How are Macros used?

sbaldaramos

I'm not understanding what the macros do.

Lietchi

Generally speaking:
- calories for weight management
- macros for health and satiation

For example:
- some people feel more full at specific macro distributions
- a minimum of protein is necessary to protect muscle mass (limit loss or gain, depending on the situation)
- a minimum of fat is necessary to ensure brain and hormone health
- carbs aren't strictly necessary, but some people do need them to feel energized or capable of intense/long exercise
...

I started out losing weight just by looking at my calorie intake, and then later on increased my protein intake because I found out it was low. You don't need to look at your macros if it makes things unnecessarily complicated for you.
If you want to, it's enough to look at the weekly average, since it's even more complicated if you want to reach your macro goals 'precisely' each day. ('precisely' isn't necessary either, a percentage over or under isn't going to have a big impact)

MFP's standard macro split is a good starting point, but others are possible too depending on what works for you.

DFW_Tom

Macronutrients are the three types of nutrients that fuel our energy needs: Fats, Carbohydrates, and Protein. Each type of macro contain a certain number of calories per gram. Different meal plans suggest their own ratio of these macros to reach your calorie goal each day, as does the dietary guidelines from various government and health organizations. As @Lietchi said, they are good starting points. Adjustable tools that will help you discover what works for you. What keeps you healthy in a sustainable way.

You may find that you want to cut back on fats consumed to 25% of your daily calorie intake because they are the most energy dense at 9 calories per gram of fat. Then again, you might find that eating more fats, say 50% of your daily calories help you get enough energy intake (calories) each day. As one macro is adjusted it affects the other two so that the total percentage of daily calories from the 3 macros come out to 100%.

The macro ratio you set on MFP are goals that are reached by eating more or less of different types of food to reach your daily calorie goal. For example, to reduce carbs eat less bread. To increase carbs eat more whole grains. Increase fats by eating healthy fats like avocados and EVOO, decrease by limiting cheese and whole dairy. The foods given as examples here are just that. There are long list of foods that can be used to reach your individual macro targets.