FIRSTLY- WHAT ARE MACROS? MACROS is short for Macronutrients. Macro= large. So they’re the ‘large nutrients’ that make up your food! These are your proteins, fats and carbohydrates. Each macro contributes to your foods caloric content;
I ALSO WANT TO ADD IN BEFORE GOING ON AND EXPLAINING HOW TO ACHIEVE YOUR GOAL BODY WHETHER THAT BE TONE UP, FAT LOSS OR BUILD MUSCLE; YOU NEED TO DRINK AT LOTS OF WATER LIKE 2.5L A DAY MINIMUM. Crucial :) Your body doesn’t see food as good or bad, you probably read this all the time. It simply identifies them as proteins, fats + carbs so it doesn’t reeeeaaally matter where you get them from. (Obviously some sources are better than others in terms of their nutritional value). WHAT'S EACH MACROS FUNCTION IN THE BODY? (Going to be very brief here just so you get an idea!) Protein for muscle growth and repair. Carbohydrates for energy. Fats help support bodily functions; protein/nutrient absorption and hormones. And of course; all of them provide energy. WHY DO WE NEED PROTEIN? Your body uses protein for tissue growth and repair. Guys basically your whole body is composed of tissues. It’s crucial for muscle growth, maintenance and preventing muscle loss. So if you want to get toned, lose weight or anything; protein is your friend. 1g of protein provides 4 calories Proteins are made of amino acids. There are 20 amino acids. 9 of these are essential amino acids meaning you can only obtain them through your diet. So you need protein to obtain these amino acids to make other proteins in your body that carry out some of these functions:
WHY DO WE NEED CARBOHYDRATES? Carbohydrates provide your body with energy and like every other macro- they’re essential to function. There is no good carb or bad carb; your body gets a carb, breaks it down and uses it as energy. Whether it’s from chocolate, slice of bread or veggies. A carb is literally just a carb and not something to be scared of or to cut out. (We’ve all been there ahahah). The basic structure of carbohydrates is a sugar molecule, and they are classified by how many sugar molecules they contain. There are simple carbs and complex carbs. The difference between a simple and complex carb is how quickly it is digested and absorbed as glucose into the body (blood sugar) - as well as it's chemical structure.
So either way; a carb is a carb. It doesn’t matter where it comes from its utilized the same way in your body. The only thing that differs is the rate it’s broken down in your body. Don’t see them as good or bad! That’s why balance is crucial. Obviously if you consume more complex carbs you’ll be getting more nutrients/ you won’t feel as hungry in comparison to consuming simple carbs. But it is okay to eat simple carbohydrates- remember the 80/20 rule- soul food is just as important to maintain a healthy diet!:) 1g of carbohydrates provides 4 calories WHY DO WE NEED FATS? Fats are also essential to our diets in helping absorb essential nutrients, vitamins and antioxidants. Fats are also a huge energy source for our body. They’re utilised by our body at rest; sleeping, sitting etc. Specific fats only obtained through our diet (Omega’s) are necessary for healthy heart, nerve and brain function. Like protein, fats are more satiating and will leave you feeling full. There are several types of fats; the one you should avoid is trans fats as they’re artificial. 1g of fats provides 9 calories WHY SHOULD I TRACK MACROS INSTEAD OF COUNTING CALORIES? When you track macro’s you have a specific amount of carbs, protein + fats to hit. Typical a ratio of 30% protein, 35% carbs and 35% fats. You start looking at food in terms of their macro break down instead of how many calories is in something. You learn so much more about food. AND when you hit your macros- you’ll hit your calories anyway! (Assuming you’re tracking it correctly and all labels are right) You’re giving your body the correct proportion of macronutrients it needs! If you eat the correct proportions you’ll be able to achieve your goal physique better. You need the correct balance of all 3 to achieve this as all have an essential purpose. Each person has a specific amount of protein they technically should eat and the ratio of carbs/fats varies from person to person as some people’s bodies thrive off a higher carb diet (40%) and some people thrive off a higher fat(40%). I stopped calorie counting as I feel it’s very black and white. Something is either high or low calorie and you might see a high calorie food as bad and sway away from it. Calorie counting resulted in me forming an unhealthy relationship with food and becoming scared of it. And for example; If you want to lose fat you need to eat in a caloric deficit. If I eat 1800 calories a day I’m eating in caloric deficit. If I eat the correct macros and give my body the nutrients it needs and enough protein: I will target fat loss and potentially still build muscle and be healthy! Leaner and fitter. If I eat in terms of calories: I could eat barely any protein, loooots of carbs or fats or sugary foods and it would give me a different physique. Much more squishy and you’d probably feel like shit! So even though you’re eating In a caloric deficit; how you go about it can give you two different results. HOW DO I CALCULATE MY MACROS?
Use THIS CALCULATOR HERE! There are so many factors in determining how much energy your body utilises! This is your TDEE: Total Daily Energy Expenditure- the amount of energy you burn in a day 
Cbf referencing this pic sorry to creator lol this blog isn't a uni assignment bye lol xxxx
Your TDEE is composed; 1. BMR; Basal Metabolic Rate: the amount of energy consumed by your body at rest. Like if you were a vegetable on the couch. It’s the bare minimum calories needed to maintain bodily functions; your organs, hormones, muscles, brain and so on. Also; the more muscle you have the higher your BMR will be. More muscle= more foodJ 2. NEAT; Non Exercise Activity Thermogenesis: amount of energy burned doing daily activities that aren’t exercise. Such as house chores, cooking, cleaning. Anything outside of your workout. 3. TEA; Thermic Effect of Activity: the amount of energy burned during a workout! 4. TEF; Thermic Effect of Food: the amount of energy required by your body for digestion and heat produced to do this. But we only need to focus on BMR (energy burned at rest) and TEA(energy burned during workout). 
I will use myself for this example (so you can compare what to enter maybe for the exercise bit) and to explain in depth about it. My age:20. My height:160cm. My weight:60kg. Exercise levels: Heavy exercise. I chose heavy exercise because I train consistently 6 times a week: 4x1.5 hour weight sessions + 2xF45 sessions. It’s calculated that I’d burn approximately 2300 calories a day. If you scroll down the page a little bit it has 3 options for your macros/ caloric intake.
Maintenance: maintaining your weight. By consuming the same amount of calories that you burn. Cutting: losing weight. Consuming less calories than you burn. Bulking: putting on weight (muscle is the aim). Consuming more calories than you burn. I know for me this is quite accurate. I can be very specific in knowing how much I burn as I have heart rate monitors (Myzone band and F45 lionheart band) which tell me how much energy I’ve burned in a workout. And I know from having body scans that my BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) is 1370 calories. Your BMR is how much energy is needed by your body if you were a literal vegetable and did nothing all day. So the all time minimum of calories just to keep your organs and brain functioning. This is why it’s so crucial you don’t under eat! WHAT IS YOUR GOAL? HOW DO I EAT TO ACHIEVE IT? Little disclaimer here; I am no professional- this is all off my personal experience, talking to people in the industry and lots of research! I am studying nutrition so this will be my future forte hehe. Do you want to maintain your physique, lose fat or build muscle? MAINTENANCE: eating the same amount of energy that your body consumes in a day. Say you did weight training: you’d build muscle and technically neither lose or gain fat. (This is technically speaking) GOAL: FAT LOSS= CUTTING CUTTING: At the end of the day to achieve fat loss you simply eat in a caloric deficit. It’s as simple as that. Of course there’s a right way to go about it; so I’ll give a few tips below! Get your macros right. Start with 30/35/35 split (protein/carb/fat) and see how you go. But it’s essential you hit your protein!
What caloric deficit should I eat in? It’s recommended to eat in a 200-500 caloric deficit. I’d say start with a 200 deficit (this is what I do when I calculate it in terms of BMR+workout). This ensures you’re losing fat steadily + slowly, maintaining your muscle and targeting fat loss. The slower you lose it the longer you tend to keep it off. Plus, you don’t want to start with a drastic deficit of 500 calories, because if you plateau and still want fat loss, you’ll further have to reduce your calories. Eating in more than a 500 caloric deficit can ruin your metabolism, slow it down and potentially lead to eating disorders (Take it from me hahahaha I’ve been there). So that’s why I say starting in a 200 caloric deficit for 3-4 weeks is perfect. And if you plateau, simply reduce it a further 50 calories. This way you’ll still be eating lots of food, not restricting as much, won’t feel faint or tired and still achieve fat loss! Plus protein keeps you full and satiated! - And you can still build muscle whilst cutting by eating in a small caloric deficit mentioned above and with weights training. (Progressive overload=body forces itself to build muscle in response to the stress placed on it.) GOAL: BUILD MUSCLE=BULKING BULKING: Eating in a caloric surplus to gain weight. Most likely your goal will be to gain muscle and preferably no fat. This depends body type to body type. But if you bulk correctly and pair it with the right training you can achieve maximum muscle gain and minimal fat gain. Same applies eating in a 200-500 caloric surplus. I personally would start with around a 200 calorie surplus!I just want to add that if your goal is to build muscle- cardio won’t achieve this. Weights training is crucial! Because you’re placing your muscles under increased stress, resulting the body to build muscle in response. I just want to add that if your goal is to build muscle- cardio won’t achieve this. Weights training is crucial! Because you’re placing your muscles under increased stress, resulting the body to build muscle in response. Bulking is not my forte: All i can say is aim for a 30/35/35 macro split, start with a 200 caloric surplus and eat an 80/20 diet for a clean bulk. I'd youtube this one for more information- but all same info applies as above really:) 
Each body is vastly different though; mesomorphs, endomorphs, ectomorphs. I know I’m a mesomorph so if I were to ever eat in a large caloric surplus, no matter how strategical I am I’d definitely gain a fair bit of fat! MESOMORPH: Hard to lose fat and ‘easy’ to build muscle ENDOMORPH: ‘ideal’ body type. Easy to gain muscle and ‘easy’ to lose fat. ECTOMORPH: hard to gain both muscle and fat. (Very brief explanation) Anyways, there are so many approaches to how you utilise you macros; iifym, 80/20, paleo etc etc. Each body reacts differently- plus it’s all about the mind and how well you can adhere to something and sustain it. Each person is different- and defining the term ‘healthy’ differs vastly from person to person! For me healthy= living a lifestyle that obviously benefits you nutritionally, but also mentally and physically. The ultimate balance. Good for the bod but equally as good for the soul. So find what works for you. And know that if you’re honest, consistent with your macros and training, strategical and ENJOY both your training and eating style; you will achieve your goal! ANYWAYS: SO LONG, LOTS OF INFORMATION. Congratulations if you got this far I hope you feel informed:) Any questions message me. Can also do a post on what foods are what macros! Endo, ecto and meso body types and training styles to achieve your goal body. Feel free to message me with any suggestions xxxxx wow i'd be a uni wizz if i put as much effort into uni work as i did this post ahhahhaah
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