Have you ever heard the phrase “Intuitive Diet” or “Flexible Diet”? If you have then you probably got it from a fitness website or maybe from one of my posts on any of my social media handles. Now I’d like to write about this topic based on my experience in the fitness industry.
What is Macro and why is it important to know our Macro Intake?
Macro: “Macro” is the short form for Macronutrients. These are nutrients that your body needs in large amounts. There are 3 major Macros, namely; Protein, Carbohydrates, and, Fats. Micronutrients on the other hand, “Micros” are usually used to refer to our Vitamins and Minerals.
Whenever we’re trying to lose weight, nutrition experts normally suggest that instead of focusing only on our calories intake, we should also track our macronutrients intake so as to have a better idea of what we are eating. This helps us ensure we’re eating a balanced amount of macronutrients (carbohydrates, fat, and protein) so that we can quickly achieve our desired results. The whole idea is that specific grams of macros are allotted to you for your consumption each day (depending on your body composition and health goals).
I would try as much as possible to keep this blog short and easy to understand since this subject is kind of vast and can sometimes be difficult to understand. My calories counting all began when I started my fitness journey, so yes, I’ve been in your shoes before; food tracking, “Calories Counts”, “Macros Counts”; been there, done that. I also remember that back then it was a bit confusing for me; Do you know the difference between the two? There’s even a third one: “Hand portion tracking”, but I’ll talk about that some other time.
All of these are “external guides” that help your body take in only the right amounts of food and at the right intervals. When you do it long enough, you automatically retrain you to better regulate the hormones that tell you when you’re hungry and full.
You’ll also be able to more easily adjust your calorie and macronutrient intake, which is very important if you’re trying to change your body weight and composition (or you’re trying to keep them the same).
Calories vs Macros
With calorie counting, you’ll be allotted a set number of calories for consumption each day and this is based on your height, weight, age, activity level, and your health goals. With macro counting, those calories are further divided among the three main macronutrients, i.e. protein, carbohydrates, and fat.
I am going to talk about each of these macros in the order of importance that I have placed them on my food plate.
Protein
I put this one first because it is the food for our muscles and has always been treated with utmost importance in the health/fitness world – so let’s keep it that way!Proteins are made up of amino acids which form the building block of muscles. They also support the optimal functioning of several body organs like our skin, our blood, and our hormones.
Fats
In the Health/fitness world, fats have managed to gain a bad reputation over time but the irony is that fats help with vitamin absorption and proper brain functioning. It also helps insulate and protect our bones and organs.Fats also act as a precursor for many hormones and also as a backup for body energy. What we’re not so sure about are the benefits of the good fats vs the trans-fats. Examples of good fats are nuts, Almonds, Pecans, Avocado, Olive oil, Avocado Oil, Coconut Oils and these are excellent additions to our diets.
Carbohydrates
“Carbs” have a very bad reputation in the health/fitness world. The truth however is that our bodies need carbs! Carbohydrates fuel our brains and muscles. The tip is to stick to nutrient-dense carbs, like fruits, veggies, and whole grains, these are foods that contain a great deal of fiber and have lower glycemic load which means that consuming them won’t spike your blood sugar level.You can try to avoid or limit carbs like processed bread, crackers, chips and candy. Stick to whole grains (rice, oats), starchy vegetables (sweet potato, white potato, squash) and fresh fruit/ legumes, those will do you a great deal of good.
CALORIES AND MACRONUTRIENTS WEIGHTING:
1 gram of carbohydrate = 4 calories
1 gram of protein = 4 calories
1 gram of fat = 9 calories
Pros and Cons of Calories and Macros Counting
PROS:
SHORT TERMS USES: Keeping track of your calories or macros for a few weeks reveals a lot to you about your current eating habits. Continued practice also gives you a good understanding of appropriate portions. Once you’ve gotten a good grasp of all of it, it becomes easy to transition to hand portions and eventually, self-regulation.
SUITABLE FOR PEOPLE WITH ADVANCE NEEDS: For those who have precise weight goals, keeping track of calories or macros is necessary to achieve those goals. For example, for someone who needs to weigh exactly 125 pounds in order to make their weight class or be exactly 14% body fat for the sake of their profession, tracking calories and/or macros is usually the most effective way to achieve such targets.
IMPROVES PERSONAL FOOD ORIENTATION: There are those who are actually very interested in collecting calorie and macronutrient data in order to monitor weight and size changes in their body as well as tracking health markers such as blood pressure and cholesterol. However to be successful at this, you need to be able to use these numbers as information rather than an indicator of one’s healthy or unhealthy status. For them it’s just a way to exercise control.
CAN BECOME A SOURCE OF INSPIRATION AND MOTIVATION: Keeping track of these numbers and achieving set targets is another way of recording little daily success that helps your overall performance for that day. It makes you accountable to yourself every day and helps you stay motivated throughout the day to reach your targets
CONS:
MAY CAUSE AN UNHEALTHY CONNECTION WITH FOOD: Sometimes, constant tracking of food can become very unhealthy. There is evidence that reveals that there is a link between excessive calorie and macro tracking and three types of disordered eating.
CAN LEAD TO BINGE EATING: Binge eating is simply the overwhelming urge to eat as much food as possible and as quickly as possible.
LEADS TO OBSESSION WITH NUMBERS: obsessive tracking of calories and macros leads to anxiety around food and also leaves you feeling out of control when you’re unable to track with precision.
COGNITIVE DIETARY RESTRAINT: Obsession with calories and macros automatically conditions your mind to only eat certain kinds of food and in exact proportions. Having this kind of consciousness makes food less enjoyable to eat.
FOLLOWING TRENDS AND MACRO COUNTING: Obsessive tracking makes you follow number trends rather than listening to your own body. It makes you focus on the numbers rather than your body’s own signals.
YOU CAN’T STOP THINKING ABOUT FOOD: It can also lead an over consciousness on food and makes it almost impossible to sneak in a cheat meal into your day. It can also bring you guilt wherever you go over or under your required macros for the day.
MAY LEAD TO UNHEALTHY COMPETITION: Food and diet eventually becomes a numbers game for you and you must win!
- MAY LEAD TO FOOD LABELING: Calorie macros tracking also can also lead to one labeling what he or she eats as either “good” or “bad” depending on their weight goals and it can become easy to attach one’s self-worth to his or her food choices
My years of counting calories and Macros have helped me to understand my food intake. In order to monitor your body calories and macros properly, I’ll recommend you hire a coach so he can help you personalize your numbers to you; your body, your activity level, and your health goals. Having knowledge about the percentage % of your Macros helps you to focus your eating so that you always aim to eat a more balanced and nutritional diet.
It is important to note that different people require different lengths of times to achieve their weight goals so ultimately, the goal should be to know what, how much, and when to eat without aggressively tracking or monitoring your calories/macros.
Counting calories and grams is a lot of work. Although it could be helpful in the short run, it may not be advisable to go for long periods tracking these numbers.
Hence it is more appropriate to apply “internal guides” rather than the external ones; specifically, mindful eating and intuitive eating.
This is a method known as self-regulation. It is critical to helping you tune into your body’s appetite signals, helping you to significantly improve your eating habits. Babies practice this self-regulation naturally; they immediately stop eating once they are full. Most adults on the other hand, have forgotten how to tap into this ability.
Mindful and intuitive eating can help you regain this skill. They also help to enhance the results you get from your food tracking activities by helping you manage more easily your food intake, based on a combination of:
- Signals for Hunger and fullness
- Knowledge on Nutrition
- Understanding what works for you individually
MINDFUL EATING means for one to pay attention to the feelings and sensations one experiences around eating. Practices like slow eating and eating until you’re 80 percent full all part of mindful eating. Rather than focusing on eating specific types or amounts of food, mindful eating teaches you how to regulate your food intake by paying attention to how your body and mind feels whenever you eat.
INTUITIVE EATING is a feeding system that helps you develop a healthy attitude toward food and your body image. This idea is simple; eat when you’re hungry and stop when you’re full. It is not a diet.
Benefits of Having Flexibility in Your Diets
The transition into self-regulation while tracking your calories and macros should be the ultimate goal. This doesn’t mean you have to forget about calories or macros or hand portions; rather you should continue to apply these same skills you’ve acquired through tracking to help you with self-regulation.
For instance, calories and macros tracking means:
- You now have a better sense of how many calories and macros you’re eating
- You now understand appropriate portion sizes
- You also now have an increased awareness of the quality of food you take in
With Gratitude, Happy reading!