Tuesday, December 20, 2016

Counting Calories Vs Counting Macros - Which Is Better For Weight Loss?

By Jennifer Gardner


When you are trying to lose weight, you will inevitably come across the debate of counting calories versus counting macronutrients.

It is the new trend in the fitness industry.

But is the old advice of "calories in versus calories out" still king when it comes to weight loss? Or can you eat as many calories as you choose so long as you get the right macronutrient split?

In today's post, we will take a look and establish the facts.



If this is your first time trying to lose weight, the word macronutrients may sound like something from a Star Trek movie. But this is simply the phrase used to describe the foods which we eat. Every food either falls under the banner of protein, fat or carbohydrates.

1. Why Do We Eat Protein?

Protein is the most important macronutrient for building lean muscle tissue. So it's no surprise that most people who go to the gym supplement their diet with protein shakes, right? But protein also serves the purpose of speeding up your metabolism, helping you to burn more fat throughout the day.

Suffice to say, protein should be a mainstay in your diet and considered your macro of choice when looking for a snack throughout the day.

2. What Does Fat Do?

Much like protein, fat plays an important role in the muscle building process. You see, without the correct levels of testosterone and cortisol in the body, we could eat as much protein as we wanted and train as hard as possible only to see lackluster results. Fat is responsible for regulating these hormones, so don't ignore it.

3. What Do Carbs Do?

In the early part of the 21st century, celebrity culture made carbohydrates the new bad guy of the nutrition world. As fads like the Adkins diet took off, people all over the world were misled into believing that the human body stores excess fat every time we eat bread. Of course, this is untrue. Not only that, but carbohydrates play a vital role in any fitness routine, because without them you will have no energy to train!

These myths often steer people down a path of extreme diets, but blaming one food group for fat storage is completely incorrect. As such, you should never cut carbs from your daily diet!

Now that you have a grasp on the jobs performed by each macronutrient, is simply counting your macros enough to guarantee you will lose weight?

Actually, calories are still king when it comes to weight loss.

Of course, it will definitely help your weight loss progress if you are eating enough protein, carbs and fats per day. But the best way to get great results is to combine this with a lower calorie intake.

If you are eating too many calories per day, you will not lose weight.




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