Top 30 Macro Hacks to Lose Weight Fast

For anyone that struggles with weight loss, you're more than in a caloric surplus which means you're eating more than you're burning each day. In this article we give you 30 tips to help lower your caloric intake and speed up your weight loss process.

1. Avoid eating macro-dense foods early on

You might want to re-consider eating 1,000 calories worth of treats first thing in the morning.The issue here is that you’d likely be wasting a lot of your carbs and fats early on which isn't exactly beneficial. At this point, to hit your macros the rest of the day might have to be filled with lean proteins and salad. By avoiding this early treat, you’ll be able to have a much more balanced and enjoyable day of eating. There’s nothing worse than consuming all of your fat and majority of your carbs early on in the day. One way we like to focus on in the morning is having a protein-heavy breakfast to help achieve the protein goal and also allow for more carbs and fats later on.

2. Log everything a day in advance

You’re going to without a doubt see the most success by planning what you’re going to eat ahead of time. Some people like to meal prep their meals in advance which works extremely well, and you can even pre-log what you know you’ll be eating a day in advance even if it’s not prepped. This is a great way to get you thinking about what will actually fit your macros, and also teach you the basics of macro tracking.

3. Start your day off with a filling, high-volume meal

Starting your day off with a nice big meal consisting of solid carbs, protein and healthy fats will help you with food satiety.  If you start off with a small meal you could find that you’ll binge out at lunch or dinner time. Being hungry throughout the day people tend to overeat later on, where if you’re nice and satisfied throughout the day, you’ll feel fresh, full, and in control for the rest of the day.

4. Log as the day goes on

Tracking as you go is a must. If you wait until the end of the day to add input your macros, you’ll more than likely not be as accurate as you should be. It allows you to keep track of what your macros at any given moment and shows you what you have left to work with for the rest of the day. By tracking as the day goes on, you’ll be able to avoid a common issue that occurs with a lot of new trackers. You’ll be able to stop yourself from  having 60 grams of protein left with no carbs or fat because you’ll more than likely make sure to have more protein earlier on.

5. Look for a low calorie alternative that still satisfies cravings

Very often people let their cravings get the best of them. Have you ever walked through a mall and craved a cinnamon bun due to the extremely strong smell? What if, instead of wasting 500 of your calories on a bun from Cinnabon you went to a grocery store and picked up 90 calorie cinnamon bun treats? We highly recommend trying to look for treats that will satisfy you, but not throw you away farther away from your goals. 

6. Eat food that is high in volume

If you’re someone that’s dieting on fairly low calories, high volume and high fiber foods are going to be your best friend. Carb options that are higher in fiber will absorb more slowly, which will help you feel fuller, longer.  You may want to try foods that leave you feeling full and more satisfied. For example, oatmeal l has more volume, but fewer carbs and calories than the equivalent amount of low-fiber cereal  which may give you the illusion of eating more and leave you feeling more satisfied.We don’t recommend trying to achieve your macro targets consistently through fast food because it’s going to be harder finding those foods that really fill you up. There’s also lots of room for error in the calorie intake of foods you’re not preparing yourself. Also, if you’re new to flexible dieting, it may be hard for you to hit your protein target. A lot of beginners don’t realize how little protein they’re consuming until they actually log it. Protein is a great way to also fill yourself up and help with satiety. We recommend aiming for about 30-40g per meal. If you’re someone that struggles with getting a sufficient amount of protein you can supplement with protein powder. Volume is everything when it comes to sustaining a diet!

Fun fact: 1 pickle is only 4 calories! 

7. Fill yourself up with low to no calorie drinks throughout the day

If you find yourself craving food throughout the day and you want to avoid eating for the time being to save calories, try low to no calorie drinks! A few awesome examples are black coffee, sparking water BCAA’S and the list goes on. We also recommend diet drinks as they contain no calories but will still give you the sweet tooth feeling with no negative repercussions. Some will argue that drinks containing aspartame have negative effects, however we took on the myth and made a video on the topic. Want more info on artificial sweetners? Check this out. 

8. Avoid the high calorie additions

On top of the high calorie dressings, the additions you like to add on will pack on a ton of calories also. Try to minimize or avoid these as much as possible. The reason we say this is because toppings such as bacon bits and croutons will add A TON of fat to your salad. At that rate, you may as well be having a burger! Make smart decisions guys. 

9. Hot sauce is an amazing no calorie alternative

Need to spice things up for no calories? Add hot sauce to EVERYTHING! Mustard is also another amazing low calorie alternative. It adds a ton of flavour with close to no expense. It does have a fair amount of sodium but sodium isn’t the devil like some people say. Check out our video where we talk about this topic.

10. Spend your money wisely

A lot of people waste their money on products that they believe work like magic especially when it comes to ‘high protein’ items. I’ve seen bars marketed as high protein that only consisted of 4 grams of protein per bar. Special k protein shakes have 5 grams of fat and only 10 grams of protein. Instead of spending $2 per shake you may as well eat whole food protein sources or protein from www.ehplabs.com ! Don’t forget to use code: colossus10 to save 10% off your purchases by the way! 

11. Have portion control

Have one slice of cake, not the entire thing. The best part about flexible dieting is that you can have whatever foods you enjoy so long as it fits in your macronutrient intake. However, the biggest thing to keep in mind with this is that you can more than likely fit a slice of cake into your day, not the whole cake though.  It’s perfectly acceptable to include  a fun snack that you’ve fit into your macros, but when you go above and beyond your macronutrient intake by indulging more than you should, this wouldn’t be flexible dieting anymore. One of the biggest things to keep in mind is that flexible dieting is about fitting foods that you enjoy into your diet, not let it take over. Control is everything!

12. Give natural honey a try to curve sweet tooth cravings

Instead of over indulging on something like ice cream which tends to be high calorie, give natural honey a try! Add it into tea to experience the nice sweet, and warm feeling in your stomach at the expense of little to no calories. 

13. High fibre will fill you up nicely

Fibre is important to make sure you are maintaining and regulating bowel functions. It’s also awesome for food satiety so we recommend adding in some high fibre foods to your diet. Veggies work wonderfully, and you can also try foods such as fibre 1 cereal which has a whopping 13 grams of fibre each serving!

14. Go for the lower fat peanut butter

Why have 4 tablespoons of peanut butter when you can have 5? Go for the 25% less fat peanut butter! For all of you obsessed with peanut butter, this will make a massive difference and it literally tastes the same. 

Colossus macro hack bonus tip: weigh the peanut butter. You’d be amazed at how much more you can have compared to using tablespoons.

15. Make smart decisions when choosing burgers

Calories from burgers add up WAY too fast! Here at Colossus we like to choose burgers that are lower in fat. You’d be surprised how many burgers consist of 40+ grams of fat which can be around how much fat should be having in a day. There are tons of burgers out there for 10-15grams of fat that taste just as good. Plus if you can have 2 of them for the price of 1(calorically speaking), then why wouldn’t you?

Want to watch our video talking about our first 15 macro hacks? Watch here.

16. Eat veggies before all your major meals

If It Fits Your Macros (IIFYM) is continuously growing as people are realizing it really is possible hit their fitness goals by consuming foods they actually enjoy. However, it seems that too many people aren’t seeing the big picture and realizing how important micronutrients and food satiety are. On top of that, when you’re in a large caloric deficit you’re going to want to make veggies your best friend. By eating a surplus of veggies before your big meals you'll find yourself a lot more satisfied and craving less of the calorie dense foods for the rest of the meal.

17. Chose meats based on your current situation

When you’re in a bulk you can way more lenient with the types of meats you’re consuming. However, in a cutting phase when calories are reduced you’re going to want to mainly stick with your lean types of beef to limit fat intake. If you’re deep in a deficit and being sparring with food you’ve got to be very vigilant with your food choices. Here at Colossus we recommend grass-fed beef as it is significantly better in macros and non-steroid use beef. 

18. Allocate calories at the end of the day for high volume foods to avoid danger zone

For a lot of people, the end of the day is danger zone. Many people tend to grab for those high calorie sweets after a long day of work. To avoid this, I like to allocate myself 200-300 calories strictly for veggies. This gives me the satisfaction of knowing I still have food left and can feel completely full and satisfied without having to reach for calorie dense foods. 

19. Add lemon or lime to flavour up your drinks

For those of you that crave the sugary satisfaction of flavoured drinks, try adding a lemon or lime to your water! They taste great, are low in calories, and potentially have benefits towards your immune system. 

20. Try diet drinks to lower total calorie intake

Diet drinks certainly do have a place in your diet if they are used properly. They are a great low to no calorie alternative to those sugary and high calorie drinks. Some of our personal favourites are diet cranberry juice and slim iced tea. With this being said, far too many people are still under the impression that diet drinks are a direct link to cancer and/or weight gain. If you're one of those people that believe this, I highly suggest giving this video a watch before continuing. 

21. Add in beef jerky to help hit protein goals

We all know how important protein is in one's diet. Although beef jerky it is fairly expensive, it tastes great! If you want to switch it up between your classic protein sources, it is an awesome alternative and it’s very convenient for when you’re on the go. 

22. Use low-no calorie chocolate syrups

Chocolate syrups can be extremely detrimental to ones day of eating. I’ve seen people go for a low calorie frozen yogurt then load on hundred of calories in syrups. To reduce total calorie intake and still add some amazing taste to your foods, try some of the low to no calorie chocolate syrups found in your grocery stores. I know from experience walden farms is a good go to for this (or any sauces in that matter). 

23. Substitute your high calorie chips for low calorie popcorn

Far too many potato chip brands are ridiculously high in calories, and especially loaded with fat. A serving of Miss Vickies chips for example contains 16g of fat. I recommend substituting your typical potato chip brand for a nice bag of popcorn.. and no I don’t mean the movie night with butter kind either. Orville Redenbacher’s 94% fat free popcorn only contains 1g of fat per serving. It’s a great snack to munch on while watching TV or binge watching our youtube videos.... :) 

24. Substitute for almond milk

Low on calories? Switch out some of your typical milks for almond milk. 30 calories for 1 cup… you really can’t go wrong there!

25. Be smart about your maple syrup choices  

Us Canadians sure know our maple syrups! When looking at a 100% pure maple syrup package you’ll see one serving is said to contain a whopping 54g of carbs and 50g of sugar. I have learned to love E.D Smith maple syrup as it still tastes great and it’s literally 8 times less calories than other brands. Some people like to believe that the lower the calories the worse it tastes but I can assure you E.D Smith will not disappoint you. Right E.D?

26. Pick low calorie dressings

It’s amazing how fast calories add up from a simple salad dressing. Too many people believe they’re being healthy from eating a salad but then will load on 30g of fat with the highest calorie ranch sauce. Please make a smart decision and look for the lower calorie salad dressings. Something to keep in mind is that many people don’t just stick with 1 tablespoon of salad dressing. They add up fast!

27. Don't let enticing brands fool you

It’s extremely easy for a brand to put a title on their packaging that will make you, as a buy, purchase their product. Let’s look at vitamin water for example. Vitamin water is literally just water filled with vitamins. At the end of the day, this is just sugar water with added vitamins. You can obtain these vitamins from pills, vegetables, and other ways. Don’t be confused by marketing, because it is everywhere you go. A tip for you guys is to always look deep into the labels to see what you’re actually getting!

28. If you struggle with hitting protein goals there are many alternative ways to do it

On the topic of high protein items, there are actually a ton of awesome ways to hit your protein target if you happen to struggle with this. As you all know, protein is extremely important in your diet so you always want to make sure you hit your goals. High protein cereal and spaghetti are awesome options to add in! 

29. Oatmeal is King

What more is there to say… Oatmeal really is AMAZING. It’s an amazing staple in your diet and you can add so many different things on top to spice it up and make it different each time. You can add peanut butter, almonds, that no calorie chocolate sauce we just talked about... it’s the ultimate macro recipe hack. On top of that, oatmeal is just so good for you and certainly helps with food satiety as it is generally filled with fibre.  

30. “Chill Out”

Some people tend to stress out when they first begin logging their food. This may be something completely out of your comfort zone, but I can assure you it’s really not that bad. It might take you a bit longer at the beginning to figure out how to properly input the information into your tracker, but it will only get better from here. After a bit of practice, you’re going to continue to get better and understanding how macros work, and easily figure out what fits best within your day. Flexible dieting is a lifestyle that can be used for the rest of your lifetime and your way of life can change for the better if you take the leap and take action today. Happy tracking!

 

Want to watch our video where we go into detail on the last 10 macro hacks listed? Watch here.

If you're unaware of how fast calories add up, try it for yourself! I hope you all learned a thing or two and will put it to use in your everyday life. 

Best of health,

-Coach Kyle & Coach Josh