Action Your Macros!

How To Action Your Macros

You know the numbers, great, now what? How do I convert numbers to eggs and bacon?

This is the hard part. I prescribe the macro approach to eating. I perform best with a framework but not a set of numeric handcuffs. How did I turn numbers into reality? I macro-started looking at labels, tracked macros, and practiced. 

All food is complex. And yes, I know that food is almost all composed of Carbs, Protein and Fat. Certain foods, however, are Macro-Dominant, meaning mostly a Carb, Fat, or Protein. Also, beware of the Macros advertised to you as other macros. This takes time to spot.

For example, nut butter. Let’s look at the back of our peanut butter label. Number one, this nut butter is made of real food…peanuts. It does have protein, 6 grams worth, but it has 17 grams of fats. The fats occupy the majority composition, therefore for your macro tracking purposes, this is a FAT NOT a PROTEIN. 

What about eggs? Eggs have fat in them and cholesterol…so bad for you right??? It’s a Fat, right??? Wrong. Eggs contain mostly good fats typically 4-5 grams BUT contain 6-8 grams of protein.  EGGS ARE A PROTEIN

You get the picture. Look at labels and determine what your food is and WHAT THEY ARE MADE OF, more on that later.

Next, to help with the amount, Download a macro tracker like the Under Armour myfitness pal tracker. I love this app because it is free to download, easy to use, and customized for the above macro goals. It also can allow for your camera to turn into a scanner, making the input of foods easy.

Conclusion

Sure, it is tedious at first, but over time you will be able to eyeball food and determine based on the weight or measurements how much of each macro you are having to meet your daily needs. If you want to be fancy to buy a commercial food scale, I use this one. However, an alternative is just to measure using wet and dry measuring cups. It is also okay to wing it somewhat but just remember more precise information, leads to more polished results out.