Personally, I would rather count Macros. It allows for a more detailed approach to nutrition by tracking the proteins, carbs, and fats that you are consuming. Macro counting can be more beneficial for an individual with specific fitness goals by helping in achieving a more balanced intake of macronutrients for their goal. For example, someone who wants to build more muscle might need more protein and less carbohydrates, while an individual looking to increase endurance will have less protein and more carbohydrates in their macro plan. Cons for counting your macros could be that it is a little more complex than just calories, and like counting calories, it involves taking time and tracking something throughout the day.
Pros of counting calories
Counting your calories, on the other hand, has its own pros. The simplicity of only having to track the total energy intake is only one number, and It allows for more flexibility in your food choices. It may be beneficial some an individual who is relatively new to understanding food and their health, as well as someone who only cares about what the scale says. The cons definitely out way to pros if you ask me though. The lack of nutritional detail in this method can easily lead to nutritional imbalances. The potential for more poor food choices is prominent.
Let us put it into perspective a bit. Let’s say you were counting your calories, and your goal was 1500 cal. You picked toast and jam for breakfast equaling 175 cals; popcorn, some veggies, and a donut for lunch, that came to 688 cal. ; chicken breast, broccoli for dinner (trying to be healthy), with 210 calories. By the end of your day, you have only consumed 1073 calories. You then reward yourself with snacks before bed to make up the 400 plus calories you still have for the day. YAY! You reached your calories for the day!… But let’s now look that same day at a health and nutrition view. Your Breakfast was carbs, your lunch was carbs, and your dinner was some protein and carbs. Maybe there is some healthy fats in there, on the popcorn and chicken. Maybe you dipped your veggies in a salad dressing. Is this a sustainable?
Be aware of what you put into your body
What we put into our bodies matters. It’s what our bodies run on. Protein is one of the main things our bodies need to do things like, synthesize enzymes, maintain pH balances, defend against infections, build collagen, carry oxygen, nutrients, and hormones to where they are needed throughout the body, and SO MANY MORE. Sure, counting calories we got the needed carbohydrates to sustain life and activity with energy, but we completely missed protein.
Whether you are trying to gain weight, lose weight, tone up, shred, or just improve or maintain a healthy living, you need to know what is going into your body. Your needed macronutrients vary with what your goals are. Just like workouts for your goals, cookie cutter, one size fits all, isn’t going to work.
At the end of the, it is ultimately what will work best for you. As a health and fitness coach I choose to always start with recommending the macro approach. With a macro profile tailored to your goals there is still room for the cheat foods and snacks, but you still get all the things you need with it.
