It's not about counting calories rather chemicals, right?

You've probably heard it before "Don't count calories, count chemicals!" .. which is totally true, but your body burns calories too so the concept of tracking the macronutrients that you ingest every day definitely has its benefits! I myself started tracking my macros because I was not eating enough each day, which just added unneeded stress to my body. Remember that each person has a Basal Metabolic Rate, which is "an estimate of how many calories you'd burn if you were to do nothing but rest for 24 hours. It represents the minimum amount of energy needed to keep your body functioning, including breathing and keeping your heart beating." - quoted right from Google! :P

At 110 lbs my BMR is just under 1300 calories a day, and yes there are a few different ways to calculate your BMR and some will argue why theirs is the best, but I have structured all of my calculations off of years of experience, research and knowledge in the fitness industry; for myself, family, friends and clients. So.. if I did absolutely nothing all day I still need to eat 1300 calories of nutrients every day, and trust me I was NOT consuming enough and on top of that I was not 'doing nothing'.. I was was doing my daily routines of work and exercise. So for me, structure was key, I needed to make sure that I was feeding my body, because a protein bar and nutrient packed supper was not going to to cut it anymore.. and now that I have done it long enough its pretty easy, and it becomes a part of my regular routine.

Please do not forget that if you are using this as a weight loss tool, there are many other key factors that need to be in place! This is why as a practitioner counting macronutrients is just used as a tool.. If you have imbalances and under active glandular functions those need to be fixed as well, this is just one piece to the puzzle.

PRO's

- when you are eating healthy nutrient dense foods, you can eat SO much food!! And most of the time there is room for a chocolate or two!! Its when you push away all those chocolates through the week and devour them all weekend that catches up with you :P

- knowing what you typically eat in a day allows you to see if there are areas that are in need of supplementation. Because you are able then to even see which micronutrients you might be missing (Vitamin C, Vitamin A, fibre, ect) you can then know how better to supplement yourself.

CON's

- Not all calories are equal; meaning different nutrients have different reactions and effects in the body, and they are metabolized in different ways. Therefore if people only pay attention to the calorie aspect and eat 'whatever they want' sure you could lose weight (if this is your goal) but you are only going to go so far, and you are NOT going to feel better. If you are truly counting your macro's; Macdonalds, Wendy's, and Twinkies are not going to cut it. I cannot stress enough how important it is to be eating clean whole healthy foods!

So when would you use this tool?

For weight loss; Its about being constant.. taking in similar macronutrients over the course of a few weeks, even months, to get the outcome or change you are hoping for. It really is a lifestyle change, because if you do that diet, or track yourself into a new you and then go back to eating and living the way you were before... You bet your gunna go right back to where you were, or more!

For teaching purposes; Tracking for a few days or weeks, just to see if you are consuming the proper amount of protein in your daily needs, or even to much sugar??

Is it for everyone? It can be formulated for everyone yes, but not everyone needs it.. Most of the people you know that are eating healthy and stay at a constant weight are in some way meeting their daily needs and eating similar macronutrients each day just because that is what they eat on a regular basis and are use too, this is common. But you will notice people who maybe have 'let go' a few to many time, and then use cleaning or detoxing as their next weight loss fix. Finding that balance and making a lifestyle of healthier eating and tracking is where you are going to find your best results.

One of the biggest things I see is people starting on their new healthy trek.. eliminating this and that finding alternatives. While switching out refined white sugar with honey is a much better option, if you are using the honey in high quantities you could still be over using it. So when I encourage people to track their macros, even if its for a short amount of time, they get to see the balance (or unbalance) of what they are consuming. This way they can adjust what they are eating to get to the goal you hoping for, even if its just to maintain a healthly weight.

For more information on calculating your own macronutrients please book a nutritional consult so we can get your started properly! Its so easy once you get the hang of it, but doing this the right way is what makes the difference.

#CleanEats #ReadLabels #Macros #Weightloss