What are Macros and How Can they Help with Getting Training Results

If you’re not brand shiny new to the fitness game, you’ve likely heard in your social media fitness groups or at the gym people saying “make sure your macros are right.” You may have nodded and said “pshhhyeah they are, I’m all up in my macros,” rather than admitting you’re not quite sure what they are.

It’s OK. We’ve all done it.

But you won’t have to do it again.

That’s right, we’ve got your macros back.

Read on, my friend.

We’ll break down macro nutrient calculation and then let you know whether or not we are fans of the recommendations.

Macros is Short For Macronutrients

You likely took Macroeconomics in college or high school. That name means ‘the large scale of economics.”

The same thing applies to Macros. It is the combination, or large scale, of nutrients that make up the calorie content of foods.

They are carbs, fat and protein.

C.F.P.

That’s it.

They make up your total food calories. Why is that important? Deep down, you know why, don’t you? It’s the reason some extreme diets don’t work.  Getting the right macros for your goals is crucial to results. Period.

So what are they?

Macros Breakdown

Here is a breakdown of your macronutrients in food.

Write it down.

• 1 gram of carbs = 4 calories
• 1 gram of fat = 9 calories
• 1 gram of protein = 4 calories

If you have a hard time remembering things, try to bronze 494 CFP into your brain.

Carbs 4, Fat 9, Protein 4. Boom.

If that’s not sitting well, you can use a memory game like we do: Fourbohydrates, Fourtein and 9. Just 9 for fat.

Hey, whatever works, right?

It sounds silly, but you’ll find yourself saying….fourbohydrates. Trust us.

How Macros Affect Your Meal Planning

With all the fitness trackers out there, most people track total calories. By now you can probably guess–that’s not the most important part.

It’s the KIND of calories you’re consuming. A lot of people will say ‘if you have a deficit, you should be losing weight’—that’s not true either. If you eat 1,200 calories of just fat and carbs to reduce caloric intake, you’re not getting fit—and you may actually get fat. Make sense?

                             Recommended Macros by Goal

           

If you’ve already Googled it, you’ll see there are quite few varying recommendations for intake, but they typically fall within the above charts.

To simplify: the ranges the average MACRO BREAKDOWN to BUILD MUSCLE is 35 percent protein, 45 percent carbohydrates, 20 percent fat.

The average MACRO BREAKDOWN to LOSE WEIGHT is 40 percent protein, 25 percent carbohydrates, 35 percent fat.

These are varied for a reason–everyone is different.

Fitness is often trial and error.

Most will go with the average and will adjust the combination if they are not seeing results. Now, here is where the depth of macros stops for the average person. Micro nutrients and additional details aren’t taken into account. In fact, most people are told as much as that by their trainers, friends or social media groups and that’s what they go with. So that is what we will review today–what most people are doing with their macros.

Here’s a tip:

If you’re male and have a hard time gaining weight and muscle, stick to the higher end of the carb range.

If you’re a female and aren’t blessed with a speedy metabolism, stick to the lower range of carbohydrates.

How to Measure Macros

So, we have the number of calories each gram of carbs, fat and protein equals, but are we going to need to take some trigonometry to figure out what to eat? Nah, baby, nah. We got you.

*slips on an oversized pair of black glasses*

Class, for this exercise you will need a calculator, a scale, and a measuring cup.

*commence the collective groans*

Ok, listen, you’ll get used to measuring quickly. You’ll memorize your favorite food breakdowns and be able to eyeball a 3 oz piece of meal with the precision of a hawk targeting a mouse in a field during a storm. But we gotta start somewhere.

You got this.

Step 1: Check Your Food Labels

So, to begin, check your labels. The panel will give you a great starting point to determine contributions to the overall macros breakdown.

Meats are usually weighed on the scale to determine overall caloric content. For foods measured in cups, you guessed it-grab the measuring cup.

Step 2: Weigh Your Serving

Weigh your meats on a scale and use a measuring cup for other foods weighed by cups or in volume to know precisely what macros you’re eating and the percent of your targeted goals.

Get your serving size.

Step 3: Do Math

After you figure out the quantity you are consuming, for instance, if you have a 3oz piece of chicken, and the label says each 6 oz piece has 156 calories, 30 grams of protein and 4 grams of fat. You know you’ve got

• 78 calories.
• 15 grams of protein.
• 2 grams of fat.
• 0 carbs.

Step 4: More Math

Remember Fourbohydrates, Fourtein and 9 (FAT):

• 1 gram of carbs = 4 calories
• 1 gram of fat = 9 calories
• 1 gram of protein = 4 calories

So 60 calories came from protein, (4*15) and 18 calories came from fat, (2*9).

60+18=78.

With this meal 77% of calories came from protein:

(60/78=.77)

and

23% came from fat:

(18/78=.23).

Step 5: Pat Yourself on the Back

Bravo! You did it.

Now remember, these totals will change as you eat throughout the day. As you add carbs, and fat, your protein will drop as the total percent of contribution to your macros.

Step 6: Rinse and Repeat: The Big Picture

Using your calculator throughout the day, determine if you’re on target for the overall ranges of macros compared to calories.

Adjust your food selections as the day closes to stick to the plan.

So let’s say you’re targeting weight loss with a caloric intake of 1800 calories. According to the recommended macronutrient breakdown, you should have:

• 720 calories derived from protein (40% of intake). Or 180 grams because 720/4=180.
• 450 calories derived from carbs (25% of intake). Or 112.5 grams because 450/4 = 112.5.
• 630 calories derived from fat (35% of intake). Or 60 grams because 540/9=60.

Now, that wasn’t so bad, was it? No. No it wasn’t.

Will Counting Your Macros Give You Your Dream Results?

Meh, we are not sold on ‘the macros diet’ as its most commonly followed and here’s why:

Take protein into consideration. First of all, 40% of your total intake is extremely high. The recommended daily intake is .36 grams per pound creating an average recommended daily intake of protein at between 50-70 grams per day. A Harvard study released after a protein summit says UP TO 25% of your overall calories is more than sufficient for health benefits.

Too much protein can be a bad thing. There are plenty of studies showing how protein in excess can have adverse health effects including weight gain, fat storage, diabetes and kidney stress.

Under this macros guide, on an 1800 calorie diet, 720 calories under this plan should be obtained from protein. That requires 180 grams of protein per DAY.

Eating 6 meals per day of 300 calories each is a whopping 30 grams of protein per meal. While that is far over the recommended amount, the macronutrient breakdown does not specify quality of protein.

If you aren’t sure about that, check out some of the macros groups on social media. You’ll see plenty of people posting pics of burgers and donuts boasting how it aligns with their macros. Are you buying that McDonald’s and Dunkin’ Donuts can get you to your fitness goals?

*please say no, please say no*

Quality Over Quantity

It’s more about the quality than the quantity of macros if you’re truly seeking to get true health benefits.

Take protein for instance; the source of protein is very important. Not only for quality and composition, but for rates of absorption that will affect your overall intake. Egg whites and cold-processed whey protein will be absorbed at close to 100%. Where other proteins like chicken will be absorbed at lower rates of around 80%.

The actual source of the protein: meat or vegetable matters, and whether that source is high or low in saturated fat and processed carbs matters. How it is processed, cooked and its overall quality impacts your diet and absorption.

We could go on and on just about PROTEIN. Not to mention fats, types of fat, types of carbs, how they’re processed…but you get the point, right?

Use Diet Information as a Guide, Not a Blueprint

While this is not an exhaustive list of why we aren’t fans of relying solely on macros calculation as your blueprint to get results, there is one very important factor to consider in all your decisions.

Most critical to your success in transforming is knowing that—everyone is different & health should be your main goal. Age, gender, body type and genetics affect how you look and process foods now now, and they will affect you when you choose diets.

Our tip is this: use fad diets as a guide, but customize them to be as safe and personal to you as they can be. And as always—seek the advice of a professional who will take the time to learn your body, your health and your needs to truly lead you to the path of success.