Author: julie@julesdesign.co

What are macros? 

Quite simply, “macros” are the macronutrients (protein, carbs, and fat) that make up our food. This is where your dietary calories (energy) come from.

When it comes to weight loss and the food you eat, calories only paint part of the picture. Sure, a sugary donut might taste delicious going down, but its lack of protein and fat (and fiber) will make your blood sugar spike and then crash and burn, leaving you hungry (maybe even hangry) later on. Losing weight is not about slashing calories, avoiding carbs, and eating “sad” salads. A balanced meal, including protein, carbs, and fat takes much longer for your body to digest, which keeps you satisfied longer than carbs and fat alone.

Basically, when building a healthy diet via macro tracking, your goal is to consume a ratio of carbs, protein, and fat that best fuels your body with the right amount of energy. Consuming an optimal macro balance can help you burn fat or build muscle, especially if you opt for nutritious foods over empty calories. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with eating “fun” foods on occasion. Macros actually give you the “food freedom” to enjoy your favorites while having a framework in place to keep your diet balanced to also work towards your goals.

All of the calories that we eat come from either carbohydrates, fat, protein, or alcohol.

There are 4 calories in every gram of carbohydrate.
There are 4 calories in every gram of protein.
There are 7 calories in every gram of alcohol
And, there are 9 calories in every gram of fat.

Aside from alcohol, the body needs all of these (carbs, protein, and fat) to function.

Protein is needed in the body in order to build and repair tissues, carry oxygen in the blood, and maintain a healthy immune system. It provides the building blocks for important hormones and digestive enzymes.

Protein is also important for blood sugar control and keeps you feeling fuller for longer periods of time. That is why it is recommended that every meal (and snack) should contain some form of protein.

Fat is needed in our diets in order to provide us with energy, make and balance hormones, form cell membranes, form our brain and nervous system, transport vitamins, and give us omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids that we can’t make on our own.

Carbohydrates are the main source of energy for our bodies. Carbs are organic molecules typically classified according to their structure: simple and complex.

However, all carbohydrates we consume are broken down into simple sugars before they’re absorbed by the body, regardless of whether the food source is a simple sugar cube or a high-fiber bowl of oatmeal.

Why should you track macros?

It helps you find out how much food is appropriate for your activity level.

It helps you find “food freedom” so you can stop feeling guilty about
your choices.

It provides you with a framework for your diet instead of feeling like
you have no control.

It helps you ditch the idea that restrictive diets are the only way
for you to lose weight.

It gets a plan in motion since you have achievable goals to aim for each day.

It keeps you accountable and moving forward with a daily reminder of your goals.

It allows you to set new goals for yourself.

We eat out for fun, for convenience, for delicious food, for so many reasons but a lot of us order food often. What goes in and on you more often has the biggest impact on your health.

What you order more often will say a lot about your better health results. So if you feel like you are eating better, exercising better, sleeping better and still not seeing results, this challenge is for you.

“Perfect food is born of perfect order ” – Daniel Patterson

Despite what chef Daniel says, there is no perfect order. But there is a better that we can create.

HOW TO ORDER BETTER?

We’ve all ordered something and it didn’t deliver on a better taste. That will happen. But we do want to aim to order what will be delicious, for us, more often. That begins with ordering what you really want, in that moment, then learning to order it better. Too often ordering “healthy” turns out to not satisfy so we go looking for something else delicious after or later.

Better Quality, Quantity & Nutrient Balance make a better order. Ask your practitioner about the Better Nutrition Plan to help you assess your typical order to see what’s better (keep that!) & which choices could be better.

If you can’t afford a better nutrition option then it isn’t your better choice. But, there are usually better, not perfect, choices that are affordable.

If you are ordering food, are you drinking with it? Ask your practitioner about the Better Water Evaluation to know how much you need, and how to get in your better water amount more often. If you are getting alcohol, remember 9 sips is your max (and count it as your dessert) if staying on plan.

So are you ready to order better, not perfect, more often? Getting and keeping better health begins with knowing we have choices. While there is never a perfect choice, there are better ones, for you, to make more often.

BETTER ORDERING TIPS:

• What do you really want
• Review the whole menu
• Check out the sides
• Pick your better carb choice (potato or rice or beans or beets or corn
• or small of some/each)
• Sauces on the side, spices on/in the food
• More non-starchy veggies
• Communicate your diet needs clearly (gluten, dairy, nuts etc)
• Choose alcohol or dessert

One morning you are 150 lbs, later that day you are 154 lbs, and the next morning you are 149 lbs… what gives?

#1 Glycogen

Going on and off low-carb diets can cause changes in glycogen levels.

Each gram of glycogen holds as much as four times its weight in water. So, reducing carbs (and glycogen), will cause a fast drop in weight.

This is why you hear some people say they lost 8 pounds in just a few days on a low carb diet. It is mostly water weight though and it will come back if that exact diet and exercise regime is not sustained.

#2 Salt

Let’s say you went out to your favorite Mexican restaurant last night and enjoyed a few margaritas and enchiladas. When you step on the scale the next day, you have gained 5 pounds!

Your digestive system hasn’t had time to process all the salt you had the night before and all that excess sodium causes your body to hold onto excess water in order to keep your electrolytes in balance.

Thank you human body for being so efficient!

Your body will sort it all out over time…which leads to point number three.

#3 It takes a few days for body weight to stabilize after any major shift in diet or exercise.

If you have JUST begun a new diet – especially one drastically lower carbs – you must wait until your morning scale weight has stabilized(no longer losing a pound or two of water a day), before assessing your true weight loss.

Weight should then be monitored for about another two weeks to make sure there are no drastic changes to glycogen or fluid levels. The goal is to have the weight loss be all from fat!