A while ago, I had received an email from a client who was reaching out because she was feeling so much anxiety about navigating social situations while doing macro tracking. She had been in a calorie deficit and was pretty meticulous with her macros, but the idea of going out to parties or going to events was incredibly daunting to her. And she wrote at the end of her message, “I just don’t feel like I can have a life.”

And haven’t we all been there!? Where we feel like our lifestyle and nutrition goals are in direct opposition to each other. But not only that, if we choose tracking macros, then we are forever doomed to be hermits who never go out or do anything fun!  

I know this feels true for all of us, especially if you are just starting out with tracking. Macros are advertised as compatible with lifestyle. It’s supposed to be sustainable. It’s supposed to be the thing that we can do long-term and yet here we are, looking at the social calendar and realizing that we don’t know how to make it all work together! 

And I just wanted to validate that tracking macros is very compatible with lifestyle. It is very flexible. No food group is excluded, so there is a lot of nutritional agility when you are tracking macros. But when you shift from just tracking macros, to also being in calorie deficit, your lifestyle will always be in conflict with your weight loss goals! You will have to navigate having less food and that reality is going to feel a little unsustainable sometimes depending on how deep your calorie deficit is. 

You will feel like you can’t have life BUT the reality is you can have a life, you just have to adjust your expectations of what life is going to look like while you are pushing forward toward this goal! 

Often when we go into macro tracking with a calorie deficit  we are misled into thinking that nothing has to change. But, the reality is that when we are pursuing our goals, we do have to make shifts in our lifestyle or adjust our expectations so that we can make progress. And this does take some adjusting. It means that when you go to a party you might leave a little early because you might get hungry if you are up too late.  Alternatively, you can stay at the party, but you have to have a plan so that you don’t feel like you are missing out (bring some snacks, have tea or sparkling water).

Talk with your coach about how to navigate social situations strategically so that you don’t necessarily feel like you’re missing out,.but also understand that going to a party isn’t going to look like eating food in an unrestricted way or enjoying all the sweets. You may look at your plate and feel like you are missing out a little bit because you’re not fully participating in the same way that other people might be OR in the same way that you used to. 

Remember that you are not doing life the way that you used to! You are doing life in a new way so that you can meet new goals!

Sometimes our nutrition goals and our lifestyle do come into conflict with one another and that’s perfectly normal! It is going to feel unsustainable and that is because it is not meant to be sustainable! You are not meant to be in a calorie deficit forever! Sooner, rather than later, you will exit out of a calorie deficit when you hit your goal and you will go into maintenance. And life will be so much more manageable when you go into maintenance! But for this short season of time, while you are making progress towards your weight loss goal, your lifestyle might look a little different and you will have to figure out how to show up in a different way to social events. 

Be honest with yourself and with your coach…”How do I do this in a way that I feel like I’m still living my life, but I’m still hitting my goals?” Adjust your expectations, be strategic with your choices, know that it is for a finite amount of time, and take it one event at a time so you don’t get overwhelmed!

Sometimes we feel like tracking macros or being in a calorie deficit is  supposed to look a certain way or even be easy! And it won’t necessarily be easy but there is a way to still make progress and have a life…it just may not look the way you think!