# The Food Pyramid Got Way Cooler 🍕
We’ve already talked about the importance of tracking your daily calorie intake and what it means to be in a caloric deficit or surplus.
Reminder 🔔 As a refresher, you must be in a caloric deficit to lose weight and you must be in a caloric surplus to gain weight (read the full post on calorie tracking).
…so all I need to do is count the number of calories I stuff in my mouth, right?
Yes, if your goal is to blindly lose or gain “weight”. If you take this over-simplistic approach, you will most likely lose a significant amount of muscle with your weight loss phase. If you’re trying to gain weight, you will most likely just gain pure fat with no muscle. You also need to incorporate weight training in either of these scenarios to keep or build muscle through a diet.
Enter: Macronutrients, or “macros” for short.
Every food is comprised of macronutrients and micronutrients.
Macro is the big stuff and micro is the little stuff, no surprise there.
Macronutrients are PROTEIN, CARBOHYDRATES and FATS.
Micronutrients are vitamins and minerals. They’re important but you don’t need to track them for general fitness or muscle-building sake. Talk to your doctor if you’re concerned about a vitamin deficiency.
# The Big Mac(ros) 🍔
You might be thinking, “okay, so I’m already tracking my calories, now you’re telling me I need to track these things called macros, too?! But I failed math in third grade!”
Yes, that’s what I’m saying 😭 But it’s simple, I promise! And your third-grade teacher Mrs. Jones will be so proud of how ripped you got with a little basic macro arithmetic.
Here’s everything you need to know about macros:
**PROTEIN** 🍗 Protein is critical if you want to maintain your muscle when losing fat (in a caloric deficit) or gain muscle (in a caloric surplus). Protein contains 4 calories per gram.
If muscle retention or gain is important to you (and as a GymGrits reader it should be!), you should aim for 0.9-1 gram of protein per pound of your bodyweight.
So, if you weigh 150 pounds, you should eat no less than 135 grams of protein per day (that’s 540 calories).
You can eat more protein than that, but if you exceed much more than 1 gram per pound of bodyweight per day, your body doesn’t allocate that additional protein to building or maintaining muscle. At that point, you’re kinda just spending money on extra protein you don’t need. Up to you, Mr. Moneybags 🤑
Pro Tip 🏆 If you want to maximize your muscle growth or retention, break your daily protein intake into 4-5 meals, totaling around 30-50 grams per meal. Your body can more efficiently utilize protein for muscle growth when it’s spread out throughout the day in smaller portions rather than having 1 or 2 gigantic protein feasts. This is optional but it will make a difference over the life of your training.
**CARBS** 🍞 Carbohydrates provide our muscles energy to exert themselves in the form of glycogen. When we lift weights, our muscles use up these stores of glycogen and they must be replenished after the workout. Carbs contain 4 calories per gram.
Carbs are often dramatized and painted as insidious in fad diets. However, carbs are awesome sources of fuel and they’re nothing to be afraid of!
Carb-heavy foods are generally cheaper to buy and easier to eat than protein. Also, many of our favorite treats, like cookies, cake and candy, are pretty much all carbs (in the form of sugar). These can be very calorically dense so tread carefully – but don’t be afraid to eat them if they fit into your overall calorie and macro budget! 💹
Some people prefer less carbs in their diet (less than 100 grams per day), while others feel better on a higher-carb diet (250 grams or more per day). Try it out and learn what works best for your performance, taste buds and daily caloric budget!
**FATS** 🥑 Fats are the third macronutrient and are important for hormone regulation. Just because they’re called “fats” doesn’t mean they will make you fat. Most people will want at least 50-60 grams of fat in their diet per day to avoid feeling lethargic or negatively impacting their libido. Fats are the most calorically dense of the 3 macros, with 9 calories per gram.
Common foods with a healthy source of fat include peanut butter, avocados, nuts and olive oil.
If you’re trying to gain weight, adding a liberal portion of olive oil to your meals can add a significant amount of calories. Just be sure that you’re getting enough protein per day and you’re within your calorie limit.
# If It Fits Your Macros 🍴
A common nutrition strategy, known as If It Fits Your Macros, is one that I’ve used for years and teach and preach vehemently.
The best thing about IIFYM is… it’s simple and incredibly powerful!
Each day, track your daily caloric intake.
Each day, ensure you eat 0.9-1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight.
Fill in the rest of your daily calories with whatever you want! This could be carbs, fats or just more protein. Experiment with a macro ratio that feels best for your body and performance 🏋️♀️
Catch ‘ya next time 🎤
I’d love you to read more articles if you choose to do so!
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by GymGrits