What are Macros? How do I track Macros? What is considered balanced Macros?

Macros nutrients are

  • Protein
  • Fats
  • Carbs

Often people think carbs are bad. They are not, they are your energy! So don’t try to get rid of them!

Often times people think fats are bad. They are not, you need fat to lose fat!

Because of these built in “untruths”, I typically have people start focusing on their protein and take attention away from the other two for a little while, until they start to see the scale go down while seeing how much they are consuming of the other two. Trick the brain a little bit!

That’s it…that’s how simple it is. Now for that “untruth” that all carbs are bad. Again, no they are not, however, there is a difference between simple carbs and complex carbs. Complex is what you want, these are the carbs you get from fruit, and a variety of whole grains. Simple carbs are the cakes, cookies, etc. For obvious reasons we don’t want much of those since we want to think of our food as fuel and how far will you get if your body is relying on nutrients via icing. Aka a crash two hours later! Whereas whole grains will offer you fiber, energy, and sustained feeling of being full and satisfied.

To track macros best is to simply use an app. I personally like and have our clients use “Lose It” Lose it is a super easy and user-friendly app that does all the calculating for you, you just have to log it. Other apps like My Fitness Pal is another common one. The best way to get balanced macros is to find the balance for each meal or to log as you go so you can adjust your next meal to fulfill your needs.

Customized Macros will depend on the individual and their goals.

Typical Balance is going to be

  • 30-35% Protein
  • 15-25% Fat
  • 45-65% Carbs