Macronutrients and Calories: What are they?
With the new trends of dieting and quick fix fads to hit a specific goal body, it’s no wonder there’s so much confusion when it comes to dieting. At Mother of Macros, we aim to make dieting fun, simple, and sustainable through proper macro-dense meal preparations, nutrition coaching at your fingertips, and education that’s easy to digest! (No pun intended)
So listen to this... It’s not JUST the calories we need to hover...
Many people have tried tracking their calories as a form of dieting thinking that this will be the quickest way to fat loss, and while there is science-backed by this approach, some people still don't lose the weight, gain the muscle, or achieve their goals and that's because we are forgetting to optimize this tracking by counting macronutrients!
What are Macronutrients? Let’s help understand at the basic level and also answer the question of “how many calories should I be eating on a daily basis?” To make this simple and straight to the point, we need to know what calories are and what macronutrients are needed when it comes to calories.
Remember this: Calories = Energy. Calories aren't bad! They are simply energy.
Macronutrients are the larger sized quantities we need to help our bodies thrive and that help us obtain the calories (or energy) we consume. They are the Carbs, Proteins, and Fats which are vital to a healthy diet.
CARBS:
Carbohydrates or carbs, are essentially the quick fuel up for the gas tank. These provide energy for working muscles and prevent protein from being used as an energy source. These influence our mood, memory, and even brain function as well as give us the power to crush the day!
Carbs and calories: There are 4 CALORIES in each gram of carbs. So for example, a meal with 25 grams of carbs is 100 calories.
PROTEIN:
Proteins are the building blocks of our body tissues composed of amino acids. When protein is broken down into these amino acids it helps the body fuel muscle mass, your metabolism, hair, nails, bones, skin...okay you get the point!. When you think of protein, you might think of chicken, lean beef, fish, eggs, tofu, and protein powders. This is correct! All of these products have a significant source of protein that help our bodies thrive.
Protein and Calories: There are 4 CALORIES in each gram of protein. So for example, a meal with 25 grams of protein is 100 calories.
FAT:
Fats are also a key nutrient that works as a fuel source and is the major storage form of energy. Fats help to absorb fat-soluble vitamins. They can be either saturated or unsaturated -- and most foods have both! Fats are essential in the diet because it helps provide us energy to protect our organs, support cells, and keeps our blood pressure and cholesterol levels down on top of many other benefits.
Smash the myth: Fat's make you fat. FALSE. We need healthy forms of fats!
Fats and Calories: because of this high energy count found in fats, there are 9 CALORIES in each gram of fat. So for example, a meal with 11 grams of fat is 100 calories.
So let’s take it all in…
If we are on a calorie-tracked diet, we should first know what macronutrients we need to eat to get an adequate source of nutrients and ensure these macros are helping us reach our goals. So, how many calories should you be eating? This depends on your specific goals and how many macronutrients add up to the calories you take in. (You can either be in a caloric deficit or surplus to gain weight, lose weight, or maintain!)
Mother of Macros meal prep provides high quality macronutrient balanced meal preps to take the guesswork out of strategic dieting! We make this process fun and sustainable so you can still eat the delicious meals you love without the worry about how much protein is in your food, how many carbs are in your food, and how many fats are in your food. We not only provide healthy meals delivered to your door but also offer in-house nutrition coaching to get you started on counting macros and reaching your goals!
