What Do I Mean By Macros?

I wanted to give some clarification on my breakdown of macros, and why you want to pay attention to how  much protien/carbs/fats you have in your daily diet.

Let's say you finished calculating your daily caloirc needs after figuring out your goal and workout plan.  If you still have alot of excess body fat (like I did), you are going to want to start with a higher ratio of protein to carbs and fat. 50% protein, 30% carbs, 20% fat.  This is your typical fat shredding macro ratio.  Now, you can get protein from multiple sources, I like chicken, whey protein isolate, etc.  Carbs come from my wheat bread and wheat tortillas.  Fats come from the peanuts, almonds and avacodos.  Notice these are all whole food souces (except the whey protein isolate).  When you start monitoring your diet on a website like http://www.fatsecret.com/, it will calculate all of your macros for you.  Things like Wheat Tortillas are considered carbs, but they also contain some protein and fat.  So, instead of looking at a nutrition label and calculating your macros by hand on a spreadsheet, let the computer do it for you.  Also, like I mentioned in a previous post, you cannot calculate by hand doing a 1 to 1 ratio.  1 gram of protein/fat/carbs does not equate to one calorie.  So DO NOT take 30% and multiply it by your daily caloric goals to get the number of carb calories you need.  There is a formula, and some really helpful programmers have already done the math for you.

As you start to shed more and more fat, you may find yourself requiring more energy and need to increase your carbs.  Please listen to your body on this, you will know because you will start to crash during the day or during your workouts.  It's not hunger, but you will consistently feel sluggish (at least I did).  Try upping your carb macros to 40% and reduce protein to 40%.  Keep the fats at 20%.  As time progresses, you will have to do this again.  Like I said, on my weightlifting days, I am at 50-55% carbs.

Now, you have to understand the importance and quality of your food sources.  Did you realize a cup of oatmeal and a handful of M&M's both have the same grams of carbs?  If you have 13 minutes, this guy does a good job of explainig it here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBYnuIJcVTI  So, hypothetically, you could skip that cup of oatmeal and eat M&M's instead, and still be successful in losing weight, as long as you DO NOT go over your daily caloric intake and the carbs in the M&M's help you hit your macro goals.  But, your body needs quality nutrients, and you could be in a world of hurt only sticking to the M&M's.  I provided a link earlier about the guy who successfully lost weight on the Twinkie diet, but how sustainable is that?  But, monitoring your calories and macros also allows you to have flexibility in your diet.  If, at the end of the day, you have had your 4-5 servings of fruits and veggies, you have kept the fat in check, hit your protein requirements, but are short on some calories and carbs, it's not going to hurt to have those M&M's.  Just don't go over your caloric intake.  Remember the 80/20....80% of your calories for the week should be clean and whole foods, 20% can be garbage, but they BETTER fit into your daily caloric intake and your macros.  Questions?  Let me know.

Customizing Your Meal Plan - No Excuses

Ok, let’s get to the details.  After you decide your fitness plan and caloric intake, calculate the % macros for your daily plan.  Now there is a formula for calculating your proteins/carbs/fats per calorie (it’s not multiplying % by daily calories to get your macro allotment), but to save time, use Scooby’s site for the macro portions http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/, and this free website www.fatsecret.com to put the meal plan together. 

In the beginning, I wanted to shed fat. 2400 calories/day was my target, and I was looking to get 50% protein 30% carbs and 20% fats in my daily mix.  Where did I get this ratio?  It was recommended in the P90x guide, and it seemed to be a good starting point.  I never hit the macros exactly every day, but, I always was in the ballpark +/- 3%.  Anyway, I started to crash consistently during my workouts after about 60 days, so I upped my caloric intake to 2800 calories/day on my resistance days and kept my cardio days at 2400.  I also upped my carbs to 50-55% on resistance days, and kept them at 30% on cardio days.    This took about 4 months to figure out before I felt I had the right balance, it didn’t happen overnight.  I am still listening to my body, but this mix seems to be working wonders.  I am shredding fat, putting on muscle, and not feeling hungry.  I also realize this is not my meal plan 6 months from now.  Eventually, I want to consistently have 55-60% carbs.  Why the high carbs?  I plan on having low body fat and continuing higher intensity exercises.  This goes back to my point of focusing on your needs and not a meal plan designed for someone else.

What kind of foods should you use to hit your macros?  I have seen this topic debated over and over, and I’m really going to focus on what has worked for me.  Take a look at this meal plan that I took from a professional body builder:

  

	Meal Plan 1
	Item	Kcals
Meal 1	1 medium banana	105
	1 cup egg whites	126
	2 cups cooked oatmeal	290
	2 slices wheat toast	256
	1 serving whey protein	110
Meal 2	1 medium apple	72
Meal 3	2 cups cooked brown rice	429
	6 oz chicken breast	332
	1 package spinach	62
	2 slices wheat toast	256
Meal 4	6 oz chicken breast	332
	1 serving Salad	9
	2 slices wheat toast	256
Meal 5	1 serving casein protein	150
	Total Calories	2785
	Protein	32%
	Carbs	51%
	Fats	17%

This is a very simple diet, very clean and the caloric intake is close to 2800 with the macros similar to my macro needs on my resistance days. 

Now take a look at a sample menu from my diet:

	Meal Plan 2
	Item	Kcals
Meal 1	2X protein greek yogurt	160
	1 serving banana	110
	2 servings Blue Bell No Sugar Added Ice Cream	180
	2 servings chocolate milk	440
	28 oz coffee	17
	2 servings whey protein isolate	210
Meal 2	1 wheat tortilla	90
	1 serving string cheese	70
	1 medium gala apple	71
Meal 3	2 servings 100% whole wheat bread	160
	2 servings chicken breast tenders	200
	1 serving kraft fat free cheese slice	25
	1 serving fat free miracle whip	15
	1 serving KC Masterpiece BBQ Sauce	60
	2 cups celery	28
Meal 4	1 wheat tortilla	90
	1 serving string cheese	70
	1 cup seedless grapes	110
Meal 5	3 servings Cheeseburger Pizza (Clean Eating Magizing Recipe)	600
	1 serving cottage cheese (low sodium)	90
	Total Calories	2796
	Protein	29%
	Carbs	53%
	Fats	18%

The daily caloric intake and macro ratio is very similar.  I have much more variety (things that I like), and I am actually looking forward to my meal plan as opposed to the professional body builder’s plan.  So this begs the question, if you are only worried about calories and macros, why not eat whatever you want, as long as it fits your macros?  Well, check out this low fat, low sodium, higher protein diet:

	Meal Plan 3
	Item	Kcals
Meal 1	4 cups Lucky Charms	456
	2 servings chocolate milk	440
Meal 2	1 ice cream sandwich	220
Meal 3	1 serving Doritos	202
Meal 4	1 ice cream sandwhich	220
Meal 5	13 Miller Lite bottles	1248
	Total Calories	2786
	Protein	44%
	Carbs	41%
	Fats	15%

I actually think this was my diet in college, and we all know how that worked out.  Notice that this is closer to the balanced 40/40/20 diet that a lot of people follow.  So, can you be successful by hitting your caloric and macro needs, regardless of food quality?  If you hit your goals based on Meal Plan 3, then you have the inner workings of that friggin DeLorean at the end of Back to the Future, where Doc Brown chucks all of that garbage into Mr. Fusion, then blasts into the future with a hopped up flying time machine.  

Anyway, here’s the approach I took, and still am taking.

I will use my current meal plan as an example.  Monday through Sunday daily calories look like this:

Monday               2800

Tuesday               2400

Wednesday          2800

Thursday              2400

Friday                  2800

Saturday               2400

Sunday                 2200

Total Weekly Intake:  17,800 calories

When I first switched up my plan, I stuck to the 80/20 rule.  80% of my calories would be clean, whole foods, no BS, and I would shoot for 4-5 serving of veggies/fruits per day to get my nutrients.  That means I could indulge in around 3,560 calories that were garbage and still feel good about myself.  I could do that in one day, or spread it out.  Just to let you know upfront, I did not and will not eat foods that I believe can be detrimental to me controlling the insulin spikes.  Therefore, those garbage calories will not include things like alcohol and donuts.  But, I did allow myself wings, baked if possible, but also deep fried in white flour in controlled portions (it was not sending my cravings through the roof, I monitored closely), and it was very satisfying.  I also continued to eat BBQ (Hinze's, Mustang Creek), and instead of mixing fries with it, I would opt for corn, coleslaw or green beans.  I would never do my garbage calories in one day, because I was continuing to exercise, and a whole day worth of garbage would do absolutely nothing for my workout the next morning.

As time progressed, the cravings for the garbage carbs started to subside.  You will notice on Sundays, that I have only 2200 calories, because I want to indulge a little more in fat macros on those days.  2200 calories is in the range of my RMR, so I up the fat and protein more on Sundays, knowing that I’m in a caloric deficit for the week, and none of it will be stored as fat.  I don’t go overboard on Sundays, but I do enjoy a great breakfast like whole wheat bagel with 3 eggs, two strips of bacon, fat free miracle whip on the bagel (to each his own), fat free kraft singles, and ghost pepper salsa.  It’s awesome, and my whole Sunday is kind of structured that way.  The higher protein/fat day really leaves me feeling full, even though it’s my lowest calorie day (and typically my rest day ).  Again, I am paying close attention to the stuff that could potentially give me a nice insulin spike.

After a month, I felt like my cravings were under control.  When I went back to Indiana for Christmas, I was able to stay away from the sweets I grew up loving, and did not really feel the urge to gorge (like every Christmas before that).  I am looking to get a little more extreme with 90/10.  That still means I can have 1700+ calories as garbage, and I’m using that allotment to mix in things like KC Masterpiece bbq sauce with my chicken during lunch.  Again, this approach really can give you flexibility in your meal plan, and at no point do I ever feel like this is a diet.  Anyone can do this….ANYONE….I really don’t want to hear how you would like to do this, but you hate giving up certain things.  Seriously, you don’t have to give up certain things, just mix them in to your calories and fit them into your macros.  There is some discipline involved because you don't want to let the garbage things you love to indulge in exceed your 20%.  You’ll be amazed at how easy this can be with a little planning. No more excuses.   

Having a Purpose and Your Meal Plan

This is what I had for breakfast.  Chocolate milk, Blue Bell No Sugar Added Ice Cream, a banana and two scoops of whey protein isolate.  This is not misery, this is fun.  I failed many times in the past because I did not take the time to understand my body.  I only thought I had to eat chicken breasts, broccoli, vegan cheese, soy milk……the list goes on.  Anyway, the more I researched various schools of thought on nutrition, the most common theme among successful fitness enthusiasts was getting enough calories to fuel your workout, making sure your are getting nutrient rich foods in your diet, and hitting your macros based on your fitness goals.  That’s it.  I then thought, well, does this mean that I can eat crap all day as long as I’m hitting my macros?  Bottom line, you can lose weight by having a daily caloric deficit and eating Twinkies, Doritos, and Little Debbie’s (see here: http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2010-11-15/news/ct-edit-twinkie-20101115_1_calorie-counts-daily-protein-twinkie-diet).  But, if you are like me, you will feel like crap doing it.  My body cannot process this stuff like other people, so I just stay away.  Also, my goal is to gain muscle and lose fat, I doubt Twinkies would be the optimal food to fuel my workouts.

With that being said, your meal plan should be fun, and should have a purpose.  What do I mean by purpose?  If you are like the old me, you exercise and eat, based on a plan someone created for themselves, and you are piggybacking on generalities and tips that they have passed along.  How many of you have actually taken the time to figure out exactly what you are trying to accomplish and model your diet around that goal?  If you want to lose weight, fine.  How will you do it? Running, weightlifting, sitting on your rear-end?  Yes, you can lose weight sitting on your rear end.  If you know your Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR), or the amount of calories you can burn resting and sleeping, you can shoot for a daily caloric intake around that number, and monitor your progress.  I can’t tell how much higher or lower than that number because I don’t know your body, but you get my point.  I am shooting for strength and fat loss, so my calories have to be much higher than my RMR.  Remember, there are plenty of calculators out there that will calculate your needs for, like here http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/.  I’m telling you, if you are like me, you cannot afford to exercise and not understand how many calories you need.  If you are underfeeding your body, your cravings and hunger are intensified, and you will immediately cave and start going back to the old habits. Know how many miles you are running, estimate calories burned (or use a heart rate monitor to get really accurate), really understand and obtain a ballpark number on how much activity you are getting a week through your desired program.  I truly believe I would not be where I am right now without knowing my personal caloric needs.  You will also have to adjust.  Like I mentioned, I came up with a daily caloric number, but had to increase after sixty days because my workouts began to suffer and I was feeling very hungry ( I am getting to know the difference between cravings and outright hunger, I think).

You have to get this your head right now.  The first month, your body (if it is like mine) may not adjust too well to the increase in calories and actually increase your weight.  Stay the course, do not be that person who jumps on the scale and whines about not losing weight, it doesn’t work that way, at least for me.  Have faith in the process.

Now…….on to the fun stuff…..what the hell am I eating and how is ice cream (no sugar added) and chocolate milk part of my good diet?

My Progress So Far - A Macro View

Throughout my blog, I will be posting the psychology behind my journey and getting plenty detailed on how I was able to get to this point (and beyond).  There had to be a complete overhaul in my thinking process, and I had to understand that my body is different.  I had to stop comparing myself to what other people were doing and what they ate.  I also had to accept that what I thought was fun and relaxing was actually a temporary insulin spike that made me feel worse when I came down off my high.

I first used the P90X nutrition guide as a plan (I am doing the P90X workouts, 2nd round day 140), but 60 days into the program (this was my 5th attempt) I started getting weak and my hunger was starting to feel like my old crash diets.  Normally, I would have used this as an excuse to crush a massive cheat meal because my body needed it, right?  But, I went a different rout, and decided to customize a meal plan that worked only for me, and get away from using more general guidelines (i.e Resting Metabolic Rate + Daily Activity Burn + 600).

I searched the internet, and came across three key websites that helped me determine what I should be eating with my workouts.  The first thing I realized was that I wasn’t eating enough calories, even though in the early phases, the P90X guide (remembering it is just a guide, and it’s been very helpful) recommended that I start out at 2400 calories /day.  Once I realized what my caloric intake should be, I found that I really had to pay attention to my macronutrients (macros) to start getting closer to my fitness goals.  Macros are your daily protein/carb/fat intake, and there are excellent educational posts on how to calculate your needs on an excel spreadsheet. 

See here:

 http://rippedbody.jp/2011/10/23/how-to-calculate-leangains-macros/

and here:

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=121703981&page=1

I then came across a website that did all the calculations for you, and came pretty close to what I had calculated on a spreadsheet based on the information provided in the links above.  So, you can save yourself some time and go here:

http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

I always underestimate my workout intensity, so as my activity level, I selected 3-5 hours/week of moderate exercise….knowing that I am conservative on my caloric needs.  This gave me assurance that I am not overestimating, and that the ultimate guide was to listen to my body.  If I am feeling weak and having trouble in my workouts, then I would increase my caloric intake.  So, when I started at 2400 calories/day, and was feeling sluggish after 60 days, I recalculated with my new weight, and upped my caloric intake to 2600 calories/day.  I also went from the goal "lose weight-10% calorie reduction" to "gain muscle and lose weight".  Now, I am switching things up even more…..resistance days, 2800 calories, cardio 2400 calories.  I am not entirely at my fitness goals, that is why I am still running a deficit on my cardio days.  I’m also sticking to the following macros:

Resistance:

2800 calories/day

50% carbs

30% protein

20% fats

Cardio:

2400 calories/day

35% carbs

45% protein

20% fats

Many of my meal plans are followed from this publication http://www.cleaneatingmag.com/ and prepared by my wonderful wife (she is the best cook and my #1 reason for being this successful to date).

I also monitor everything that goes in my body through www.fatsecret.com.  It’s free, and there is a really slick app that you can load on your phone to track meals and scan barcodes.

Now, this is the 30,000 foot view, I will dig deeper, and let you know how I killed cravings by staying away from what are considered “bad carbs”.  Alcohol, birthday cakes, cookies, pizza hut….all the fun crap that I used to know.  But, I wouldn’t change the way I feel for any binge weekend again.  Additionally, there are many people out there who can get away with eating the bad carbs, I can’t.  That is why I stopped comparing myself to other people.  I know my body better than anyone else, and if you listen to it….amazing things can happen.  More to come……

Before I Changed My Lifestyle

This is me.....36 years old.....5'9 1/2....238 pounds ....28%+ body fat.....October 2011....I had started and stopped so many fitness programs and diets over the past 14 years, and every time I showed some progress, I would regress and put on more weight.

Today, March 29, 2012, I am down 43 pounds, getting into the best shape I have ever been in....and it hasn't been a miserable experience (like the previous attempts).  I am creating this blog to tell you exactly how I was able to get to this point.  My journey is not over, it's only the beginning, and I am creating this blog for family and friends (and anyone else, for that matter) that wants to change their lifestyle, but with a structured plan.  Stay tuned as I update you on my journey.....