Macro Tracking Summer Update
+ recipe for Gluten-free Chocolate Chip Muffins
The summer can feel like one elongated holiday as we gather with friends, family and head off on vacations. If you’re tracking macros, and feel like summer has been a challenge, here’s a few tips that have worked to keep me focused on my goals.
Enter your most important meal first
This is more about the meal that matters most to you in terms of importance. Do you have dinner plans on a certain evening, meeting friends for brunch and want to order the eggs benedict? Enter the meal you want to prioritize eating first so you can plan the rest of your meals around that one. This is good advice for tracking macros in general, regardless of holidays or vacations.
Make an exit plan
Speaking from experience, taking a break from it can be a slippery slope but also a necessity. When I went to Montreal earlier this year, I pseudo-tracked macros, entering everything even if I knew I was going over to stay honest with myself.
Looking back, what I wish I’d done was plan out my meals for the few days after returning from vacation. This would’ve made it much easier to slip back into my normal routine. Instead it took me a few weeks to right my course again. Now I know the key to transition from vacation mode to everyday life eating habits is to plan a few days worth of meals in advance to get myself back on track.
Remember to enjoy yourself
You only live once, so prioritize memories and joy over tracking macros every waking minute.
Now let’s talk about these muffins. The inspiration for them was born from my elusive search to track down a brand of gluten-free muffins that Virginia loves. The local health food store been out of stock for a while now. I perused the ingredient label online, and decided to try making a homemade version.
They’ve since become a great midday coffee break snack, or sometimes a grab & go pre-breakfast snack before my morning walk. The muffins are a little high in fat (12g per muffin) due to the chocolate chips and almond flour but they’re also fiber-rich with 4g per serving and the carbs are pretty low compared to most store bought or even homemade chocolate muffins—life is all about balance, and I’d say these gluten-free chocolate chip muffins strike a very good one. —xo, j.
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