You've probably tried "eating clean." Chicken, rice, broccoli, no junk. Maybe it worked for a few weeks. Then the scale stalled, you got hungry and bored, and you had no idea what to change.
That's the problem with eating clean: there are no numbers. And when there are no numbers, you're guessing. Macros fix that.
What Are Macros?
"Macros" is short for macronutrients, the three nutrients that make up almost all the calories in your food:
Protein: 4 calories per gram
Carbs: 4 calories per gram
Fats: 9 calories per gram
Every food you eat is some mix of these three. A chicken breast is mostly protein. Rice is mostly carbs. Olive oil is pure fat. Once you know how many grams of each your body needs, food stops being a guessing game.
Calories vs. Macros: What's the Difference?
Calories decide how much weight you gain or lose. Eat less than you burn and you lose weight. That's the law, and no diet gets around it.
Macros decide what kind of weight that is. Two people can eat the exact same calories and end up with very different bodies:
Person A eats 1,600 calories with plenty of protein. They lose fat and keep their muscle, so they look leaner and more defined.
Person B eats 1,600 calories of mostly carbs and fat with little protein. They lose weight too, but more of it is muscle. They end up smaller, softer and hungrier.
Same scale weight. Completely different mirror.
What Each Macro Does for You
Protein is the most important macro when you're cutting. It helps your body hold on to muscle while you're in a calorie deficit, and it's the most filling of the three, so it helps keep hunger under control.
Carbs are your body's preferred fuel for training. They're not the enemy. They're what lets you push hard in your workouts, and they make your diet a lot easier to stick to.
Fats are essential. Your body needs them to make hormones and to absorb vitamins A, D, E and K. Cutting fat too low is a fast way to feel terrible.
Why Macros Beat Every Other Diet
No banned foods. Pizza, pasta and dessert can all fit. You just account for them.
You know exactly what to change. Scale stuck? Adjust the numbers. No more guessing.
It works for any goal. Losing fat, maintaining, or building muscle all use the same system with different numbers.
It teaches you about food. After a few weeks, you'll be able to look at a plate and know roughly what's on it.
This is why every meal plan we build at RE Fitness starts with macros. It's not a fad. It's math.
Your Next Step
Find out your own numbers. Our free calculator gives you your daily calories plus your grams of protein, carbs and fats in about 20 seconds.
The Macro Shred Start Here Series
Why Macros? (you are here)
