Counting Your Macros

    What does counting your macros mean? I had never heard about it until a couple of weeks ago, thanks to a friend who shares my name.

    Many diet fads out their either count calories or work with your body chemistry. This one in particular does both. You can go to a website with a calculator and they will calculate a "formula" just for you based on your height, weight, and movement.

    I just reentered mine because I'm not quite as active as I was the first time I had it calculated. This is what I got.

    Based on the calculator, I should be intaking 128 grams of protein, 90 grams of fat, 133 grams of carbs, and 36 grams of fiber.

    On any given day when I'm counting calories, I can tell you that my fat intake is the highest number and it leaves me feeling hungry and more munchy because my body hasn't gotten the needed nutrients in order to fuel my body. I might still lose weight because the calories are low, but it's a really miserable way to diet.

    I'm going to try my best to really continue with this even though I'm not a follow through person.  I look at the grams of protein that has been assigned to me and I feel like that I need to eat like a T-rex in order to get my intake, I'll need to eat constantly and it can feel overwhelming.

    I'm sure that you're wondering why something like this works. I'm not an expert, but I have read a thing or two about nutrition.

    Protein is what helps us to stay fuller, longer. It also helps with metabolism because it builds muscle and helps burn fat.
     Carbohydrates- I could have this wrong, but they are like sugar. They get your body ready to workout. They help fuel your energy.
     I know that fats are good and I'm sure that someone else can explain why,  but I do know that fat is also the body's food source and it's important to have fat so your body can burn that and not eat your muscles.
    Fiber=poop. This is how your body helps remove waste and toxins.

    To learn more about your macros, I went to IIFYM.com. it's free to calculate and you can also get a support system on Facebook. MyFitnessPal is a great way to track your food intake and it will count them for you in their nutrition column. I'll be there and I hope you will too!

Also, don't forget to get your free workout plan on Facebook in the Idealshape 12 week workout challenge!

Have you tried counting your macros? Has it worked for you? Can anyone else explain this better than me?