START COUNTING YOUR MACROS TO LOSE WEIGHT LIKE A BOSS
Okay, so you're a total boss either way if you choose to count macros or calories. However, counting your macros is more flexible and efficient for weight loss. Your body requires consistent consumption of certain amounts of protein, carbs, and fat to produce optimal fat burning results. Therefore, if you fail to give it what it needs, you will have a difficult time achieving the results you want, if at all.
There are three common issues I see women encounter when they only count calories. First, they succeed in hitting their overall goal weight but never achieve their goal physique. Second, too much of their weight loss is muscle mass and not fat, due to consuming too little protein. Third, they struggle to manage their new low weight because a loss of muscle mass makes maintaining it difficult if not impossible in the long run.
Muscle mass is the life-blood of fitness because muscle is what protects your bones, gives you healthy curves, and boosts your metabolism. Therefore, it's crucial that it is protected and maintained as much as possible. Muscle maintenance and body fat isolation simply cannot be optional for long-term weight loss success. So rather than counting an empty calorie number, you must instead count the type and quality of the calories you're eating. Yes, the only way you'll know if you're eating enough of what your body needs is by counting your macros.
So now that we've discussed the why behind counting macros, let's dive into the how. I've put together a quick four-step guide for how to count your macros accurately. You will need a macronutrient calculator, an app for tracking your macros, nutrition facts from the foods you eat, and a digital food scale.
1. MACRO CALCULATOR
First, you've got to find out what your macro goals are. My macronutrient calculator is easy to use and available 24/7. Simply enter your current stats, and exercise frequency then select your fitness goal. The calculator will show you just how much protein, carbs, and fat you need to consume consistently to achieve that goal.
2. COUNTING MACROS APP
The key to weight loss progress is consistency, so hold yourself accountable and track your diet using a macro tracker.Input the macronutrient goals you calculated from step one into your macro tracking app. Make sure to download a reliable macro counting app and not a calorie tracker. The difference is that a calorie tracker will show you macronutrient information, but it won't allow you to specifically enter protein, carbs, and fat as goals. Typical calorie trackers will only allow you to track a calorie goal, and that's what you want to avoid. I personally recommend My Macros+ Tracker ($3).
3. NUTRITION FACTS
The macronutrient contents of the foods you eat are listed on their nutrition labels. For the purpose of this discussion we'll focus on Serving Size, Total Fat content, Total Carbohydrate content, and Protein content.
Each serving of your snack weighs 85g.
Each serving of your snack contains 15g of fat, 30g of carbs, and 5g of fat.
There are two servings of your snack in this package. Therefore, if you eat the entire package your snack weighs 170g, and contains 30g of Fat, 60g of Carbs, and 10g of Protein.
4. DIGITAL FOOD SCALE
You need to understand how much food you're truly eating. The best way to do this is by buying a quality digital food scale. Measure your servings according to the nutrition facts found in step three. According to the nutrition label, your snack weighs 85g per serving. Therefore, if you only want one serving, weigh your snack contents until you reach 85g. Next scan or manually enter your snack into your macro tracker app with a quantity of one serving.
That's all folks. You're now ready to get started on a more efficient and rewarding weight loss journey!