Is It Better to Count Calories or Macros?

It’s a common question among nutrition aficionados: Is it better to count macros or calories? Thankfully, this isn’t a tough debate to settle. In the macros vs. calorie debate, there is a fairly simple answer: Counting macros is counting calories.

However, counting macronutrients provides more benefits than simply counting calories. So, let’s break down this argument and delve into why tracking macronutrients can enhance overall health and wellness more effectively than counting calories.

Calories vs. Macros: What’s the Difference?

It’s important to understand the two terms before you can really decide whether counting calories or tracking macros is best for you. So what are macros and what are calories?

• Calories are a unit of heat or energy used by the body to fuel all of its functions and activities. According to the USDA, adult women need roughly 1600 to 2400 calories per day, and men need about 2000 to 3000 calories per day, depending on their activity level and goals.

• Macros or macronutrients provide the body with calories—or energy—in varying amounts. Carbohydrates and protein each provide 4 calories per gram, and fat provides 9 calories per gram. Alcohol, sometimes considered the fourth macronutrient, provides 7 calories per gram.

Since macronutrients provide calories, you can see how counting macros is a variation of counting calories. But beyond just providing energy, each macronutrient plays various roles in the body. When you are trying to reach a specific fitness or health goal, such as weight loss or muscle gain, you want to tailor your intake of each macro to best serve your needs.

For instance, if your goal is to gain muscle, you’ll want to make sure you get enough protein since that macro helps to build and maintain muscle mass. If your goal is weight loss, you want to be sure you get balanced amounts of each macro to make sure you feel full and satisfied throughout the day while also maintaining steady energy levels.

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The bonus to counting macros is that when you set up your macro diet, you can tailor it to reach both calorie and macro targets. But tracking macros provides a level of specificity that just counting calories can’t provide.

When you track macros, you don’t just ensure that you get the calories you need to function, you also ensure that you get the type of calories you need to help your body function at its best so you can reach your goals faster.

In Macro Diet for Dummies, I walk you through the process of determining your macro needs in a step-by-step format to help you reach whatever health or fitness goal you set for yourself.

Counting Macros vs Calories: The Bottom Line

Counting macros requires a little bit more work in the beginning. But the payoff is significant. There are three reasons that the benefits of macro tracking outweigh the benefits of counting calories alone.

• Improved nutrition: When you count calories, there is no incentive to choose healthier foods. You can reach calorie goals by eating nothing but candy and soda, but you are likely to feel the effects of rapid blood sugar swings, energy dips or surges, and hunger throughout the day. When you track macros, on the other hand, you’ll build a more balanced plate at mealtime, and you’re encouraged to consume a greater variety of foods, which can help nudge you towards choosing nutrient-rich options.

• Better customization: Calorie goals can help you to lose or gain weight. In some cases, weight gain or weight loss can improve your health in a general sense. But macro tracking allows for greater customization to help you reach more specific goals. For instance, a runner who wants to lose weight and a weight lifter who wants to lose weight may have the same calorie goal. However, the runner will adjust their macros to provide more carbohydrates for sustained energy, while the weight lifter will try to consume more protein to build muscle mass.

• Promotes abundance rather than restriction: If you’ve ever counted calories you know that feeling of restriction that comes along with it. You often deny yourself certain foods because the calorie cost is too high. But with macro tracking, the focus shifts to consumption rather than denial. You are encouraged to fill up on protein-rich foods, healthy fats, and fiber-rich carbs so that you can nail your targets. Yes, there is a built-in calorie limit, but “filling up” feels far better than “cutting back” as you navigate food choices throughout the day.

There is no one-size-fits-all program when it comes to nutrition. The more you can tailor your food plan to meet your individualized needs, the more enjoyable and sustainable it becomes. Macro tracking allows for that customization. And with the abundance of apps and other macro tracking tools, like Macro Diet for Dummies, it’s a system that anyone can follow to feel healthier and stronger throughout the day.