Hi lovely people!
Have you ever heard about the macro meal planner and got curious about it? Some people -especially athletes and bodybuilders – follow this diet to lose weight or gain muscle. I wanted to find out more about this type of diet and so I went on researching about it.
I will share with you now, what I’ve found out, but I already tell you, I don’t consider this diet a healthy diet -especially, for those with preexisting conditions, prior history with eating disorders or a person with diabetes on insulin. I believe the right diet is to focus on eating healthy real food and diversify the intake of organic ingredients.
So, this macro meal planner is definitely not a long-term kind of diet you should consider, even if you are an athlete.
But let’s see what it is all about. With a macro meal planner, you can easily portion foods to fit your macros.
What are Macros in Food?
Macros refer to macronutrients, which are the three main types of nutrients found in food. These are proteins, carbohydrates, and fats. Each macro has its own number of calories per gram. Protein and carbs both have four calories per gram, while fat has nine calories per gram. Knowing how many grams of each macro you should eat is key to designing a macro-based meal plan.
How to Portion Foods to Fit Your Macros
Once you have your target macros, you can start Macro Meal Planner. A good rule of thumb is to divide your plate into four sections: one-quarter protein and the other three-quarters complex carbs and healthy fats. You can then further break down each food group into specific foods. For example, your protein section should have lean sources of protein like chicken and fish, while your healthy fat section can contain nuts, seeds, and avocados.
How to Start a Macro Diet?
If you’re interested in starting a macro diet, there are a few things you need to do.
1) Determine Your Daily Calorie Needs:
This will vary depending on your age, gender, activity level, and other factors. Many online calculators can help you to determine your daily calorie needs. This handy tool will help you determine the exact amount of each macro you should be eating to reach your desired goal. Additionally, you can use a food scale to measure certain food portions for more precise tracking.
2) Determine How Much You Should Consume:
Once you know how many calories you need per day, determine how many grams of each macronutrient you should consume. For example, if you need 2000 calories per day and want to consume 50% carbohydrates, 25% protein, and 25% fat, that would be 200 grams of carbs, 100 grams of protein, and 50 grams of fat per day.
3) Keep Track:
Keep track of the foods you eat daily, and ensure you meet your macronutrient goals. Many apps and websites can help with this, or you can use a notebook and pencil.
4) Add Healthy Food In Your Diet:
Make sure to include a variety of healthy foods in your diet to get all the vitamins and minerals your body needs. A Macro Diet is not about eating junk food just because it fits your macros!
5) Keep Patient:
Lastly, be patient! Getting used to tracking macros and ensuring you hit your targets daily can take some time. But with a little practice, it will become second nature – and you’ll start seeing results in no time!
How to Portion Food According to Your Macros?
You can take a few key steps regarding portioning food according to your macros.
1) Weighing Your Food:
The best way to portion your food according to your macros is by weighing your food. This will give you the most accurate measurements and help you hit your macros more easily. When weighing your food, make sure to use an accurate food scale. You can find these at most stores that sell kitchen supplies. Once you have weighed your food, you can then portion it out into containers or bags so that you can easily grab it and go when you are ready to eat.
2) Tracking Your Macros:
Another way to portion your food according to your macros is by tracking your macros. This involves keeping track of the grams of protein, fat, and carbohydrates consumed daily. There are many ways to do this, but one of the easiest ways is using a food-tracking app like MyFitnessPal or Fitbit. These apps will allow you to input the foods you are eating, and they will track the macros for you. This can be helpful if you need help with how to portion your food or want to be more precise with your macro tracking.
3) Eating Frequent Meals:
Eating small and frequent meals is another great way to portion food according to your macros. This will help to keep your metabolism going, and it will also prevent you from getting too hungry. When planning your meals, include various foods to get all the nutrients and macronutrients your body needs. And always make sure to have a pre-workout meal or snack so that you have energy for your workout!
4) Experimenting:
Try different foods and portion sizes to see what works best for you. Everyone is different, so finding the perfect macro meal plan that works for you may take trial and error. When experimenting, pay attention to how your body feels after eating certain foods and adjust accordingly.
Conclusion
If you really want to follow this type of diet, you must learn how to portion your food to hit your macros and improve your diet. The Macro Meal Planner can help you do just that. With this tool, you’ll be able to figure out the right portions for your meals, ensuring you’re getting the nutrients you need while still staying on track with your diet.
In my opinion, macro dieting may be helpful short-term if followed to meet a specific fitness goal -if you are bodybuilding or trying to build lean muscle for competition – but not as a sustainable life-long healthy pattern of eating.
Building life-long healthy habits should be our ultimate goal. It’s more about listening to your body and making healthy choices that are going to keep you healthy and satiated between meals.
Lastly, a healthy meal has one-fourth protein, one-fourth carb and the rest filled with non-starchy vegetables and not that non-sense of complex carbs and fats!
So, my dear friends, it is important to know not only what to do, but also what NOT to do! And that’s why I wrote this blog post for you! I hope you are as enlightened as I am now.