This would lead to subpar strength and muscle gains. However, if he does not track macronutrient levels, at the end of the day, he could be taking in far too many fats, not enough carbohydrates, and not enough protein. He eats 3000 calories everyday and is gaining weight, so he thinks he is progressing just fine. Imagine an athlete who lifts weights and wants to gain muscle/build strength Let’s say this athlete is gaining weight eating 3000 calories per day. The recommended levels for a strength athlete are between 1.6 and 1.7 grams per kg of BW. If these minimum protein requirements are not met, performance and progress will be limited. Simply counting calories will usually skew your macronutrient levels towards the high end on one, and to the low end on another, which can result in subpar performance and progress.įor example, there are minimum protein levels for strength athletes that are recommended by credible organizations, you can read more about this here. Fats are cruicial for proper hormonal and cellular function, carbohydrates can provide energy for active individuals, and protein assists in building muscle tissue and preventing muscle breakdown. If you are just looking for pure weight change, yes counting calories is enough and will yield results, but if you track and control your individual macronutrient levels, your results will be far more optimal. If you were to do the math, and multiply the number of grams of each macronutrient by its respective caloric level, you would get roughly the number of total calories listed at the top of the nutritional label! So, now we understand that calories are made up of macronutrients, but why does this matter to you? We know that we can manipulate body composition by being at a caloric deficit or surplus, so isn’t counting calories enough? 1 gram of a macronutrient contains a certain number of calories as followed:ġ gram of fat = 9 calories 1 gram of carbohydrate = 4 calories 1 gram of protein = 4 calories If you check the nutrition label on a food, you will see these all listed in a certain number of grams. There are 3 macronutrients: Fats, carbohydrates, and protein. Now, these calories are made up of energy sources called “macronutrients” or “macros” for short. This helps us because if we consume too much energy we begin to store the excess energy as fat. The food you consume contains energy ( calories) so it is simply just a way to count how much energy you are consuming. A calorie is simply a unit to measure energy, 1 calorie is equal to 4.18400 joules. So to understand what a macronutrient is, you first must understand what calories are.
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