First and foremost: “MACRO” is short for “Macronutrients”. Macronutrients are separated into 3 categories of foods that your body requires in large amounts to produce energy for your body to function properly. The 3 categories of foods that make up Macronutrients are:

• Protein
• Carbohydrates
• Fat.

Consuming all 3 MACROS are important for not only your fitness journey, but for your overall health.

PROTEIN is packed with amino acids, which act as the building blocks for muscle growth and development.

CARBOHYDRATES (Carbs) are your bodies primary energy source, providing you with not only physical energy, but mental energy as well.

FAT helps your body absorb nutrients, produce hormones and also works as a second source of energy. Learning your bodies requirements and creating balance that is maintainable long term is key to success in your health and fitness journey.

Counting calories has been popular for years when trying to lose weight or hit certain fitness goals, but counting MACROS goes beyond the basic calorie count because each calorie that you consume in a day is made up of Macronutrients. More specifically, one gram of CARBOHYDRATES provides your body with 4 calories, just as one gram of PROTEIN provides your body with 4 calories, but one gram of FAT provides your body with 9 calories.  This is important information when determining how many grams of each MACRO your body should consume. Since FAT provides your body with a higher calorie count, you do not need to consume as many grams of it to hit your daily goal. Determining your daily MACRO allowance is a post for another day, today our goal is to understand WHAT MACROS are and WHY they are important.

When counting MACROS, it is important to track your nutrition daily, using food logs (MyFitnessPal is popular) and make the appropriate adjustments to your MACROS regularly to continue progressing. Your MACRO needs will change as your weight and fitness goals change. Also, its important to note that every body is different, so there is no basic MACRO program to follow. Instead, a careful calculation should be done for each person, individually. The things to take into consideration when determining your MACROS are your: Age, Height, Weight, Current Activity Level, Basal Metabolic Rate, Fitness Goals and Diet Restrictions. As these change, so will your MACROS.

Many FAD DIETS today encourage you to eliminate entire food groups from your diet, meaning eliminating an entire MACRO category. This may result in a FAST drop in weight but living without an entire food group is not maintainable and can cause weight gain just as fast as it causes weight loss. Elimination is not the answer to long term success, BALANCE is!