Beginners Guide To Macros

As the title so aptly puts it, this is your beginner's guide to Macros or Macronutrients. Macros are a term that you will no doubt hear over and over again during your fitness career. From your trainer asking you what your macros were before you started training with them to your average gym bro asking “what’s your macros bro” now they might not say bro but for the sake of the article they will.

In this article, I will cover what a macronutrient is, an in-depth look at the three macronutrients, where to find them, and how to track them.

So what is a macronutrient or macro for short?

There are three macronutrients that make up how you track food. the three macronutrients that all food consists of are Protein, Carbohydrates, and Fats. Protein, Carbs, and Fats make up all food. Each meal will have varying amounts of each depending on food choices and quantity. Your body needs these nutrients in larger amounts in order to function properly as macro means large. In addition, all of these nutrients provide your body with energy measured in the form of calories or kcals.

• Proteins contain 4 cal per gram

• Carbohydrates contain 4 cal per gram

• Fats contain 9 cal per gram

Macro #1: Proteins!

Macro #2: Carbohydrates!

Macro #3: Fats!

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Macro #1: Proteins!

Protein is king! The one macro you will here more about from every seasoned vet gym bro to the person just beginning their fitness journey.

Protein is the "One [macro] to rule them all, one [macro] to find them, One [macro] to bring them all, and in the [calorie tracker] bind them"

One does not simply make a lord of the rings quote comparing Protein to the one ring lightly!

Protein is the most essential of the three macronutrients to both build and keep muscle. Your protein intake will determine how much muscle you build during a bulk and how much you keep during a cut.

Protein is found throughout the body—in muscle, bone, skin, hair, and virtually every other body part or tissue.

As stated above 1g of Protein = 4 Calories

Believe it or not that when you are in a cut or trying to lose weight you will actually need to eat more protein in order to retain as much muscle mass as possible!

When you are trying to lose weight being in a calorie deficit (eating less calories then you burn, more on that in another article) with a high protein diet will be far more effective than if you were to cut out or reduce your protein intake.

This is likely because the Thermogenic Effect of protein tends to to be 30% higher then that of carbs which sit around 6-8% and fats around 2-3%. Meaning that it takes the body more energy to burn those calories.

For how much protein you should be taking there are many schools of thought on this subject. Old school Bro science (which in it self isn't all bad in specific cases) either 2kg of protein per 1 kg of body mass. You may have also heard 1g protein per 1lbs body weight. while it isn't terrible advice and is a pretty decent place to start if you are just starting out on your fitness journey, there is likelihood that this skews the number higher then it needs to be putting you in a higher calorie surplus then you need to be leading to more fat gain.

For myself and my clients I prefer basing protein intake based on age and lean body mass. Lean body mass is your body weight free of fat mass. This method ensures that as we get older, we are still giving our body the amount of protein that it needs to function and keep us making gains far into the future!

	0-30 Years	30-40 Years	40-50 Years	50-60 Years	60-70 Years
No Deficit	1.8-2.0g/kg LBM	2.0-2.3g/kg LBM	2.3g-2.6g/kg LBM	2.6-2.9g/kg LBM	2.9-3.2g/kg LBM
Deficit	2.2-2.4g/ kg LBM	2.4-2.8g/kg LBM	2.8-3.1g/kg LBM	3.1-3.5g/kg LBM	3.5-3.8g/kg LBM

Let’s say the man is 30 years old. For him, his lean body mass is 68 kg (150lbs) and if we multiply that by the amount in the table above (0-30 years old and in a deficit) we get a multiplier range of 2.2-2.4 g/kg LBM. Since more protein isn’t going to hurt him or be dangerous let’s go ahead and err on the high end of that range and take 68 kg LBM × 2.4 g/kg LBM = 163g protein per day. We can round that to 165g.

There are many different types of protein that you can get and will work with any diet type whether you follow carnivore, Keto, normal, vegan, or anything other diet I haven't mentioned.

Animal proteins include:

• Whey (dairy)

• Casein (dairy)

• Egg

• Beef

• Chicken

• Pork

• Fish

• etc.

Plant Based proteins include:

• Tofu

• Soy

• Pea

• Lentils

• Quinoa

• Brown Rice

• Chickpea

• Etc.

Macro #2 Carbohydrates!

So carbs are either your favorite or they are the "enemy" depending on who you ask. Whatever your views on carbs are they are incredibly important to achieving your goals as they are the primary source of energy your body needs to function.

As stated above 1g of Carbs = 4 Calories

Carbs are split into two categories: Simple or Complex. The difference between the two to put it simply is the rate of absorption and digestion. A simple carb source will digest and get absorbed much faster then a complex carb.

Simple carbohydrates contain only one or two sugars, such as fructose (found in fruit) and galactose (found in dairy products). These simple sugars are called monosaccharides. Carbohydrates with two sugars, such as sucrose (table sugar), lactose (found in dairy products), and maltose (found in beer and some vegetables), are called disaccharides, . Simple carbohydrates are also found in candy, sodas, and syrups. However, these foods are made from processed and refined sugars and contain no vitamins or minerals. or fiber. They're called "empty calories," they can lead to easier weight gain. That being said they are still carbs and not off limits when trying to gain or lose weight but there are better options available.

A few examples of simple carbs are:

• candy

• sugary drinks

• syrups

• table sugar

• fruit juice concentrate

• products with added sugar, such as baked goods or some cereals

• Jams

Complex carbohydrates (polysaccharides) have three or more sugars. Often referred to as starchy foods, and they include beans, peas, lentils, peanuts, potatoes, corn, parsnips, whole wheat bread, and cereals.

A few examples of complex carbs are:

• brown rice

• barley

• buckwheat

• bulgur wheat

• oats

• wild rice

• Vegetables

• legumes

• nuts

Carbohydrates are an essential source of energy for the body. Complex carbohydrates provide a longer-lasting source of energy than simple carbohydrates because they take longer to digest.

However, this does not mean that all complex carbohydrates are healthier. foods such as fruit and milk. Complex carbohydrates can also be found in refined foods such as white bread or white rice.

Carbs are incredibly important in the role of both building muscle and losing fat. I would say they are the second most important of the three, the first being Protein.

Macro #3 Fats!

Now if there was ever a macro that has been given a bad name it’s fats. For years it has been demonized as the worst of the three macros and the truest source of all fitness evils and one should never eat any fat or else they will gain every single pound. Every pound!

But both science and common sense tells us that fats are an essential part of our daily diets. So much so that there are things called essential fats! These fat are called “essential” fats due to the fact it's miles important that we get them from food. Essential fats encompass Omega-three fats (discovered in meals including fish and flax seed) and Omega-6 fat (discovered in meals including nuts, seeds, and corn oil). There are 3 primary sorts of fats in the meals you eat:

• unsaturated fat from plant meals.

• saturated fat from animal meals.

• Trans fat from commercially prepared, processed meals.

As stated above 1g of Fats = 9 Calories

Unsaturated fats are found in plant foods and oils. They are considered healthy fats. They tend to lower LDL (bad) cholesterol as well as increase HDL (healthy) cholesterol.

• olive oil and olives

• peanuts, peanut oil and natural peanut butter

• avocado

• fatty fish such as mackerel, salmon, unsalted herring, sardines (fresh or canned), trout

• canola oil

• chia seed

Saturated fats are found in animal products and tropical oils. They also raise LDL cholesterol.

• Fatty meats

• skin on chicken and turkey

• bacon

• High fat dairy foods

• butter

Trans fats are healthy fats that undergo a process called "partial Hydrogenation" this is when hydrogen atoms are added to the fat and turns the fat from a liquid to a solid. An example of this would be peanut butter. A peanut butter that is has undergone the process will be solid in the container, where as natural peanut butter will have a layer of oil on the top requiring you to mix it together.

• vegetable shortening

• hard margarine

• deep fried foods

• store bought pastries, cakes, doughnuts etc.

The fact that fats are a little more then double the calories as carbs and proteins means that you will need to eat half as much in order to get the same calorie intake. That being said you need fats in order for your body to function.

So if your coach, your friend, or your family is telling you to cut fats and that will solve all your problems. You have every right to tell them to shove it!

In Conclusion:

Macronutrients make up all food that we eat and they play an important role while trying to lose, gain, or maintain our weight. No one group (looking at carbs and fats here) is inherently bad for you and if someone says they are then well you probably should not take any more nutrition advice from them.

So remember:

• Protein is King and should be the star of your diet

• Carbohydrates are delicious and give your body the fuel it needs

• Fats are essential to keep the body running

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