NUTRITION TIPS & HOMEWORK
A 1-on-1 blog where you get a tip and homework each week.
Understanding Macronutrients
Listen to this topic via the body shepherd podcast
TIP: Track for Macronutrients or Calories?
We have covered tracking your food, and now it’s time to look at going a level deeper by seeing your daily nutrition goals as a budget.
The starting question is: Do you track “macros,” which are the macronutrients of protein, fat, and carbs, or do you just track calories?
- Macros: Track macros if your goal is to gain muscle. You will want 0.8g–1.0g of protein for each lb. of your bodyweight, and macros can help you do that.
- Calories: Track calories if your goal is body fat loss.
HOMEWORK: Crunch The Numbers
This is where using apps like Lose It! or MyFitnessPal really shows their power because you can look at your daily macros or calories goal like a budget, and then spend it wisely throughout the day.
I will say openly that I love ice cream and chocolate, so I make sure that I have calories to spend each day on one or both of those items.
But it takes TIME to get into a rhythm.
There is no substitute for just doing the work, and adults who want to get in shape can do this. It’s the most efficient way to do it, so get crunching some numbers!
Try it out: This Macros Calculator is extremely easy to use, and will give you both your macro targets and calorie targets as well.