“WAIT, DON’T LEAVE”

Trust me, I get it… Macros can be very overwhelming. But I am here to help!

A few years ago, when I would hear the word “macros,” the picture from above is what would pop up in my head. All these resources saying different things and me not understanding one bit of it.

“Percentages, grams, ounces, calories”

Gosh, make it stop already!

Alright, so let’s start here and stick to the basics. Macro means “large.” Therefore, a macronutrient is a nutrient that our bodies require “large” amounts of in our diet. Here is where we dive in to specifics. The main three we like to focus on in order to reach a physical goal are, take a guess!

Correct. Carbohydrates (carbs), protein, and fat.

Each serves its own purpose but today, we will focus more on what I like to call the “balance game.”

For the majority of our clients here at BFP, we focus on weight loss and/or maintaining weight (fat loss and muscle gain). For this first blog of the macro series, I will touch base solely on percentages.

For those of you who are familiar with the app MyFitnessPal, this is what you want your diet to look like for the fat loss goal. We usually shoot for around 40% protein, 30% carbs, and 30% fat. Less carbs and more protein allow for more muscle building which allows for easy fat burn. Again, keeping it simple. If you’re more of a visual person (like me), then you want to take a look at your plate of food or your overall portions throughout the day and make sure you have twice as much protein than you do carbs and fats.

In this picture, we’d focus more on maintaining your progress. So an overall balance with all the macros. Shooting between 30-40% for each one. Ideally, on a day that you know nutrition will not be 100% on track, this is a great “go-to” so that you don’t feel like you lost all your hard work and results. No more “falling off!” 🙂

There is much more to come on this topic and feel free to give me some feedback as well as any extra information you would like to know more about!

Coach Lopez