Calories are a unit of measure for energy. Our body uses this energy to sustain all the functions of living. We are constantly burning calories as energy even during sleep. It takes energy to exchange air in our lungs or for our heart to pump blood throughout our body.
When we relate calories to food, we are actually referring to the amount of energy the food will provide for our body as fuel for metabolic needs. Weight loss occurs when we burn more energy than we consume.
A macronutrient is a required substance for living organisms. The three main macronutrients are protein, carbohydrates and fat. There are varying theories as to how much of each your body really needs, but I am taking a conservative approach and including an almost even amount of all three. I will be using a 40/30/30 split. That means that of my daily caloric needs, 40% will come from protein and 30% will come from carbohydrates and fat.
Macronutrients provide calories needed for bodily functions. They yield differing amounts. One gram of protein provides 4 calories. One gram of fat provides 9 calories. One gram of carbohydrates provides 4 calories. This explains why healthy fats have a large calorie price tag. It does not take as much volume of fats to reach the caloric needs compared to a protein source.
These macronutrients all serve different purposes in our body and are important. Protein is important in maintaining and creating muscle tissue. If you lift weights, you will need a significant more amount of protein than the standard recommended daily amount. Lifting weights breaks down the muscle tissue and dietary protein intake is necessary to rebuild that broken down protein. Carbohydrates are considered protein (muscle) sparing. This means that if adequate amounts of carbohydrates are available to your body, the body will use them as fuel first and use the protein for growth and repair. If you do not have a sufficient amount of carbohydrates, your body might turn to muscle to break it down for fuel. This is why timing your carbohydrates around your training is an effective strategy for weight loss and muscle building. Fats are very important! Do not believe the trend that low fat is a good thing. Fats are required for hormone syntheses and keep your hair, skin and nails healthy. We will go into more detail about each of these important macronutrients in future posts.
The main concept I want to enforce with this post is actually the importance of eating real food. Take a moment to realize that the food you are choosing to eat is more than just what might have sounded tasty. It is literally the fuel your body uses to provide all necessary energy needs for your body to function.
Stay tuned to learn about the importance of whole food (real food) and meal planning.
- FitWhitt
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