In the health/weight loss/fitness Facebook group that I run with two of my gym besties, we've been talking about nutrition. Talking about the different types of diets, eating habits, ways of counting calories, etc. I want to talk about counting Macros. That is how I eat and normally log my food. I also keep an eye on my calories, but sometimes macros are more important than calories, depending on your goals. So here is an introduction of macro counting!
Your macros, macronutrients, are the three main building blocks: carbohydrates, protein, and fat. Your micronutrients are everything else your body needs like vitamins and minerals.
Even though most foods have more than one type of macro, they are a majority of just one type, Examples are: meat is a protein (MOSTLY protein, also can contain fat), pasta is a carb (MOSTLY carbohydrates, but can contain fat and protein too), peanut butter is a fat (MOSTLY fat, but also has protein and carbs).
If you count macros, you are not cutting out a certain food group, it is all in moderation. That is the key. You may count macros but also eat lower carb (like me), but I still eat carbs.
This is some great information from Fitbit about the macros:
Carbohydrate + Protein + Fat = Total Calories
Carbohydrate: Provides fuel, the energy for your body and brain. It’s found in all plant foods, like grains, fruits, vegetables, and legumes, and also milk and yogurt.
Protein: Helps to build and repair your muscles, organs, skin, blood, and different chemicals, like hormones, in your body. It’s found in large amounts in meat, poultry, fish, legumes, dairy, tofu, and eggs, and in smaller amounts in nuts, seeds, and whole grains.
Fat: Insulates and protects your bones and organs, acts as backup fuel for energy, and helps in brain development. Healthy, unsaturated fats are found in olive oil, avocados, nuts, seeds, and fatty fish, like salmon, sardines, and mackerel. Unhealthy saturated fats are found in high-fat beef, pork, butter, full-fat dairy, and processed foods, like cookies and donuts.
An average range for each:
Carbs 45-65%
Protein 10-35%
Fat 20-35%
Some other percentage examples from Meal Prep on Fleek:
I personally eat at 50-60% protein, and split the remainder 40-50% equally between carbs and fat (20-25% carbs, 20-25% fat). This is recommended by my sports doctor, it’s a pretty drastic change from the ‘healthy ranges’ that Fitbit recommends above - therefore I would recommend talking to your doctor, sports coach, fitness trainer first to see what they think, depending on your goals.
My percentages are set as such because my goal is to lose weight and build muscle to become more tone - (simple) carbs hold water weight and raise your glycemic index, therefore breaking down to sugar which gets stored as fat; but protein helps you build and repair muscle (more muscle = more fat burning because your body needs more calories to maintain muscle than it does to maintain fat).
Sometimes you see macro-counters talking about ‘if it fits in your macros’ (IIFYM)- and sometimes I use that as an excuse for myself :) Meaning...if you have some carb percentages left for the day, you may eat a cookie, BUT the healthier option would be filling those carb percentages with fruit, veggies, some whole grains. Quality should be a big part of Macro counting.
Macros help me focus on the nutrition of my food. If I eat a healthier carb like strawberries, it has fiber to help counteract some of the carbs, ending in a ‘net carb’. Example: the frozen strawberries I put in my protein shakes have 6.5g of carbs, and 1.5g of fiber, so 6.5-1.5 = 5grams of net carbs (23% fiber). Where if I’d eat an unhealthier carb like spaghetti noodles, they have 41g of carbs - 2g of fiber = 39g of net carbs (5% fiber).
I have two entire boards on Pinterest devoted to Macro-counting: articles for more information, percentages, purposes, recipes, ideas on what to eat or not eat depending on what Macros you have left for the day, check them out!!
Leave us any questions you have, or email us and we would be glad to help you out!
xoxo,
Christine