Out Goes Calorie Counting & In Comes Macro Counting

What & How you Eat is More Important that Your Calories & Macros

Use your Mathematical Skills & Achieve Success

Math has never been a favorite subject for many but weight loss has always been about calories consumed, calories burned and the resulting calorie deficits created. Some despise calculations and totaling but BMI calculations, calorie differences and the impending changes have never haunted the determined soul in their weight loss journey. Its good to be motivated by fitness enthusiasts who offer positive comments and boost your spirits to lose weight but being weary of their goals, not getting carried away by their latest diet principles and staying within healthy dieting and exercising regimens is critical for healthy weight loss. If you are one of those who relies strongly on your fitness enthusiastic friend, I am sure that you would have heard about macro counting and the IIFYM strategy.

Learning to Count Your Macros
The If It Fits Your Macros (IIFYM) diet has been the talk of the town in the dieting world inspiring people with its startling before and after pictures. To get an insight into the IIFYM world understand what exactly macros are first. Macronutrients are proteins, carbohydrates and fats that we consume daily to supply our body with energy to function properly. Every diet includes a definite portion of these macronutrients but the twist here is that when a diet overlooks at macros broadly the nuances existing within each of these macronutrients is missed greatly. For example, sugar and legumes are both carbs. Consuming sugar increases blood glucose levels rapidly and also decreases it as rapidly as its increase causing hunger to hit early. Whereas legumes are rich in fiber and stay in the body for a long time after eating thereby preventing early hunger and increasing fullness levels.

IIFYM involves monitoring macronutrients that provide energy instead of counting calories in the same foods to enable weight loss. The underlying idea is that when you decide upon the grams of protein, carbs and fats that must be consumed each day this will pave way to achieve your healthy weight ranges. For example, if you determine that you need to eat 2000 calories every day for achieving weight loss by creating calorie deficits and the calories comprise of about 40% each of carbs and proteins and 20% fats it is easier to focus on the nutrient rather than the calorie numbers for succeeding in your endeavor. While the concept seems genuine and alluring this is not the best way for achieving weight loss in the long run due to the below-given reasons:

Quantity is Achieved but Quality Remains an Issue: There is emphasis placed upon the amount of carbs, protein and fats that go into the body but no consideration is placed on the nutritional content of these foods. Technically a carb is a carb and there are no rules laid down whether the individual should fulfill his/her 40% by consuming pastries or whole grains. This surely fails from fulfilling vitamins and minerals (micronutrients) needs of the body as it is possible for the IIFYM diet to comprise only of protein shakes, refined carbs or processed foods. The body is deprived of the essential fruits, vegetables and whole grains resulting in health problems. Get in touch with registered dietitian nutritionists at www.firsteatright.com to plan a diet that’s got all the macro- and micronutrients covered, stays within the calorie limits and improves overall health of the body.

Unsuitable for Long-term Weight Loss: IIFYM for enabling weight loss in the long term remains a distant dream. For example, when you underestimate daily carbs intake by as much as 5 grams (the difference between a small- and medium-sized banana) only there are abundant chances for gaining almost 5 kilograms over 10 years. This is a small deviation from the desired calculations and what would be the plight when such deviations occur in great numbers over the lifetime?

A Reason for Stress & Not a Stress Buster: If you are going count macros it requires you to track each and everything that you eat. There are numerous food tracing apps that hep you realize your intake but in course the very same act might trigger anxiety and stress. Stress causes very little/no weight loss due to increased cortisol levels.

Abstaining from acknowledging body cues: When you decide what and how much to eat instead of obeying your body’s orders on fullness and hunger you are distancing yourself from realizing hunger and fullness based on body signals. Mindful eating is an integral part of long-term weight loss. Also, believing that your body knows what’s good for you is the right way to approach weight loss.

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