What Exactly Are Macros And Why Are They Important To The Keto Lifestyle

 

Your ultimate guide to macros and how you can calculate them. We would be happy to start a service to actually calculate your macros for you. Simply post in our Facebook Group and let us know if you would be interested in a service like that.

 

The term “macros” is the abbreviation for MACRONUTRIENTS in the context of nutrition and the keto diet.

You may have stumbled across the term and were curious to know what exactly the fuss was about. Well, honestly you weren’t the only one.

Macronutrients are chemical substances of food that give energy and in turn fuel your body. These are carbohydrates, protein, and fat; this is where your dietary calories come from.

Calories are units of energy and the term is related to the energy a certain type of food provides your body.

So, in layman’s terms, when you hear something contains 100 calories, it’s a way of describing how much energy your body could get from eating or drinking it.

 

What is Ketosis?

 Ketosis is a natural process the body goes through when the body does not have enough glucose (carbohydrates) to break down and use for energy. Stored Fats within the body are instead burned to ensure it continues to receive that energy.

You need to find the right balance of carbs, protein, and fats to get into ketosis, stay in ketosis, and turn your body into a fat burning machine.

This fat burning machine because it burns up fats starts to build up acids called Ketones

 

The Ketogenic Diet

 One of the most researched diets since the 1920’s, initially used as a treatment for epilepsy has now become a lifestyle for millions of people and celebrities alike. The late 1990’s, in particular, saw a surge in research and popular publicity with numerous celebrities taking to social media showing off their newfound weight loss healthy lifestyle.

It’s a pretty simple rule based on studies when you follow the keto diet, about 60 to 80 percent of your daily calories will come from fat hence helping you reduce weight.

Oh, wait! did I say reduce weight?

This diet has proven to ensure you focus better, reduce cholesterol, increase your mental and physical endurance and perhaps even reverse your type 2 Diabetes.

 

Macros, Macros and even more Macros!!!

Before we jump into this let me give you a heads up, contrary to what many people may say, “keeping track of your macros IS very important”. This goes for both your current macros and your goal.

So, your macros i.e. tracking your fat, protein and carbohydrate intake is very important if you would like to benefit from this lifestyle.

Contrary to popular belief carbohydrates are not necessary for your survival. Made up of sugar and starches, you would be required to limit these in order to reach ketosis.

Fiber in your body may also be considered as a carbohydrate, however, since it’s not digestible it has little or no effect on your body.

 

Counting Net Carbs off the label of a product is a pretty straightforward task and explained below:

Total Carbs (16g in the photo given above) – Fiber (14g) = Net Carbs (2g)

For starters, 20 grams of net carbs a day is a great target.

 

Protein is a micronutrient that plays a vital role in almost all processes going o in your body. From growth to tissue repair, from assisting your immune system to make necessary enzymes and hormones. More importantly, providing energy in the absence of carbohydrates.

A protein deficiency can cause severe malnutrition and other health condition.

To ace the Keto lifestyle, you will need to consume enough protein to preserve your lean body mass (LBM). This amount is directly proportional to the lean body mass you currently have, but in general, you will require:

 

0.7 to 0.8 grams of dietary protein per pound of muscle to preserve muscle mass

0.8 to 1.2 grams of dietary protein per pound of muscle to gain muscle mass

 

As said before you would want to keep a balance, too much protein can actually be harmful to your kidneys and affect your ketosis.

Allow me to explain how you can go about calculating your Lean Body Mass (LBM)

The average weight of an American woman over the age of 20 is approximately 169 pounds and let’s suppose they have a 30% body fat percentage.

 

Therefore,

 

169 pounds x 0.30 = 50.7 pounds of body fat

 

Now subtracting your body fat from your actual weight will give you your Lean Body Mass (LBM)

 

169 pounds – 50.7 pounds = 118.3 pounds

 

These calculations will enable you to calculate your required protein intake by following this method:

 

Lean Body Mass x protein requirement ratio = Daily Protein Intake

118.3                 x    0.6 grams of protein        = 70.98 grams of protein

 

Calories Per gram of protein can be calculated using the following:

Since 1 gram of protein = 4 Calories

70.98 x 4 = 283.92 calories

 

 

Fats are the most essential nutrients of the Ketogenic Diet and are consumed in the highest of quantities among all 3 of the macronutrients. They are the ultimate source for growth, development and energy. They also ensure your meals are wholesome and pack a punch to help you stay full.

 

1 gram of Fat = 9 Calories

 

Dietary Fats consist of fatty acids and glycerol, both of which help you fight hunger pangs, which is what makes this diet so incredible.

If you intend on maintaining your current weight maintaining the right balance would help. However, if you intend on losing weight a significantly lesser intake of fats would certainly show you results.

 

Feel free to use the methods listed above to calculate your macros yourself or again … please post in our Facebook group and we will be happy to work out a service to calculate them for you.