Can someone help me understand Macros

(rosa) #1

Hello All.
first let me start by saying thank you in advance for all your info. can someone help me understand MACROS and how to calculate it. the simplest way possible. I’ve read on it and still can’t seem to get it right. I don have MY Fitness Pal app but have to clue how to calculate it on there either.

(Karen) #2

You may do my fitness pal without the app online. Use ruled me to calculate, or another similar site.

K

(LeeAnn Brooks) #3

Everything is made of of one or a combination of three macros, carbohydrates, proteins or fats.

Of the three, fats and protein are necessary to sustain life. Not so for carbs.

Calorie wise, fat has 9 calories per gram while protein and carbs have 4.

All three will cause insulin spikes when consumed, but carbs cause the highest, then protein and fat only mildly.

#4

I started from this Keto Calculator. However, I ended up using its output to set my daily macro goals based on my overall goals:

  • < 1200 calories (because I want to lose weight)
  • < 20 grams net carbs (because I want to control hunger and blood sugar)
  • > 120 grams protein (because my body need them)

The 20 grams of net carbs is just a “lowest common denominator” that should put anyone into ketosis. Some people can go up to 50 grams of net carbs. Even fewer might be able to go up to 100 grams of net carbs. Since I am a type 2 diabetic, I keep it low to control my blood sugar levels as well.

Protein usage varies a lot depending on your height, weight, activity level, and more. This is where the calculators are of the most help. I had originally set my protein goal at 80 grams, but I’ve had several blood tests where my proteins were low, so I upped it quite a bit.

As far as fat (and calories), it’s mostly a matter of how much energy you need and how hungry you are. For myself, I have a lot of stored fat, so I can restrict my fat intake quite a bit so I will lose weight. But I don’t want to restrict it so much that I get hungry and trigger an urge to binge. For me, this is the strongest positive of Keto – I’m not ravenously hungry all the time like I used to be.

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #5

As already mentioned, the three macronutrients are protein, carbohydrate, and fat.

Carbohydrate stimulates the secretion of insulin, which is the hormone that causes the body to store fat, so eat as little carbohydrate as possible. Carbohydrate is not necessary for life.

Protein stimulates insulin at about half the rate of carbohydrate. You have to eat protein, the body can’t live without it, so eat a reasonable amount—not too much, not too little.

Fat has over twice the calories of protein and carbohydrate, and it stimulates insulin very little, so it is a safe source of calories. Add fat to your meals and eat until you lose interest in food. At the beginning, it may feel like way too much food, but let your body be the judge of that.

In a few weeks, you will probably start eating a lot less, because you are satisfied and don’t want more. That is satiety. When satiated, you should be able to go hours between meals before getting hungry again. If you find yourself needing to snack, increase the amount of fats at meals.

If you don’t experience this satiety signaling, there are ways of coping, but give yourself a bit of time before deciding that your satiety signaling is broken. As a carb-burner, I could eat to the verge of bursting and still be hungry, so I had no experience of satiety. Therefore I just kept eating the same way when I went keto. One day, a few weeks later, I was eating lunch. Halfway through the meal, I suddenly realized I didn’t want another bite—but my plate was still half-full! It was truly weird. Now I’ve come to enjoy the feeling. It’s a state of being nowhere near full, just completely satisfied.