Chapter 1

Looking at the Big Picture of the Macro Diet

IN THIS CHAPTER

Understanding the basic concepts of macro tracking

Comparing the macro diet to other popular eating plans and diets

Understanding the role of calories and food choices in the macro diet

Seeing how the macro diet is here to stay

The macro diet is an approach to daily nutrition that helps you reach the goals that are important to you. It is a personalized system that allows you to reach both short- and long-term fitness, health, or weight-loss targets without the restriction required on many traditional diets.

Instead of imposing random calorie limits or eliminating certain types of food (or even entire food groups), this method allows you to build meals around the foods you enjoy — all of them.

If you have a type-A personality and you are a person who likes to be very specific in their eating plan, you can set up the diet so that every nutrient and calorie is measured and accounted for. You’ll be satisfied knowing that you are meeting very accurate and important targets each day.

But if you prefer a more laid-back approach to eating, you can still set and reach goals on this plan to enjoy more energy and balance throughout the day.

In this chapter, I explain the most basic concepts of the diet so that you can get a bird’s-eye view of the macro diet approach. I illustrate how this nutritional strategy compares to other weight-loss and diet plans so that you can make an informed choice about choosing the program. Finally, I address common questions about calories and food choices and show you how this program is grounded in well-tested nutritional science. After reading this chapter, my hope is that you will feel excited and energized about investing in a healthier new you.

Foundational Concepts of the Macro Diet

The macro diet isn’t one specific nutritional prescription but rather an approach to eating that can be customized for each individual. You may notice that the diet goes by different names when people in the media refer to it.

The macro diet is sometimes called “macro tracking” or “tracking your macros.” It has also been referred to as “the flexible diet” or “flexible dieting” because there are so many different ways to adapt the plan to align with your goals and lifestyle. Some people also call this the “IIFYM diet,” which stands for “if it fits your macros” or “IIMYM” which stands for “if it meets your macros.” All of these names refer to the same program of counting or tracking the macronutrients that you consume in the food that you eat.

The word “macro” is short for macronutrient. Macronutrients are nutritive components of food that your body needs to function. You might think of macros as the large foundational building blocks of nutrition.

Three macronutrients exist, and you’ve probably heard of them. They are protein, carbohydrate, and fat. All three macros play an important — but different — role in your body’s daily processes.

• Protein provides your body with amino acids to help build and repair muscle and other tissues.
• Carbohydrates (also called “carbs”) are your body’s preferred energy source and help you to stay active and alert throughout the day.
• Fat provides insulation and protection for your organs and helps to support healthy cells.

Each gram of protein, fat, or carbohydrate has a specific function. (For more detail, see Chapter 2.) Each macronutrient gram also supplies the body with calories.

Calories are simply a unit of energy. Each one of us has a different caloric requirement based on factors like body size and activity level. Because macros provide calories, when you count your macros, you could say that you are counting calories. But what makes this program different is that the macro diet puts the emphasis on the type of calories that you consume. The later section “Considering Calories” explains this in more detail.

On the macro diet, you try to achieve specific intakes (in grams) for protein, fat, and carbohydrates rather than just counting the number of calories that you consume.

Different health and nutrition organizations provide guidelines for how much protein, fat, and carbs you should consume. But those recommendations are fairly broad. On the macro diet, you fine-tune the numbers according to your personalized needs.

The cornerstone of macro tracking is refining the percentages to get the optimal balance of protein, fat, and carbohydrate for your body. This allows you to function at your best to achieve whatever goals you’ve set, whether they are weight-loss goals, athletic goals, fitness goals, or general health and wellness goals.

Types of Macro Diets and Variations

A few different variations of the macro diet have become known in their own right, including the ketogenic diet and the Zone diet. You might be familiar with them. I don’t detail these macro diet variations in this book simply because each one requires that you follow a specific pre-designated ratio of nutrients. In this book, I show you how to figure out your own macro balance rather than following one that is already established.

Ketogenic diet

Also known as the keto diet or “going keto,” this variation of the macro diet puts the emphasis on fat consumption.

If you follow a ketogenic diet, you track your macronutrient intake, but you eat far more fat than protein or carbohydrates to put your body into a state of ketosis. Ketosis occurs when your body burns fat, rather than glucose, for fuel.

For many people, this eating plan sounds appealing because many desirable foods are high in fat, like french fries or ice cream. But many of those foods also contain high amounts of sugar or starch, which are carbohydrates. So, you’re not able to eat most of the foods that you might want to eat because they prevent you from getting into or maintaining ketosis.

On the keto diet, you consume macronutrients in proportions that fall outside of the guidelines recommended by health organizations like the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). So while this eating program has a history of use in medical settings, inconsistent evidence supports its use for long-term weight loss, athletic performance, or overall wellness.

The Zone diet or 40-30-30

Dr. Barry Sears developed this eating plan that became popular in the 1990s. It is an eating plan based on counting macronutrients rather than counting calories. The diet has maintained a significant following since the ’90s and is now sold as a commercial diet plan. But many people use general zone principles as the basis for an eating program rather than signing up for the commercial plan.

On the Zone diet, you consume a 40-30-30 macro balance where 40 percent of your calories come from carbohydrates (like colorful veggies and fruit), 30 percent of your calories come from lean proteins (think fish, lean beef, or poultry), and 30 percent comes from healthy fats such as nuts, olive oil, or avocado.

The Zone diet differs from the macro diet described in this book because everyone on the Zone follows the same macro ratio. Whereas in this book, I show you how to base your ratios on your own personal needs.

While the Zone diet remains popular, it falls (slightly) short compared to recommended nutrition guidelines. USDA guidelines suggest that you consume at least 45 percent of your total daily calories from carbohydrates, whereas on this plan, you consume only 40...