Is Counting Macros Better Than Counting Calories?

By Russ Howe


When you are trying to lose weight, you will inevitably come across the debate of counting calories versus counting macronutrients.

It is the new trend in the fitness industry.

But does counting your macros really matter to weight loss? Or can you still bank on results so long as you lower your daily calorie intake?

In today's post, we will take a look and establish the facts.



If you are new to the fitness world, you may be unfamiliar with macronutrients in general. This is the term used to describe the food groups you consume. There are three groups in total - protein, fat and carbohydrates. Each group does a different thing.

1. What Is Protein Used For?

Protein serves a very important purpose if you are trying to live a healthier lifestyle. It's responsible for new muscle growth, making it a top priority macronutrient if you have started going to the gym. But protein will also help you to retain the muscle tissue you already have, as well as curbing your hunger cravings more than either fat and carbohydrates.

Suffice to say, protein should be a mainstay in your diet and considered your macro of choice when looking for a snack throughout the day.

2. What Is Fat Used For?

Much like protein, fat plays an important role in the muscle building process. You see, without the correct levels of testosterone and cortisol in the body, we could eat as much protein as we wanted and train as hard as possible only to see lackluster results. Fat is responsible for regulating these hormones, so don't ignore it.

3. What Do Carbohydrates Do?

It's no longer the year 2000, so you need not fear carbs like the plague. Despite the fact that the early years of the millennium were plagued with bogus science that claimed carbohydrates would lead to greater fat storage around the midsection, modern science clearly demonstrates that carbohydrates are a vital food group in a healthy diet. Further still, they provide you with your body's preferred source of energy, so cutting carbs from your diet is a bad move.

So do not fall for the old hype of carbs being bad for you, nor the myth that suggests we should never eat carbohydrates in the evening time. Both of these have been disproven by science.

So now that you know the roles played by each food group, is counting your macros enough to lead to weight loss? Or do calories still matter?

Despite the fact that counting macros is very popular, your calorie intake is still the deciding factor.

By getting the right amount of each macronutrient, you will undoubtedly experience a better response to your training and it is a good way to boost the results of your diet. But your calorie intake is still the bigger picture.

If you are eating too many calories per day, you will not lose weight.




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