Welcome Steemers!
I am excited to introduce Part 1 of my Fit and Fab series. And I thought.... why not start with one of the most controversial topics in today's health and fitness industry.
Counting Calories vs. Tracking Macro-nutrients.
Let's start with Calorie counting. It is important to recognize that the principles of energy balance with weight management DOES factor into your daily caloric intake.
Simply put.
If you consume more calories than energy expenditure, you will gain weight.
If you consume less calories than energy expenditure, you will lose weight.
However, according to my studies with Precision Nutrition, counting calories as a way to try to know, and control, your energy intake is very fundamentally flawed.
But why?
1- You cant always trust the # of calories you find on a label.
2- How a food is prepared can change that caloric number.
3- A calorie changes once food enters the body, and this differs person to person.
That being said... a "calorie" can be false information for our bodies, and there are one to many factors that change what a label tells us. Making it near impossible to know exactly how many calories we are actually consuming.
What are MACROS?
Macro-nutrients are made up of Carbs, proteins, and fats. 1G of protein = 4 calories. 1G of carbs = 4 calories 1G of fat = 9 calories. So naturally when we track our Macros it isnt possible to complete avoid calories, as they are still an important part of nutrition goals.
Some of you are proabably thinking... OK so why are knowing your Macros so important if were still just counting calories. This is why....
200 calories in a bowl of vegetables does not process in our bodies the same way 200 calories of candy does. Being aware of the how many grams of carbs, proteins, and fats in the food is a great way for anyone to begin choosing better quality foods.
The same thing with counting calories comes into play with tracking Maros. Everyone's needs differ. The number of grams of protein, fat and carbs can and will vary depending on ones health goals.
According to research done with Precision nutrition, below are the different Macro ratios to reach specific goals
We then can use these %s to get a better understanding of how many grams our bodies may need.
All in All, calorie counting fails to give a full picture, tracking your Macros will teach you what certain foods are made of. I personally have counted calories and tracked macros in my past. They both have lead me to a clear mind and enough knowledge to know which foods to eat and which not to. To be able to live a life where I am not constantly on my phone plugging in what I am eating and still able to receive results is truly an amazing feeling, but it took years of work and knowledge to get here. Finally, I am free!
Thank you for reading! Stay tuned for Part 2 of the Fit & Fab series where I will talk about the importance of Pre and Post workout meals and Part 3- where I will dive a little further into Macro and Micro nutrients and our needs for them!
Everyday is gift.
The best is always yet to come.
xoxo,
Sondra