Counting Macros: Everything you Need to Know about the Macros Diet
Article at a Glance
- What is a macros diet?
- What are some of the famous macro diets out there and how do they differ?
- What are ideal macro ratios for weight loss, building muscle or maintaining weight?
- Why is a macros diet a healthy alternative to other diet plans?
What are macros?
Macros is basically shorthand for macronutrients, a term used to describe the three key food groups we all require for our bodies to function: carbohydrates (to fuel energy), fats (to keep you satiated) and proteins (to build and repair muscle).
Get the right balance of these and you’ll not only lose weight, but you’ll also be more effective at burning fat and building lean muscle. It’s the way many in the fitness industry have been secretly eating for years, recognizing that all calories were not created equal (10 calories of fat will be used entirely differently than say 10 calories from carbohydrates).
Is Counting Calories the Same Thing as Counting Macros?
Counting calories is not the same as tracking your macronutrients. The calories in, calories out approach (CICO) alone won’t tell you the balance of fat, carbohydrates, and protein in the foods you eat.
Macros zero in on the composition of your daily calories so you can alter each one for the most healthful impact. For example, you may unknowingly get 70% of your calories from carbs on CICO, which will make you feel much different than if that 70% came from healthy fats. With tracking, you can understand the source of the imbalance and adjust accordingly.
People who count calories alone may not see meaningful results in their diet. If you want to track what you eat, counting macronutrients is a much more productive approach to achieving your health goals. Plus, when you focus on the quality of your macros, you can increase your fat-burning potential while naturally regulating how many calories you consume.
Counting macros for weight loss
Take carbohydrates: they’re not always the enemy that Atkins or Keto diet would have you believe; if you’re exercising regularly, they’re essential for energy. But with a more sedentary lifestyle, they can become problematic.
At rest, the body prefers to utilise fat for fuel, but switches to carbohydrates during high-intensity exercise, so rest days are better fuelled with a higher fat and protein to carb ratio, while on active days, more carbohydrates and protein is preferable (because excess fat will just be stored for later).
Macros calculator
Still with us? To figure out your macro ratio, you need to work out your basal metabolic rate (BMR) – the rate at which your body uses energy to stay alive. Then take into consideration your activity level. The calculation will then give you a daily calorie target, which you can split into the three macronutrients (protein, carbs, fat).
Macros for fat loss
As explained in the graphic above if you’re looking to formulate your macros for fat loss you should start with a 4-4-2 approach. That’s 40 percent protein, 40 carbs and 20 fat. This is so the body prioritises the right fuel and you retain muscle mass.
Need to lose more than fat? Then your macros diet will look slightly different.
Vegan macros
Don’t worry if you don’t eat meat, you can still formulate your food. You might find that you need to make changes to your shopping list but the ratios work in the same way.
Macros for Keto
The keto diet was 2018’s most controversial fat burning plan. Yes, there’s science to support its results, however a squad of experts is warning that the immediate weight loss results are not in fact fat, but water. This increases the risk of gaining your weight lost when you stop following ketogenic eating principles. Furthermore, there are warnings that the fatigue of fueling sans carbs isn’t worth the fat loss.
Not convinced? Trying the keto diet under supervision? Then, according to KetoDiet Buddy, a keto calculator, you’d want to aim for a 73 percent fat, 21 protein and 6 carbs macronutrients split.
A day of eating for the average 35-year-old 176lbs woman.
But do proceed with caution. ‘Keto diets should only be used under clinical supervision and only for brief periods,’ Francine Blinten, a certified clinical nutritionist and public health consultant in Old Greenwich, Connecticut, told Healthline.
How to calculate macros for different results
As mentioned, you need to tweak your macros depending on what results you’re after. Macros for cutting are different to macros for bulking. The same goes with your exercise approach. If you’ve just set out on your first half marathon training plan and need to fuel long runs then the endurance ratio is what you should aim for.
What to eat on the Macros diet
Sadly, just because you’ve done the food maths, this doesn’t give you carte blanche to eat junk 24/7. You need to eat good, wholesome food to ensure you’re getting enough micronutrients (vitamins and minerals found in fruits and vegetables) and fiber (factor in whole grains and oats). ‘Counting macros isn’t a miracle pill, the 80/20 rule still applies so 80% of your food should still come from good nutritious sources,’ says Howe.
The great thing about macro counting is if you’re strategic about your calories, you can factor in a bit of chocolate or a slice of pizza every day if you want to and not go over your allowance. And restricting your blowouts to harder training days – if you do go over by a few grams – won’t ruin your progress in the long run.
The Verdict
Want to get macros into your life? Remember these two things: your weight (which in turn affects your BMR) and how active you are.
Pretty much every macro is tied to this.
My Fitness Pal has an extensive list of foods, with macronutrient ratings, while Fitocracy Macros is simple – both are free.
It takes a bit of trial and error to find your ideal macro ratio, but it’s worth it. Eating based on macros is a re-education in eating properly. A great place to start is by consuming a Real Food Bar for a light breakfast or in between bigger meals. Since it has a balanced macronutrient ratio designed for a wide range of lifestyles, it won’t affect your diet plan.
