If Calories Are King, Then What Are Macros?
If you’ve read or seen any of my content, you’ve probably come across some variation of the phrase “calorie in vs. calories out” as the golden rule for weight loss, weight gain, or weight maintenance. And while I’m right on that, you may have heard of this other phrase as well – “counting macros.” Well, if calories are king (or queen!), then macros are the royal court. Ok maybe a bit far-fetched of an analogy but macros or macronutrients (i.e., fat, carbohydrates, and proteins) are the nutrients that make up the foods we eat.1 These nutrients provide our bodies with energy measured in the form of calories or kcals:
Carbohydrates contain 4 kcal per gram
Proteins contain 4 kcal per gram
Fats contain 9 kcal per gram
If you’re already counting calories, then why even bother counting macros? Seems like a lot of counting. Well, if you’re just concerned with calories, you are then only concerning yourself with the quantity of food rather than the quality of your food. Each macronutrient improves the quality of our food in different ways. Carbohydrates provides you with the energy you need for most of your daily activities, including your workouts. Protein helps you build, repair, grow, and protect muscle and lean body mass. 1 Fat allows you to store energy, cushion organs, make certain hormones, absorb fat soluble vitamins, and helps with cell membrane integrity. 1 When adding fats to your diet, it’s important to focus on unsaturated fats, such as those found in avocados, nut butters, and olive oils. These are known as the “healthy” types of fats the reduce the risk of heart disease. Saturated fats, such as butter, full fat cheese or dairy products, and fatty meats, should be limited. In fact, the American Heart Association recommends that only 5-6% of your daily calories come from saturated fat.
A lot of foods fit into more than one macronutrient category. Let’s take pizza for example. Pizza has carbohydrates (bread, tomatoes), protein (cheese), and fat (cheese, oil). Therefore, when you are counting your macros, you would need to break down the components of pizza into all 3 categories. And with technology, you don’t even have to figure out the calculation yourself – apps like Mike’s Macros or MyFitnessPal can help!
Ok, so you get why macronutrients are important but how much should you be getting in your diet? 2The National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine recommends adults try to get:
· 10-35 percent of your calories from protein
· 45-65 percent of your calories from carbs
· 20-35 percent of your calories from fats
But it’s important to consider that this is just a recommendation – it doesn’t consider your personal preferences or your fitness goals. And please realize that it’s ok to alter these percentages slightly to fit your needs. My suggestion would be to start with protein first – especially if you’re trying to lose weight. Remember that protein is going to help you feel fuller longer and will support you when you are trying to build lean muscle and lose fat. So, does this mean you should ramp up the percentage of the protein you consume to 85% of your daily caloric intake? No – please see above as to why eating an adequate amount of the other two macronutrients is important. And besides – you still want to eat meals that you enjoy.
Also – it’s important to recognize that you do NOT have to count calories and / or track macros forever (or even for a long period of time). Having a basic understanding will help you live a healthier life in the long run.
Note: Please consult a registered dietitian before making drastic changes to your diet.
