Tighter Together Macro Q & A

This will be my 4th or 5th round of Tighter Together and I truly couldn’t be more excited! After a rather tough 2020, I am thrilled at the thought of having something concrete to focus on and challenge myself with as we kick off a (hopefully) amazing 2021! I’m so pumped that this year my husband is actually joining me in the challenge and while it will be my second time doing it with macros, it will be his first and I am secretly jealous that he gets to learn macros from someone that knows a bit about the idea rather than stumble through the learning curve like I did when I first started tracking 😉

With that in mind, I absolutely remember how hard it was for me to get the hang of macro tracking and how frustrated I got when I didn’t hit my numbers perfectly every day and let me tell you, the best thing you can do for yourself when you’re first starting out, is to genuinely tell yourself that perfection is not the goal! Trust me, if you can truly believe in that concept you will make this journey so much easier and more enjoyable, because like with anything new, learning to track macros is not something that comes naturally or easily to most and there is a definite learning period involved.

While I am far from an expert in macro tracking, I’m more than happy to share everything I’ve learned with you, so let’s dive into some of your Instagram questions together!

How did you start macro tracking? It’s so overwhelming!

You are absolutely right, macros can definitely be overwhelming if you’ve never tracked anything before, so here are some tips and tricks that helped me get the hang of this new way of looking at nutrition.

1. Take advantage of MyFitnessPal Premium! They give you a 30 day free trial, so I highly suggest making use of that for your 30 days of Tighter Together. The premium version allows you to set custom macros in grams, shows you meal breakdowns in each category and gives you an overall daily look at where you’re at and what you have left to use in your macro budget. Trust me, it makes the whole process so much easier!

2. Get a good food scale. I have this one (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B018LXSPEA/?ref=idea_lv_dp_ov_d&tag=aiponsite-20&linkCode=ic6&ascsubtag=amzn1.ideas.EY9YPEJNM8R6) and it works great!

3. Always pre log your food for the following day. When I first started I always pre logged all my food the night before, so that I didn’t have to think about what to eat day of and could just pull up my app and create my meal based on the pre logged values.

4. Always pre log dessert. This was huge for me. I know I want something sweet at the end of the day and knowing I couldn’t have it due to macros just wouldn’t work for me, so I always made sure I pre logged a little treat into my macro budget to ensure I had room for it. Once that was logged, I worked backwards and filled in the rest of the day from there.

5. Don’t get too set on having to create a recipe for your meals. During the Tighter Together challenge when macros are a bit tighter, not every meal is going to look perfectly put together. Don’t be afraid to combine egg whites with rice crackers, deli meat and mustard and call it dinner. I usually just look in the fridge and build meals around what I have available, while always making sure my choices are high protein and lower in fats and carbs (for sake of the challenge).

6. Focus on lean proteins first and once you’ve plugged in your entire day, then go back and add more fun proteins if you have fats to spare (since proteins like beef generally also have more fats).

7. Don’t make it more complicated than it needs to be. There’s a ton of info out there about net carbs, how collagen protein doesn’t count, etc. I ignored all of that and literally just went off of what MyFitnessPal showed me I had available in my macro budget.

8. Focus on macros only, don’t worry about the calories. Although calories will likely be very close to the ones Madeline sent you, in my experience focusing on hitting the macros within 0-5g each day is the goal, don’t sweat it if you go over calories.

9. If things become super overwhelming, you can always start by just focusing on hitting your protein macros while staying at your overall calories and letting fats and carbs fall where they may.

Do you have some high protein snack ideas that aren’t protein powder?

Absolutely! I am not a huge fan or protein powder and I actually just ordered a new brand to try for this Tighter Together, but I’m with you, let’s not depend on powders to meet our protein goals for the day. Here are some high protein food ideas I love!

· Greek yogurt

· Bone broth (I get this kind https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07W6RMFBG/?ref=idea_lv_dp_)

· Deli Meat

· Cottage cheese

· Collagen powder (I love both Vital Proteins and this one from Further Foods https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07V7Y89XV/?ref=idea_lv_dp_ov_d&tag=aiponsite-20&linkCode=ic6&ascsubtag=amzn1.ideas.2OMLZ5JKWFTZO)

· Healthy on the Go bars

· PB Fit

· Egg whites

· Beans

· Better Oats

· Lean meats such as chicken, turkey, etc

· Fish options such as tilapia, canned tuna, etc

· String cheese

How do you feel full on less macros?

That’s a great question and I think to be honest, there’s no way of getting around the fact that there will inevitably be some days when we definitely won’t feel full during Tighter Together, due to the cut nature of the challenge and that’s perfectly ok, however, here are some tricks that helped me stay fuller longer.

1. Drink LOTS of water!!

2. Fill your plate with volume foods such as salad, veggies, etc so you feel fuller post meal

3. Choose more fiber rich foods such as non-starchy veggies that are more nutrient dense (broccoli, zucchini, okra, etc)

Do you drink any kind of protein shake while doing Tighter Together?

So, in the past I avoided protein shakes mainly due to the fact that my stomach just doesn’t do well with artificial sweeteners and powders in general, but I just ordered Active Stacks chocolate protein and am excited to give that a go. I definitely don’t believe in relying on protein shakes too much for your daily protein intake and prefer just eating high protein foods instead, however I definitely understand that sometimes a shake is easier and for that reason I will keep you posted on how I like the one I ordered. Stay tuned!

How do I not go over my fat macros during Tighter Together?

This is a tricky one and definitely something I struggled with in the beginning too. While I am not a huge proponent of nonfat and low-fat foods in general, for the purpose of this challenge, I’d say don’t be afraid to reach for those options when making your grocery list. For example, instead of enjoying regular yogurt and peanut butter as an afternoon snack, I might go for 0% Greek yogurt with PBFit during the challenge, to not only decrease my fat budget for the meal, but also increase my protein count.

Furthermore, I found that swapping for egg whites instead of whole eggs, skipping the butter on my toast and actually measuring my coffee creamer, allowed me to set some of my fat macros aside to be able to have small treat after dinner.

Ultimately, this challenge is meant to be just that, a challenge and with that you may have to sacrifice your higher fat foods for their not so fun, but lower fat alternatives.

Just got my macros and 1350 calories seems so low, any thoughts?

I know Madeline made a post specifically about the 1350 calorie range in the Facebook group, so definitely reference that, but as far as my feedback, without knowing more about you, your body type, activity level etc I really can’t give you any more info on this topic. However, just remember that this is your challenge, so if you feel that your macros are too low, know that you have the freedom to change them to fit your needs. Madeline does include a formula of how to increase your macros in the Tighter Together manual, so if I were you, I would reference that and bump my macros up as I see fit.

What cookbooks and recipes do you follow during Tighter Together?

This answer will probably disappoint you, but I very rarely follow any type of recipe or cookbook even when not in a challenge. BUT, I know the Tighter Together challenge does include a wonderful recipe guide with tons of great options and I’ve also heard great things about all of the Lillie Eats and Tells cookbooks, so definitely check those out! As for me, I generally just throw together whatever sounds good and is in my fridge and tend not to worry too much about how awkward my meals are because of that.

Talk about your experience with cut macros?

For this challenge I opted to go with maintenance macros, but in the past I have definitely done Tighter Together with cut macros and it just wasn’t the best fit for me to be totally honest. As I found out, I am not very good at being hungry and quickly lose my will to stick to macros if my stomach is constantly growling, no matter how great I look. I also found out that super low calories and fat isn’t the best for my body and hormones and I easily lose my cycle when I eat way under my daily needs. For that reason, I am avoiding cut macros from now on and will stick with maintenance for this challenge, which are still significantly lower than where I am currently eating.

However, just remember, what works for me doesn’t necessarily work for you and if you are doing an aggressive cut then I am 100% in your corner cheering you on! You got this!!

When counting macros is it more important to stick to macros or calories?

I have always just paid attention to the macros and ignored the calories. Because you are sticking with the same macros each day you will notice that your overall calories actually won’t fluctuate that much day to day, so I say just try to hit your macros within 5g of your goal and let calories fall where they may.

How do you reverse to maintenance after Tighter Together?

Like I mentioned in the beginning, I am far from a pro when it comes to macro tracking, but what I did after my last challenge was follow the reverse formula Madeline provided in the manual to get my baseline maintenance macros set. From there I began adding 100 calories (split between fats and carbs) each week, keeping track of my weight and body fat throughout, until my weight and measurements started increasing. Once I noticed the change, I stopped and assumed I hit my true maintenance, which was amazing, because I was able to eat way more than I have ever enjoyed before without my body composition changing at all! You’d be surprised how much fuel your body actually needs!

I have always been under the impression that you need about 1 g of protein per lb of body weight, why are my Tighter Together protein macros so much higher?

From what I know, you are absolutely correct in that we need about 0.8-1.2 grams of protein per pound of body weight during maintenance or non-challenge periods, however when you are in a cut maintaining adequate protein intake is super important. High protein intake during a caloric deficit, can aid fat loss by boosting your metabolism, reducing your appetite and preserving lean muscle mass, which is why during Tighter Together, your protein intake will be slightly higher than when you’re not in a cut phase.

I hope this was helpful, but as always, definitely feel free to DM me with any questions and I'd be more than happy to help as much as I can. Once Tighter Together starts I will be sharing tons of meal ideas, at home workout swaps and macro counting tips, so don't worry, this isn't the last of me talking about this topic!