“The Macro Diet”….
Something I hear quite often, people are asking to get on the “Macro Diet” or they heard someone say, “I do Macros”.
And it’s funny to me because “Macros” is not a diet, they are the nutrients we consume in larger amounts in which make up our calorie intake. Where as micronutrients are the small things like minerals and vitamins, macronutrients are the protein, fats, and carbs that make our calories for the day and are the biggest determining factor in losing or gaining weight.
In fact, every single diet out there can implement macro tracking into it. You can be low carb, ketogenic, paleo, classic bodybuilding, or whatever you want to do…
Macros are a tool, a metric, and a way to systemize our nutrition to make sure we’re consuming the right amounts of food to support our performance and our goals.
This is another reason macro calculators aren’t always correct, because things change and every single person is so very different. It takes experience, coaching, and adjustments along the way to find what works best for you.
So if you do decide to get into tracking macro’s, which I do suggest because it can be one of the most ideal ways to get better results, watch the video below and make sure you’re taking the best steps to be successful with it first.
STEP #1 – TRACK!
May seem obvious, but you NEED to track for a good 1-2 weeks to find out your maintenance calories before moving forward. This is the amount of calories and food your metabolism has become adapted too.
So if you average out your week and it shows that you’ve been consuming 1,800 calories daily and this is keeping you exactly where you’re at now, meaning you’re not losing any weight nor gaining, then that is the calorie intake that will keep you there.
To lose or gain, we need to adjust and create a deficit or surplus to move up or down in weight.
STEP #2 – FIGURE OUT YOUR MACRO NEEDS.
This can have way more to it than just punching in some numbers and a calculator on the Internet giving you some numbers to go with…
Here is an article I did that can show you how to calculate it, but like I said – this is NOT perfect. This gives you the best recommendations but we can never be sure.
If this calculation says you need 2,500 calories daily but your average has been 1,800 – I DO NOT suggest jumping up, just like I said in the video. We need to slowly increase to that number and the first initial jump should and most likely needs to be through protein, then carbs, and finally fat.
Protein is very hard to store as fat, carbs fuel our performance best therefore are more likely to be used, and fat is our hormonal supporter but can be easier stored as fat if our metabolism isn’t ready for the extra calories.
STEP #3 – PLAN AHEAD OF TIME.
Without preparation, success can be damn near impossible.
This doesn’t always mean pre cooking all your meals, it can simply mean entering in what you will be eating the next day or a very close idea of what that may be. This way we are more confident of hitting the macro’s set for us.
If we add things into our app as we go, it can be VERY likely to end up with not enough or too much by the time the end of the day comes – then we have a hard time hitting the numbers we have left.
Example would be entering as you go all day and when your final meal comes around – you have 58g of protein, 13g of carbs, and 2g of fat left for the day… That is going to cause you to be clueless on what to eat without going over your fat and carbs and it’s a lot of protein for you to hit in a single meal.
STEP #4 – BE CONSISTENT AND ADHERE TO THE PLAN.
This is simple.
We hate to hear it, but this shit takes time! We need to consistently hit the nutrient goals for weeks and weeks to see some serious progress.
My rule of thumb, from science and lots of experience, is that you should not adjust your macros without at least 2-3 weeks of stalled progress WHILE being completely consistent.
The body takes time to adjust and it will not likely do so in less than 2 weeks.
STEP #5 – BE FLEXIBLE!
The key to utilizing macros is not only to lose weight now, but in the long run and the best way to do this without going damn near insane is to make sure you’re being flexible.
That means having a beer or three on occasion, going out to eat with friends, adding some foods that may not be “clean” but you love, and ultimately staying happy with the way you’re eating.
My two major rules are simple; first one is that 80-90% of your diet should be REAL whole foods that are packed with nutrients. Things like veggies, fruits, lean meats, wild caught fish, grass fed beef, cage free eggs, quality diary, etc. The other 10-20% can be whatever floats your boat.
My second major key is that you should never become anal about hitting the exact macro number on the dot. Meaning if your carb intake is 200g, then striving to hit that within +/- 5g is plenty to see success.
I always recommend +/- 5g for protein and carbs and +/- 2-3g for fat (fat is higher calorically).
With all this info, you should be set to be MUCH more successful with tracking your macros – but the issue may arise that you do not know or trust where to start with those numbers.
The best way to truly determine those numbers and fully learn how to adjust along the way for constant progress towards your goals – is to hire a coach.
Click HERE now if you’re looking to have a specific nutrition plan set up for you, guidance to teach you how to use these strategies long term, and a coach to make sure you reach your goals.
