When it comes to losing weight, what you eat and how much you eat matters. There are thousands of diets out there that try to sell you on the idea that you can trick your body into losing more weight. But at the end of the day, burning more calories than you eat is ultimately the only magic formula you need to lose weight.
However, calories don’t tell you the complete picture. Macronutrients are another important factor to consider when you want to lose weight.
Research shows that you can lose weight no matter your macronutrient ratio. However, macros are a crucial part of understanding the whole picture of your health.
What Are Macronutrients?
Macronutrients are the three main categories of nutrition that you eat the most. There are three macronutrients: protein, carbohydrates, and fat. The other nutrients that are in your food, like calcium, sodium, and other vitamins and minerals, are considered micronutrients.
Protein, fat, and carbs provide different health benefits with different amounts of calories per gram. Protein has 4 calories per gram, carbs have 4 calories per gram, and fat has 9 calories per gram.
Having a good macronutrient ratio can help you stave off hunger and increase your energy levels. It also helps you protect your muscles when you’re burning more calories than you consume.
It’s no secret that to lose weight you have to burn more calories than you eat. When you’re in a calorie deficit, you’re forcing your body to pull energy from your fat stores. At a surface level, it doesn’t matter what your macronutrients are as long as you’re in a calorie deficit.
However, when you create a calorie deficit, you need to monitor the kinds of food you eat.
Nutrient-Dense Foods
Pick nutrient-dense foods. This means that they have a lot of nutrients but not a lot of calories. Nutrient-dense foods have loads of lean protein, healthy fats, fiber, vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients.
Beans, dairy, legumes, fruits, vegetables, chicken, and fish are all examples of nutrient-dense foods.
These foods also have high water content and fiber. Water and fiber will help you feel fuller for longer and reduce the number of calories you eat throughout the day.
High Protein Foods
Protein is a macronutrient that helps you feel more full as well. It can also protect your body against muscle loss when you’re in a calorie deficit. Muscle is easier for your body to access for fuel than your fat stores, so having enough protein to rebuild muscle loss will benefit you in the long run.
Protein also has the highest thermic effect. This means that it takes more calories to digest protein than fat or carbs.
Lean sources of protein like poultry, fish, eggs, and dairy are best. Plant-based sources like grains, green beans, and soy are good choices as well.
If you’re on the run, protein shakes and meal replacement bars can help as well.
Limit Fat and Carbs
Fat and carbs make the reward center of our brain light up like a Christmas tree. They stimulate our cravings and make it difficult to stop eating, which makes it more difficult to lose weight.
High-processed snacks like pizza, doughnuts, crackers, and potato chips have a combination of fat and carbs that can become addictive.
The Best Macronutrient Ratio
At the end of the day, the number of calories you eat each day determines your weight loss. However, just because the macronutrients of your diet may not make a difference in your weight loss at face value, having the right macronutrient ratio can help you stick to a low-calorie diet.
Studies show that the best predictor of weight loss is our ability to stick to a reduced-calorie diet. But sticking to a diet is also the most difficult part, which is why so many diets fail in the long run.
To give yourself the best chance of succeeding in a low-calorie diet is to tailor your macronutrient ratio to your personal preferences and your health goals.
As an example, people with diabetes may have an easier time controlling their blood sugars if they eat a low-carb diet. However, someone else may find that they are less hungry on a high-fat diet.
However, diets that focus on a high intake of a singular macronutrient and low intakes of another may not be for everyone. Diets like the keto diet can be hard to stick to. Instead, try finding a macronutrient ratio that balances the macronutrients.
The AMDR, or acceptable macronutrient distribution ranges, that the Medicine of the National Academies recommends are 45-65% calories from carbs, 20-35% calories from fats, and 10-35% calories from protein.
However, the best macronutrient ratio is one you can stick to. And specialized diets, like these Mediterranean diet macros, all have different goals and ranges.
Calculating and Tracking Micronutrients
The tricky part about macros is that your range varies depending on your individual needs. The best thing you can do for yourself when you’re getting started on a weight loss journey is to talk to a registered dietitian to decide what macronutrient breakdown you should aim for.
Your dietitian can help you make a transition to a healthier way of eating as well.
A food tracking app that allows you to track macros is another tool that can help you as well.
Counting Macros For a Healthy Diet
Counting macronutrients may seem a little overwhelming at first. But once you get the hang of reading nutrient labels and finding the right balance of macros for you, you’ll be on your way towards eating in a calorie deficit without feeling hungry in no time.
For more tips on how to live your healthiest life, keep reading other blogs on our website!
