There are many people on the planet who want to lose weight. They use a variety of diets. someone will enter the count of calories, carbohydrates, so that they know how much you can eat. One of the new directions that people are now using is macros or, in other words, “flexible diet”.
Often nowadays, it is the macro counting that is chosen, since it is not difficult, it is “flexible” when compared with other options for bringing oneself into shape.
Defining macros
What are macros? these are macronutrients. Humanity receives three types of macronutrients: proteins, fats, carbohydrates. If a person counts macros, then he is counting carbohydrates, proteins, fats.
Macro counting – does it serve a purpose?
The main positive is the flexibility of macros. There is no need to change your habits to follow the diet. You can adjust for yourself the numbers that you will have in your hands for yourself. That is, you can turn on anything in the menu, if the dishes will pass according to your macros.
But this does not make a recommendation to eat anything. Of course, you shouldn’t act like that. It will be deceiving yourself. But at the same time, the flexibility of macros will allow you to enter high-calorie foods into the menu, but without turning off your path to the goal.
By knowing how to count macros, you will avoid bounces that negatively affect your mood. The macros just tell you to plan the correspondence of numbers and menus.
There are three main benefits of macro counting:
– This technique is great for supporting lean muscle mass
– you will always be full and satisfied, since you will not have to starve.
– and counting macros really leads to weight loss.
Disadvantages of Macro Counting
As the technique of macro counting doesn’t tell you what to eat, it doesn’t ensure that you are eating healthy food. Achieving macro goals without eating any fruits and vegetables is possible. Therefore, you need to focus not only on the numbers but also on the quality of your macros. You still need to include all the colors (fruits and vegetables) in your meal plans.
Registered dieticians also say that nutrition encompasses many things other than macronutrients. This technique has nothing to say about the phytochemicals, minerals, antioxidants, and other nutrients that the human body needs.
Experts also say that macro counting is too simplistic and fails to address issues of overeating and eating disorders.
Still, people have noticed that the simplicity of macro counting is its biggest advantage. Nutrition labels are confusing especially for people who have never bothered to read them before. Focusing on macronutrients is easier because we all consume fats, carbohydrates, and fats regularly.
Ideal number of macros for consumption.
There is no single statement of how many macros to use. We are all different. Therefore, it is important to consider the following factors: number of years, height, weight, fitness goal, activity level. Knowing this data, you can understand how many macros you need per day.
First. You need to know how many calories you are getting each day. The Internet will provide you with different calculators, you can use them.
According to recent reports, these calories should be scattered in this way: 10-35% of these calories should come to you from proteins, 20-35% from fats and 45-65% from carbohydrates. Knowing this data and finding calculators on the Internet to translate these numbers into macros, you will get your numbers.
It is still important to go through this path with a nutritionist, or at least get initial recommendations from him, since even having your own numbers in your hands, there is a need to change them for yourself in the process.
Getting Started – Count Macros Now
Once you have calculated your macros, it is time to get started. Here are some tips to help you:
• Understand the types of food that make you feel good and the types of food that upset you.
• Create eating patterns that work best with your schedule.
• Learn to read and understand nutrition labels.
• If a particular kind of food doesn’t have a nutrition label, learn to use food scales to measure their macro count.
• Keep unhealthy foods out of your meal plans, and instead, choose foods that are rich in nutrients.
• Prepare your meals so that you can track the macros better.
So how do you track macros?
There are different options and everyone can choose the one that suits them. Phone notes, journaling, application application. You can find different app options on the Internet (Protein Tracker, Nutrition Facts, My Macros +, Carb Manager, MyFitnessPal). This will simplify the task. How to work with them? enter the food you choose to eat, there are barcodes on the foods that you can scan. The rest of the application will do it automatically.
Various factors affect how many macros you use. This can be: daily calorie requirements, height, gender, weight, activity during the day, and others. At the beginning of the journey, you will have to be careful and change the numbers, then you can find the perfect option for yourself.
Your body will also be able to give you clues. Listen to it and find nuances, maybe you need less carbohydrates?
Not For Everyone
Macro counting is not everybody’s cup of tea. If you feel that it is stressing you out, leave it and use some other method to accomplish your fitness goals.
