3 Questions to Ask Before You Start Tracking Macros as a Mom

 

If you’re a mom wondering when you should start tracking macros, this episode is for you. I get this question all the time, especially from new moms who want structure but are unsure if this is the right season. In this bonus episode, I walk you through three honest questions to ask yourself before you start tracking so you can decide if it will support you right now.

I talk about whether you’re past the early healing phase postpartum, whether you truly have the mental bandwidth to track consistently, and how to tell if tracking will feel supportive instead of stressful. Macro counting is an amazing tool, but timing matters.

Here are the three questions I break down:
• Am I past the healing phase?
• Do I have the mental bandwidth?
• Will this add support to my life right now?

If you are ready for structure, you can learn more about Macro Counting Made Simple at macrocountingmadesimple.com. And if this episode gave you clarity, make sure you’re following the podcast and share it with another mom who needs this conversation.

If this episode resonated with you, I also recommend listening to The Do’s and Don’ts of Nourishing Your Body Postpartum, which I’ve linked in the show notes. It will give you even more clarity on how to fuel your body well in this season.

If you want more from me, be sure to check out… 

Website: www.juliealedbetter.com

Transcript

(0:00) Hey, hey beautiful human. Can I steal five minutes of your time? I have something super important to share with you, (0:06) but I promise I'll be really quick. You're listening to my weekly bonus episode of Embrace Your Reel with me, Julie Ledbetter.

(0:13) I'm about to give you a quick tip for building your confidence, honoring your body, and unconditionally loving your authentic self. (0:19) Stay tuned if you're ready to Embrace Your Reel. Let's get it, let's go! (0:33) Hello, and welcome back to another bonus episode on the Embrace Your Reel podcast.

I am Julie Lovebetter, and I am so glad that you are here. (0:40) Let's talk about something that I get asked all the time, especially from new moms, and that is Julie, when should I start tracking macros? (0:48) I love this question because it really does show that you're thinking about taking care of yourself. (0:52) But here's the thing that I want you to know.

Just because macro counting is an amazing tool, (0:56) it does not mean that it's the right tool for every season of life, in my opinion. (0:59) I believe that there are times when tracking macros can and will support you and make your life easier, (1:05) and then there's times that it can and will add stress that you don't need. (1:09) So today, I'm going to give you three questions to ask yourself before you start tracking.

(1:14) I think that these will help you to figure out if now is the right time, (1:17) or if you need to give yourself more permission to wait. (1:20) And don't worry, this is not about judgment. It's really about honoring where you are.

(1:24) Before we dive in, though, I want to take a quick moment to share this lovely review (1:27) that was left by a listener. It made me smile. (1:30) She gave a five-star view and said, love, love, love.

Julie's podcasts are so amazing. (1:35) I have really focused on a more positive mindset about my self-worth and positive (1:39) body image since listening. I now listen to my body more concerning workouts and give (1:44) my body the rest and nutrition that it needs.

I feel so strong, both physically and mentally. (1:49) I look forward to listening to these inspiring podcasts. I also love her workout app.

(1:53) It's really easy to use, and the instructions and diversity with the workouts are amazing (1:58) and easy to structure to fit into busy lifestyles. (2:02) Yes, girl, I love that you are utilizing the movement with Julie dumbbell only workout. (2:07) If you guys are looking for dumbbell only workouts, you can literally do anywhere.

(2:11) All you need is a few pair of dumbbells in a small space. You can go to sale. (2:14) That's S-A-L-E dot movement with Julie dot com.

(2:17) But thank you so much for taking time out of your day to send in this review. (2:20) It really does mean the world to me and our team. (2:21) Just kind of know how the podcast is helping you or maybe just in general, (2:26) like what you're getting from it.

We would love to hear it. (2:28) And then people who also stumble upon the podcast, whether they were referred by a friend (2:32) or they just stumbled upon it in the Apple app or in the Spotify app, they're able to really (2:38) kind of see how these podcasts are helping them so that they can choose to click on it before (2:44) they read the review before they click on it and waste time. (2:47) And so I would just love for you to do that because again, (2:50) it just helps other women who stumble upon the podcast.

(2:53) And our goal is to reach as many women as possible. (2:55) So thank you in advance for doing that. (2:58) All right, let's get into the first question.

(3:00) So question number one is am I past the healing phase? (3:03) So this, in my opinion, is the most important question. (3:06) Like I want you to answer it completely. Honestly, if you just had a baby, (3:10) in my opinion, at least the first like three, maybe four months postpartum.

(3:14) And this is, especially with your first baby, with your second, third, fourth, (3:19) it might be a little bit different just because you've been around the block, (3:23) you know what you're going through, your body has been through it already, (3:26) but especially after your first one, the first three, four months postpartum, (3:30) in my opinion, need to be intuitive, not restrictive, not tracked, just intuitive. (3:33) Like, especially if you're going from zero to one kids, it will totally rock your world. (3:38) And being past that phase now, thankfully, I can look back and be like, wow, (3:42) I was really just surviving in those moments.

(3:46) Like your body literally just grew and birthed a human and now it's recovering. (3:50) This, in my opinion, is not the time to be in a clerk deficit cutting carbs, (3:54) worrying about hitting the exact macro numbers. (3:57) Like your body needs fuel to heal.

(4:00) And if you're breastfeeding, it especially needs it more, right? (4:03) And beyond the physical, your emotional bandwidth is stretched thin. (4:07) Like you're sleep deprived likely, (4:08) you're adjusting to a completely new rhythm of life (4:11) and adding macro tracking on top of that, in my opinion, is just too much. (4:15) So how do you know if you're past the healing phase? (4:18) Well, physically, your energy should feel more stable.

(4:20) Your sleep should be improving. (4:22) Your body should feel more and more like your own again. (4:25) Again, I don't expect my body really did not start feeling like my own again (4:29) until I was like 14, 15 months postpartum, like past breastfeeding.

(4:35) Like I stopped breastfeeding at 14 or 13 and a half months. (4:39) And I'm telling you, like once I stopped breastfeeding, (4:43) my body was then like really starting to rev up (4:46) and it was starting to feel like more like myself. (4:49) I do know people that do breastfeed and they feel completely normal.

(4:52) They feel just like themselves. (4:54) Everybody is so different, but you should start to see like your hormones start stabilizing. (4:59) Emotionally, you should start to feel less overwhelmed by the basics.

(5:02) You should have some more mental space beyond just survival mode (5:05) and ready to think about structure without it feeling heavy. (5:08) If you're still early on in that postpartum fog, (5:11) like still healing, still figuring out, still figuring out everything, (5:15) feeding, how to keep this baby alive, that's more than okay. (5:18) And you're exactly where you're supposed to be.

(5:20) I want you to eat intuitively. (5:22) I want you to listen to your body, prioritize protein. (5:25) If you want to focus on one thing, prioritize protein, fiber, and water.

(5:29) I know that's three things, but start with your water intake (5:32) and then start to prioritize your protein intake. (5:36) And then if you have a little bit more bandwidth, (5:38) then you can look at your fiber intake and just make sure that you're eating enough fiber. (5:42) But once you start like adding slowly things, like adding those things on, (5:46) you'll start to know when you're ready.

(5:48) And when that time comes, macro tracking will be there waiting for you. (5:51) Moving on to question number two is, do I have the mental bandwidth? (5:55) I want to be honest about what macro tracking actually requires. (5:59) It's not just logging food in the app.

(6:01) It requires mental energy, planning, consistency. (6:03) Like you do have to think ahead about the meals tracked throughout the day, (6:07) stay engaged with the process. (6:09) And that takes bandwidth.

(6:10) I want you to ask yourself like, am I still in survival mode or am I in growth mode? (6:15) Survival mode looks like barely getting through the day, (6:18) constantly putting out fires, just trying to keep everyone alive, including yourself. (6:22) And if that's you right now, I want you to give yourself grace. (6:24) Don't add pressure.

(6:26) Growth mode though, that looks like having some more rhythm to your days, (6:29) being able to plan a little bit ahead, (6:30) having energy for something beyond just the immediate needs. (6:34) And if you're in survival mode, tracking macros is probably going to feel like (6:38) one more thing that you're doing wrong. (6:39) But if you're in growth mode with some structure and mental space, (6:43) that's personally when I believe that macro tracking can actually be a really supportive tool.

(6:48) Because macro tracking should make your life easier, not harder. (6:51) It should take decision fatigue away and really give you a framework (6:55) so that you're not constantly second guessing yourself. (6:58) But if you can't show up for it consistently right now, (7:03) it's going to feel stressful instead of helpful.

(7:05) And that's okay. (7:06) I want you to give yourself permission to wait. (7:08) There's really no shame in that.

(7:10) And last but not least, question number three, is this adding support or stress? (7:14) This is really a gut check, right? (7:15) Like macro tracking is an incredible tool, but just like any tool, (7:19) it only works in the right context. (7:21) As a mom, you're already managing law. (7:23) And the last thing that you need is a nutrition approach (7:25) that just feels like another job.

(7:26) The good news is it doesn't have to be this all or nothing. (7:30) Here's kind of some simple ways that you can make it work for your real life. (7:34) So one, you can start with just one or two meals.

(7:36) Like you don't have to track everything right away. (7:38) Just start with breakfast or lunch, get comfortable, (7:40) and then you can expand from there. (7:42) Number two is only tracking protein.

(7:44) So like I said earlier, if all three macros feels like too much, (7:48) just focus on your protein. (7:50) That's the most important macro. (7:51) And when you're constantly hitting your protein goal, (7:53) everything else tends to fall in place, (7:55) give or take.

(7:57) But protein is so important, especially if you're breastfeeding, (8:00) and especially if you're trying to get your hormones back on track, (8:03) really prioritizing that protein can be very helpful. (8:06) Number three, use sat meals that you already know. (8:09) Pick three to five meals on rotation that you've already figured out the macros for (8:12) so that you're not measuring from scratch every single time.

(8:15) This takes so much mental load off. (8:18) And number four is pre-logging the night before. (8:21) So spending five minutes the night before, (8:23) really mapping out the next day instead of tracking in real time.

(8:27) That way you're not making decisions on the fly (8:28) when you're exhausted or you're in the heat of the moment (8:31) or you're overwhelmed or overstimulated or whatever it is. (8:34) But you already took that five, 10 minutes the night before (8:38) to lay everything out so that you can just open up your app (8:41) and be like, what did I say I was going to have for breakfast? (8:42) Oh yeah, what did I say I was going to have for lunch? (8:44) And just follow it from there. (8:46) When you approach it this way, (8:48) macro tracking really does stop feeling like one more thing on your list, (8:51) and it really can start working for you.

(8:53) All right, let's quickly recap. (8:55) Before you start tracking, (8:56) I want you to ask yourself these three questions. (8:59) Number one, am I past the healing phase? (9:01) So the first three to four months postpartum, (9:03) in my opinion, especially for your first child, (9:05) should be intuitive.

(9:07) I want you to wait until your energy, your sleep, (9:09) your hormones feel more stable. (9:10) Don't rush it. (9:11) Number two, do I have the mental bandwidth? (9:13) Tracking does require energy and consistency.

(9:16) So ask yourself if you're in survival mode or growth mode (9:19) and give yourself permission to wait until you have the capacity. (9:22) And number three, is this adding support or stress? (9:25) I want you to make it manageable. (9:27) Start with one or two meals, only track protein, (9:30) use set meals or pre-log the night before.

(9:33) Macro tracking is an amazing tool, (9:34) but it's not for every season, in my opinion. (9:37) If you're in a season where it's just not the right fit, (9:39) that does not mean that you're failing. (9:41) It means that you are being wise (9:42) about where you're at right now and what you need.

(9:45) When you're ready, (9:46) my Macrokinamine Simple Online Academy (9:48) is going to guide you every step of the way. (9:50) You can check it out by going to macrokinameadsimple.com. (9:52) I'll also link it in the show notes. (9:54) If something in this episode gave you clarity, (9:56) I'd be so thankful if you give the show a follow, (9:59) leave a quick review.

(10:00) It really does help more moms to find this podcast (10:02) when they need it most. (10:04) I will also link my previous episode on the do's and don'ts (10:07) of nourishing your body postpartum in the show notes below as well (10:11) so that you can go check that out. (10:13) That is an episode that I did a while back, (10:15) but I think that that will be helpful for you.

(10:17) All right, that is all that I have for you today, (10:20) but thank you so much for being here. (10:21) I love you so much. (10:22) I mean it.

(10:23) I'll talk to you in the next one. (10:30) All right, sister. (10:31) That's all I got for you today, (10:33) but I have two things that I need you to do.

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(10:59) It means the absolute world, (11:00) and I'm going to leave you with one last thought. (11:03) The most beautiful women that I have met in my life (11:05) are the ones who are completely confident and secure (11:09) in being authentically themselves. (11:12) Remember that beauty goes so much deeper than the surface.

(11:15) So go out there and embrace a real, (11:18) because you're worth it.

 
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