You’ve been eating clean, maybe you’ve done a few rounds of Whole30 or you’ve eaten paleo in the past, but now you’re ready to try out this whole Macros thing. A few days ago Krista wrote our first post in our Macros Series, Why I Switched from the Paleo Diet to Macro Counting. We have started a Macro Nutrition Support Facebook group (that you should most definitely join) and the number one question we see being asked in there is,
“How do I calculate my macros?”
We want to be completely honest with you. Macronutrient calculators and templates are all over the internet. You can punch in your age, height, and weight and get a generic formula that will spit you out those numbers. However, unlike these templates would like you to believe, all of our lifestyles are completely different. I might be the same height and weight as the girl standing next to me, but I’m nursing an infant, Crossfitting 6 days a week, and my goals are to squat more in the gym and build strength. The girl standing next to me might work a desk job, have little time for exercise, and be looking to strictly lose weight. That generic formula is NOT going to fit the needs of both of us.
5 Factors That Go into an Excellent Macronutrient Prescription for a Women
- Diet: What does your current macronutrient intake look like? In order to get a sustainable macro prescription that sparks a fire in your metabolism, we need to see what you are CURRENTLY eating on a day-to-day basis. How many calories? What percentage of your diet is fat? Are you eating enough protein? Are you eating enough carbohydrates to fuel your workouts? Are you eating too many carbohydrates? In the game of Macro Magic (as we call it), we have to figure out what formula gives YOUR body the best results, and in order to do that, we need to see exactly what your current diet looks like.
- Goals: What are your goals? As I mentioned above, everybody has completely different goals in mind. Are you looking to lose weight? Gain muscle? Increase your energy level? PR your front squat? Make it through the day with your kids? Fit into your pre-pregnancy jeans? Get 6-pack abs? Are you cosmetically driven or performance driven? Everybody will answer these questions differently. Women’s perceptions of beauty are constantly changing. While some women want a thigh gap or the long and lean look, other women are looking for curves and a booty. We need to know your goals in order for you to find that Macro Magic!
- Exercise Routine: What does an average week of training look like in your life? CrossFit, Zumba, hiking, yoga, kick boxing, boot camp, spin class, at-home workouts in the living room with your 3 kids- these are just some of the hundreds of different exercise programs out there. We all have different exercise routines which means we all will have different needs to fuel those workouts.
- What’s Your Relationship with Food? Maybe you’ve eaten less than 1200 calories for the past 10 years because you’re afraid you’ll get fat. Maybe you’ve eaten 2600 calories, ate fast food your whole life because you’re the type that can eat whatever you want, and all of a sudden you’ve turned 30 and your metabolism has slowed down. Maybe you’ve been on every diet known to man from slim fast to Whole30. Any of this sounding familiar? We are ALL different when it comes to our food.
- What stage of life are you in? I’m in the barely surviving, nursing a newborn while taking care of a family of 5, stage of life. My good friend at the gym, who happens to be VERY similar to me in height, weight, and goals just had her first grand-baby. Our macronutrient needs will be very different.
We want to help you get healthy, lose that stubborn baby weight, feel confident in your skin, gain strength, or whatever your goals may be by counting macros and using flexibility just like we are!
Conclusion: We are all unique women with diverse needs. When we set a macronutrient prescription for our clients, these are the 5 major factors that we take into account. We want you to succeed and we want you to see results!
Don’t forget to join our free Macro Nutrition Facebook group here where we are happy to help with any questions, give meal ideas, support, and much more!
If you liked this post, you should definitely check out
Why I switched from the Paleo Diet to Macronutrient Counting
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