10/16/2026
"Tracking macros doesn't work for me."
I hear this every single week. And it's never the tracking. It's one of these 5 things:
1. Your goal was never right. An online calculator gave you a starting guess, not a prescription. If the target is wrong, everything downstream is wrong too.
2. You're consistent Monday through Friday. Then the weekend erases it. Five tracked days plus two untracked days averages out to maintenance, not a deficit.
3. You're eyeballing your portions. "Pretty close" is usually 20 to 30 percent off, and it is never off in your favor. The food scale is not the enemy.
4. You weigh yourself once a week and panic at the number. Daily weigh-ins, tracked as a trend, tell the real story. One random weigh-in tells you nothing.
5. You're way UNDER your calories and proud of it. Chronic undereating tanks your energy, your training, and your adherence. Then the weekend happens. See number 2.
Tracking works. It's the ex*****on that breaks down.
Which number are you?
Follow Shannon Hanson | Peri- & Post-menopause Fitness Coach, I help women over 40 lose fat and build muscle without the guesswork.