Starters Guide: Easy introduction into Macronutrients

Starting Macros: A Guide to Knowing What’s on Your Plate

Content

  • Hand Size Guide for Macro Nutrients

  • Why Knowing Macros is an Important Skill

  • Calorie Guide for Macro Nutrients

  • Cheat Sheet for Building Bodies

  • Sample List of Ingredients for Macros

Intro Welcome to the wonderful world of macros! If you haven’t delved deep into counting macros, consider this a fair warning: it's like looking into Pandora’s box—once you see it, you can’t unsee it. So, let’s dive in.

Your caloric intake is comprised of three primary macros: protein (the builder), carbohydrates (the faster fuel), and fats (the slower fuel). These macros come from our food sources, and the quantity of each macro gives us your total daily caloric intake. There are other substances that can add to your total calorie count, which I’ll cover in a different article or guide.

Since this is a starter's guide, we’re not going incredibly in-depth with measuring out all our food and prepping extensively. We’ll slowly build your macro-detective eye and scale from there.

An easy, pretty accurate way to measure your macros is by using the hand/fist scale. Here’s a quick guide:

Hand Size Guide

  • Proteins: A palm-sized portion of protein is equivalent to 20-30g.

  • Carbohydrates: 1 cupped hand is equivalent to 20-30g.

  • Fats: A thumb-sized portion is equivalent to 7-12g.

Why Knowing Macronutrients is an Important Skill

The quicker you can identify the ingredients in your dishes, the faster you can reverse-engineer your caloric intake goals and stay on track. A critical part of integrating a sustainable, health-centered lifestyle is knowing what goes into your body. Making the food work for you is your greatest asset. Also, it relieves the burden when you do have something “off-plan”… but we’ll put a pin in that thought for now.

A gram of carbs is not the same as a gram of fat, and the same goes for protein. This also speaks to how our bodies utilize each macronutrient. The analogy I like to use is that each macronutrient can be seen as a Lego piece. Each Lego piece has a dedicated role, and to build something specific—in this case, the body you want—choosing the right pieces matters. Otherwise, you’ve built something my 6-year-old would build… and, like I am with my daughter, I’ll still be proud of whatever you’ve built. Lol

Calorie Cliff Notes

  • 1g of protein = 4 Calories

  • 1g of carbs = 4 Calories

  • 1g of fat = 9 Calories

Cheat Sheet for Understanding Body Types

  • For a Fat Body with no Muscle (Surplus of Calories): Low protein, high amounts of carbs, high amounts of fat, no to low activity.

  • For a Skinny-Fat Body (Maintenance of Calories): Low to moderate protein, moderate/high carbs, moderate/high fats, high amounts of cardio (mainly Zone 3 and HIIT), low to no resistance training.

  • To Build a Strong Body and Minimize Fat Gain (Maintenance to Slight Surplus of Calories): Protein-heavy and carb-heavy diet with the bare minimum of fat for healthy function, resistance training, and a healthy amount of Zone 2 cardio.

  • For a Performing Body (Maintenance to Slight Surplus of Calories): Protein-heavy and carb-heavy diet with the optimal amount of healthy fat, resistance training, skills acquisition, and energy systems development.

  • For a Lean Body (Deficit of Calories): Protein-heavy, moderate carbs, and the bare minimum of fat for healthy function, resistance training, and a healthy amount of Zone 2 cardio.

List of Macro Nutrients

Simple List

Proteins

  • Beef

  • Chicken

  • Turkey

  • Pork

  • Salmon

  • Tilapia

  • Cod

  • Sardines

  • Tofu

  • Edamame

  • Greek Yogurt

  • Certain Cheeses

Carbs

  • Rice

  • Potato

  • Sweet Potato

  • Bread

  • Noodles

  • Veggies

  • Cous Cous

Fats

  • Almond Butter

  • Peanut Butter

  • Macadamia Butter

  • Butter

  • Certain Cheeses

  • Talo

  • Ghee

  • Vegetable Oil

  • Canola Oil

  • Olive Oil

Other Articles Coming Soon:

  • Protein is Important. Period.

  • Carbs are Not the Enemy: How to Identify, Reframe, and Justify Your Actions

  • Overeating… Again

  • How to eat delicious meals and stay on track: Lifestyle Guide to Goals and Life

Reference List:

Intro

Hand Size Guide

  • Using hand/fist size to estimate portion sizes:

    • Precision Nutrition. (n.d.). A simple way to plan your meals and eat right.

Why Knowing Macronutrients is an Important Skill

  • The importance of knowing macronutrients for tracking caloric intake and maintaining a healthy lifestyle:

    • Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. (2020). Understanding Food Nutrition Labels.

Calorie Cliff Notes

Cheat Sheet for Understanding Body Types

List of Macro Nutrients

Other Articles Worth Checking Out

  • Protein importance:

  • Carbohydrates and their role in the diet:

    • American Heart Association. (2020). Carbohydrates and Blood Sugar.

  • Overeating and how to manage it:

    • Cleveland Clinic. (2020). How to Stop Overeating.

  • Incorporating macronutrient knowledge into your lifestyle:

    • WebMD. (2020). How to Eat Healthy.


Matthew Manalo