What are Macros? by Whitney Vaughan founder of FitWhit

What are Macros?

Many people aren’t aware of what counting macros is or what it entails. In this article, I will give you some insight and the basics of what macros are and what it means to track macros.

Macro Basics

Macros are the macronutrients (proteins, carbohydrates, and fats) found in foods. These three parts of food work together to supply our bodies with the energy it needs to do things like exercise and work, but also much simpler things that require less effort like digest foods properly and simply just be.

Regardless of your goals, if you decide to start counting macros, you should know that counting macros follows a cycle. Most start with the goal of wanting to lose weight therefore they would start in what we refer to as a “cut” phase. This means that you’re working in a calorie deficiency (eating less calories daily than you’re burning). Our bodies cannot sustain energy for long periods of time in a deficient, so it’s important to go into a “reverse” phase where you’ll work in a maintenance after several weeks of a cut. This means that you’re slowly increasing your calories per day until you show that you’re starting to gain weight (1-2 pounds of fluctuation is normal). During my experience with counting macros, I along with some of my clients have even been known to lose more weight in a reverse. A maintenance phase is exactly as it sounds…your caloric intake matches the energy burned. Once the body & mind are ready, you can restart the macro cycle.

Remember, your daily calories are being made up of a ratio proteins, carbs, and fats.

Why Track Macros?

I don’t refer to counting macros as a diet…it’s a lifestyle! The great thing about macros is they’re customized to fit your body. Things to consider when deciding what your macro numbers should be is your activity level, including exercise, current weight, age and any weight goals you may have. Once you have your macro numbers set, it’s essential that you track your daily intake using a macro tracking app, like My Fitness Pal. For best results, you should hit within 5g of each macro nutrient daily. For example, if you’re supposed to get in 130g of protein each day, you’ll want to hit anywhere between 125-135g each day. It’s also important that you hit all of your numbers each day because remember, these numbers work together to get you the results you’re looking for.

You may have heard of people tracking their calories. While this may be slightly effective, it’s not the same as tracking macros. Each macro nutrient accounts for a different number of grams of calories. If your caloric intake is 2,000 calories, you’re going to reach that goal a lot quicker with high fat foods than if you’re keeping your meals balanced by including protein and quality carbs.

What’s My Role as a Macro Coach?

As your coach, I start by calculating your macro numbers for you. From there, I will guide
you and monitor your progress with one-on-one macro coaching by checking in with you weekly to see how things are going. One thing we use to monitor your progress is your weight. The number on the scale helps determine what adjustments we need to make, if any, to your macros each week. Is it the only way to see progress? Definitely not! Feeling more energized, better performance in the gym, better sleep, your relationship with food and how your clothes fit are also ways to measure success on your macro journey.
I also create customized meal plans with grocery lists and recipes for some of my clients. This is perfect for those just getting started with macros, or for those that aren’t sure what to eat or how much to each.

Ways to Stay on Track

• The best results come when you are hitting your numbers daily. As mentioned previously, getting within 5g of each macronutrient daily is best.

• Eat macro friendly foods, especially when you’re first getting started. Macro friendly foods are foods that are easy to track with your app like single proteins (chicken, beef, fish), fruits and vegetables, and quality grains. Most macro tracking apps, like My Fitness Pal, have a feature in their program that allows you the scan barcodes on foods to add to your log. Easy!
• Plan ahead. Any time you can plan your day of eating ahead of time (I like to log the next day when I’m laying in bed at night.), it makes staying on track easier.
• Plan for upcoming social gatherings and parties. Stay on track leading up to and after or even save up some carbs & fats for that company Christmas party you have coming up.

If you’re looking for more help with macros, for guidance on nutrition, or looking to live a healthier lifestyle, check out my website, fit-whit.com, or message me for information on how I can help you achieve your health goals.