I didn’t start tracking my macros until I decided to prep for my very first bikini competition. I learned so much those 20+ weeks, but there was definitely a decent learning curve for me. Cooking was not something I enjoyed and very rarely ever did. I had no idea how to put together a good meal and tracking it all seemed really difficult. I remember having anxiety about how the heck I was going to hit each macro goal without going over on one because I was under on another. What if I hit my fats but still had carbs left to eat? It kind of felt like a weird game of Price Is Right where I’m desperately trying to get all the numbers to match. In addition, hitting my protein goal felt like a full-time job!
It may seem like tracking macros is really difficult but I promise it didn’t take me too long to figure it out. It just took a little bit of patience, planning and consistently logging everything in MyFitnessPal app. The heart of success with tracking macros as a beginner is to keep your food choices simple and plan out your meals ahead of time. After a short time, I became more confident and began to experiment with different recipes and adding in more foods.
I’ve been tracking my food consistently now for about 2 ½ years and trust me…I wouldn’t keep doing it if it wasn’t a heck of a lot easier now. It’s all become second nature to me. Now, I can even accurately estimate my food when I go out to eat.
Once I got the hang of tracking my macros I was desperate to figure out how to track my alcohol! Not only that but I needed to find a good macro friendly beverage choice. I wanted to be able to still enjoy a good cocktail on the weekend but not feel like it was going to cost me nearly all of my carb and/or fats for the day. I didn’t want to have to make the choice between actual food and alcohol. Although, admittedly, some days the choice would easily land on the side of alcohol!
I like to continually tweak my cocktails and find different combinations that work. Since the weather is getting warmer and Memorial Day is right around the corner I thought I would share two very refreshing macro friendly drink choices. These are easy to make and certainly very easy to drink! Feel free to substitute whichever liquor you prefer. Most of all…sit back and enjoy a delicious macro friendly cocktail that still leaves room for some good eats (if you so choose).
Macros: 11 carbs, 4 fat, 0 protein
Cucumber Gin Cocktail
Ingredients
- 1 fl oz Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice
- 2 fl oz Rosemary infused stevia simple syrup heat up 1/4 cup stevia and 2 cups water until fully mixed then steep rosemary for 2 hours and strain. Make 14 total fl oz.
- 1.5 fl oz Gin works best with gin or vodka but you can use any liquor you prefer
- 2-3 slices Cucumber
Instructions
- Muddle 2-3 slices of cucumber at bottom of a shaker
- Add the gin, rosemary simple syrup, lemon juice, and ice; shake
- Strain into an ice-filled tumbler or glass
- Garnish with cucumber and rosemary if desired
If making a simple syrup isn’t really your thing or you need something in a pinch that’s even quicker and super simple…give this little vodka soda drink a try. This is one of my favorite go-to drinks in the summer. So refreshing and perfect sitting by a firepit!
Macros: 12 carbs, 6 fats, 0 protein
Vodka Soda
Ingredients
- 1.5 fl oz vodka
- 1 fl oz lime juice feel free to add a bit more if you like an extra tang
- 6 oz diet 7 Up
Instructions
- Mix all ingredients together over ice and enjoy!
Until next time my friends!
Xx
Allison
