All About Macros
In order to see the results, you’re working so hard for in the gym, what you are eating is KEY. We hear a lot about different diet trends and it can feel overwhelming to figure out where to start, but the truth is eating a BALANCED diet is all you need to focus on. Balanced means paying attention to portions and making sure your plates have foods that work together to aid in your body metabolizing them correctly. One of the most important categories on your plate is macros (aka macronutrients).
Let’s talk a little about balancing out our diet and how I use macros for myself and my clients.
What Are Macros?
“Macros” is short for macronutrients. Macronutrients are nutritional compounds that help support the function of our bodies.
Macronutrients are the nutrients that provide calories or energy required for normal growth, metabolism, and other functions of the body.
3 Main Macronutrients:
1. CARBOHYDRATES
Carbohydrates are used to fuel exercise and help with brain function and should represent about 45% - 65% of your daily calorie intake. If you’re active you may need more carbs in your diet.
Examples of some great complex carbohydrates are whole grains like:
Quinoa
Brown Rice
Steel Cut Oatmeal
Any whole grains you may love.
2. PROTEINS
Proteins help support many functions in the body such as tissue production and maintenance and organ function. Proteins should represent about 10% - 35% of your daily calorie intake.
Examples of great sources of proteins are:
Chicken
Turkey
Meats
Fish
Soy Products (like tofu)
Eggs
There is also protein in some veggies, seeds, nuts, and whole grains.
3. FAT
Healthy fats help with storing energy. They protect our organs, help absorb vitamins in the body, and help with hormones. Fat should represent about 20%-35% of your daily calorie intake.
Some healthy fats are:
Olive Oil
Avocados
Nuts and seeds
All animal sources of protein contain significant amounts of fat too.
When it comes down to meal time I try to aim for a healthy balance of all three macronutrients. They ALL work best together. One doesn’t work well without the other.
If you restrict carbohydrates from your diet, you miss out on vital benefits it provides for your body. Eating too much protein will bring on negative side effects like diarrhea and kidney damage. And eating ALL fat, well…… that should speak for itself.
In my opinion, the best way to learn how to calculate macros is by measuring your food and using a handy app called “MyFitnessPal”.
I would suggest getting familiar with entering your meals in the app to check your macro percentage levels for your daily calories.
Maybe try sticking with the app for at least 3 to 6 months. So, you can learn if you are either over or under eating one of the macronutrients, or if over your calories or under-eating. Once you have it dialed in. It will be a lot easier to just look at the food and basically know what 4oz of chicken or what a cup of rice looks like.
The more your practice and do. The easier it becomes. I promise.
BUT for now, let’s keep it simple and not worry about calories. If you are looking to lose weight, you’re going to have to track those calories as well. YOU MUST BE AT A CALORIE DEFICIT TO LOSE WEIGHT That is a whole different conversation.
So, when you are filling up your plate with your foods. Let’s aim for half the plate being carbohydrates, one-quarter of your plate for a protein and another quarter or less to be a healthy fat.
xoxo,
Cindy De La Cruz
P.S. Please comment below or email me with questions. If you are having some trouble with learning how to use MyFitnessPal check out the video on my Instagram for some quick tips.
