Weight loss is an ongoing battle for millions of people. There are people who have tried every sort of diet fad, and they may feel like there are way too many options when it comes to losing weight and living a healthy lifestyle. There are experts that will give advice on everything from a low carb meal plan to workouts and natural pre workout supplements. One weight loss measure that has stood the test of time is calorie counting. Ever since calories have been understood, people have been counting their calories in order to lose weight and keep their weight off. There are people who love this way of losing weight. There are dozens of apps that a person can download in order to count the amount of calories that they are eating in a day. Now, there are more and more people who are beginning to count macros. Do you count macros or calories? Do you believe that one is better than the other? In this article, you will find information that will help you make an informed decision about how you would like to lose weight.
What Are Calories?
Calories are basically units of energy. When you purchase food, and you read the amount of calories that are in the food, you are seeing how many units of energy that are in that item of food. Basically it is the amount of energy that you get from the food that you consume. When you take in more units of energy or calories than you work off with exercise, those energy units turn into pounds. We generally think of energy as something that should make us lose weight, but in the case of calories, too much energy that is not burned off can cause weight gain. Since that is the case, when counting calories, the goal is to eat an amount of calories that will keep you at your desired weight. Another option would be to eat over your amount of calories and burn off the excess with exercise. When you count calories, you have to count all food that you eat, and you also have to count any drink that has calories. Only when you take all consumed calories into account will you benefit from calorie tracking.
What Are Macros?
Macros are similar to calories in that they are also units of energy. The difference between macros and calories is that macros or macronutrients are more than just energy; they are nutrients. Specifically, they are the following: proteins, fats and carbohydrates. Instead of just counting the amount of energy that is in food, counting micros allows you to account for the amount of nutrition that you get from your food. When you count macronutrients, you are able to get quality out of your diet; this is because calories do not take into account what you are eating, they only focus on energy units. In theory, you could eat 2100 calories in candy a day, and you may be hitting your calorie goal, but you would be deficient in nutrients. Counting calories may keep you skinny, but counting micros will benefit your overall health.
Which One is the Best?
The answer to this question really depends on you and the way that you deal with your health. If you are a person who understands nutrition and only needs to lose a few pounds, you may have different needs than a person who does not have a good grasp on nutrition, or a person who needs to lose a large amount of weight. When it comes to ease and simplicity, calorie counting is the winner. If you get a good app, all that you have to do is plug in the food that you eat, and you will be able to see how many calories that you have consumed. With that in mind, you could lose out on nutrition if you are only looking at numbers, and you are not considering the content of what you eat. On the other hand, if you are interested in quality and not just quantity, you do well to count your macros. Macros can teach you how to eat well, and they will give you a better understanding of the nutrition that you put into your body. With macros, you are learning how to be healthy and not just how to be thin.
Get Your Best Body
Your number one goal when it comes to weight should be health. The decision about how you will count energy units is up to you, but there is nothing wrong with dibbling in both methods. When you prioritize nutritious foods, exercise and water consumption, you will put yourself on the fast track to healthy living.
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