Why You Should Count Macros, Not Calories

Why You Should Count Macros, Not Calories

Worried about your calorie count?

You shouldn’t be. According to nutrition experts, your concern should be focused on macros.

What exactly are macros?

Macros is a shorthand for macronutrients, comprised of major food types we get energy from: carbohydrates, fat, and protein.

Rather than counting calories, we should simply focus on the foods we’re eating; it’s not the number of calories that’s important, but the type of calories they are.

calorie-counting

How do you count macros?

According to Dr Ali Hill, a registered nutritionist and course leader in Applied Human Nutrition at Solent University, who spoke to Cosmopolitan UK, says that you’ll first need to calculate your basal metabolic rate or BMR. This is the rate at which your body uses energy, which varies from person to person.

The formula would look something like this: BMR + (4.35 x weight in lbs) + (4.7 x height in inches) – (4.7 x age).

Related: This is the Time of Day You Burn the Most Calories

And that’s…not all. (We didn’t say this would be easy.) You’d then need to multiply this by your daily activity level; 1.2 for those with desk jobs who do little or no exercise, 1.375 for light exercise 1-3 times per week, 1.55 for moderate exercise 3-5 times per week, and 725 for heavy exercise 6-7 times per week.

The final answer is how many macros you should eat in a day!

Photo Credit: Dragon Images/Shutterstock.com; Africa Studio/Shutterstock.com

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