Calories? Macros? What’s the difference?? I get this question all the time. If you received my “Macros Explained” guide, then you should already have some understanding on how calories and macros work, but I thought it be good to break it down a bit more.
Calories are from Macros?
Macros/Macronutrients are made up of Protein, Carbohydrates, Fats, and Alcohol, all of these macros provide energy aka calories. So calories are made of macros, and we use those calories/energy as fuel. Alcohol has no nutrient benefits though so it is often excluded and not counted when tracking macros. Protein, Carbs, and Fats, however are essential nutrients we need for our bodies to run properly. Every food has some amount of one or more of these macronutrients. And while all these macros provide energy, each macro has a little bit of a different role for our bodies.
Macro Breakdowns
Protein has the job helping to build and maintain cell structure and muscle mass, because of this it makes it very hard to be put onto the body as fat. It is also the most satiating macro which is why it can best be utilized by having at least 20g of protein at each meal because it will aid in keeping you comfortably full throughout the day. Protein rich foods: eggs, meats, protein powder, and protein bars.
Carbohydrates have the main job of supplying fuel for the body to move and recover. This is why I suggest to have a large amount of daily carb intake around your workout so that you can eat a good amount before the workout to have fuel for the workout, and then eat a good amount after to help with muscle recovery.
Carbohydrates are also broken up into two categories: simple and complex. And the easiest way to determine if a carb is simple or complex comes down to if it is higher in sugar then it is a considered a simple carb, this is because it can be simply broken down by the body to be used for fuel. This is why after having something with a lot of sugar, you may get a “Sugar crash” later because your body quickly metabolizes the carbs for energy and then quickly feels drained and wants more.
Complex carbs are carbs that are higher in nutrients and have more fiber in them. They are complex because it takes the body longer to metabolize and digest them which helps us in feeling fuller longer. This is why it’s best to have complex carbs be a majority of your diet as it helps with keeping fullness and hunger levels balanced.
Complex Carb rich foods: potatoes, grains, legumes, fruit, whole wheat or multigrain pasta, bread, wraps, or tortillas. Simple Carb rich foods: candy, cake, chips, refined grains and flour products like white rice, white bread, wraps, tortillas.
Fats have the role of balancing hormones and other bodily functions, which is why it’s recommended that at least 20% of a diet be made up of fats. I typically like to stick with at least 25% to aid in that hormone balance and fat is also satiating (not as much as protein though) so it helps with staying full throughout the day. Fat rich foods: oils, nuts, nut butters, butter, avocado, egg yolks.
So as you can see having the proper ratio of protein, carbs, and fats can help keep our bodies feeling good and running properly.
What Amount of Calories comes from each Macro?
Ok, so now that you have an idea of the different macronutrients you’re probably wondering how the heck this all relates back to dieting and calories? I mentioned earlier that each macronutrient provides our body a certain amount of energy aka calories. Protein and Carbohydrates provide 4 calories per gram, while fat provides 9 calories per gram, and alcohol provides 7 calories per gram. Again, alcohol has no nutrient value but is still good to mention as the calories from it DO COUNT toward total calorie intake.
So now knowing that macronutrient grams provide a certain amount of calories I can show you how a calorie goal is made up of macro grams.
Example: Say someone’s calorie goal is 2000 calories, a simple split of balanced macros could be 30% protein, 40% carbohydrates, and 30% fat.
30% of 2000 calories is 600 calories. Protein has 4 calories per gram, so 600/4= 150g of Protein for this calorie goal
40% of 2000 calories is 800 calories. Carbohydrates have 4 calories per gram, so 800/4= 200g of Carbohydrates for this calorie goal
30% of 2000 calories is 600 calories. Fat has 9 calories per gram, so 600/9= 67g of Fat for this calorie goal
Now on a side note, if you wanted to track alcohol you would borrow the calories from carbs and/or fats. A 5 oz glass of wine typically has 125 calories, so you could either subtract 125 from the 800 calories from carbs in this example or the 600 calories from fat. If you did it from carbs then your daily carb goal in this case would change to 675 calories and 169g of carbs. In doing this you are able to track alcohol calories without going over your total calorie goal. And if you go over your total calorie goal consistently (no matter if it’s from protein, carbs, fat, or alcohol) then you will gain body fat. Unless you are training optimally then in that case going over calories will cause muscle gain.
Why Track Macros instead of Just Calories?
When trying to decide wether you should just count calories or track macros it all comes down to what is your goal? Do you want to just lose body weight? Then just counting calories will definitely get you to lose body weight, all you need to do to lose body weight is be in calorie deficit. But if your goal is the lose body fat, then having a good macro ratio, along with proper exercise routine, is definitely more optimal.
Why? Because having a more even distribution of macros will let you have a better energy distribution. Let me explain by giving a personal example: I remember EXACLTY two years ago in January 2016, back before I learned about macros and proper training, that I wanted to lose weight so I tried to just count calories and do what I thought I should be doing in the gym. I specifically remember getting a Subway foot long everyday for the week, and I would have half at lunch (no breakfast!) then chug a red bull (because I had no energy), go to the gym to do 30 minutes on the ellyptical, then have the other half of the sandwich after my workout for dinner, and then on the weekends I would eat whatever I wanted and not workout.
I would lose a few lbs doing this because I was putting myself in a calorie deficit by eating less than 1000 kcal a day during the week but (now I know) that majority of what I lost was water weight (not fat!). The reason so many low calorie meal plans, juice cleanses, and detoxes can promise that you’ll lose “5 lbs in 1 week” is because when you drastically cut calories, your sodium and carbohydrate intake will in turn be low so you will then lose a lot of water weight. But is watching the scale go down but no fat come off really what we want?
I know now that I could never get past losing 5 lbs because I didn’t understand that fat loss takes time in a calorie deficit to happen. I would lose 5 lbs the first week or two and then weight loss seemed to stop, so I would then just give up and go back to my normal eating of pizza, wings, and beer all the time. But fat loss is a slow and steady process at losing 1-2 lbs a week, and this CAN be done with a moderate (not drastic) calorie deficit. This is why I think tracking macros is more optimal over just counting calories because it is something that is sustainable! It allows you to focus that a majority of your food intake is coming from high nutrient foods that are packed with micronutrients that allow you to have stable energy and hunger levels even while eating lower calories, and it allows you to “treat yo self” with fun foods without worrying that you are blowing all your progress.
Tracking Macros isn’t a diet, it’s a lifestyle. A lifestyle that let’s you learn what macro ratio fuels your body best, what types of food fuel you best, what portions are enough to fuel you best, and learning all of that let’s you see that there are NO good or bad foods! Tracking macros let’s you learn all of this so that sticking to a calorie deficit is easier and more sustainable, and then when you reach your goal weight and/or you want to go back to eating without tracking, you will have a better understanding of how food fuels you and be able to use those habits for the rest of your life!
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Want macro/nutrition coaching from me, a Certified Personal Trainer and Fitness Nutrition Specialist? Check out my coaching services which range from me just setting up macros to macros with meal ideas to more in-depth online training and nutrition coaching that involves weekly check ins with phone calls.
