Lose Weight For Life: Nutrition Basics 2 - Counting Macros

Nutrition Basics 2

Counting Macros

Losing weight starts with achieving a calorie deficit but unfortunately you can't just eat 2,000 calories worth of Skittles for the day and lose weight. The next step after figuring out your daily calorie target, is to focus on the composition of those calories. That total is made up of the three major macronutrients: carbohydrates, proteins, and fats.

Eating a balanced combination of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats is very important in sustaining long term weight loss. By depriving yourself of one may work in the short-term, you are may not be providing your body of essential nutrients for energy, cell reproduction, and overall health.

Carbohydrates (4 calories per gram)

Carbohydrates are used as an energy source used for physical activity and bodily functions. Foods such as bread and rice date back to 10,000 years ago and even noodles go back about 4,000 years.

This has been our main energy source for thousands of years and is the primary fuel source for physical activity. Our body breaks down carbohydrates into glucose and that is what the body uses for cell energy. While there have been many diets that reduce the intake of carbohydrates, they are the most efficient way to provide your body with fuel for movement.

Proteins (4 calories per gram)

Proteins are used by the body to repair cells and produce new ones. This macronutrient is essential in recovery and functioning throughout daily life. On a very basic level, it is estimated that we need 40-50g of protein to repair and reproduce our current cells without extra physical activity.

If you are physically active, you will need to eat even more protein to repair and recover from the strain you are putting on your body. By eating enough protein you are ensuring that you are recovering and building your body back stronger than it was before.

High protein diets have also known to significantly boost your metabolism and reduce food cravings.

Fats (9 calories per gram)

Fats did get a bad name in the past with the introduction of low fat diets. But fat is not only a great energy source but also very important in cell reproduction. Fats are also very important in brain function therefore is would not be SMART to not eat fat.

There are good fats and bad fats, and the bad fats gave this category a bad reputation with the introduction of fast food restaurants and fried foods. You should limit your trans fats (ex. fried foods, margarine, etc.) as these are linked to heart disease, diabetes, and strokes. The saturated fats are essential in our cell reproduction and muscle growth (ex. eggs, avocado, fish oils, etc.) and provide you with another source of energy.

The 40-30-30 Macronutrient Split

If you have calculated your target calories in the first part of this series, then you can now break it down into macronutrients. We would recommend starting with the following macronutrient breakdown:

40% Carbohydrates
30% Proteins
30% Fats

Generally, this is a very balanced split for most who is physically active. With that being said, it is also equally as important to note that not everyone will respond the same to one specific kind of macronutrient split. Some individuals respond better to higher fats while others are more carbohydrate sensitive.

Example

A 30 year old male, that is 180 cm (5'11) in height and 190 lbs. That exercises 4-5 times per week.

Intake: 2,155 calories

BMR: 1,676 calories

Daily Physical Activity: 779 calories

We know that this person in a calorie deficit because their calorie expenditure (BMR + Physical Activity) is 300 calories more than their calorie intake. They are targeting an estimated half a pound of weight loss per week.

If their calorie intake is 2,155, using the 40-30-30 split, their macro nutrients would be broken down like this:

Carbohydrates = 2,155 * 40% = 862 calories

Proteins = 2,155 * 30% = 647 calories

Fats = 2,155 * 30% = 647 calories

To break this down into grams (to make it trackable) we will need to divide the calories by the amount of calories per gram of each macro nutrient (carbohydrates = 4, proteins = 4, and fats = 9).

Carbohydrates =  862 / 4 = 216 grams

Proteins = 647 / 4 = 162 grams

Fats = 647 / 9 = 72 grams

Didn't think you would be taking a math class today did you? Calculators do help here but if you have a fitness such as myFitnessPal, they do all the math for you after you enter in your macronutrient split.

This is how you "Count your Macros", you now know how many grams of each macronutrient you need in a day.

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Once you have lost the weight you can increase calories and therefore increase your macronutrients. But finding that calorie/macronutrient balance vs. your calorie expenditure is the key to keeping off the Weight for Life!

For most people you this article and the previous one make up the majority of what you need to lose weight, but if want/need to take this up a level you can move on to Lose Weight For Life: Nutrition Basics 3 for even better results.

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