What is a MACRO?

All foods are made of MICROnutrients (vitamins & minerals)

MACROnutrients (fat, carbohydrates, and protein, which make up calories).

Food Quality = micronutrients Food Quantity = macronutrients Which should we focus on quality OR quantity? BOTH!

But it is also largely based on your goals and whether you are more focused on the way you look or the way you perform and feel.

As it pertains to body composition (the way you look), at the end of the day it all comes down to Calories In vs Calories Out.

IF calories in/out = less than your body demands, either through exercise & activity (burning more calories), diet (consuming fewer calories), or a combination of the two, you will lose weight.

IF calories in/out = greater than your body demands, either through reduced exercise (burning fewer calories), diet (consuming more calories), or a combination of the two, you will gain weight.

How do I know how many calories my body demands to know if I’m eating too much or too little, for my goals? TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure)!

AKA ‘Maintenance Calories’, your TDEE is the total amount of calories you use/burn in a day. It is made up of: -BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate): Total energy burned if you did nothing but lay in bed all day; simply your body keeping you alive. -EAT (Exercise Activity Thermogenesis): Total energy burned through exercise. -NEAT (Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis): Total energy used during activities that are NOT exercise = walking, doing chores, fidgeting, etc. -TEF (Thermic Effect of Food): Total energy used to digest and process the food you eat.

Once you determine your TDEE, you can identify the amount of calories you should be eating per day and then distribute those calories to be various macros.

Okay, I get all this, but what the hell is ‘Flexible Dieting’ or ‘tracking your macros’? Flexible Dieting is a dietary protocol in which there are no restrictions to the foods you can and cannot eat.

As long as you are hitting your calorie and macronutrient targets each day, the foods and drinks you choose to consume to get there don’t matter.

Yes, you can go out for pizza with your family every Friday night, enjoy a sweet treat at the end of the day, AND reach your body composition goals. But yes, you should also still focus on getting ample micronutrients and eating mostly nutrient-dense foods.