This week we are going into a nutrition topic that has many different stances of opinions out there. Days where you don't track macros or otherwise known in the fitness community as non-tracking days. Some people believe that you should track macros everyday and never go off the path. Well I'm not one of those people. In todays blog i am going to be discussing 5 reasons why you should make an effort to not track somedays. After reading this you should feel confident that you can still hit your goals by allowing your self off the usual path. If you get something out of this weeks article please click those share buttons below so we can spread the knowledge as I'm trying to teach to as many people as possible. Thanks!
What is a Non Tracking Day?
I understand some may be new to the idea of not tracking macros for a day so i want to cover that first so that there is no confusion. A non-tracking day is simply a day where you don't track macros or calories and eat as you feel needed. Thats it! Simple as it sounds!!!!
What It Is Not!!!!!
A non tracking day is not a day to binge and eat everything in site. No i will never say that is a good idea. A non tracking day should be a day where you eat what you want but when had enough food then you stop! If your bingeing on your non tracking days then you would be better off tracking all the time then. A rule to remember is EAT SENSIBLY.
Why I Think You Should Give Them A Try
Ok now since we covered what a non tracking day is and also what it is not. Lets get to talking about why i promote them and why i think you will benefit from them.
1. Everyone Needs A Break Mentally
Constantly tracking macros rather your cutting or bulking can really get mentally draining when done for too long. If it gets to the point where you are spending endless hours on MyFitnessPal.com to track your macros then thats a clear sign you need to just loosen up a bit and have some non tracking days. Just like off days from the gym you should also have off days from constantly tracking. If your driving yourself mentally insane with tracking macros your going to notice that you have added stress on your life and any stress you have in your life will contribute to some sort of problem. Minimizing stress should always be first when your trying to hit any sort of goal, and that goes for life too! not just fitness.
2. You Don't Want To Get Obsessed
Like i mentioned above tracking macros can become an obsession if taken to far. Remember that too much of a good thing can be bad thing. If you are always on MyFitnessPal tracking macros THATS NOT HEALTHY. If your getting to the point where you think you need to hit every macro to the gram that is also NOT GOOD! There is a balance when it comes to tracking macros and if things are taken too far that can throw off the balance and you then become obsessed and when things start to go wrong then you have added stress and I'm guessing you can see where I'm going with this.... Also another note about stress..... Stress can actually interferer with dropping body fat because it raises your cortisol in unhealthy amounts... Just thought you should know that.
3. You Need An Energy Boost
This one mainly applies to those of you that are cutting but for those slow bulking this can also help. Being on special macro amounts overtime your performance for your workouts might start to decline and your progress might come to a halt. An easy way to fix that is to start having some non tracking days. You ever notice after you have a pizza night your next workout is usually amazing and you feel invincible? Yep well that is the power of allowing yourself more food than usual and getting off your regular macros. If you get to a point in your training where you are struggling with getting a pump, your motivation is lacking, and your just starting to hate training then thats a clear sign you are due for a couple non tracking days. Having those days will re-motivate you, re-energize you and you will be killing your training sessions again.
4. Allows More Variety In Your Diet and Life
You'll notice that when your tracking macros daily even if you are a flexible dieter you tend to eat the same things for the sake of convenience. It makes our lives easier to track if its the same thing or close to it. I do the same thing. I have a range of meals that i rotate through the week and it works. The Benefit of having non tracking days is it allows you to really have whatever you want. Craving a cheese burger for lunch but don't know how to fit it in your macros or maybe a cheese burger does not fit in your regular macros, great! then use your non tracking days to kill that craving and just eat what you want. Variety is the spice of life, heck order some fries and milk shake along with your burger ;)
5. Just Gotta Live Life Sometimes
When it comes down to the end of the day you have to realize that tracking macros is just such a small thing in life compared to the other huge things life has to offer. Enjoy yourself. You only live once and you never know when your last day is coming so if you are just stressed out tracking all the time just stop tracking for a bit. I promise you wont get fat as long as your hitting your training volume. A lot of people believe that nutrition is the main piece of the puzzle to getting results and the truth is in my opinion i would say training is more important than diet. Yes its important to have a good diet but you can build a great physique even if you don't eat the best as long as your getting in your training and not just going through the motions but continually adding volume each week, month, and year. Thats another topic to cover another time though.
Any Rules To Follow?
Not really, like i said above its not a day to just binge, eat till you had enough and stop, simple as that. for me i like to have 1-2 non tracking days a week. A lot of times for me thats the weekend. Its nice on the weekends to just eat what you want. How many calories? if your asking that then your overthinking it!!! just eat, no tracking means just that! You wont die i promise ;)
Conclusion
Ok so today we covered non-tracking days, what they are, what they are not, I then provided 5 benefits of including non tracking days in your plan. One other thing you might be asking yourself is "ok shawn what if I'm cutting, can i seriously not track on the weekends and still make progress? The answer is yes. If you nail at least 5 days of tracking macros each week and allow yourself freedom on the weekends thats over 75-80% of the week that you are hitting your targets. If your stepping on stage then it might not be the best idea but for everyone else that has no time table i say go for it! It might take you a few extra months to hit your weight goal but i would rather have the non tracking days and being flexible and having it take longer to hit my goals rather than being so strict that i drive myself crazy and end up bingeing. Think in the long term of things and you will find your life becomes much more simple. How about you guys? Do you have non-tracking days? Do you think you should have them? let me know in the comments! If you enjoyed this article please click those share buttons below :D till next time guys
Stay Strong,
Shawn Fausey
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- Shawn Fausey is the Founder and CEO of Fausey's Fitness. With Over 6 years experience in Bodybuilding, Powerlifting and Nutrition. Shawn offers services of online fitness coaching, programing and consulting. Shawn is also a Graphic Designer and can be reached for graphic services on www.rev-graphics.com
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