Tracking Macros With Carb Manager (And Top 7 Macro Tracking Mistakes)

Learning how to track macros is day one stuff on Keto. Tracking macros is how you keep carbs sufficiently low enough to enter the fat-burning state called ketosis. 

But macro tracking is more than just a Keto strategy. It's a nutritional strategy that keeps you hurtling towards your goal of becoming a healthier you. 

Did you know that keeping a food diary has been shown to double weight loss?[*] The more you track your food intake, the easier it is to manage your health. 

Macro tracking is simple in principle but sometimes tricky in practice. Even with a super intelligent app like Carb Manager on your side, you can make mistakes. 

But the app does make things considerably easier. Later, we'll explore how tracking macros with Carb Manager can supercharge your results. We'll also explore the top 7 macro tracking mistakes, how to prevent them, and tips for macro tracking in the 21st century. First, though, let's cover some macro basics. 

What Are Macros?

Macronutrients (aka macros) are nutrients your body requires in large amounts. These nutrients—protein, carbohydrates, and fat—contain stored energy (calories) that your body, through digestion and metabolization, converts to a form of usable energy called ATP. 

Micronutrients, conversely, are nutrients that your body requires in small amounts. And unlike macros, vitamin D, vitamin C, potassium, magnesium, sodium, and other "micros" don't contain calories. 

As an aside, alcohol is technically considered a macronutrient. But since alcohol serves no valuable role in the body, we'll leave it off the list. (Don't forget to count alcohol calories while macro tracking though!).   

Below is a rundown of the big three: protein, carbohydrates, and fat. 

Protein 

Calories per gram: 4

Functions: Building muscle, synthesizing neurotransmitters, building cells, producing hormones, healing wounds, producing energy as ATP.[*] 

Essential? Yes. Without dietary protein, we would wither away reasonably quickly. 

Carbohydrate 

Calories per gram: 4

Functions: Producing energy as ATP, refilling glycogen (stored glucose), maintaining blood sugar levels, stimulating insulin release.[*]

Essential? No. When you restrict carbs, your body shifts to using fat for energy. Meanwhile, you have backup systems (like gluconeogenesis) that produce glucose without carbs.[*] Of the three macronutrients discussed, carbohydrates are almost certainly the least essential because we can simply make our own sugar.

Fat

Calories per gram: 9

Functions: Producing energy as ATP, structuring cell membranes, balancing inflammation, absorbing fat-soluble vitamins.[*][*] 

Essential? Just about. You can survive on protein and carbs, but you'll likely develop vitamin and omega-3 fatty acid deficiencies. 

Why Tracking Macros Is Important

Macro tracking allows you to measure, manage, and master your nutritionally-conscious lifestyle. It helps bring your health goals to fruition.

The Keto diet is the obvious example. On Keto, you consume 55 to 75 percent of your calories from fat, 15 to 35 percent from protein, and below 10 percent from carbohydrates. 

Keeping your macros in these proportions keeps the hormone insulin low, signaling your liver to burn fat and produce ketones.[*] Researchers have linked this state (ketosis) to weight loss, hunger control, improved cognition, lower inflammation, and better metabolic health.[*][*][*][*][*] 

But you don't have to eat Keto to benefit from macro tracking. For example, if you want to lose fat, you might dial down carb or fat calories 5 or 10 percent. And if you want to gain muscle, you might dial up protein calories by a similar amount. 

In one study with 1700 participants, keeping a daily food log (vs. not keeping one) led to twice the weight loss.[*] By simply recording their food intake, people naturally consumed fewer calories. Tracking is insightful and can help with accountability.

Top 7 Macro Tracking Mistakes

Ready to start tracking macros with Carb Manager? Save yourself a boatload of future hassle by avoiding these mistakes. (Note: in the next section, we'll cover how the app's many features can help you prevent them.)

#1: Missing snacks

Tracking your macros means monitoring everything you eat. Not just your meals. 

If you pop a few cashews on the way to the airport, log that snack. This creates automatic accountability. Knowing you'll log everything tends to discourage mindless eating. 

#2: Logging partial days

Commit to at least one full day of tracking macros. If you log your food intake piecemeal, you won't have enough actionable information. 

You won't know your daily carb intake. You won't know your daily calories. You won't know if you're getting enough daily protein. And so on. 

#3: Measuring portions incorrectly

You might be able to nail your portions by eyeballing your meals. But then again, you might not. 

A more reliable way is to measure mass and volume with a scale, cups, spoons, etc. But you don't have to weigh everything. If you know (without measuring) that the chicken breast on your salad weighs 6 ounces, that's fine. Diligently measuring portions is often a temporary, but necessary tactic as you start your weight loss journey.

#4: Not creating custom meals

Custom meals are a huge timesaver if you frequently eat the same thing. Just log the ingredients once in Carb Manager (Premium version), and your custom meal will be there for all time, etched into the fabric of spacetime as the Universe slowly transmogrifies into a vast field of isolated black holes.[*] 

Eventually, even the black holes themselves will disappear. But your custom meal will still be there.   

#5: Not planning ahead

If you want to achieve any goal—including macro tracking—it's wise to have a plan. You can set goals and plan meals in the Carb Manager app. It beats winging it.

#6: Ignoring other metrics

When it comes to health metrics, macros aren't everything. You also have sleep, exercise, body weight, blood glucose, ketones, cholesterol, and even your intermittent fasting schedule. (Note: you can track all these metrics with Carb Manager premium). Check out this blog for tips on advanced tracking. 

#7: Being unclear about your goals

Why are you tracking macros? To lose weight? Gain muscle? Heal your gut? 

Your answers will dictate your macro strategy, so get clear about them. As your goals shift, your macro system will shift too. 

10 Tips for Tracking Macros With Carb Manager

Carb Manager has everything you need to thrive on your macro-tracking lifestyle. Here's how to track macros like a pro in the app and minimize your macro mistakes. (Note: all features except meal logging, exercise logging, weight tracking, and recipe search are only available in the Premium version). 

#1: Use the barcode scanner 

Many people worry that macro tracking will be laborious. Won't logging foods suck up your precious free time?

Not if we can help it. When you use the Carb Manager barcode scanner, you'll save time and never miss an ingredient. Just scan the food, and the app instantly logs all the ingredients. 

#2: Use voice logging

If you're always on the go, our voice logging feature is your salvation. Just say, "hey, Carb Manager," then dictate which foods you'd like to record. Pro tip: use voice logging in mixed company for an interesting conversation starter. 

#3: The visual snap

If you think barcode scanning and voice logging are cool, wait for this one. With the Visual Snap Feature, take a picture of your meal, and the app logs every food in the image for you! We swear we didn't hire aliens to create this technology. 

#4: Create custom meals 

Forgoing custom meals is a major macro mistake. Solve this problem by creating custom meals, meal plans, and recipes in the app and add to your daily total with one click. 

#5: Set macro goals 

The Carb Manager app helps you set macro goals:

• By day (if you practice intermittent fasting, for example)
• By meal 
• By diet (not just Keto, but Paleo, Whole 30, and other common diets)
• That adjust with your exercise regimen 

Say you take an unplanned run. No problem. You can "deduct macros" from your daily total, have an extra snack, and still hit your macro goals.  

Remember, getting clear about your goals is crucial in setting your macro strategy. As your goals change—and as you achieve them—Carb Manager makes it easy to dynamically update your macro targets. 

For instance, if your weight changes, the Smart Macros feature automatically adjusts your macro goals. Just sit back, relax, and let us do the calculation. 

#6: Track other metrics 

There's more to health than tracking calories from fat, protein, and carbs. With Carb Manager, you can measure and track exercise, weight, sleep, intermittent fasting, glucose, ketones, and more. 

#7: Track micronutrients 

When it comes to long-term health, micronutrients matter. Carb Manager automatically logs your micros so you can monitor your vitamin and mineral status.

#8: Stay accountable 

Share your macro love with over 8 million friends in the Carb Manager community. For an extra boost of motivation, consider earning points for tracking macros in a monthly Carb Manager challenge.

#9: Learn to cook 

With over 50,000 healthy recipes that fit your macros, you won't be short on options. 

#10: Level up your knowledge 

Read articles (like this one!) and watch educational videos in Carb Manager's Keto Academy. The more you learn, the easier it will become to crush your health goals. 

Okay, you're well on your way to macro success. The next step is to take action. Get the Carb Manager app, play with the features, and make a plan. The rest will fall into place naturally.