What is thing you call Macros?

...and why are you counting them?

I have been counting macros for several months now but I too looked at this word with wonderment before that.

Macros are short for "macronutrients" and simply put, they are what are bodies need to create energy found in foods.  They are things like "Fat", "Carbohydrates" and "Protein" which are much more familiar terms.

We've seen labels on food with things like "Low Fat, Low Carb, High Protein" and every combination with the word "Calorie".

Here are how they are related to one another:

Fat - provides 9 calories per gram

Carbs - provide 4 calories per gram

Fat - provides 4 calories per gram

So that's what they are.  Not too complicated, right?

Why count them versus calories?  

We know that if we want to LOSE weight, we must be in a Caloric deficit each day.   This means that if say, your daily Calorie intake should be 1800, you should be below or at that daily to start seeing a change in weight (without taking exercise and other things into consideration).

The thing is, if you are trying to build muscle rather than just move the number on the scale, eating the wrong calories (despite their totals each day) can be hindering you from achieving those goals.

So how do you figure out where to start?

Step 1 - Identify your goals.  What do you want to do? Build Muscle or Lose Fat?  Many nutritionists recommend the following proportions (I'll link references at the end)

Lose Fat: 

C  35%

F  20%

P  45%

Build Muscle:

C  35%

F  25%

P  40%

Step 2 - Use a calorie calculator to figure out what your daily caloric needs are.  Here is free one to try:

Calorie Counter

Step 3 - Enter your result into a nutrient calculator to figure out your daily macro breakdown based on the ratios above that match up to your goals.

Macro Calculator

This will provide you with a total # of grams of each macro you should consume per day to achieve your goals.

Step 4 - Start tracking!  Download an app like My Fitness Pal and start entering your meals.

It will be a pain at first but try to keep things simple.  My recommendation is to start by eating at home and preparing your own foods so that you know exactly what and how much your portions are.

Little by little, as the end of each day comes around and you see how your macros stack up, you will quickly learn what you need to eat more or less of.

For me, I didn't realize how little protein I was taking in and what little awareness of what proper portions were I had.  Especially with junk food!  Ack!!

I will keep posting tips and tricks that find through other resources that I find helpful as well as great snacks and other easy meal prep ideas to help you through your journey.

You will be using #IIFYM (If it fits your macros) in no time and a total pro and reading those nutrition labels! 

Let me know if you find this useful and if you have any questions!

Valerie

http://www.cookinglight.com/eating-smart/macro-diet-counting-macros-weight-loss-better-nutrition
https://www.popsugar.com/fitness/Macros-Weight-Loss-41078725
http://chapmanfitness.org/2016/10/21/macro-counting-101/
http://www.mensfitness.com/nutrition/what-to-eat/beginners-guide-counting-macros

Week 28 update and a shift in gears

This week marks the start of the third trimester and as important as exercise and fitness has been thus far in keeping in tip-top shape ready for baby (and after), drinking plenty of water, nutrition and sleep are equally important.  I've successfully added plenty of water to my daily intake (thankful for the crushed ice machine at work that makes it so much easier) and this week I experimented for the first time with making smoothies and trying KALE! I've been trying to be more cognizant of what exactly I eat and don't eat and am working on getting a routine on that too.  More on that later...

My first Kale smoothie!

The summer months have always been bittersweet for me.  Having the kids out of school and working full time during these short and sometimes long 2.5 months is a difficult thing to balance.  I want them to have all the fun in the world but I am limited to certain hours of the day that I can do those things with them.  Mainly, in the evening after work.  Our bedtimes have been nothing less than midnight as a result and I found that only sleeping 6 hours a night for several weeks straight (when you are use to 7-8) has a way of creeping up on you.  That endless amount of energy seems to suddenly tap out and it kind of feels like hitting a brick wall. The Saturday morning Masters class is hard to make when you wake up after it's over! Whoops!

My exercise regimen slowed a little this week not just because I needed to catch up on my Zzzzz's some but also because some of my options have been pulled from play.  For starters, my evening Aerial Tone class has been temporarily moved to a night that conflicts with Masters Swim.  Secondly, I've cut out running for the time being because it has been so dreadfully hot at the times when I can run.  Not to mention that the lack of sleep has made me too tired to have the desire to lace up when it's that miserable outside as well.  Thirdly, since I had that flat on my bike, I noticed a few days later that the tire is flat again which means that there must be something still stuck in the tire that I must have missed. To add to that, I had some accident filled visions when I started riding last time...you know, the what if scenarios that run through your head in quick second pictures in you brain (or is that just me?) that cause you to be EXTRA cautious? After warming up though, these thoughts go away and the ride is fine but still, you can't ignore that a bike sitting with a flat in the garage combined with these images is not some sort of sign that long distance solo cycling should come off of the list as things to do at 28 weeks pregnant.  I feel perfectly okay while riding in fact I LOVE IT but I am erring on the side of safety for fear of having a freak wreck because my tire gets stuck in a crack or a crazy squirrel runs out in front of me and I lose control.  Better safe than sorry.

Having prefaced this update with all that I'll say that I do intend to maybe add treadmill runs (although I hate those), spin classes or even ride on the trainer (hate that too) as well breaking away and getting the Aerial class in during lunch.  We'll see how I manage that.

Here is the update for week 28:

M- 1500M Masters Swim:
200 Easy Free
200 Pull
200 Kick
200 1 arm drill
200 Breast (a first for me...awkward but different is good)
400 timed free
2 x 50 25breast 25 free
Yoga challenge Day 8 - Kneeling Crescent (an easy one and a great shoulder, back & quad stretch post swim)
T- Yoga Challenges for Day 9 & 10
Revolved Downward Dog & Head to Knee Forward Bend
These both took a lot of warming up and stretching and I'd say we were doing Yoga for a good hour.

 

W- 1500M Masters Swim:
200 free
200 pull
200 kick
200 1 arm drill
100 alternating 25s 3, 5
10 x 25 kick 45RI (full class race) Ahh!!!
6 x 25 alternating 4,5 20RI (the rest of the class was at 8x @ 4,5,6,7,8,7,6,5)
200 easy free
Yoga Challenge - Rooster (I thought this was going to be easy...doing it post swim at a late hour I realized just how hard it was.  I felt like a pretzel most of the time practicing and am absolutely amazed I was able to get off the ground)

TH- Easy stretching and Day 12 Yoga Challenge - Half Bound Extended Side Angle Pose
F- Did some serious Salsa & Merengue dancing at a birthday party with 4" heels. If you don't think dancing is a workout, I'll tell you my quads were still sore from it the next morning.  So yes, it counts!! (plus, waaaaay fun!)
S- Missed Masters Swim but got plenty of sleep.  Hooray! Spent a good amount of time working on Day 13 of our Yoga Challenge - Extended Leg Wheel Pose.  Wow.  What a doozy.  I think I will be coming back to this one quite a bit post baby just so that I can compare improvements.  I got the leg up but only in a headstand position.  I felt like I was pulling a calf muscle so I didn't stay there very long.  (This is likely due to that kick race in swim class).  I was not happy with my regular wheel so I left it for later.

We also got a bike ride in on the new downtown trails later... no one took the mountain bike off the table, right? :)  Side note: I thought this was going to be a leisurely ride but I found that pushing that heavy bike was a heck of a workout especially on my calves (oh, yea...NOW I see a pattern. I didn't realize it at the time, just now as I type it out. Ha!).
Worked on wheel again.  Killing my calves here and hammies too.  Almost felt them pulling while trying to do this again but finally happy with the result (all things considered). I practiced day 14 momentarily - tucked leg Headstand and realized that I was just not into it.  I have zero core control so pushing up and having the wall "save" me was fine by me.  I thought I'd try it again on Sunday.

A little "acroyoga" with the babe while working on the extended leg wheel early in the day and finally happy with a regular handstand Wheel post bike ride. 

S- Slept in and ran errands - complete much needed OFF day. Didn't even bother with the Yoga Challenge. But I did come close to cracking my kid's Fruit Ninja score! Haha! This a challenge that they put upon me the day before that I am DETERMINED not only to beat but also to set a new high score for THEM. :p

Stay tuned for week 29 updates as well as the results of my smoothie experimentation.  I found some yummy and healthy ingredients and recipes I can't wait to share!  Also, stay tuned to find out how this whole Fruit Ninja thing works out.  ;)

Happy Monday!

~V