Counting Macros: A Better Way to Tracking Nutrition
As the saying goes, “Abs are made in the gym, but they’re revealed in the kitchen.” This statement encompasses a simple problem that many face: physical exertion will help to build muscle, but to reveal the toned look, eating right is the key to success.
This begs the question, what type of diet is best for you? Much like any fitness and nutritional program it is highly customized based on the needs and goals for each individual.
Rachel Schultz’s, The Beginner’s Guide to Counting Macros is a great place to start building a foundation to understand how varying what you eat can dramatically help you achieve your fitness goals.
She breaks down the basics to an effective diet. Most people will look solely at calorie counts to hit their goals. For example, to lose weight a person might eat 500 calories in deficit of their metabolic rate each day, equating to 3500 calorie deficits a week (1lbs lost to fat and muscle). Vice versa a person may eat 500 calories in surplus to gain 1lbs a week. Schultz stresses this is not an effective way to diet.
I agree with Schultz perspective on food consumption as daily calories will lead to bad eating habits. To look at one end of the spectrum; basing your nutrition solely on calories could lead to eating nothing but desserts, but still be in a calorie deficit. While this may have the intended of weight loss in the short run, unintended consequence may occur. As a result, you will feel less energetic throughout the day, and your body’s desire for more carb rich high calorie foods will increase. Often times this leads to increased food consumption and weight gain.
To avoid this a person should look to focusing on macro counts. This means looking at three essential nutrients: carbohydrates, protein, and fat. In doing this you are inadvertently counting calories. Carbs and proteins amount to 4 calories per gram while fat provides 9 calories per gram. Add up your intended calories for the day and break it down into percentages based on each macronutrient.
A sample would be 40% protein, 40% fat, 20% carbs. What constitutes a good ratio is generally based on lower carbs and higher fats and proteins, but what makes this better than chomping down on that delicious chocolate cake for high carb ratios.
Protein helps build muscle
Protein and fat take longer to digest and help you feel satiated longer
Take it upon yourself to experiment with your macros and record your results. To learn more, click on the attached article below. For personal tracking try using the apps, MyFitnessPal and Lose It! Suggested in the article.