When I was a sophomore in high school, I decided that I was going to run cross-country. I loved everything about the sport: the workouts, the team, and the amount of time we spent together.
My first year running, I was not very good. I found myself finishing in nearly last place, and had a hard time completing workouts at practice. The next summer when it was time to train for my junior season, I decided that I didn’t want to come in toward the end anymore and woke up every morning to go on a run.
Naturally, I got faster, and found myself finishing in the top 15 on a consistent basis. I became obsessed with getting better, meaning that I would do anything to get better. I noticed I felt good at a lower weight (I had dropped about 20 pounds that season), and I started to be very careful of what I ate, when I ate, and how much I ate.
My senior year, I competed in the Miss MA Teen USA pageant and through this opportunity, I learned to fall in love with eating healthy and relieving my stress through exercise. But because I was competing, I felt I had to maintain a low weight, and I struggled with the idea of gaining anything more than a pound. I knew that I needed to do something to get back to normal, but I didn’t know where to start.
Two years later, after struggling with anemia, acne, and low body weight, I started researching ways to become a healthier version of myself in a safe manner. One of the first articles to come up was tracking macronutrients in a daily diet. I did some research, and since I go to the gym six days a week, I figured I could train my muscles to handle this new lifestyle and try and gain back what I lost.
Tracking macros involves eating the proper amount of protein, carbs, and fat that your body needs daily in order to function at its full potential. It can boost your metabolism, help improve sleep, create healthier skin, hair, and nails, and more. You can also adjust your macros according to your goals, such as a goal to gain, lose, or maintain weight.
I can honestly say that since I have started tracking, I have not gained a pound of fat. I see much more muscle definition than I did before and have noticed my skin clearing up at a rapid pace. For the first time in quite a while, I feel like I have a good relationship with my body, and I encourage anyone who is struggling to maintain their weight to consider tracking macros as a form of both self-care and self-love.