Macros, macros, macros is probably all you’ve heard for the past few years if you’re present in the fitness industry. Most of us have an idea of what they are and what they contribute towards; but do we really know? Do we know the key role macronutrients play in our nutrition? Do we know micronutrients play just as an important role as macronutrients in our bodily functions? These are some of the questions left unanswered in the fitness world, especially to the novice, but we are here to clear up the confusion and instead provide you with credible information about what macronutrients are.
What are “macronutrients”?
Macronutrient (macro) is defined as “large-scale” and when combined with nutrients creates three main categories which provide us with calories, the three main macronutrients are as follows:
PROTEINS – Used primarily for muscle growth and repair
FATS – Not to be confused with adipose fat tissue, a nutrient which maintains a homeostatic balance of our hormones such as testosterone.
CARBOHYDRATES – The body’s primary source of energy; split into two categories, simple and complex.
IIFYM?
Something which has been floating around for a while, if it fits your macros (IIFYM). Pretty self-explanatory, the acronym is a dietary method followed by the many involving the consumption of foods, regardless of their source, according to your daily macronutrient breakdown. This means to say, you can eat any and all foods so long as you hit your daily target and your macronutrients are not affected (yes you can consume doughnuts all day long if you’re not breaking your fat/carbohydrate goals). We, of course, do not suggest this method whatsoever. Quality sources reap far greater benefits, processed and refined foods contain hidden problems which they carry with them, and which will affect you in the long run. Eat whole foods and eat to your feel. As humans we have almost forgotten what its like to be human and have instead become incredibly restrictive in our eating habits, we forget how important it is to follow what our body is telling us.
What should my plate look like?
Round probably. But we’re referring to what’s on your plate, we can look into this in a little more detail, but first must distinguish between 3 different training categories with regards to your goals, they include:
- Muscle growth – daily calorie consumption above your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR)
- Weight loss – daily calorie consumption below your BMR
- Maintenance – daily calorie consumption around your BMR
The definitions aforementioned above have been put very simply and you look into each training goal in more depth if it concerns you, but using these definitions we can formulate what a regular meal would look like generally speaking.
MUSCLE BUILDING TEMPLATE: 1/4 protein+ fats, 3/8 vegetables, 3/8 carbohydrates.
WEIGHT LOSS TEMPLATE: 3/8 protein, 4/8 vegetables, 1/8 carbohydrates.
MAINTENANCE TEMPLATE: 1/4 protein +fats, 1/2 vegetables, 1/4 carbohydrates.
*Disclaimer: all information must only be used as a guideline, we strictly encourage studying and reviewing your own goal first and then shaping your diet around them.
If you found this post insightful, why not check out some of our previous posts on our blog page or if you are interested in becoming a qualified personal trainer check out our main page for course information and if you have any questions feel free to email us at info@focusfitnessuk.com.
Written by Daniyal Siddiqui.