Tracking is the Ticket
Macronutrients, or macros for short, are the three main parts of the food we eat. The three macros are carbohydrates, protein, and fat. Most foods contain a combination of macronutrients. Macro tracking is popular among people aiming to lose weight while maintaining muscle mass.
Stay Strong
Maintaining muscle mass as we age is essential. Adults can lose almost one tenth of their muscle mass every decade after age 40. Losing muscle mass not only makes you weaker, but it also reduces the calories you can eat without gaining weight. Every pound of muscle burns 40 calories a day. You need muscle mass if you like to eat. Counting your macros might be your ticket to health.
Aim for Balance
Aim to get a certain amount of each one of the three macronutrients every day. We’ll walk through an example of macro tracking for someone who weighs 150 pounds and gets regular activity. Adjust for your target weight and activity level.
Step 1: Determine Your Protein levels.
Protein plays a vital role in building, repairing, and regenerating your body’s cells. It helps keep muscle mass, builds immune function, and produces hormones and enzymes. Organize each meal around a protein source.
Good lean protein sources that are simple to work with include chicken breast, lean ground meat (turkey, beef, chicken), and eggs.
For every pound of body weight, you need 1 gram of protein. So, if you weigh 150 pounds, you need 150 grams of protein. These 150 grams of protein will have 600 calories. Every gram of protein has the same number of calories, no matter the type. The 600 calories of protein will be about 1/3 of your total calories, which is where you should end up.
Step 2: Calculate Your Carbs
Aim to get about as many carbs as protein. In our example, that is 150 grams. Carbs have the same calories per gram as protein: 4. Carbohydrates are broken down into a sugar called glucose. Glucose provides energy for your body. Any glucose not used right away is stored in your muscles and liver for future use. This provides your body with the energy it needs for daily activities and exercise.
Ideal carbohydrate sources are fruit, vegetables, beans, whole-grain rice, whole-grain pasta, and whole-grain bread. The nutrient and fibre-dense carbohydrates such as fruit and vegetables are the best. The fibre provides bulk, which keeps you from getting hungry. Avoid carb sources that are high in sugar or are highly refined, like white bread.
Step 3: Finish with Your Fat
Fats are used by the body as energy, storage for vitamins, for production of hormones, and as protection for our organs. Health fats are found in fish, nuts, avocados, and some vegetable oils (olive, canola, sunflower). Try to limit the bad trans fats found in fried and processed foods.
Since each gram of fat has more calories, you need fewer grams of fat than protein or carbs. A half gram per pound of body weight is a good target. If your weight is 150 pounds, your daily fat should be 75 grams, or less.
This means that for every gram of fat, you should have 2 grams of protein. If food has more fat than protein, it is difficult to fit much of it into a healthy diet. Try to find foods that have a lot more protein than fat. If you eat a high-fat food, limit the amount and match it with a lean protein.
For example, a double cheeseburger has more fat than protein. This means that you should limit the intake and eat it with lean protein. The worst pairing for a cheeseburger is fries. Fries are also high in fat and low in protein.
Keep Track for a Balanced Diet
Track your daily intake in a notebook. Mark down the amount of protein, fat, and carbs in the food you eat in a day. Try to do this for at least a week. Make a table like the example below and total it up at the end of the day and compare to your targets.
Food
Protein
Carbs
Fat
2 Eggs
26
2
22
- cup of Milk
3
5
2
- Cup of Oatmeal
10
50
4
Plain Baked Potato
7
63
0
8 oz sirloin
67
0
22
Day Total
113
120
50
To track your macros, you have to read food labels and keep track of the grams of protein, fat, and carbs. If you go out to eat, ask for the nutrition information for each dish. For non-packaged food, search Google for “protein in ______,” and fill in the blank for the food you want. This also works for fat and carbs. Track for a week, and you will get a good sense of what foods work best in your diet. If you want to track long term, do a Google search for, “track your diet” to find phone apps that make it easy.
Lose Weight with Patience
If you want to lose weight, aim to lose it slowly. Start by trimming your carb intake by 10%. If you can lose a pound a month doing that, stick to it. If that is not working, cut some fat from your diet. Don’t try to lose more than a pound a week. Rapid weight loss can cause a weight rebound. The most important thing is to stick to your plan for the long haul, that is, permanently. And add in some extra activity.
For Best Results, Choose Good Food
We are what we eat — we really are. Choose food with lots of nutrition, and avoid foods that are basically junk. Junk food will turn your body into junk yard.
