What are calories and macros?
Calories are what we use to measure energy expenditure and stored energy. This could be the calories we are putting in our body through food or the calories we are expending during exercise or just going about our daily tasks. Determining this energy balance of calories in vs calories out is the key to achieving your desired body composition.
In order to lose fat, we must be expending more calories than we are consuming which puts us into a calorie deficit. On the other hand, it is ideal to be in a calorie surplus if your focus is gaining muscle (although not always necessary).
Calories are made up of macro nutrients or 'macros'. Macro ratios vary between individuals and depends on the overall goal. The 4 main macro nutrients are:
- Protein (4 calories per gram)- building muscle and aiding recovery
- Carbohydrates (4 calories per gram)- our main source of fuel
- Fat (9 calories per gram)- assists with balancing hormones, absorption of vitamins and minerals
- Alcohol (7 calories per gram)- not beneficial in any way
Your personalised macros are saved in the MyVision app and have been specifically calculated for your body, activity levels, composition and goals.
Tracking- How to Guide
Okay, so now you have your calorie and macro targets and understand what they are. What now?
We want to teach you how to track your macros so you can have more flexibility with your food and room to experiment, eat out and socialise without a diet controlling your life! It is so important to take a sustainable approach that can be maintained!
At the start it may be really overwhelming and a bit time consuming but stick with it because the knowledge you gain from a few weeks of tracking is irreplaceable. Your trainer is here to help you along the way- reach out to us!
If you have any questions with the app, nutrition, what to alter to hit those green zones just ask your Trainer. It may be a good idea to even book in another nutrition session to really get into more detail and create some plans together.
*Disclaimer: Individual results vary based on agreed goals. Click here for details.
