5 Reasons You May Not Be Losing Fat When Tracking Macros

Tracking macros but not seeing the results you want yet? Find out why you may not be losing weight despite tracking macros.

Tracking macronutrients has become a popular weight loss method, allowing you to shed pounds while still enjoying your favorite foods. This strategy calculates your intake of carbs, fats, and proteins in a certain ratio to facilitate weight loss, and is successful when combined with calorie control. However, you may find that you still aren’t losing fat, even when you’re tracking macros regularly. If this describes your situation, you may have fallen victim to the five pitfalls of tracking macros for weight loss.

Using Macro Tracking for the Wrong Reasons

While macro tracking has taken off as a weight loss tool, you may focus on it entirely too much. It’s definitely important to aid in weight loss, as it provides that healthy ratio of fats, carbs, and proteins as described above. This allows you to feel fuller for longer and keep less wholesome foods out of your diet.

That’s just what the Lifesum app helps you do. When you can calculate macros correctly, stay on task, and couple it with tracking calories, your path to weight loss becomes more clear, and you can become more motivated.

Not Tracking Macros With Low-Calorie Produce

Vegetables and fruits are key ingredients when it comes to losing weight using the macros method. With high fiber, water content, and vitamins, vegetables and fruits give you the nutrition your body needs, often with a low calorie intake. However, some macro trackers often forget to put this information into their daily calculations.

It’s thought that because vegetables and some fruits are relatively low-calorie and don’t add much to the three macros groups, you can ignore them. The problem is that these foods can cut into your calorie and macros deficit. With the Lifesum app, you can find the exact amount of macros and calories in each serving of vegetables, making it easier to maintain your calorie goals and macros ratio.

Quality Not Quantity

The appeal of weight loss with macros is that you aren’t confined to a handful of food categories, giving you the freedom to choose what you want to eat. This could also be your downfall. Fortunately, the Lifesum app allows you to not only track macros, but the nutritional content and calories of millions of food items. This enables you to stay within your calorie and macros limit, even if you want a “cheat day.”

Setting Your TDEE Incorrectly

TDEE, or Total Daily Energy Expenditure, is an estimate of how many calories you burn daily, including exercise. This uses a lengthy formula that’s often figured using your answers to questions. When you put that you’re moderately active when you’re actually sedentary, this could affect your TDEE, throwing off your macros calculations and weight loss.

All Cardio

Cardio burns more calories than most physical activities, but if you want to look better, build mass, and lose weight, hit the gym. Weight training has been proven to increase your metabolism, helping you shed those unwanted pounds more readily than running.

Tracking macros is a valuable tool in the fight against extra pounds, but don’t expect it to be a miracle worker, especially if you ignore the other aspects of your diet and exercise regimen.

All of the content and media on Lifesum is created and published for information purposes only. It is not intended to be used as a substitute for medical advice or treatment. Users should always consult with a doctor or other health care professional for medical advice. If you have or think you are at risk of developing an eating disorder, do not use the Lifesum app and seek immediate medical help.