Beginners guide to Macros

Here’s how it goes: you eat a burger, chase it with a can of coke, then seal the deal with a slice of cake. By the week’s end, you’ve lost weight and you can see that lovely bit of muscle you’ve been after for the past six months. Unfortunately, this is the dream scenario for most of us – but it’s also what life’s like when you stop counting calories and start counting macros.

What are Macros?

It the simplest way to explain this, Macros is basically shorthand for macronutrients. This is a term used to describe the three key food groups we all require for our bodies to function: carbohydrates, fats and proteins.

• Carbohydrates (to fuel energy)
• Fats (to keep you satiated)
• Proteins (to build and repair muscle)

If you get the right balance of these combined, you’ll not only lose weight, but you’ll also be more effective at burning fat and building lean muscle.

Counting Macros:

Each macronutrient yields a certain amount of calories.

• One gram of protein yields 4 calories.
• One gram of carbohydrate yields 4 calories.
• One gram of fat yields 9 calories.
• One gram of alcohol yields 7 calories.

Here is a great example our my calculations:

Protein = 13 X 4 = 52
Carbohydrates: 36 X 4 = 144
Fat: 1 X 9 = 9
Total of: 205 calories

Give it a try! If you want more information on this then visit our online fitness coaching page where you will find more information on customized diet plans and customized workout plans.