“Macros” Explained

Macros - Macronutrients - IIFYM... Doesn't it get a little overwhelming? What does it mean to “count your macros”? This way to food mointoring refers to three categories of nutrients known as macronutrients—carbohydrates, protein, and fat. When someone says they are “counting their macros” they are counting the grams of carbs, protein, and fat they are consuming per day.

A lot of people do this because it helps them pay attention to what they eat, the quantity, and the quality of their food. Macros matter! Keeping track of your macros will help you make better choices and eat a more balanced diet. It can also help you stay within your calorie goals to achieve weight loss.

To greatly over simplify, weight loss should be achieved when we burn more calories than we consume. Rather than cutting out whole food groups, macro counting can help you stay within your calorie goals while also eating a balanced diet. There are many, many factors that can impact our ability to lose weight, but the quantity and quality of our food plays a huge role. With that said, our bodies are much more than just calculators, which is why people end up frustrated when simply burning more than they eat doesn't result in fast, significant weight loss in just a few short days or weeks.

The trick to macro counting is focusing on the composition of your food. Rather than simply looking out of how many calories a food contains, macro counting requires you to look at the nutrient composition of the food—is it high in protein? Low in carbohydrates?

Now that you understand what counting macros means, let’s talk about the recommended amounts or carbohydrates, protein and fat you are supposed to consume.

The recommended range of intake for a certain macronutrient is considered its acceptable macronutrient distribution range (AMDR). All of the macronutrients each have their own AMDR and are as follows…

· Carbohydrates: 45-65%

· Protein: 10-35%

· Fat: 20-35%

Let me explain what this means and how you can calculate them yourself.

If you were trying to consume a diet of 2000 calories, 45-65% of those calories would come from carbohydrates, 10-35% would come from protein, and 20-35% would come from fat.

Here is some easy math for you…

· Carbohydrates:

o 2000 x .45 = 900

o 2000 x .65 = 1300

· Protein:

o 2000 x .10 = 200

o 2000 x .35 = 700

· Fat:

o 2000 x .20 = 400

o 2000 x .35 = 700

To summarize that math for you, if you were trying to consume a diet of 2000 calories, your goals would be to have about 900-1300 of your calories from carbohydrates, 200-700 from protein, and 400-700 from fat.

You can also look at macronutrients in terms of grams, instead of percentages. This is my preferred method! For example: Carbohydrates contribute 4 calories per gram

Protein also contribues 4 calories per gram Fat contributes 9 calories per gram If your goal is 2000 calories per day and wanted to consume the recommended amounts of each nutrient, you could do as follows: Carbohydrates (325 grams x 4 calories per gram = 1300 calories from carbs) Protein (175 grams x 4 calories per gram = 700 calories from protein)

Fat (77 grams x 9 calories per gram = 693 (~700) calories from fat)

It is important to note that everyone is different and that is why the ranges are relatively wide. If your body is sensitive to carbohydrates, you could try setting a goal on the lower end of the AMDR for carbohydrates while aiming for the higher end of the protein AMDR. Some people require more protein depending on their lifestyle. Setting the right goals that will help your body is important!

Another aspect of counting macros is knowing what foods contain each macronutrient. Carbohydrates are found in foods such as breads, grain, pasta, nuts, legumes, starchy vegetables, dairy products, fruits, snack foods, and a lot of sauces/condiments. Protein is found in animal products, eggs, nuts, and dairy products. There are a lot of different sources of fat that are considered healthier than others. Fats are found in avocados, fish, yogurt, nuts, and flax seed. Other sources of fat that should be consumed in smaller amounts are butter, fatty meats, and many processed foods.

To recap everything we've discussed, counting your macros can really open your eyes and improve your understanding of how to eat a balanced diet and get a variety of nutrients. When trying to stay within a calorie amount, rather than cutting out food groups, focusing on macros will you help you eat a variety of food while still keeping track of what you eat.

Ultimately, the goal of counting macros is to get the point where you don’t have to track everything you consume, because you will become more aware of the quality and composition of your food and are eating a well-balanced diet.

Please note: The numbers above are simply to introduce the math of how macronutrient counting works. These numbers are NOT recommendations for your specific body or needs. Reach out of me if you want some advice and help in setting goals for your macronutrient ranges. I'd love to help! I'm here for you and I believe in you!