Why macros matter
Replies
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love the article thank you.0
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Thank you for posting this article. I found it helpful as someone who had previously only been looking calories for years. Now that I'm getting into cycling and runner, I am entering the world of macros scrutiny. It hasn't been easy either!
Suddenly, all I can think about is protein and how to get more of it in my body. Then its, "I want to go for a run tomorrow so I need to fuel myself with more carbs.. but carbs are 'evil'... but I want to run really far". It's such an internal struggle with all alternative dieting views out there.
Since I've picked up my training over the past two months, I haven't lost any weight, but I have been able to perform better and better. Hopefully the weight loss will come next.0 -
I believe that macros are still important even if all you want to do is drop weight- Because different macros can give an individual more satisfaction and energy, helping to keep you within your calorie goal.
Finding the macro balance that makes you happiest is key!
I totally agree!!0 -
muscleandbeard wrote: »Glad you enjoyed it. I see posts in which people constantly ask about macros and don't understand the importance of them. Too many times I see comments like "eat whatever you want, just stay in deficit" and it's such horrible advice.
I find those comments annoying as well. If you were to press those people, I'm sure they'd agree that what you eat is important for satiety, health, etc., but unfortunately sometimes they just stop with "eat whatever you want, just stay in deficit", which is confusing for new posters.0 -
The Macro Experiment Interviews: Dr. Layne Norton
http://www.themacroexperiment.com/blog/the-macro-experiment-interviews-dr-layne-norton
Cait: I enjoy the IIFYM lifestyle because it allows me to maintain sanity and not feel guilty about eating “unclean” foods. There are just so many theories floating around out there about the long term effects of eating highly “processed” foods that it’s hard to know what is truth and what is bogus. Is there any valid scientific evidence regarding the long-term effects of eating organic/unprocessed/”clean” vs a diet that allows for some artificial sweeteners and ”processed” food?
Dr. Norton: When consumed in moderation, there is zero scientific evidence that I'm aware of demonstrating that 'processed' foods or artificial sweeteners cause any negative health outcomes. Any research I've seen is either correlation and can be explained by many other factors OR is using massive doses of the compounds that are in question. Way more than someone would ever get through a normal diet.
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Re @ksharma's post:
I always say more than that, but part of the problem is that the right choice for me is not the right choice for others. For example, I find it frustrating when people say you must cut carbs or eat more fat. I don't find fat satiating, and right now I want to eat increase my carbs (because of marathon training) and struggle to do so -- needing to cut carbs once I cut calories was never an issue. And it's important to understand that there are no magic macros and the MFP macros in particular have nothing to do with weight loss. You need to figure out what works for you, so often just logging, seeing what percentages you tend to hit, if anything is way high or low, or if you are hungry or not (I personally never had a problem with hungry when cutting calories, so I don't assume people will). Once you do that, you can start to adjust and find what works for you.
More than macros I think it's good to eat a nutritious diet (if someone cares to), but I can't imagine people really don't know what a nutritious diet is. When they ask I tend to think they think there's a magic way to eat that will take the weight off faster or that you have to eat in a special way to lose (as they've been trained to do from much of the weight loss media and gurus).
What really helped me was realizing that I should not eat as if "on a diet" -- by which I mean boring tasteless food, extremely restrictive. Instead, I could just eat normal, delicious, balanced meals, much like we did when I was a kid (my parents being all into the meat, starch, potato model), but also with my own personal tastes and creativity added. When I realized dieting didn't mean I had to feel deprived the whole time and not enjoy normal meals is when doing it for long enough to get the weight off started to make sense.
So eat what you like, but cut calories, kind of works with that. When people say "how do I cut calories" one approach is to look at what you are eating and it probably will jump out to you. It did to me.0 -
Nice article by James Fell
http://ca.askmen.com/sports/foodcourt/macronutrient-tracking-2.html
And like the example Eric Helms gave me to drive home his point, I know that, comparatively speaking, nuts are not a “good” source of protein. Helms explained that people may chow down on a lot of nuts in the belief that it helps them add protein to their diet, but the reality is that nuts are primarily made up of fat, which can result in the person adding to their total caloric intake — which is the bane of weight loss.
So, yes, at least having an understanding of the macros and being able to eyeball various foods for their macronutrient breakdown IS valuable. I do it all the time without even realizing it. As Eric says, “People need to at least be aware of macros. This doesn’t mean they need to track them 24/7 for the rest of their life and live with a food scale.
Nutrition expert Alan Aragon doesn’t meticulously count his own macros, but he too sees the value in at least having some macronutrient awareness. “People take things to the extreme,” he said. “I think it’s ridiculous when people track and say, ‘Oh, I have 17 grams of carbohydrates and 2 grams of fat and 2 grams of protein left for today so that means I can eat half a Pop-Tart.’” He said it’s better if they assess if they’re actually hungry instead.
Remember, you don’t want to get too obsessive over what you eat, because it could take you down the path to an eating disorder.
“You can track every single macronutrient and bring your food scale everywhere you go, and that’s okay for a week or two,” Aragon told me, “but the goal is to graduate as far away from that *kitten* neurotic micromanagement of food intake as possible.”0 -
Wetcoaster wrote: »The Macro Experiment Interviews: Dr. Layne Norton
http://www.themacroexperiment.com/blog/the-macro-experiment-interviews-dr-layne-norton
Cait: I enjoy the IIFYM lifestyle because it allows me to maintain sanity and not feel guilty about eating “unclean” foods. There are just so many theories floating around out there about the long term effects of eating highly “processed” foods that it’s hard to know what is truth and what is bogus. Is there any valid scientific evidence regarding the long-term effects of eating organic/unprocessed/”clean” vs a diet that allows for some artificial sweeteners and ”processed” food?
Dr. Norton: When consumed in moderation, there is zero scientific evidence that I'm aware of demonstrating that 'processed' foods or artificial sweeteners cause any negative health outcomes. Any research I've seen is either correlation and can be explained by many other factors OR is using massive doses of the compounds that are in question. Way more than someone would ever get through a normal diet.
This post isn't about eating "clean". This post is about importance of protein and nutritional balance to achieve your results. I don't care if you cook up your protein in a meth lab, as long as you're consuming enough protein. I can tell you didn't read the original article I posted and just wanted to throw in your Dr. Norton propaganda at us. In fact, I don't eat organic, most of my supplements are made in a chemistry lab and it doesn't bother me one bit. Ask Dr. Norton if he got all that muscle eating rice cakes and cookies?0 -
The TEF is tripping me up...0
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muscleandbeard wrote: »Wetcoaster wrote: »The Macro Experiment Interviews: Dr. Layne Norton
http://www.themacroexperiment.com/blog/the-macro-experiment-interviews-dr-layne-norton
Cait: I enjoy the IIFYM lifestyle because it allows me to maintain sanity and not feel guilty about eating “unclean” foods. There are just so many theories floating around out there about the long term effects of eating highly “processed” foods that it’s hard to know what is truth and what is bogus. Is there any valid scientific evidence regarding the long-term effects of eating organic/unprocessed/”clean” vs a diet that allows for some artificial sweeteners and ”processed” food?
Dr. Norton: When consumed in moderation, there is zero scientific evidence that I'm aware of demonstrating that 'processed' foods or artificial sweeteners cause any negative health outcomes. Any research I've seen is either correlation and can be explained by many other factors OR is using massive doses of the compounds that are in question. Way more than someone would ever get through a normal diet.
This post isn't about eating "clean". This post is about importance of protein and nutritional balance to achieve your results. I don't care if you cook up your protein in a meth lab, as long as you're consuming enough protein. I can tell you didn't read the original article I posted and just wanted to throw in your Dr. Norton propaganda at us. In fact, I don't eat organic, most of my supplements are made in a chemistry lab and it doesn't bother me one bit. Ask Dr. Norton if he got all that muscle eating rice cakes and cookies?
Propaganda lol0 -
muscleandbeard wrote: »Wetcoaster wrote: »The Macro Experiment Interviews: Dr. Layne Norton
http://www.themacroexperiment.com/blog/the-macro-experiment-interviews-dr-layne-norton
Cait: I enjoy the IIFYM lifestyle because it allows me to maintain sanity and not feel guilty about eating “unclean” foods. There are just so many theories floating around out there about the long term effects of eating highly “processed” foods that it’s hard to know what is truth and what is bogus. Is there any valid scientific evidence regarding the long-term effects of eating organic/unprocessed/”clean” vs a diet that allows for some artificial sweeteners and ”processed” food?
Dr. Norton: When consumed in moderation, there is zero scientific evidence that I'm aware of demonstrating that 'processed' foods or artificial sweeteners cause any negative health outcomes. Any research I've seen is either correlation and can be explained by many other factors OR is using massive doses of the compounds that are in question. Way more than someone would ever get through a normal diet.
This post isn't about eating "clean". This post is about importance of protein and nutritional balance to achieve your results. I don't care if you cook up your protein in a meth lab, as long as you're consuming enough protein. I can tell you didn't read the original article I posted and just wanted to throw in your Dr. Norton propaganda at us. In fact, I don't eat organic, most of my supplements are made in a chemistry lab and it doesn't bother me one bit. Ask Dr. Norton if he got all that muscle eating rice cakes and cookies?
The post is about macros though
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Wetcoaster wrote: »muscleandbeard wrote: »Wetcoaster wrote: »The Macro Experiment Interviews: Dr. Layne Norton
http://www.themacroexperiment.com/blog/the-macro-experiment-interviews-dr-layne-norton
Cait: I enjoy the IIFYM lifestyle because it allows me to maintain sanity and not feel guilty about eating “unclean” foods. There are just so many theories floating around out there about the long term effects of eating highly “processed” foods that it’s hard to know what is truth and what is bogus. Is there any valid scientific evidence regarding the long-term effects of eating organic/unprocessed/”clean” vs a diet that allows for some artificial sweeteners and ”processed” food?
Dr. Norton: When consumed in moderation, there is zero scientific evidence that I'm aware of demonstrating that 'processed' foods or artificial sweeteners cause any negative health outcomes. Any research I've seen is either correlation and can be explained by many other factors OR is using massive doses of the compounds that are in question. Way more than someone would ever get through a normal diet.
This post isn't about eating "clean". This post is about importance of protein and nutritional balance to achieve your results. I don't care if you cook up your protein in a meth lab, as long as you're consuming enough protein. I can tell you didn't read the original article I posted and just wanted to throw in your Dr. Norton propaganda at us. In fact, I don't eat organic, most of my supplements are made in a chemistry lab and it doesn't bother me one bit. Ask Dr. Norton if he got all that muscle eating rice cakes and cookies?
The post is about macros though
I agree with him for the most part. Pretty much anything we eat is in some way artificial. I'd like to get his opinion on proper ratios of carbs, protein and fats when attempting to slim down with minimal muscle loss0 -
lemurcat12 wrote: »Re @kshama2001's post:
I always say more than that, but part of the problem is that the right choice for me is not the right choice for others. For example, I find it frustrating when people say you must cut carbs or eat more fat. I don't find fat satiating, and right now I want to eat increase my carbs (because of marathon training) and struggle to do so -- needing to cut carbs once I cut calories was never an issue. And it's important to understand that there are no magic macros and the MFP macros in particular have nothing to do with weight loss. You need to figure out what works for you, so often just logging, seeing what percentages you tend to hit, if anything is way high or low, or if you are hungry or not (I personally never had a problem with hungry when cutting calories, so I don't assume people will). Once you do that, you can start to adjust and find what works for you.
More than macros I think it's good to eat a nutritious diet (if someone cares to), but I can't imagine people really don't know what a nutritious diet is. When they ask I tend to think they think there's a magic way to eat that will take the weight off faster or that you have to eat in a special way to lose (as they've been trained to do from much of the weight loss media and gurus).
What really helped me was realizing that I should not eat as if "on a diet" -- by which I mean boring tasteless food, extremely restrictive. Instead, I could just eat normal, delicious, balanced meals, much like we did when I was a kid (my parents being all into the meat, starch, potato model), but also with my own personal tastes and creativity added. When I realized dieting didn't mean I had to feel deprived the whole time and not enjoy normal meals is when doing it for long enough to get the weight off started to make sense.
So eat what you like, but cut calories, kind of works with that. When people say "how do I cut calories" one approach is to look at what you are eating and it probably will jump out to you. It did to me.
Yes, you are very good at putting things in context
Regarding your first paragraph, on all the "I'm hungry!" threads I've seen, when the person's diary was available, except in one case, they've been high on breads, cereals, baked goods, and other non-legume or non-starchy veg type carbs, and low on protein. So I always suggest they try eating more protein. I realize protein isn't satiating for everyone, but these people are complaining of hunger, and eating relatively low protein in relationship to carbs.
As to people not knowing what a nutritious diet is, I think you're giving too much benefit of the doubt. I would think that everyone knows what a tablespoon is, but time after time I run into people who think it's a soup spoon.0 -
bfa0
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Ugh, 8 million typos! Here's the last post corrected for readability and accuracy:
I always say more than that, but part of the problem is that the right choice for me is not the right choice for others. For example, I find it frustrating when people say you must cut carbs or eat more fat. I don't find fat satiating, and right now I want to increase my carbs (because of marathon training) and struggle to do so -- needing to cut carbs once I cut calories was never an issue. And it's important to understand that there are no magic macros and the MFP macros in particular have nothing to do with weight loss. You need to figure out what works for you, so often just logging, seeing what percentages you tend to hit, if anything is way high or low, or if you are hungry or not (I personally never had a problem with hunger when cutting calories, so I don't assume people will). Once you do that, you can start to adjust and find what works for you.
More than macros I think it's good to eat a nutritious diet (if someone cares to), but I can't imagine people really don't know what a nutritious diet is. When they ask I tend to think they think there's a magic way to eat that will take the weight off faster or that you have to eat in a special way to lose (as they've been trained to do from much of the weight loss media and gurus).
What really helped me was realizing that I should not eat as if "on a diet" -- by which I mean boring tasteless food, extremely restrictive. Instead, I could just eat normal, delicious, balanced meals, much like we did when I was a kid (my parents being all into the meat, starch, veg [potatoes are a starch, my brain apparently needed carbs when I wrote this] model), but also with my own personal tastes and creativity added. When I realized dieting didn't mean I had to feel deprived the whole time and not enjoy normal meals is when doing it for long enough to get the weight off started to make sense.
So eat what you like, but cut calories, kind of works with that. When people say "how do I cut calories" one approach is to look at what you are eating and it probably will jump out to you. It did to me.
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kshama2001 wrote: »Regarding your first paragraph, on all the "I'm hungry!" threads I've seen, when the person's diary was available, except in one case, they've been high on breads, cereals, baked goods, and other non-legume or non-starchy veg type carbs, and low on protein. So I always suggest they try eating more protein. I realize protein isn't satiating for everyone, but these people are complaining of hunger, and eating relatively low protein in relationship to carbs.
Yeah, I mostly agree with this. I don't like the assumption in general (the US average is more like 50%, so I don't assume the issue is people are eating lots of fiber-free carbs and low protein), but I've seen that too. I haven't seen much evidence that fat is super helpful on average for satiety, but of course people vary so for some it is. I also don't assume that being fat means you will be hungry on your calorie deficit diet -- obviously lots of people are not ("I can't eat 1200" for the win, Alex?) and there are tons of reasons besides hunger that people overeat (me being someone who did and who can be happy on 1200 if not too active--although not into that).As to people not knowing what a nutritious diet is, I think you're giving too much benefit of the doubt. I would think that everyone knows what a tablespoon is, but time after time I run into people who think it's a soup spoon.
Okay, that's a good point, but seriously, I'd ask everyone -- what did you think was a healthy meal in 1st grade? I think everyone knows eat your meal before dessert, eat your vegetables, and I expect most are in families where meat/protein is a standard part of the meal (playing US averages again). I think people claiming to not know how they should eat is them wanting a magic solution and not wanting to do the boring balanced meal with veg thing. (Or not knowing how to cook, which I do think is a factor.) Gosh, I recall being in elementary school and telling my mom (based on a lesson) that the bread we had wasn't really whole wheat (it was brown and "wheat" but not whole wheat) and thinking that would get me out of eating bread (I've always hated supermarket mass market bread), and being bummed that she started buying Roman Meal whole wheat and expecting I'd eat sandwiches.0 -
muscleandbeard wrote: »Glad you enjoyed it. I see posts in which people constantly ask about macros and don't understand the importance of them. Too many times I see comments like "eat whatever you want, just stay in deficit" and it's such horrible advice.
if you're trying to get ultra ultra lean, macros would matter as you get closer to goal.............If you're in a deficit and you hit the gym 3-4 times a week, the results will be amazing..............when you get under 12% BF, the rules would change quite a bit0 -
muscleandbeard wrote: »Glad you enjoyed it. I see posts in which people constantly ask about macros and don't understand the importance of them. Too many times I see comments like "eat whatever you want, just stay in deficit" and it's such horrible advice.
if you're trying to get ultra ultra lean, macros would matter as you get closer to goal.............If you're in a deficit and you hit the gym 3-4 times a week, the results will be amazing..............when you get under 12% BF, the rules would change quite a bit
i hate you....OK i like you0 -
I am one of those people who doesn't pay much attention to macros, only to calories. After reading this article, I will be paying closer attention. Thank you for sharing.0
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SarcasmIsMyLoveLanguage wrote: »I am one of those people who doesn't pay much attention to macros, only to calories. After reading this article, I will be paying closer attention. Thank you for sharing.
2000 posts and you have never thought about macros?-1 -
Wetcoaster wrote: »SarcasmIsMyLoveLanguage wrote: »I am one of those people who doesn't pay much attention to macros, only to calories. After reading this article, I will be paying closer attention. Thank you for sharing.
2000 posts and you have never thought about macros?
Nope. Hey, I'm bad at math, okay?
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SarcasmIsMyLoveLanguage wrote: »Wetcoaster wrote: »SarcasmIsMyLoveLanguage wrote: »I am one of those people who doesn't pay much attention to macros, only to calories. After reading this article, I will be paying closer attention. Thank you for sharing.
2000 posts and you have never thought about macros?
Nope. Hey, I'm bad at math, okay?
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macros schmacros
just hit your minimum protein requirement for the day0 -
AnabolicKyle wrote: »macros schmacros
just hit your minimum protein requirement for the day
Oh you0 -
muscleandbeard wrote: »Glad you enjoyed it. I see posts in which people constantly ask about macros and don't understand the importance of them. Too many times I see comments like "eat whatever you want, just stay in deficit" and it's such horrible advice.
if you're trying to get ultra ultra lean, macros would matter as you get closer to goal.............If you're in a deficit and you hit the gym 3-4 times a week, the results will be amazing..............when you get under 12% BF, the rules would change quite a bit
The rules don't change, you just have to follow them more strictly.0 -
AnabolicKyle wrote: »macros schmacros
just hit your minimum protein requirement for the day
Fats matter.
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Ya, when I take care of protein, the rest takes care of itself.AnabolicKyle wrote: »macros schmacros
just hit your minimum protein requirement for the day
I don't have to work to get in fatsCarlos_421 wrote: »AnabolicKyle wrote: »macros schmacros
just hit your minimum protein requirement for the day
Fats matter.
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Wetcoaster wrote: »So, yes, at least having an understanding of the macros and being able to eyeball various foods for their macronutrient breakdown IS valuable.
^^ I like this. ^^
We are all adults with at least a high school level reading comprehension. (I hope). There is nothing wrong with providing information and opinions. Macros ARE important whether or not they are tracked- more to some than others.
Give them the info and let them do with it what they will. Not everyone wants to maintain or build muscle. Not everyone wants to lift, not everyone does cardio, etc.
Everyone has different goals but I agree they should have the knowledge to understand their food and how it may effect their goals, whether positively or negatively. MACROs should not be ignored completely as each has a place on their journey.0 -
MommyMeggo wrote: »Wetcoaster wrote: »So, yes, at least having an understanding of the macros and being able to eyeball various foods for their macronutrient breakdown IS valuable.
^^ I like this. ^^
We are all adults with at least a high school level reading comprehension. (I hope). There is nothing wrong with providing information and opinions. Macros ARE important whether or not they are tracked- more to some than others.
Give them the info and let them do with it what they will. Not everyone wants to maintain or build muscle. Not everyone wants to lift, not everyone does cardio, etc.
Everyone has different goals but I agree they should have the knowledge to understand their food and how it may effect their goals, whether positively or negatively. MACROs should not be ignored completely as each has a place on their journey.
+10 -
AnabolicKyle wrote: »macros schmacros
just hit your minimum protein requirement for the day
I'll remember that as my training ramps up for my 6+ hour races this summer. Who needs carbs...0
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