Written by Nutrition coaching is a funny thing. Everybody has their preferred methods; some that are tried-and-true, and others that seem really cool on paper, but might be incredibly hard to maintain. One of those that seems relatively straight-forward is Macros. Whether you’re searching the web for how much protein your specific chicken breast has, or just pounding down Poptarts and Apple Pie in “measured” amounts, these two extremes basically have the same title.
So, what are Macros anyway? Basically, there is a way of measuring food consumption based on the amount of Macronutrients you need to eat in a day (Macros is just an abbreviated term). The three macronutrients are Protein, Carbohydrates, and Fat. You need them all, and they all have their purpose in your body. However, the world always have a fun way of singling out any one of these macronutrients and demonizing it, therefore creating specific labels. These labels then turn into angry Facebook groups that, at any given moment, will attack other angry Facebook groups that do no agree with their particular labeling of one’s favorite/hated macronutrient. If that sounds ridiculous it’s because it is, but that doesn’t stop people from doing it -and most likely, you know people that fall into those labels such as Paleo, Vegan, and Keto. Of course there are more, but who has time to go through the entire list.
The thing is that these labeled methods of consuming specific macronutrients but avoiding others has nothing to do with Macros anyway, it’s mostly just people that find community in others that agree with them. In reality, counting Macros is just about figuring out which amounts of Protein, Carbohydrates, and Fat work well with your body in order to get you to your goals. The system itself is actually pretty good. If you can calculate it properly, you would literally be consuming exactly what you need for exactly your goals. However, the world is a confusing place and the food industry is even worse.
If you can follow Macros correctly then you are probably in the 1%. This is a method that looks simple on paper but has so many tedious and difficult application issues that most people will not be able to follow it (but that doesn’t mean they can’t learn something from it).
Decide first: what are your goals?
If your goal is to get to 7% body fat, then yes, you’ll most likely need to follow macros in order to get there effectively (unless you have the genetic potential to do it another way), holding onto that body fat percentage though is another story.
If you instead are just looking to get leaner, but at a body composition that you can live at forever without worrying too much, macros might just be a little too intense for you. Remember that with this method, the goal is to hit your numbers every single day. There are no days off, and not every chicken breast, steak, egg, or cup of broccoli will necessarily be the same amount as the last one you ate. Measuring, calculating, and researching is going to be a part of your routine. Again, not impossible by any means, but just a lifestyle.
This brings us to an interesting point: are you actually calculating anything? Is what you are consuming actually the amounts that you chose, and are you actually digesting and assimilating everything. I mean, sure this is just me being meta about things, but think about it.
So what really matters?
Macros are a much needed structure for someone whose goals require rigidity. They can also be a relaxed guide in order to give someone something to float around, or maybe a focus point on performance.
Maybe everything fits your macros. Maybe nothing does. Find a way to create some adherence, measure what needs to be measured and manage it.
Or get all your targets from Poptarts and Pie. Just don’t argue with people on Facebook about it.
James
