WHY to count macros:
Dieting can be kind of like a maze. How do you know where to go? Increase calories, or decrease? Increase protein, decrease fat, keep carbs where they are? How do you know what choices to make based upon current choices and their current outcomes, if you don’t know what you are currently doing?
At the most basic level, let’s say you are gaining weight. Barring extreme examples such as those individuals with legitimate metabolic issues, you are likely in a caloric excess. If you do not WANT to be in a caloric excess, and you want to LOSE weight and be in a caloric DEFICIT– then what number to pick? 1200 calories? 1400? 1600, 1800, 2000, 2500, 3000?
It’s a guessing game.
If you KNOW what your current level of consumption is, then you can make more intelligent decisions as far as how many calories or specific macronutrients may benefit you in the pursuit of your goals. If I am eating 1900 calories a day and know that I am maintaining at that intake, and want to lose some weight, I may shoot for a 200 calorie deficit per day via my diet. It’s fairly certain that consuming 1700 calories now will lead me on my way toward my target weight. If I didn’t know how much I was eating, it would be a shot in the dark as to how many calories I would need to achieve a deficit…
When you take it even further and dial in the macronutrients, you hone in even more on how to shift your body composition.
WHEN to count macros:
You want to achieve a leaner physique, but already are consistent with exercise and follow a sensible diet.
If you want to get leaner, and you don’t workout, and you eat like crap– congrats! Making small changes such as increasing activity and taking out some of the epic loads of processed crap in your diet will do much to help you lose weight. BUT if you are already lean, and don’t eat too poorly, and workout…you’re going to have to pay attention a bit closer to the variables. I had a client who was very slender, worked her ass off the in the gym, ate a clean (yet flexible) diet…but never counted her macros or anything. Well, she also had a goal of achieving an even LOWER body far percentage. How could she have achieved that? She was already putting in heavy weight training…already doing intervals…eating well…where do we go from here? I insisted to her that she start tracking her macros, so we can create a specific plan that would MODIFY what she is already DOING. Guess what? She was able to drop her body fat even lower. Macros magic.
You’re a newbie and you don’t know nuttin. And you wanna learn.
A LOT of people just have NO IDEA how much they are eating, WHAT they are eating, HOW MUCH protein is in item x, or fats, or carbs….Ladies and gentleman, macros to the rescue. You can look at the label if it has one. OR, if it is an item such as fresh produce from the store that does not have a label, then your new best friends are Google, CalorieCount.com, MyFitnessPal.com, NutritionData.com, etc, etc…It’s as simple as that. People can’t create THAT many valid excuses when information is ABUNDANT. All you have to do is start looking. Education is power, friends. If you think that spinach is high in protein…please google it and look at grams per serving compared to other sources of protein, such as chicken. Just sayin.
You want the fast track to looking good in a wedding dress, competition suit, or for that beach vacation.
If you have a date you are looking at, such as a vacay on the beach in six weeks, then you prolly don’t wanna be messing around. For the fast track to body composition change, you want to know what you’re doing, and have a custom, evolving plan of action based upon what happens based upon your consumption. There might be certain things you may become aware of, such as less than optimal meal timing around workouts (e.g. high fats following workout)….or perhaps you are not consuming enough protein on a daily basis (many gals, especially)…or perhaps you are not consuming enough fiber in your diet!….All these factors are important to troubleshoot and OPTIMIZE. If you can’t afford time to play around in achieving your goals, tracking macros is the way to go.
JUL