Team VHAF Macro Cheat Sheet

A key component to anyone’s diet is beginning to understand macronutrients (proteins, fats, and carbohydrates) and the role they play in our nutrition. That is why Ready To Win puts such a large focus on macro’s and finding the right combination of them for you and your body. Proteins, fats, and carbohydrates (macros) help make up all the foods that you eat, and can be combined differently for each distinct individual. You will start to become more in tune with your body and will begin to recognize the correct combination of macros that works best for you as you progress.

By tracking your food intake through MyFitnessPal we will be able to help find your optimal combination of fats, proteins, and carbs. Some people will operate well off of the same macronutrient split, while others will operate optimally off of a polar opposite split. This is okay and expected, everyone is different and everyone will have slightly different macro combinations. While your caloric intake ultimately dictates fluctuation in your body weight and body fat percentage; we still want to put a strong focus on your macros, because of the opportunity to combine body composition changes with improved health markers.

Protein

Proteins are essential nutrients for the human body and are the building block of tissue. Protein is the most important macro when it comes to building and preserving lean body mass and can also can be very satiating. Protein holds an efficient amount of energy as it carries 4 calories per gram, which is the same as a carbohydrate. Protein can be used as energy, but is the last resort for the body when choosing fuel sources (carbs are the body’s primary energy source followed by fats, and then finally protein). Protein plays an essential role in all recovery, but specifically muscle protein synthesis. Protein is found in: all meat, poultry, fish, seafood, eggs, plant-based products like rice/pea protein supplements, beans, quinoa, lentils, nuts, seeds, and trace amounts in whole grains. It is very important to note that when a certain amounts (different for everyone but typically larger amounts) of protein are eaten there is a spike in insulin. This means that those that are “keto”, but indulge in too much protein then by definition will not be in “ketosis”. People that eat to little protein typically recover slower and will have more atrophy in their lean body mass, when compared to an individual that eats an adequate amount of protein.

Fat

Fat is another nutrient essential to life and extremely important for brain health and hormone function.   It’s another great fuel source for our bodies, carrying 9 calories per gram (the most out of all the macros and even more than alcohol). Higher fat diets tend to be more satiating and responsible for keeping us feeling full between meals. It can provide texture and flavor to our foods. Fats are used to absorb specific nutrients such as fat-soluble vitamins, and are important for hormone regulation. Fats are found in: high-fat meats, certain fish/seafood, nuts, seeds, avocado, oils, coconut products, and olives.

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are the body’s preferred and primary energy source carrying 4 calories per gram. They are important for initiating your natural insulin response. Insulin is responsible for shuttling carbs (glucose), amino acids, and blood fats into the cells of the body. It is considered the main anabolic hormone and is responsible for processes such as glycogenesis, lipogenesis, and muscle protein synthesis.