{"id":5995,"date":"2016-01-28T14:08:39","date_gmt":"2016-01-28T21:08:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.arizonafoothillsmagazine.com\/fitness\/?p=5995"},"modified":"2016-01-28T14:09:38","modified_gmt":"2016-01-28T21:09:38","slug":"macros-101-the-buzz-about-macros-flexible-dieting-and-iifym","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.arizonafoothillsmagazine.com\/health-and-fitness\/nutrition\/macros-101-the-buzz-about-macros-flexible-dieting-and-iifym\/","title":{"rendered":"Macros 101: The Buzz About Macros, Flexible Dieting, and IIFYM"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\"Measuring<\/p>\n

If you\u2019ve heard the\u00a0words\u00a0macros, flexible dieting, and IIFYM, you know this is all the rage when it comes to \u201cdieting\u201d and being successful with reaching your goals, and I agree with this philosophy. But what\u2019s it all about? What are all of these acronyms and abbreviated words mean and how can they help me live a healthier lifestyle? Maybe you\u2019re completely unfamiliar with all of this or you want to learn more about it because you have been hearing and seeing all the success stories with macros based meal plans.<\/p>\n

First, lets start off with a little background on Macros<\/strong><\/em> so you can better understand the science behind this philosophy. Macros, or\u00a0Macronutrients,<\/em> are made up of fats, carbohydrates and proteins. These are the most important parts of your diet and a proper balance of macros will help you gain muscle and lose fat in all the right places.<\/p>\n

Macro based eating relies on you tracking your macros and the thought of logging and tracking your food may seem daunting and pointless, but rest assured that this is the key to your fitness success. The real work is done outside of the gym through proper nutrition.<\/p>\n

But wait, can we simply track calories versus fats, carbs and proteins? Yes, but tracking calories alone without looking at each macro component will not ensure your body is receiving the proper nutrition to achieve your fitness goal.\u00a0By having a strategically designed macro plan you can ensure your body is getting the proper calories from all three components in order to achieve fitness success.<\/p>\n

Why Does Our Body Need Macros?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Fats, carbohydrates and proteins all play an important role in our body. We need a proper balance of all three in order to build muscle, lose fat and essentially function properly from day-to-day.<\/p>\n

Who Needs Fats Anyway?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Fats are essential in balancing our hormones, protecting our organs and keeping the brain functioning. When hormones are balanced it makes it easier to loose weight and build muscle. It is very important that healthy fats (unsaturated) are included in an everyday diet. Fats come from meats, fish, nuts, oils, avocados etc. We want the healthy fats, not the fried trans fats you can find at McDonalds….. those fats clog your liver and arteries. Good fats keep a healthy heart and happy mind.<\/p>\n

What Does Protein Do?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Protein is vital for building and maintaining lean muscle mass. When we have muscle, we have a better metabolism. It is important to have substantial protein in the diet because when trying to loose weight we may put our bodies in a calorie deficit (calories out are greater than calories in), but we do not want to loose the vital muscle we just built. During a calorie deficit our bodies will use proteins or fats for energy when our glycogen stores (carbs) are depleted.<\/p>\n

So just remember, Protein = muscle\/metabolism. The more muscle we build the better our metabolism will be and the more calories we will burn.<\/p>\n

Give Me Carbs!<\/strong><\/p>\n

We all love our carbs. Carbohydrates are the main energy source for our bodies. Think of carbs as your fuel, the body needs this to keep working. Carbohydrates are also very important for brain function. We can find carbs in grains, breads, processed foods, fruits, vegetable; essentially everything. Many people may ask about net carbs, when counting macros we don’t believe in this. You are still absorbing the same amount of calories. Net carbs just means the glycemic index is lower due to increased fiber in the product. A carb is still a carb.<\/p>\n

Don’t Macros Have Calories?<\/strong><\/p>\n

All food has calories, but all food is made up of macros. This goes back to counting calories alone vs. macros. By counting the grams of protein, fat and carbohydrates we will essentially end up with a final calorie count. Do we care what that is? No<\/strong>, because we are counting the grams of protein, fat and carbs you are eating. But for calorie purposes here is the breakdown:<\/p>\n