By John Hand –
It has been said that abs are made in the kitchen. Perhaps true but dieting is hard. The dream of having one pack of a six-pack poke through is daunting and can feel like a far-off dream. Enter the concept of counting macros for a better body. This method of dieting has become increasingly popular in recent years with an explosion social media promoting macro counting.
Admittedly, it may seem challenging to count macros or that only people with thousands of social followers get results. But when done right, macro counting can help build a better if not dream body.
The process starts with macronutrients, which are broken down into three food groups: carbohydrates, proteins and fats. Carbs are fuel for the body, providing energy through sugars, starches and fibers. Proteins help the body’s immune system and build tissues, hormones and enzymes. Lastly, fats generate energy, while also assisting with nutrient absorption and body temperature maintenance. Macro counting breaks one’s diet down into certain percentages for each of these three groups. For example, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans established by the United States Department of Agriculture recommends the average person’s diet consist of 45-65 percent carbohydrates, 20-35 percent fats and 10-35 percent protein.
These recommendations may be valid in general but unfortunately, they don’t take into account personal differences.
Calculating an individual’s targeted macro breakdown requires taking several factors into consideration, including health goals, height, weight, gender and activity level. A person who is looking to lose weight is going to consume fewer calories than someone who is looking to add one muscle. Beyond this, the more active someone is the higher the total daily energy expenditure and the more calories he or she will consume.
Thankfully, there are many apps and websites that can help calculate the total number of calories a person needs along with the percentage of calories that should come from each macronutrient group. Those feeling adventurous can even calculate their total daily energy expenditure by using the Mifflin St. Jeor Formula. Get your scratch pads ready.
The formula is as follows:
- Men: 10 x weight (kg) + 6.25 x height (cm) – 5 x age (y) + 5
- Women: 10 x weight (kg) + 6.25 x height (cm) – 5 x age (y) – 161
The computation will produce the total daily energy expenditure (TDEE). The TDEE is then multiplied by a person’s standard activity.
- TDEE X 1.2: for sedentary types—little to no exercise in a day
- TDEE X 1.375: for those slightly active—light exercise/sports 1-3 days/week
- TDEE X 1.55: for the moderately active—moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/week
- TDEE X 1.725: for the very active—hard exercise/sports 6-7 days a week
- TDEE X 1.9: for the extra active—extremely hard exercise/sports and physical job
Admittedly, relying on math and formulas to determine what a person should eat daily can be tiresome and overwhelming. Perhaps not surprisingly, these necessary calculations are one of the major criticisms of macro counting.
A simpler alternative to dieting is a calorie-deficient diet. This approach simply requires a person to take fewer calories than he or she burns in a day. A calorie deficiency has certainly proven to be a positive path to weight loss, but the advantage of macro counting is the way it forces users to look at the quality of food that is being eaten. Macro counting also ensures the body gets all the nutrients it needs.
A 2017 study found that people who were tracking what they ate recorded significant weight loss. Another advantage of counting macros is that it refocused a user’s perspective on what they ate. In addition, the program can help tone the body or add muscle as opposed to calorie deficiency, which is solely focused on losing body fat.
The burden of tracking and logging meals has been eased by the advent of apps and websites that help track consumption. Some of these platforms include recipes that are macro-friendly while also offering features like the ability to scan barcodes to get nutrient facts instantly entered into a tracker.
It is also important to remember macro counting doesn’t need to be all-consuming. Many macro counters acknowledge that is okay to forget to log a meal or have a slice of pizza at times. Ultimately, it is more beneficial to eat high-quality foods, but a macro diet doesn’t restrict what a person eats, but rather just limits how much one is eating.
The bottom line is that macro counting in its purest form can seem overwhelming and complex. But when boiled down it can become a form of dieting that is customizable to a person’s lifestyle and goals, ultimately allowing individuals to achieve their personal aims.
