Sisterhood Support for Calculating Macronutrients
If you follow the Sisterhood on Instagram, you know that MACROS are a thing we care about around here.
What about CALORIES?
Calories are just a unit of measure. Just like a centimeter measures length or a degree measures temperature, a calorie measures the energy produced if you literally lit your food on fire.
If you read a nutrition label you will find calories at the top. You might notice a can of Mountain Dew has the same calorie measurement as two hard-cooked eggs and a handful of baby carrots. Does that mean they offer the same benefits to your body? Definitely not.
That’s where the QUALITY of our calories comes in, which we can measure in our MACROS.
“Macro” is short for “Macronutrients”, the nutrients that provide energy. There are a ton of micronutrients, like vitamins and minerals, but only three macronutrients.
Carbohydrates: The body’s favorite source of energy.
Protein: The building blocks of the body.
Fat: A concentrated source of energy.
Calories come into play when we are figuring out the overall energy needs of each individual person. But macros matter most when getting the right balance of nutrients.
Back to my earlier example: A twelve-pack of Mountain Dew provides the calories you need in a day, but not a whole lot else! I know I’d feel pretty awful if that’s all I had sloshing around in my stomach. Also, those calories are coming 100% from carbohydrates. There’s no sustained energy from healthy fats or building blocks for muscle mass from protein. Tracking macros instead of calories is most beneficial in making body composition changes and just feeling better.
It might seem more difficult to track three different numbers (grams of fat, protein, and carbohydrates) versus one number (calories) but I wouldn’t recommend it if it wasn’t totally worth it!
Would you like some support with sorting these numbers? Of COURSE the Sweat Inspire Sisterhood is here to help! We’re offering two online, live workshops later this month. They’re free to attend but require an RSVP.
Check out the Events tab on our Facebook page to register for the workshop that’s right for you. The workshops are free to attend, but spots are limited so we can best support all participants. You’ll get a workbook with step-by-step instructions for calculating your macros and we’ll cover which foods can help you meet your goals.
I’m excited to see you later this month and join you on your journey.