Weight Control & Macro's

Calorie Counting vs. Macro Counting

Body builders have been counting macros for years in order to control their nutrient intake so they can bulk up - build up lean muscle from protein intake, or drop weight without much muscle loss. Well, it works, and with today's online nutrition calculators it is easier than ever to lose weight and keep it off with a few small changes and a sizeable helping of willpower.

What does it mean to count calories vs. counting macros?

When counting calories you are counting the number of calories (energy) consumed from the food without taking into account of the nutrient source. When counting macros, you are counting the calories from each of the three nutrients consumed from the food.

This is the calculation you need to remember in order to find out from where your calories come:

• One gram of carbs = 4 calories

• One gram of protein = 4 calories

• One gram of fat = 9 calories

The basic ratio your body needs per day is 30% carbs, 40% protein, and 30% fat. Now, this can change depending on your personal health goals that you have set up with your physician. Remember to always consult with your physician before making any big changes to your diet or exercise routine.

Lets apply this formula to a basic slice of store bought whole grain w/seed bread. The food label list 120 calories per slice listed on the food label. So that's 120 calories used up from our daily allotted amount.

But in terms of macros we read: carbs 22g, protein 5g, fats 2g.

Using our calories per gram formula above we do the following:

• 22g of carbs * 4 calories = 88 calories from carbs

• 5g of protein * 4 calories = 20 calories from protein

• 2 grams of fat * 9 calories = 18 calories from fat

Giving; 88 + 20 + 18 = 126 calories per slice. Doesn't seem like such a big difference, does it? Well, lets keep going and apply this formula to a bacon and egg breakfast and see what happens.

For this article I'll use the online Calorie Calculator from www.freedieting.com.

Putting Macro Information to Use

Sex: M

Weight: 190

Height: 5' 11"

Exercise: 3 times a week, 30 minutes

Job: Sedentary

Goal Weight: 170, loss of 20 lbs

Maintain: 2138 calories

Moderate Fat Loss: 1710 calories

Extreme Fat Loss: 1520 calories

Sex: F

Weight: 170

Height: 5' 4"

Exercise: 3 times a week, 30 minutes

Job: Sedentary

Goal Weight: 150, loss of 20 lbs

Maintain: 1860 calories

Moderate Fat Loss: 1488 calories

Extreme Fat Loss: 1360 calories

Using several well-established restaurants and their online nutritional information I came up with an example of what might be a typical meal plan for the average American.

As you can see one size does not fit all. Both male and female are over the maintenance range, but the female is way over. This may be part of the reason women have such a struggle with weight loss. Portions are geared toward larger bodies with bigger appetites. Combine large portions, high fat and carb options, with our eating on-the-fly American lifestyle and you have a recipe for obesity.

Making Better Choices

Look for ways you can change your meal to better fit your new habits. Order the eggs poached or basted (cooked in water or steamed). Eat one slice of toast and have it dry (no butter or jam). Or, make sure you order the toast dry so that you can control how much fat and sugar you added. Skip the hash browns altogether or see if they have a fresh fruit option. Bacon was a better choice than sausage, so no change.

Easiest change for lunch and supper is to cut the order in half.

Order half a sub, better yet, make it a veggie w/grilled chicken, vinegar only, no oil. With the dinner, ask for a to-go box and put half aside for lunch tomorrow. You can look at the grid above and see how much you save by cutting things in half and leaving off the extras.

Challenge!

The food label on all processed foods have the grams of carbs, protein, and fat clearly listed. Most chain restaurants have nutrient list online that you can access to find the grams contained in each item you order. Keep track of what you eat for a couple of days, then look up the grams of each nutrient and see where you need to make changes in order to maintain a comfortable weight.