Macro Meals
Macro meals are ready-to-eat meals with a strong focus on macronutrient make-up: protein, fat and carbohydrates. They're prepared with the right ratio to slide into most people's muscle growth and fat loss goals. And this is more helpful to you than meals that just issue a calorie amount, as they don't have any consideration of the macronutrient balance. Let's look at why macro meals are so important.
Why Do I Need Macro Meals?
People fail with their fitness and weight loss goals because of three main reasons:
- They're uneducated on how weight loss occurs
- They don't know how much food they're actually eating
- They don't know what macronutrients to prioritise
So, this is why macro meals exist: to take the guesswork out of "is this ok to eat?" and provide meals to be enjoyed quickly and simply.
Why Macro Meals Work?
Macro meals work for one looking to gain muscle or lose fat because they prioritise protein.
For those of you new to the weight loss/muscle growth game, protein is the cat's pyjamas for helping you:
- Grow muscle
- Stay full
- Lose weight
And it's why our macro meals here at Workout Meals are created with these goals of yours in mind -- you'll see the macros of the meal in large print on the front!
You hear some people say when they're dieting: "I've got 700 calories left, and I can eat 1800 calories a day!"
Counting calories is so 1999 -- sure, it'll still help you lose weight, but it won't be as effective as tracking your macronutrients.
Tracking Macronutrients with Macro Meals and not Calories for Weight Loss
The first issue with tracking calories is that it doesn't necessarily set you up for a decent level of satiety.
Weight loss is likely to be more successful the more full you feel.
If you're not full, you might overindulge, and when you do that weight gain can occur.
As mentioned, macro meals solve this problem as they prioritise intake of dietary protein, which should be the macronutrient you consume the most during a weight loss diet.
Protein and Weight Loss
Recent recommendations are to consume 2.3-3.1 grams of protein per kilogram of fat-free mass when fat loss is the goal. You can even go down to 1.5 if you find that number too much, but 3 is the threshold.
So if you know you have to consume 1500 calories, but don't know where to start with your macros, well, start with protein!
So if you're 85 kilograms and 15% body fat, it means you have 72.25 kilograms worth of fat-free mass.
So multiply that by 2.3 and you get 166 grams of protein. So you need to eat 166 grams of protein per day.
But how many calories is that?
Well, because protein has 4 calories per gram, we multiply 166 by 4 and get 664 calories.
That means three things:
1. We need to eat 166 grams of protein per day (for scientific reasons we'll get to in a moment)
2. That's 664 calories, a significant portion of our daily calorie intake, which means:
3. It leaves us with 836 calories (1500 calorie daily limit minus our protein calories, 664) to split between carbohydrates and fat.
Why Dietary Protein in Your Macro Meals is Critical For Fat Loss Diet
Ok, here's why protein is prioritised because:
1. It keeps us full better than carbs and fat, so we're less likely to overeat (this is a huge reason).
2. It's low in calories (just 4 calories per gram as we touched on)
3. Our bodies burn about 30% of all calories from protein just digesting it
4. It gives us great dietary satisfaction and helps maintain dietary progress
5. When weight loss subjects are overfed by 800 calories from protein, they still lose weight! This is due to thermogenesis; the heat generated by the body to digest it which burns so many calories (related to point 3)
But there's more to unpack, too.
Macro Meals for Muscle Growth and Recovery
The other big benefit of macro meals is their ability to support and preserve muscle growth and recovery. This is because of the protein intake.
It's why our meals here at Workout Meals prioritise a healthy dose of protein so you don't have to worry about any of this.
Consuming carbohydrates only: You're not getting enough protein
Resistance training is a great way to build muscle mass, giving your body a "fit" and "strong" look, amplified by a reduction in body fat.
If you're not doing it already, we'd definitely recommend you give it a try! Resistance training obviously burns calories, which works towards a calorie deficit in a weight loss diet.
And the protein from your macro meals supports all of this.
Macro Meals Can Help You Look Better Naked
Many people lose weight simply by tracking calories but don't protect their muscle mass by consuming enough protein.
This puts them at risk of developing the "skinny fat" look -- a loss of body fat but with muscle loss too.
Whilst we acknowledge resistance training might not be for everyone, for your best-looking physique in terms of muscle mass to fat ratio, it's the best option for us all.
It might seem daunting, but start small with your resistance training and build up to it slowly. You'd be amazed at how friendly seasoned lifters are in the gym; lean on them for advice.
Maybe kick start yourself with some PT sessions, which gives you so many benefits it'll make your head spin!
Eating Macro Meals for a Great Balance of Micronutrients
The danger of just tracking calories means we can't prioritise certain macronutrients. This can also leave us without enough essential vitamins and minerals. For example:
Consuming carbohydrates only: You're not getting enough protein
Consuming protein only: You're not getting enough fibre from carbohydrates, critical for health
Consuming fat only: Means you're missing out on the body's main energy source, carbohydrates (for workouts and functioning)
By focusing on the right ratio of all three macronutrients within macro meals, we're more likely to get a better balance of micronutrients, as opposed to simply eating anything that makes up our daily calorie amount.
So, that's why macro meals are important: they take into account the importance of protein as the cornerstone of a successful weight loss diet. Because protein keeps us fuller, it should be prioritised. Moreover, it supports our muscle growth and recovery, critical after the exercise we do in order to lose weight in the first place. Also, tracking macronutrients might mean we get a more balanced diet in micronutrients, as opposed to eating anything that makes up our daily calorie amount. Lastly, it can help us preserve muscle when we diet, which can prevent us from developing a "skinny fat" look. Macro meals are a great way to effortlessly get your nutrition on track.
References
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Osilla EV, Safadi AO, Sharma S. Calories. [Updated 2021 Aug 1]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2021 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK499909/
Pesta DH, Samuel VT. A high-protein diet for reducing body fat: mechanisms and possible caveats. Nutr Metab (Lond). 2014;11(1):53. Published 2014 Nov 19. doi:10.1186/1743-7075-11-53
Westerterp-Plantenga MS, Lemmens SG, Westerterp KR. Dietary protein - its role in satiety, energetics, weight loss and health. Br J Nutr. 2012 Aug;108 Suppl 2:S105-12. doi: 10.1017/S0007114512002589. PMID: 23107521.
Leaf A, Antonio J. The Effects of Overfeeding on Body Composition: The Role of Macronutrient Composition - A Narrative Review. Int J Exerc Sci. 2017;10(8):1275-1296. Published 2017 Dec 1.
Anderson JW, Baird P, Davis RH Jr, Ferreri S, Knudtson M, Koraym A, Waters V, Williams CL. Health benefits of dietary fiber. Nutr Rev. 2009 Apr;67(4):188-205. doi: 10.1111/j.1753-4887.2009.00189.x. PMID: 19335713.
Jéquier E. Carbohydrates as a source of energy. Am J Clin Nutr. 1994 Mar;59(3 Suppl):682S-685S. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/59.3.682S. PMID: 8116550.
Osilla EV, Safadi AO, Sharma S. Calories. [Updated 2021 Aug 1]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2021 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK499909/
Paddon-Jones D, Westman E, Mattes RD, Wolfe RR, Astrup A, Westerterp-Plantenga M. Protein, weight management, and satiety. Am J Clin Nutr. 2008 May;87(5):1558S-1561S. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/87.5.1558S. PMID: 18469287.
Pesta DH, Samuel VT. A high-protein diet for reducing body fat: mechanisms and possible caveats. Nutr Metab (Lond). 2014;11(1):53. Published 2014 Nov 19. doi:10.1186/1743-7075-11-53
Leaf A, Antonio J. The Effects of Overfeeding on Body Composition: The Role of Macronutrient Composition - A Narrative Review. Int J Exerc Sci. 2017;10(8):1275-1296. Published 2017 Dec 1.
Cintineo HP, Arent MA, Antonio J, Arent SM. Effects of Protein Supplementation on Performance and Recovery in Resistance and Endurance Training. Front Nutr. 2018;5:83. Published 2018 Sep 11. doi:10.3389/fnut.2018.00083
Jéquier E. Carbohydrates as a source of energy. Am J Clin Nutr. 1994 Mar;59(3 Suppl):682S-685S. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/59.3.682S. PMID: 8116550.