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Today, we’re joined by my cousin Claire Cook. She’s a certified life coach, macro nutrition coach, and a PE teacher. Before working with her, I knew close to nothing about macro nutrition. I had healed my Hashimoto’s by embracing clean ingredients and cutting out toxins. But the specifics of what to eat and when? Definitely not my area of expertise.
So six months ago, during a trip to Las Vegas, I made the decision to commit to macro coaching with Claire. Sure, I had to set aside my pride a little to work with my cousin. But I’m so glad I did because this has seriously been one of the most eye-opening things I’ve done in my health journey.
Claire is taking us through a process that is not hyper focused on restriction or obsessive thinking around food. Tune in to hear some of the tools we’ve used along the way and the specific tests Claire has all of her students run to operate from a place of deep understanding with our bodies.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
- The necessary function carbohydrates play in our diet
- Why many people aren’t getting enough protein
- How to cut down on fats without turning to “low-fat” processed foods
- How toxin exposure and hormone balance play a role in weight loss resistance
Macro Coaching vs. Calorie Counting
Calories are definitely involved in macro coaching. You get more calories per gram of protein, fats, and carbohydrates. Calories play a role. In weight loss, you want to be in a deficit. You want to be eating calories but you need to be burning more.
The downside is people think they should only eat 1,000 calories and workout. They’ll lose weight really fast but it won’t be sustainable and they’re likely to gain it all back. You can’t survive on 1,000 calories for the rest of your life.
There’s a common misconception with macro nutrition that it’s just calorie counting, but all calories aren’t created equal.
150 calories of a protein source like chicken vs. 150 calories of Goldfish will have substantially different effects on your body. With protein, you’ll feel full and build lean mass. Goldfish will spike your insulin levels and blood sugar, leaving you with nothing good.
Macro nutrition really isn’t about calorie counting – it’s about counting macros and how many of those macros you need. It depends on your lifestyle, how active you are, and your goals.
How to Figure Out Your Macros
As we age, our metabolism changes so age plays a role.
What is your lifestyle like? What’s your activity level like when you’re not trying to work out? Do you work out? What does that look like?
Claire looks at multiple variables in someone’s life and figures out a baseline for them. Everything is completely customized and unique to YOU.
She normally has people track what they eat and do for an entire week because most people aren’t paying attention to what they’re consuming. It’s probably way off balance from where they should be at. Because of our culture, most people aren’t eating enough protein and eating too much fat.
She needs to know how your body is responding to your current habits and makes small tweaks from there to see what happens. It’s not just a “set it and forget it” diet plan. It’s a flexible strategy that adjusts based on how you feel.
It takes a whole month to change our habits and mindset around food.
Focusing on Macro Nutrition
Working with Claire on macro nutrition coaching changed my life and how I view food. I had some really unhealthy habits before working with her and now, I’m much more aware of and confident in what I need to eat to sustain my ideal body weight and feel my best.
If you’ve been stuck in the cycle of tracking calories or making unhealthy choices to lose weight quickly, reach out to Claire. She can help you make sustainable and real changes for YOUR body.
Connect with Claire:
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- Leave a positive review or rating wherever you listen
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Related Episodes:
- Episode 88: Simplifying Anti-Inflammatory Foods and Safe Cooking Practices with Culinary Nutrition Expert and Chef, Shelley Loving
- Episode 99: It’s Not Your Child: How Food Dyes Effect Children’s Behavior
- Episode 101: Lead in Food: What You Actually Need to Know (And What’s Just Fear)
- Episode 121: Glyphosate in Food: The Cancer Study That Changes Everything
- Episode 135: Healing My Hashimoto’s and My Relationship to Food with Claire Cook
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