One of the best features of MyFitnessPal is its on-the-go look at your macros. This video walks you through how to check your balance of carbs, fat, and protein, a.k.a. your macronutrients….
What are macronutrients?
The foods we eat are made up of different building blocks. For our purposes, macronutrients are the carbohydrates, proteins, and fats contained in food (macros can also refer to minerals and other nutrients, so do your research carefully). Eating fat won’t make you fat, just like eating all protein won’t turn you into one big muscle…it’s the balance that will help you get to your goals.
Why care about macronutrients?
Getting the right balance of carbohydrates, protein, and fat for your body, goals, and activity level each week can really speed up your results if you are looking to change your body composition (lose fat, gain muscle, or both). Your body is amazing and can make muscle out of just about anything, but eating in the balance that’s right for you will make the journey a lot smoother.
Take Advantage of Macro Tracking
As I note in the video, this pie chart is such an easy way to keep an eye on your food intake for the day! If you notice at lunchtime that you’re way over on your carbs but under on your protein, you have a great opportunity to eat a little extra protein and a few less carbs at your next meal.
If you’re not sure what macros a food contains, just enter it in MyFitnessPal and take a look! While some might be obvious (you probably know that most bread is a carb, for example), other foods can be trickier – many people think that nuts are a source of protein, but they are primarily a fat source.
Knowing the general macro content of your food will help you reach and maintain your goals much more readily than counting calories; a candy bar and a serving of Greek yogurt topped with berries and nuts might have the same calorie content, but your body won’t view them the same way because of the (yup) macronutrient difference!
Over time, you will not even need to depend on a tracker to eat in a balance that’s best for your body. I’d love to recommend a macro balance to you, but everyone’s needs are different – check with your fitness professional or get in touch with Tiny Fitness if you need more help getting set up with macro tracking.
