What are Macros?

Macros stands for your Macro nutrients. Meaning the nutrients your body needs in huge bulk. These are fats, protein and carbohydrates. On the other hand, micro nutrients are the ones your body needs in minute amount like vitamins and minerals.

Not an expert but this is what i know:

You can read in the internet and on instagram that weight loss is about energy balance, calories in minus calories out. This is true. However, the source of those calories matter too! Your body reacts to different food and utilizes them differently hence, getting the right macro for your body and energy needs is important in determining how you feel and how you look.

Protein:

1 gram of protein = 4 calories

To put it plainly, protein is your bodies building blocks. It is important to hit your protein to preserve your muscles as muscles eat a lot of energy even at rest! So if your goal is fat-loss, packing on muscles at the right parts of your body is extremely ideal. If your body does not have enough muscles, you may weigh less but your body will still have fats especially in the belly area where it is most stubborn.

It is recommended to have protein 0.7 to 1 gram per lean body weight in pounds. However this is just an approximation. Maybe you need less of you need more. Just set this as a starting guide and observe. Too much protein is converted into glucose and excess glucose “may” be stored into our fat cells.

Fats:

1 gram fat = 9 calories (mct oil is 1 gram =8 calories)

Most people fear fats as the notion that fats make you fat. That is not entirely true! Surplus calories makes you fat. Excess calories wherever that came from be it from protein, fat or carbohydrates, as long as it is an excess your body stores it to your fat cells. And by the way,  fat is an organ. We don’t gain fat cells, they just grow. Excess calories fuel them if your muscles are dormant. (am speaking in very simple terms so we can all understand.)

Fats is a source of fuel for your body. They also support hormone balance. And hormones are also major player in fat loss or fat storage. Am sorry. Its getting complicated but to put it simply, our body needs fat to function properly. Its recommended that we allocate approximately no less than 40% of your total calories for fat.

Carbohydrates:

1 gram = 4 calories

A lot of people fear carbohydrates too! But a lot of people advocate for them. Carbohydrates is a fuel source just like fats.  Carbs coverts to glucose, and when your body detects glucose in the blood it will use it asap for energy if you are active or for fat storing if you are dormant. If you have a good amount of muscles on you, it will likely go to muscles instead of it going to our fat cells. Thus more muscles the better.

Having said that, i prefer to eat carbs around my workouts especially after workout.

With the details above, hopefully they were simplified enough so we all can relate, i will write to you how i determine my macro ratios. But will save this for our next post.

Hope this was helpful. Kindly like if you like it, and comment whatever you want to add or correct, totally helpful.

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