Is Counting Macros Important for Weight Loss?
By Lizzie Streit, MS, RDN, LD
Counting macronutrients, also known as macros, is a technique that some diets and eating plans recommend for weight loss and physical fitness. Instead of suggesting a 1200 calorie diet, for example, a macro-focused plan may recommend hitting a percentage of total calories that come from each macronutrient.
If you’re curious about macros, read on to learn what they are, how they relate to weight loss, and what macronutrient breakdown Healthy For Life Meals (HFLM) provides.
What are macronutrients?
Macronutrients are nutrients your body needs in relatively higher amounts compared to vitamins and minerals (the micronutrients). Macros include carbohydrates, protein, and fat. In addition to providing energy, each group of macros supports bodily functions and systems in different ways.
The chemical composition of each macronutrient dictates its function. Carbohydrates are made up of simple sugars linked together by bonds that can either be broken down to provide energy or stay intact and act as dietary fiber. Protein is composed of amino acids, some of which are essential to get from foods to support bodily functions like tissue repair, muscle maintenance, and immune support. Finally, fats include glycerol and fatty acids, such as omega-3s and monounsaturated fatty acids that promote brain, heart, and skin health.
Macronutrient Guidelines
Macronutrients provide calories, about 4 calories per gram of carbohydrate or protein and 9 calories per gram of fat. They are therefore often discussed in terms of a percentage of daily calories.
Recommendations that include macro percentages can be applicable to everyone, even if one person has a different total calorie intake than someone else. For example, getting 20% of daily calories from protein may mean eating a much lower number of grams of protein for someone with a 1200 calorie diet compared to someone who eats significantly more calories.
Exactly what percentage of daily energy each macronutrient should provide is unclear. Research on macro distribution in diets of cultures around the world has found varying results. There is a wide range of proportions of macronutrients in eating patterns, and health effects of these patterns also vary.
Even more, a systematic review of studies that focused on the impact of varying macro compositions, such as low-fat or low-carb diets, on health factors found that most diets led to weight loss and improvements in blood pressure regardless of composition.
As with most things when it comes to nutrition, there is no single best macro distribution. What works best for one person may not be the ideal diet for another. The official guidelines on macronutrients therefore include a range of percentages of total calories for carbohydrates, protein, and fat.
Here is what’s currently recommended for each macro:
Carbohydrates: 45% to 65% of daily calories, including no more than 10% from added sugars
Protein: 10% to 35% of daily calories
Fat: 20% to 35% of daily calories, including less than 10% from saturated fats
As you can see, the macro distributions of individual diets can vary widely and still fall within the recommended ranges.
The guidelines for protein intake have the widest range, which is why some experts also encourage attention to the number of grams of protein eaten per day. It’s typically suggested to consume between 0.8 and 1.2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day. Older individuals, athletes, those recovering from surgery, and pregnant women, among other groups, have needs around or above the high end of that range. For these populations, it may be easier to think of protein in terms of grams versus a percentage of calories.
Does counting macros help with weight loss?
Although the research is still inconclusive, some diets suggest that following specific macronutrient distributions are effective for weight loss. The ketogenic diet, for example, typically recommends a very low percentage of daily calories from carbohydrates and a high percentage from fat that fall outside of the recommended macro breakdowns. Other eating patterns encourage high-protein or even high-carb intake.
In addition, the popular diet If It Fits Your Macros (IIFYM) involves calculating macro distributions specific to each person that vary based on weight, activity, and lifestyle. This approach is focused on numbers but encourages followers to hit their macro targets instead of solely counting calories.
At the end of the day, macro-focused diets may help some people with weight loss, but they’re not a silver bullet. As discussed, large-scale reviews of research have generally found that diets with different macro breakdowns have similar effects on weight.
Where counting macros may have the most benefits for weight loss and health is in drawing attention to the nutritional composition of foods. For instance, focusing on macros can be an avenue for discovering how avocados or salmon may have the same number of calories as a candy bar but much different macro compositions. Furthermore, someone counting macros may realize they eat too much fat or not enough protein.
Many diets that emphasize macros also encourage eating nutritious whole foods as a way to meet macro targets. It may be that overall healthier and informed eating is the primary reason behind weight loss associated with counting macros. Still, more extensive research is needed.
What macros does HFLM provide in the 1200 calorie meal plan and others?
Healthy For Life Meals offers menus with balanced macronutrient compositions that fit within the aforementioned current guidelines from the national Academy of Sciences. Here’s a breakdown of the macros for each meal plan:
1200 calories per day (traditional): 48% from carbs, 22% from protein, and 30% from fat
2000 calories per day (traditional): 48% from carbs, 22% from protein, 30% from fat
1500 calories per day (vegetarian): 49% from carbs, 18% from protein, 33% from fat
Not only are the meals from HFLM nutritionally balanced, they’re also full of nutritious sources of each macronutrient. The carbohydrate choices are mostly fiber-rich vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and legumes. The menus are low in added sugars, provide healthy fats, and use lean proteins.
In other words, HFLM has done the work for you. Getting started with one of the menus can help you get the recommended macro percentages without having to count numbers or do the math yourself. Plus, everything is delicious!
Healthy For Life Meals: Instead of spending time counting the carbs, protein, and fat in your food, give our menus a try. Enjoy all the macros you need from nutritious whole foods made with flavor and care. Get started today and let us take care of the planning and prep for you! Get $10 off your first order with discount code: TryHFLM.