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How to calculate and track macros
What Are Macros?
Macronutrients are the essential nutrients our bodies require in relatively large amounts to function optimally. There are three primary macronutrients:
Proteins: Crucial for muscle repair and growth, proteins are composed of amino acids. Sources include meat, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy, legumes, and plant-based options like tofu and tempeh.
Carbohydrates: The body’s primary energy source, carbohydrates come in the form of sugars, starches, and fiber. Common sources include fruits, vegetables, grains, and legumes.
Fats: Essential for hormone production, brain function, and energy storage, healthy fats are found in avocados, nuts, seeds, olive oil, and fatty fish.
The Role of Macros in Your Diet
Balancing macros is about understanding the role each plays in your overall diet. Proteins support muscle health and aid in satiety. Carbohydrates provide quick energy, and fats offer sustained energy and support various bodily functions. We need all of these macros, and also by including a balance of macros in our nutrition, we can support blood sugar levels, preventing energy dips and crashes.
Why Track Macros?
Tracking macros involves monitoring the amounts of proteins, carbohydrates, and fats you consume daily.
While it may seem meticulous, it can offer several benefits:
Precision in Nutrition: Tracking macros allows you to fine-tune your diet, ensuring you meet your nutritional needs without excess or deficiency.
Customization: Every individual is different. Tracking macros enables you to tailor your nutrition to your specific goals, whether they involve weight loss, muscle gain, or maintenance.
Educational Tool: It provides an educational experience, helping you understand the nutritional composition of various foods and making informed choices. I find that sometimes macro tracking offers MORE flexibility for clients as they implement foods that they used to fear or avoid from years of dieting.
How to Get Started
1. Determine Your Goals:
Before diving into the world of into macro tracking, establish your health and fitness objectives. Are you looking to lose weight, gain muscle, or maintain your current physique?
2. Calculate Your Macros:
Online calculators can give a good baseline, but they don’t know YOU. They don’t know your body composition, medical history, preferences, dieting history, current intake, etc. A RD or certified nutrition coach can help you determine your daily macro targets based on factors like age, weight, activity level, and goals. (For the record, I am a Precision Nutrition coach, so I’m able to calculate macros and give ideas for healthy meals and recipes, but am unable to tell you specifically *how much* of *what* to eat each day. Only an RD is able to do this.) Personally, I like to calculate a baseline after I know TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure), then aim for 1g of protein per pound of ideal body weight and then calculate fat and carbs after I have this number.
For many of my clients, we use hand-sized portions to track macros, so that they do not have to constantly weigh and measure food.
Lumen is also an excellent tool for calculating daily macros. My full review of Lumen is here!
3. Choose Balanced Sources:
Aim for a well-rounded intake of proteins, carbohydrates, and fats from whole, nutrient-dense foods. Emphasize lean proteins, complex carbohydrates, and healthy fats.
4. Use Tracking Tools:
Utilize apps like MyFitnessPal, Chorometer, or journaling to track your daily food intake. These tools simplify the process, providing nutritional information for various foods.
5. Adjust as Needed:
Regularly assess your progress and adjust your macros accordingly. Adaptations may be necessary based on changes in activity level, goals, or overall well-being.
Tips for Success
Prioritize Whole Foods: While tracking macros, focus on whole, minimally processed foods for optimal nutrition and satiety.
Stay Consistent: Consistency is key. Aim to track your macros consistently to establish a routine and observe the impact on your overall well-being. You can always take a break after you get the hang of it and what a day of satisfying eats look like for you.
Listen to Your Body: Pay attention to hunger and fullness cues. Adjust your macros if needed based on how your body responds.
Be Patient: Changes take time. Allow your body to adapt to new dietary habits, and don’t be discouraged by short-term fluctuations.
Tracking macros can be a valuable tool for gaining insight into your nutritional intake. It empowers you to make informed choices, optimize your diet for your specific goals, and cultivate a healthier relationship with food. As always, remember that balance, consistency, and patience are your allies in achieving long-term success in nutrition and overall well-being.
So, tell me, friends: do you track macros or your nutrition intake in any way? While I don’t think macro tracking is for everyone, it can be especially helpful to establish a baseline and rebuild your intake after years of dieting.
If you’re looking to rebuild healthy habits, join us for this year’s 21-day Healthy Habits Challenge – we start next week and all of the details are here.
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