What Are Macros?

I'd always heard that gains were made in the kitchen, but for a while I never bought into that ideology. For two years, I'd work out without paying attention to what I was eating. For the last three years, I knew that eating played a crucial role in strength, so I would eat whatever was in sight to gain muscle. Now, I know exactly what roles macronutrients play in exercise science, and I'd like to share what I know.

What Are Macronutrients?

When you hear fitness fanatics talk about macros, they are referring to macronutrients. Macronutrients consist of carbs, fats, and proteins. A common misconception is that fats and/or carbs are bad for you, but this isn't the case unless eaten excessively. When attempting to lose or gain weight, consider the First Law of Thermodynamics: matter cannot be created or destroyed, only converted from one form to another.

Fats

Lipids, also known as fats, have been deemed by society to be a bad thing, but this is only mostly false. There are three types of fats: saturated (meh), trans fats (boo) unsaturated (good). There was once a belief that saturated fats clogged arteries, but new studies have proven that this is not true, however they still provide zero health benefits that we know of. Saturated fats can primarily be found in animal fats and full-fat dairy.

Trans fats are NOT good for you. Studies have shown that they are associated with increased inflammation and can increase LDL cholesterol and lower HDL cholesterol. This is not good because increased LDL can restrict blood flow due to a buildup of plague in the arteries, and decreased HDL means the body cannot efficiently remove excess cholesterol. Trans fats can be consumed in moderation; naturally occurring trans fats are found in animal fats and dairy, and artificial trans fats are found in processed foods. 

Unsaturated fats, however, are vital to our normal growth and development. Many fats are deemed "essential" - in nutrition, this means that our body cannot produce it on our own and thus must be consumed via our diet. Unsaturated fats promote a healthy heart and can be found in many natural oils (fish, olives) as well as nuts, dairy and green vegetables. 

It is recommended that 20-35% of your diet should consist of fats, and that saturated fats should make up no more than 10% of your daily caloric intake. The issue is that in today's society, we have so much processed food that makes it very easy to overconsume fats. 

Carbs

Carbohydrates are critical for optimal performance in the gym, however they are technically not "essential", as the body can create them from amino acids in a process called gluconeogenesis. This process is the foundation for the keto diet and is not great for building muscle as your amino acids are better used for recovery than fuel. Carbohydrates come in many different forms but there are two types that are incredibly important to consider for working out: simple sugars and complex carbs. Simple sugars are broken down easily by the body and lead to a rapid rise in glucose levels. Complex carbs are digested more slowly and thus the rise in glucose levels is much slower. This is important to consider for diabetics. 

There are several structures of carbohydrates, and it can be broken down to a molecular level. The base form of carbohydrates are monosaccharides, which are comprised of glucose, fructose and galactose. These carbs can be found easily in most fruits and dairy. When you combine two monosaccharides, you get disaccharides, which are found in sugars and diary. Combine three or more monosaccharides and you get polysaccharides. These consist of starch and fiber. Starch is the storage form of glucose in plants and can thus be found in many fruits and vegetables. Fiber can be found in fruits and whole bran foods and cannot be completely broken down by the digestive system and thus can promote bowel movements was well as prolong satiety. 

The amount of recommended carbohydrates can vary depending on the level of activity by an individual. Since carbs are used as fuel, the carbs that go unused are ultimately stored as fat. Those who tend not to work out as much are recommended to consume 3-5g/kg of bodyweight per day, while those who work out much more should consume around 6-12g/kg of bodyweight per day. 

Proteins

What blew my mind when first learning about macros was that proteins have NOTHING to do with enhancing your immediate performance in the gym. I remember chugging a protein shake before the gym thinking that it would do something, but it ultimately was for nothing. Protein's primary function is to synthesize new proteins and repair existing proteins. Protein's secondary function is to convert amino acids to glucose when our bodies run out of carbs. In essence, protein assists in recovery after a workout.

There are two sources of protein: complete proteins and incomplete proteins. Complete proteins contain all nine essential amino acids and can easily be found in animal sources such as meat and dairy. Incomplete proteins contain some, but not all, essential amino acids and can be found in nuts, grains and vegetables. People who eat meat will have no problem obtaining these amino acids, but vegans will need to incorporate a larger array to meet their needs -- beans and rice is a great substitute. (Note: there are 20 amino acids, and our body can produce 11 of them naturally. Thus, we need to consume the remaining 9 via our diet.) 

Similar to carbs, the recommended daily intake for protein varies depending on how active an individual is. Generally, those who are inactive are recommended to consume 0.8g/kg of body weight in a day, and those who are looking to build muscle should be consuming about 2g/kg of body weight. 

Disclaimer

I am NOT a certified nutrition coach, nor do I claim to have much expertise in dieting. Everything I've learned about macronutrients has been through the National Association of Sports and Medicine's Personal Training online training platform.