STRENGTH IN NUMBERS

Take back the power by adopting a macro approach to food. Breaking down your intake into key food groups will make smashing your nutrition goals a whole lot easier

The basics of counting macros – all sorted

Here’s a scenario: you eat a pizza, chase it with a glass of red then seal the deal with a slice of cake. By the week’s end, you’ve melted a little fat and you can see that lovely bit of muscle you’ve worked hard to hone for the past six months.

It’s the dream for most of us – and it can be a reality when you stop focusing solely on calories and start counting macros instead.

Macros is shorthand for macronutrients, a term used to describe the three key food groups you require for your body to function: carbohydrates (to fuel energy), fats (to keep you satiated) and proteins (to build and repair muscle).

Get the right balance of these and you’ll not only maintain a weight in your natural healthy range but you’ll also be more effective at burning fat and building lean muscle. It’s the method many pro athletes and those in the fitness industry have been following for years, recognising that not all calories are created equal.

Ten calories of fat will be used entirely differently by the body than, say, 10 calories of carbohydrates.

‘The best healthy way of eating is the one that’s sustainable long-term,’ explains PT Russ Howe, who has seen many of his clients achieve superior results through counting macros. ‘A macro approach eliminates boredom,’ he adds. Focusing on the nutritional content of foods puts you back in the driving seat, says Emma Rose, a nutritionist at Fresh Fitness Food. ‘Women who are not tracking their macros are probably not conscious of where their calories are coming from.’ Plus, macros mean that nothing is off limits – and that’s the kind of maths we appreciate most.