Macronutrients (MACROS)
PROTEIN, CARBOHYDRATES, FATS!
Calories are a measure of energy.
.🥩- 1g of Protein has 4 calories.
.🥔- 1g of Carbohydrates has 4 calories.
.🥑- 1g of Fats has 9 calories
Also
🍺- 1g of Alcohol has 7 calories (but this is not classed as a Macro.)
PROTEIN 🥩
The building blocks for our muscles and pretty much everything els. Protein also has the highest thermic effect during digestion. (You burn more calories digesting protein in comparison to other macros).
CARBOHYDRATES 🥔
Fuel not only the body but the brain. No real benefits to completely eliminate carbs, (although Keto Fans will have you believe otherwise). There isn’t a set time when you should or shouldn’t eat carbs, only when looking at optimising sports performance does carbs pre/post training have any real relevance.
FATS 🥑
For the record Fats do not make you fat! Fats are vital for hormone balance, repairing of cells and transportation of nutrients.
ALCOHOL 🍺 Technically not a macro, alcohol still has a calorie count. Unlike macros, alcohol is absorbed differently from person to person. Not all calories from alcohol get digested/absorbed. Alcohol has a multitude of negative effects to the body, as it is a toxin. Your liver and kidneys process the alcohol, mostly excreting it through urine. Alcohol creates water retention (a sort of barrier) around fat cells, making it harder for your body to utilise fat as a source of energy. Regular consumers of alcohol often have the ‘bear gut’. When completely cutting alcohol out of their diet and eating in a calorie deficit, it’s common to see rapid weight loss. This weight loss is mostly due to water retention being released.