Dependent upon your goals, there are many different ideologies in order to gain lean mass or cut fat. The health industry is a multi- billion dollar industry filled with things that work, and just as many things that are purely money grabs.
What I consistently preach in regards to health and fitness is a lifestyle change. Anything marketed as a quick fix, is 1000% the opposite of that, and at times can even compromise your health. What it takes to ultimately reach your goals is hard work dedication and knowledge of some specifications that are tailored to your body and goals. What I mean by that is depending on your ambitions, how you garner the essentials of your necessary diet takes more than just following trends on Instagram. You have to know when to cut, when to bulk, when to implement a re-feed day and when to cut out that higher fat beef dish that you love. It is a science, a very intricate work of art to naturally sculpt your body into what you perceive as “fit”. Two weapons that should be in every ones fitness arsenal are counting calories and counting macros. Today we will deep dive into what is better for your Journey: Count your Macros or Count your calories?
The first aspect we will go over is a calorie which is defined by Meriam- Webster as: “a unit of heat used to indicate the amount of energy foods produce in the human body that is equal to 1000 calories.” Or in simpler terms, the energy we get from foods that we ingest. As I alluded to in the introduction, there are a lot of fads pertaining to losing/ gaining weight, however it comes down to literally calories in vs. calories out. If you intake more calories than your body burns, you will gain weight. This is the main reason for counting calories and one of the most accurate ways of tracking your intake for weight loss/ weight gain. Once you are able to figure out exactly how much your body naturally burns on its own (click here to figure out your Basal Metabolic Rate and see which program you should choose) you can than either eat 50-100 calories less than that number in order to lose weight at a modest rate, or eat 100-150 calories more in order to gain modestly.
On the other hand we have macronutrients which are 3 separate nutrients that us as humans eat the most and that also give us the abundance of our energy, these include: Protein, Carbohydrates and Fats. Counting your calories is a very simple way of tracking, because everything you eat has calories. Technically, if you eat 1 candy bar worth 250 calories compared to 4 apples worth the same amount, counting calories only sees the end goal of staying within your caloric intake. When you count your macronutrients, this assists you with knowing where those calories are being allotted. This is specifically advantageous when trying to build muscle. This method of counting actually allows you to customize your diet a lot more seeing as: 1 gram of protein= 4 cals, 1 gram of carbohydrates= 4 cals, 1 gram of fats= 9 cals. You can now allocate the necessary calories towards what you feel your body needs.
In the case of when to utilize a certain counting technique compared to another, it heavily depends on where you are at in your fitness journey. If you are a beginner looking to lose some weight and or gain some meat on your frame, than simply calorie counting will suffice. However, if you are a intermediate to advanced lifter/ endurance athlete, counting macros will assist you further in reaching your specific goals. For example, body builders will Macro count in order to make sure that they reach the necessary 1-1.6grams of protein per pound of body weight. An endurance athlete will make sure that they have a greater amount of calories apportioned towards carbohydrates to heighten their glycogen stores.
In conclusion, if you are a beginner I would simply count my calories while incorporating an exercise program which improves upon my figure. If you are more advanced, and have an understanding of what exactly you want out the gym and also know what you need out of the food you intake, I would than count my macronutrients. follow me on Instagram @spartan_alliance25 or Join the Alliance on Facebook (search Spartan Alliance Fitness) and shoot me a DM for more fitness information!
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