Mastering Your Macros
What are macronutrients?
A macronutrient is any nutrient that your body needs large amounts of to survive. The three energy-providing macronutrients are carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. Each macronutrient plays its own role in our body. Carbohydrates are responsible for providing an efficient and easily accessible energy source to your muscles and cells. Proteins are the building blocks of almost every body tissue and are essential for building and replacing cells in the body. Fats provide an incredibly great and efficient energy storage system and make up hormones and other life-sustaining substances in the body. For your body to function optimally, it is important to obtain all three of the macronutrients through your diet.
What is macronutrient distribution?
Your macronutrient distribution is the percentage of calories that comes from each of the macronutrients (protein, carbs, and fats). For example, if someone is following a “30, 40, 30” macronutrient distribution, it means that 30% of their calories come from protein, 40% come from carbohydrates, and 30% come from fats. Your macronutrient range should be adjusted according to your body and your goals. As you lose weight and gain muscle, your calorie needs and macronutrient distribution needs continue to change.
Why is macronutrient tracking better than calorie counting?
“Tracking macros” means counting the total grams of protein, carbohydrates, and fats that you eat each day. Why is macronutrient tracking better than calorie counting? A calorie count gives you information about the amount of energy that a food provides, but it gives you no information about what kind of nutrients are in the food. Being cognizant of your macros helps you to choose food not just based on what is the lowest in calories, but based on what kind of nutrition the food provides. Foods that have a healthy balance of protein, carbs, and fats will help you to feel satisfied and full for longer. What's more, if you’re trying to lose weight solely by decreasing your caloric intake without regard to your macronutrients, you run the risk of losing muscle, inefficiently fueling your body, and harming your metabolism. With the wrong ratio of protein, fat, and carbs, your body may begin to break down muscle (instead of fat) for fuel. Since muscle burns a lot more energy than fat in the body, this could cause your metabolism to plummet and your weight loss to plateau. The benefit of considering your macros is that it encourages you to plan meals with a variety of energy sources. It makes you aware of the nutrient composition of your meals, and see clearly where you can improve.
How do I track my macros?
First, you have to determine what your calorie needs and macronutrient needs are. In my “Mastering Your Macros” course I calculate your personalized energy and macro needs and show you how to adjust them over time. If you are looking for more general advice on how to calculate your own calorie needs, click here. After you determine how many grams of protein, carbs, and fat you need each day, you can start tracking. You have a few options when it comes to tracking your macros. For example, there are apps that allow you to log your food and see your macronutrients that way. However, many people find this method difficult to sustain since it involves meticulously recording every ingredient. That’s why I created my recipe books and meal plans that do the tracking for you. My recipe books list the macros for an entire meal or snack, and each one has been chosen and curated to provide you with a healthy balance of protein, carbs, and fat. My meal plans are based on a “30-40-30” macronutrient distribution. This means that if you follow the meal plan exactly, 30% of your calories will come from protein, 40% from carbs, and 30% from fat. The meal plans are separated by calorie need, so you can choose the plan that fits you and your lifestyle the best. My meal plans eliminate the need to track macros altogether. You can be confident that you are fueling your body in a way that will provide you with energy and the nutrients you need. My meal plans and recipes will also help you build an intuition for creating your own macro-balanced meals and snacks.