Entry 9: all about macros
Hey team,
Happy Sunday! I hope you've all had a great weekend and feel ready to smash another week coming up. Feel free to comment or message me with something exciting you did this week or something that's coming up soon, I'd love to hear about it.
A few weeks back, I posted an entry about tracking calories but something I've been wanting to chat about since is macronutrients and where they fit into all of this.
The total amount of calories you consume each day are really important but so are the macros and how much of each you're getting. But a lot of people tend to focus (probably too much) on the calories and not as much on the macros, which can actually hold you back from achieving your health and fitness goals.
I'm sure you all know the 3 macros: protein, fat, and carbohydrates. And in this entry, I'm going to take you through each of the macros, explain what they do and why they are needed.
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#1 - Protein
As the building block of the body, protein is potentially the most important macro but also one that a lot of people do not get enough of.
As mentioned, protein plays a key structural role in the body but it also has functions as hormones, neurotransmitters, transporter and many more.
Now that is all well and great but potentially what may more interesting to you is some of the benefits that we get from protein:
- increased muscle development and retention
- improved bone health
- increased satiety
- improved immune function and inflammatory response
Next we can think of how much protein we need to be getting each day. The general recommendation is 0.8 grams per kg of body weight but I would actually say that is too little.
Athletes are recommended to consume 1.4-2.0 grams per kg of body weight each day, with those wanting to gain and retain muscle needing1.4-2.8+ grams per kg pf body weight.
I'm sure a lot of you might be thinking "well I'm not a professional athlete so I don't need that much" but I encourage you to think again.
We know from research that we lose 3-8% of muscle mass each decade from about age 30, with this only increasing with age. But with adequate protein intake (and strength training), we can make a massive difference in preventing these age related changes and ensuring that we stay as strong as possible for as long as possible.
As someone who has worked as a physio in aged care facilities, please trust me when I say this is so important. I truly can't stress it enough.
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#2 - Fat
Fat is also really important but often seen as the enemy in weight loss and health journeys. But fat is actually a really important fuel source, as well as being essential for hormone production and regulation.
I completely understand that if you're wanting to lose weight, cutting fat out or to a really low amount is the way to go. But no!
Fat is a key building block for many different hormones, which are critical for everyday functioning. In fact, not getting enough fat can lead to some pretty unpleasant health complications so it is important to recognise the value of fat and ensure you are getting enough in your diet.
So how much do you need each day?
The current recommendations are 1g per kg of body weight (at least) or approx 30% of your daily intake minimum. This is what you need to ensure your body has enough to function properly and carry out essential processes but you can actually eat more if you want.
Now there is a bit of debate going on at the moment about "good" and "bad" fats and whether we can actually make this distinction.
We do know that our trans and saturated fats generally don't provide great health benefits but I would say it more depends on the source you're getting it from and what type of trans or saturated fat it is (short, medium or long chain). I say this because there are "healthy"sources of fat that contain trans and saturated fats
If we opt for natural, unprocessed, unrefined fat sources, then thats likely a good start. Some examples of "healthy" fat sources include:
- chia seeds
- avocado
- nuts and nut butters
- olive oil
- fish
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#3 - Carbs
Finally we have carbs.
Now I left carbs till last as they actually aren't essential for body functioning and survival. The primary role of carbs in the body is fuel, but if we are already getting enough fuel from protein and fat, then we technically don't need as much from carbs.
But don't get me wrong, carbs aren't inherently bad for you and I certainly don't endorse the popular idea these days that carbs are the enemy - they are far from it!
It's more the type of carbs we eat that can be problematic.
In the western diet, carbs make up a large portion of our diet but it is often processed, refined carbs that dominate and this is where the problem lies. These types of carbs are often loaded with sugar and added artificial ingredients that don't promote optimal health outcomes
Instead, we want whole food sources of carbs, like veggies, of which we want to aim for a plate that is about 60% colourful veggies. Other sources like whole grains are much better options than highly processed white bread.
Whilst the processed options are okay in moderation (we all want some chocolate from time to time right?) but its what you're putting in your body the majority of the time that is really important.
So my general recommendation on carbs would be buy as many whole food, unprocessed sources as possible and to consider them last. What I mean by this is that protein and fat should be your primary considerations when planning a meal and then if you need more energy sources to reach your calorie needs, grab some carbs.
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So now I want to tell you a little about my own experience with adjusting my macros - how I did it, why I did it and whether or not it helped.
In my personal experience, reducing my carb intake has been monumental in losing body fat. I was about to go into a cut phase (calorie deficit) and I decided to try something different to normal.
So instead of just decreasing calorie intake and taking the biggest drop from fat, I dropped my carb intake and increased my fat intake, through which I was able to train my body to become better fat adapted - AKA burn/use fat as a fuel more efficiently. This resulted in a far easier weight loss/fat loss process than I'd ever experienced before.
It was also this process that helped me to even out my energy levels. I used to get really drastic drops in energy throughout the day but since adjusting my macros to accomodate more fat and less carbs, this has evened out significantly and I feel pretty well energised for the whole day.
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So lets recap
- protein = 1.4-2.2+ per kg of body weight daily
- fat = at least 1g per kg pf body weight daily
- carbs = whatever is left over (aiming for 60% colourful veg in each meal)
And let me say, these are just my recommendations that come from my studies as a sports nutritionist and my own personal experience but by no means is this the "right" or "best" way to do things. Everyones body responds differently to different foods and different amounts of macros and (like basically everything) there is an element of trial and error to figure out your optimal "diet"
Are the protein and fat recommendations based on nutrition science and backed by research? Yes, and I would say those recommendations are pretty concrete but we know that research is always evolving so taking things with a grain of salt and doing your own research is always recommended
If anyone has any questions at all, big or small, please fire them through to me! I love chatting about this stuff and I also know from personal experience that it can be overwhelming, especially when things are new to you or you're just starting out.
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