Today is Registered Dietitian & Nutritionist Day, and while a certified personal trainer is not a dietitian or a nutritionist, personal trainers can help educate you about how nutrition impacts your fitness goals.
Macronutrients are one of the most important factors you need to consider while on your fitness journey. You might know them as macros.
Macros are three main nutrients that make up the number of calories you consume: protein, carbohydrates, and fat.
- Protein helps your muscles repair, recovery, and grow.
- Carbohydrates provide your body with energy.
- Fats are important for heart health, brain function, and other bodily functions.
How much you consume of each macro will have a direct impact on your fitness journey, whether you’re trying to lose weight, add muscle mass, or just maintain where you are.
Before you make significant changes to your diet, it may be a good idea to speak to your doctor first, especially if you have underlying health conditions.
Macros for Weight Loss
Losing weight, which you may hear referred to as cutting, is a common goal for people working out with a personal trainer. One of the best ways to achieve this is to focus on your protein intake while managing your carbs and fats.
This helps put your body into a calorie deficit, which means you’re burning more calories in a day than you consume. Generally, consuming 500 fewer calories a day than your recommended caloric intake is a good starting point.
Eating a high protein diet while cutting will help your muscles recover and maintain muscle mass, but it will also help keep you feeling more full.
This doesn’t mean you should stop eating carbs or fats though. Eating carbs will give you enough energy to burn throughout the day and while you’re working out, but you don’t want to eat too many carbs because the goal is to get your body to burn stored fat for energy. Healthy fats are also important, so your diet should not cut out all fats either.
Here’s an example of what your macro breakdown could look like, although this could vary from person-to-person based on individual needs and medical conditions:
- Protein: 30%
- Carbs: 45%
- Fats: 25%
Muscle and Bulking
In order to increase your muscle mass, you want to focus on a high protein and high carb diet. At the same time, you’ll try to keep your fat intake moderate.
To build muscle or bulk you need to put yourself in a caloric surplus. The protein you’re consuming will help rebuild your muscle. The carbs will be a big source of energy while you’re being active. Eating less fats will keep your body from storing extra fat.
Here’s a sample of what a macro breakdown for bulking could look like:
- Protein: 40%
- Carbs: 40%
- Fats: 20%
Customizing Your Macros
Every individual’s macro needs vary based on many different factors. Your specific goals and medical conditions will impact your macro needs, but other factors like age, weight, and activity level should also be considered.
Tracking your macros while you’re on your fitness journey allows you to adjust them over time as you see your progress.
If you want help understanding how macros could impact your fitness journey, reach out to Uno’s Fitness and set up a free consultation.
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