Intuitive Eating vs. Macro Tracking [Which Is Better?]

Intuitive eating or macro tracking?

This seems to be such a HOT topic these days.

Which is better? Which should you do? And what do I do personally?

Read along and I’ll answer some of these frequently asked questions!

Which one is better?

Unfortunately, I don’t have a straight answer one way or another. I firmly believe that this is a personal thing and there’s many factors that depend on which would be better for YOU. While tracking macros may be an excellent choice for one person, it may be a horrible idea for another person. Let me explain a bit.

If someone comes to me and has no concept of macronutrients or nutrition, and they have a goal of weight loss, or even simply toning up, I might recommend tracking macros. But first, they should ensure that they would mentally be okay with tracking their macros. Some people can become easily obsessive, and if you think this may be a trigger for you, tracking macros may not be your best option. I highly recommend tracking macros for people that have changes to make in their lifestyle, but they have a healthy relationship with food. I think tracking macros can be an excellent tool to help you become aware of your eating, create new habits, change old habits, and develop a balanced outlook on nutrition. I also believe that we shouldn’t be tracking macros forever. It should be something that we do for a season to recognize habits, change them, and from there, develop a mindful and intuitive eating approach.

I think an intuitive and mindful eating approach is a great option for a few different types of people. Firstly, if you feel like you are in a place of maintenance, and you aren’t aiming to make any major changes, then going this route would be perfect. And ultimately, eating intuitively and mindfully is where we want to be. Who wants to track their food forever?!

Another reason you may want to attempt an intuitive and mindful eating approach is if you feel like tracking macros could become an obsessive and unhealthy practice for you. If this is the case, yes, you can still make progress and changes with intuitive and mindful eating. It will look a little different, and the process may take a little longer, but in the grand scheme of things, your mental health and relationship with food is more important than speeding up the process.