FOLLOWER
Don’t want to do all the work yourself but you’re ok making all your own food? You can follow my Macro Meal Plan For Beginners. This plan allows you to mix and match recipes so you never get bored. There are also recipes that are family-friendly so you can stick to your macros without having to make multiple meals for your families.
THE BUSY MACRO EATER
If you’re extremely busy or hate to cook another great option for you is a meal delivery service. These are great because you can have a vast variety of meals and you never need to cook! Most meal prep services offer meals you just heat up and eat. Sometimes you can find these locally but two of my favorite brands that ship most everywhere are Trifecta and Factor.
This is the most expensive way to eat the macro diet. But if you’re too busy and this works better for your lifestyle I say go for it! It’s great to have ready-to-go meals that you know are macro balanced so you don’t have to plan anything at all!
Step Five: Meal Prep
If you’ve designed your own meal plan or are following a prebuilt plan the next thing is to start prepping!
Most macro eaters opt to make all of their food on the weekends for the week. That way they can just grab and go and not have to cook all week. If this works for you, great! Grab some meal prep containers and get cooking!
I prepared my whole week out at a time for almost a year and a half and it worked great. I was in college so it was so nice to be able to grab all my food and go.
But after I got married it became harder because my husband didn’t eat that way. So I found myself prepping all weekend for myself and still throwing together dinners for him.
What I shifted to was having ready-to-go snacks on hand, quick or prepped breakfasts, and then each evening I would make a macro balanced dinner and save the leftovers for lunch.
I actually really enjoyed this way because I was able to eat the same thing as my husband each night and got a variety of meals during the week.
Whichever way works for you and your lifestyle, go for it! And remember, there are no clear-cut rules to prepping. So find what works for you!
Step six: Develop your workout plan
Next, workouts!
80% of weight loss is diet, but that other 20% is still just as important. Eating great will only get you so far.
But don’t worry – you don’t need to kill yourself in the gym to reach your goals.
Depending on your goals (weight loss, weight maintenance, or weight gain) you’ll want to include different workouts, but whatever that is, try to get at least 30 mins of focused workouts five times a week.
I personally recommend prioritizing weight training. I usually try to get three weight training sessions in a week then two yoga or cardio days, depending on my mood. Sometimes that’s just a walk around the neighborhood.
If you’ve never done weight training or gym equipment makes you nervous I would recommend getting a personal trainer – even for just a session or two.
Most big gyms will have trainers on staff that will explain equipment for you for free. And they typically will offer an introductory session where they can help you develop a custom workout plan.
Trust me, it’s worth the money to not feel like an idiot on the weight floor! I used a personal trainer for three months and I felt that those few months gave me a really good idea of how to use equipment and how to adjust my own training. Personally, I don’t think you need that long either, just a few sessions can be life-changing.
Again, find what works for you and what you enjoy and stick with it!
If you’re punishing yourself by doing certain workouts chances are you won’t stick with it or see results even if you do. Try some classes, running, working out at home, weight machines, free weights, cardio rooms. Find something that you truly enjoy doing and do it 3-5 times a week.
Step Seven: Add Supplements To Your Routine
If you’re working to improve your health you’ll want to also take a look at your gut health as well! For me, I wasn’t losing a ton of weight on the macro diet until I add probiotics to my routine. Once I got my gut health in balance I started dropping weight quickly.
Read all about my favorite gut health supplements and how they can help you lose weight here.
Step Eight: Stick with it then weigh in and measure every two weeks
An important aspect of the macro diet is you’ll likely not get it perfect the first week. You’ll need to make adjustments and learn what works best for your body.
The best way to do this is to weigh in, measure, and take pictures every 2-4 weeks. Yes, WEEKS! Don’t you dare try and measure yourself every day – your body naturally fluctuates and measuring yourself every day can lead you to feel discouraged and abandon this before you see the benefits.
*Note for women: Our bodies change drastically throughout our cycle. It’s best to measure a few days after you finish your period. I weigh in once a month usually on day 5 or 6 of my cycle. I find that this gives me the most accurate reading on the scale. If you measure during ovulation or right before your period chances are your weight will seem higher. Do yourself a favor and keep it to once a month!
I personally like to track my body fat percentage over just my weight to really see how my body is changing. You can do this on an InBody machine at some gyms or training centers – or you can use this at home InBody scale. It’s not as accurate but it will give you an idea of which direction you’re moving.
After a few weeks, you’ll really be able to see how your body is responding.
If you aren’t seeing the progress you’d like to there are a few things you can try.
First, try adjusting your macros. If you’re following your macros closely and eating everything on your plan every day you may need to cut your calories a little more or take down your carbs. Some people also find that they need to lower their fat more.
This is really trial and error for your own body. So take your carbs down a bit for two weeks and see what happens.
When I first started the macro diet I was seeing really slow progress. Progress mind you, but not nearly as much as I wanted. What I found was that my body was extremely inflamed. I was dealing with IBS, skin issues, headaches, and a variety of other issues at the time.
I was eating a strictly paleo diet while doing macros and still wasn’t losing a ton of weight.
Until I looked into gut health to help with my IBS.
Once I started taking supplements to help my gut health I saw a huge improvement on the scale.
If you are eating right and exercising and not seeing the progress your gut may be to blame.
In the same boat? Read about what I used and how it could help you too.
Conclusion
So there you have it! 7 steps to kick start your macro journey! Macros can be intimidating at first, but once you get into it they really are simple.
I wish you the best of luck with your macro journey!
If you have questions about getting started or want to know more about my personal experience please feel free to leave a comment below.