The Importance of Controlling Macronutrients
These days, counting macronutrients is something a lot of people in the fitness world do. There’s a lot of reasons behind it, but the main goal is always the same: to move towards our targets in the best way possible. To do this, we have to focus on everything, like what we eat, how we train, and how we recover.
Each macronutrient—carbs, protein, and fats—has a different role in our body, and keeping a good balance helps our body work better. But, if we’ve got specific goals, that balance can change a lot. For example, if the idea is to gain muscle, we gotta eat more protein while keeping fats and carbs kinda moderate. On the flip side, if we’re trying to lose weight, we often cut down on carbs big time but keep some fats and protein in there, though fats might get reduced too. It all really depends on what we’re after.
To get how to count macronutrients properly, it’s important to know how much energy each of them gives us:
- Carbohydrates: 4 calories per gram
- Proteins: 4 calories per gram
- Fats: 9 calories per gram
Let’s say, for example, you read a nutrition label, and it says:
- Fats: 16.2g
- Carbohydrates: 52.5g
- Proteins: 3.9g
So, the calories would be:
- Fats: 16.2g × 9 = 145.8 Kcal
- Carbohydrates: 52.5g × 4 = 210 Kcal
- Proteins: 3.9g × 4 = 15.6 Kcal
- Total Calories: 371.4 Kcal
Knowing how to do the math and understanding these numbers is one thing, but actually going through all your food and weighing ingredients can be super tiring. That’s why there’s an app called Macroai now, which really makes life easier. You just describe the food or scan the label, and it tells you all the macros and calories right away. It’s like having a nutritionist in your pocket, so you don’t have to spend ages figuring stuff out yourself.
A lot of people ask if counting calories is enough. The truth is, it’s not. You have to know where those calories come from. If you’re trying to lose weight but don’t get enough protein, you could end up losing muscle, not fat. If you don’t get enough fats, your body might struggle with vitamin absorption. And cutting out carbs completely could leave you feeling tired all day. So, it’s all about balance, and we need to control our macros right to keep our bodies working at their best.
With tools like Macroai, keeping track of everything isn’t as hard anymore. It helps you keep everything balanced without too much fuss so that you can focus on your goals and take care of your body the right way.
By Elías DaSilva | 23 de octubre de 2024.