All about Macros - what they are and why you should care

Short for "macronutrients," macros are the protein, fat and carbohydrates that make up our food, and give us energy. You've likely heard the terms "tracking your macros" and "if it fits your macros" (IIFYM) before, but what exactly does that even mean? And why is it important?

In simpler terms, macronutrients are responsible for the calories in food, as follows:
1 gram of protein = 4 calories
1 gram of carbohydrates = 4 calories
1 gram of fat = 9 calories
1g of alcohol = 7 calories (although, we'll track most alcohol under a "carb"!). It is very important to note that similar to only looking at the scale, counting your calories alone will not tell you the whole story. We have chosen to work with macros for this challenge for a few reasons:

1. You get to eat the foods you like, use recipes you already know, and set yourself up for sustainable success.

2. We can customize your plan for YOU by taking into consideration your age, fitness level, body type, food preferences, allergies, etc

3. You get to say goodbye to strict diets, unrealistic or complicated meal plans and the feeling of "ugh, do I have to do this for forever?!"

A balance of all 3 macronutrients should be included in your everyday diet. If you are too low in protein, you'll end up losing muscle over fat. If you aren't getting enough carbohydrates, you'll lack the energy to complete your workouts, as well as day-to-day tasks, and if you're low in fat, hormone imbalances kick in.

When it comes to counting macros, I never like to tell my clients that they have to track forever, because it can become an unhealthy obsession, and it's unnecessary. However tracking macros is SO important for developing a baseline, and being able to identify where small tweaks and adjustments need to be made- and that's where we will be focusing our efforts on in the next 6 weeks. Tracking can also be a surprising eye-opener to people who don't realize all the "little things" that truly make the biggest difference. More often than not, my clients will discover how they haven't been consuming enough nutrients for their activity level, age, weight, and day-to-day living.

Want to get started with Macro Tracking?

1. Find your ideal macros for your body type, activity level, and goals! This is most accurately done by completing an inBody Scan and having a trained professional calculate your ideal macros.

2. Download a tracking app. Our fave is LoseIt, but MyFitnessPal is another commonly used tool. You will want to modify your goals to input your calculated macros - here’s a video of how to do that in LoseIt

3. Get tracking! Record your normal food intake for week in the app without making changes, and take note! Which macros are you over, and which are you under? Are there any surprises? Now try to adjust the following week, and see what changes!

Looking for additional support? I offer 1:1 Nutrition Coaching, biometric testing, and group challenges at CrushCamp! Send me an email and let’s chat!