Aloha! What the heck are macros you might be asking? I’m sure you’ve at least heard the term. Macros, flexible dieting, IIFYM all seem to be circulating around everywhere these days. Macros are simply the 3 main macronutrients–protein, carbohydrates & lipids (fats).
The reason people put so much emphasis on these 3 is because they are the energy source for your body. Protein & carbs both provide 4 calories/gram; fat offers 9cal/gram (& alcohol 7cal/g–alcohol is not a macronutrient–your body doesn’t need it to survive).
Of course, not all calories are created equal. Eating a grilled salmon salad loaded with vegetables is going to provide way more nutrition–vitamins, minerals & antioxidants–than a slice of pepperoni pizza. This is one of the major advantages of If It Fits Your Macros (IIFYM)–you have the choice to eat some of the not so healthy foods guilt free as long as it fits into your daily allotment.
Each person requires a different number of calories simply to survive; your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) is often used interchangeably with Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR); this is how many calories your body burns at rest (i.e. sitting on the couch; no physical activity & not digesting any food). Once you add physical activity into the equation your caloric needs change (we’re not talking a dozen donut change–don’t get excited). Your gender, age, height/weight & goals all play into setting your calories & how you choose to divide those calories up between protein, carbs & fats.
As a general rule, 30% of your total calories come from protein, 30% fat & 40% from carbs. I personally like to aim for 1 gram/lb of my bodyweight (or goal bodyweight) in protein. I feel as though this helps to build & retain adequate muscle mass.
So for example, 140lb Gertrude wants to lose 5lbs & through experimentation, trial & error, she has found that 1800 calories typically leads to a 1lb weight loss/week. Gertrude is aiming for 135-140g of protein/day (540-560cal)—from above, remember that 1 gram of protein has 4 calories. This leaves her with a little over 1200 calories to divide between fat & carbs. We will follow 30% rule for fats–this gives Gertrude 41g (372cal) of fat & the remaining will go to carbohydrates 217g (868cal).
This ends up being nearly 50% of calories coming from carbs. I believe carbs & fats can be divvied up according to personal preference. I find it easier to trim fat from my diet rather than cutting out carbs—but again depending on the foods you like to eat, foods that agree with you or even how your body responds to carbs & fats can better help you determine your macro nutrient profile.
There are several different apps out there to log your food, my fitness pal, fat secret, mymacros+ are all excellent tools to help you get started. They make it so easy to log food & keep track of your progress.
I’d love to hear from you! Do you track your food? Do you follow the flexible dieting approach? What works for you? Leave me a comment!