For someone embarking on their nutrition journey, macros can be daunting. We're here to debunk this myth and prove that counting macros can be a piece of cake! (Piece of cake: 33g Carbs, 14g Fat, 2g Protein)
What does Macro mean?
“Macros” is short for “macronutrients”, the nutrients found in large quantities that give us energy. The three main macronutrients are fat, protein and carbohydrate. Avoid getting these confused with micronutrients — these are vitamins and minerals found in food and consumed in small amounts.
Follow these steps and you'll be well on your way to understanding what's in your food.
Step 1: Maintenance calories:
This refers to calculating how many calories you need to eat to maintain your weight. This differs by age, height, gender activity level among many other factors. Use this equation to calculate: Men: BMR = (13.397 x Weight kg) + (4.799 x Height, cm) – (5.677 x Age) + 88.362 Women: BMR = (9.247 x Weight kg) + (3.098 x Height, cm) – (4.330 x Age) + 447.593
Or use this handy calculator from the Mayo Clinic:https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/weight-loss/in-depth/calorie-calculator/itt-20402304
Step 2: Adjust for weight-loss or weight gain.
Subtract or add on anywhere from 200-300 kcals to your maintenance. Be careful to avoid over-restricting as this can lead to loss of lean body mass rather than fat. If over-restricting becomes an issue, macro counting may not be for you. Be sure to check out these resources if you or anyone close to you may be dealing with disordered eating.https://www.bodywhys.ie/
Step 3: Protein Goals.
The next stage is setting a protein target, as you may know, protein helps with muscle growth, repair, and to keep you fuller for longer. You may want to aim for a higher protein intake if you’re focusing on building muscle, or if you are losing weight, as this can help with maintaining muscle mass and helping to keep you fuller for longer.
Step 4: Fat is good!
Healthy fats are necessary to regulating hormone levels and maintaining joint health that overall help with improving your body composition. The general recommendation is that your fat intake per day should equate to anywhere between 20-40% of your daily calorie level. Focus on including more heart-healthy fats including olive oil, low-fat dairy, eggs, salmon and other omega-3 fats found in fish and nuts.
Step 5: Carb o-clock:
Carbohydrates are super important for energy and replenishing our muscle glycogen stores during recovery post-exercise. Once you have determined your protein and fat target, you want to find out how many grams of carbohydrates you can consume per day. So if 4kcals = 1g of carbohydrate. You want to then subtract your calorie intake from your protein and fat to determine how many grams of carbohydrates you will be eating.
Try these handy macro calculators out for size and be sure to let us know how you get on!
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