You’re probably eating a lot differently than you’re used to, so keep in mind there is always an adjustment period as your body adapts to this new way of eating! Our bodies love consistency and try to establish homeostasis, or find what is normal. This takes time. Just because you’re not noticing any visible changes yet doesn’t mean your body isn’t working behind the scenes. Remember, change won’t happen overnight! Macrostax numbers are designed to get your body working efficiently by speeding up your metabolism in order to preserve lean muscle mass and burn fat. The adjustment period can last up to 6-weeks for some people so patience is key during those first weeks of the program. After that time, you can expect to see some progress either with your weight, your measurements, your photos, your performance in the gym, or just feeling better on a daily basis.

If you’ve been following the program for a couple of weeks now, it’s also possible your progress is not quite visible yet! For example, if you track primarily using the scale, it can be difficult to account for invisible factors like water retention, changes in muscle and fat, differences in workouts (over training or deloading), stress, lack of sleep, hormones, or a menstrual cycle for females. To read more about tricky weight fluctuations, check out our Help Center Article, "Why does my weight keep fluctuating?". The best way to try and track your progress with the scale is to weigh yourself as much as possible, preferably daily. The more you can weigh yourself, the more accurate your weekly average will be. Looking at this weekly average and the overall trend will be far more indicative of your progress than the individual weigh-ins themselves. Anywhere from 0.5 to 2 lbs of average weight loss or gain per week is the right amount.

If your weekly averages aren’t changing, it might be time to re-evaluate how accurately you are hitting the daily macro targets. Even though we may believe we’re doing it the right way, miscalculating is incredibly common! So it’s important to be honest with yourself and ask, “Am I estimating portion sizes or accurately weighing them”? “Am I logging that snack I ate earlier?” “Am I sticking to the plan when I go out on weekends?” "Am I tracking alcohol correctly?"

Look at the example of peanut butter below. The one on the left looks like what we would typically scoop out of a jar as a serving. It’s a larger dessert spoon, so we think we can fill it up. However, the image on the right is a true tablespoon (16 grams), which is one and a half times less! Overestimating portions like this can add up throughout the day, or even the week, and put us way over or under where we need to be without knowing it.

Below is another example using chicken breast. The photo on the left is one whole chicken breast, which is commonly considered to be a single serving. However, the photo on the right is a true single serving (3 ounces), but is also less than half the size.

When it comes to going out on weekends, traveling for work, or special occasions, getting off track with your macros is a likely possibility. We tend to underestimate our portion sizes, conveniently "forget" to track the little snacks we eat, or even forego weighing or measuring altogether which can add up to more than you realize. Those extra calories might be the last piece of the puzzle as to why you're not seeing the progress you should be. It's important to enforce the same habits we see Monday through Friday to establish consistency. Check out the diagram below on the Importance of Consistency which demonstrates how the extra calories over the weekend can put you off track. For tips on navigating dining out, check out our Help Center Article, "What is the best way to meet my macros while dining out?".

However, let’s say you have been following all the factors mentioned above: you’ve been on the program for at least a month, you track different factors for progress, you weigh and measure everything accurately, and you hit your green thumbs up each day. It could be time to move to the next phase, which you can select in the app.

Dieting can often feel like a pass/fail test, but it’s so much more than that! You’re not on a diet. You’re on a journey to better health, and this journey has a lot of ups and downs, detours, and road blocks. Slow progress is still progress nonetheless. And remember progress is more than a number on a scale. Progress is learning to appreciate your body’s capabilities, changing your thought patterns, feeling more confident, developing healthier long-term habits, making better food choices, and sticking to commitment. If you can stick to these principles, you are already on the road to success!