Counting Calories and Macros: Which Is More Effective?

Counting calories for weight loss used to be one of the most well-known strategies for shedding pounds and improving one’s health. However, macros are recently taking over the spotlight. What are the differences between counting calories and macros? Which one is better?

How Is Counting Calories Different from Macros?

Calories are energy units. When we calculate calories throughout the day, we effectively count the energy we receive from the food we consume. So, if we consume 2,000 calories in a day, we are consuming 2,000 units of energy.

Macros are similar to calories in that they are both measurable units of energy derived from food. However, macronutrients, carbs, lipids, and proteins, are the three essential components of nutritional health.

When we count macros, we measure how much of each nutrient we get from our diet in a day. This enables us to adjust our nutritional intake to meet our health objectives. Macro Calculations are calculated based on body weight, height, and activity levels. They may be modified to meet your weight loss goals.

This can be a very effective way if you’re interested in using specific numbers and calculations to control your weight rather than aiming for a more generic measuring method. However, for others, keeping track of macronutrient consumption and meeting goals can be challenging and time-consuming.

Benefits of Counting Calories

As we said before, counting macros takes a little more time than counting calories, so it’s reasonable that people want to know if it’s worth their time. That’s why many people turn to the easier and less time-consuming method, counting calories. Here are some of the benefits of counting calories:

Increased Chance of Success of Losing Weight

According to the National Weight Control Registry, 74% of persons who successfully lose weight check their food consumption on a regular basis. You will be more conscious of how much you are consuming if you monitor your calories.

Review for Later Use

Making behavioral adjustments isn’t always straightforward. If you were successful in losing weight for a period of time, examining the calorie log will help you identify what you were consuming while you were losing weight.

Get Some Extra Help

Bring the food and calorie journal with you the next time you see your doctor or a nutritionist. The specialist can go over your diet and provide recommendations based on what you’ve been consuming. For example, suppose you’re also attempting to decrease your cholesterol. In that case, a nutritionist might point out items that may be interfering with your efforts.

How to Lose Weight Without Counting Calories

low carb diets - ss | Counting Calories vs Macros: Which Is More Effective?

In case you want to lose some weight but you’re not interested in the concept of counting macros or counting calories, then this is how you do it.

Replace Your Grain-Based Breakfast With Eggs

Two different studies have found that eating eggs in the morning (as opposed to bagels for breakfast) can help you lose weight without even trying. The group who ate breakfast with only eggs had lost significantly more weight than the one with breakfast consisting of bagels.

Eating From Smaller Plates

By doing this, you’re tricking your mind into thinking that you’re eating more than you probably should. As a result, you will eat less than usual.

Eat More Protein

There is a lot of evidence that protein can help you lose weight naturally by increasing fat burning and decreasing appetite. Protein, in fact, has been shown in tests to increase metabolism more than any other macronutrient.

Eat Less Carb

Reducing your carb intake is one of the greatest methods to start losing weight without calorie tracking or portion management. Studies demonstrate that people who consume fewer carbs naturally begin to eat fewer calories and lose weight without much effort.

Should You Try Losing Weight by Counting Calories

To lose weight, you must consume fewer calories than you burn. Some folks can accomplish this without even counting calories. Others feel that counting calories are an excellent approach to build and maintain a mindful deficit.

Those considering calorie tracking should bear in mind that not all calories are created equal in terms of their impact on health and other elements that influence weight loss, such as hunger and hormones. Another great solution is to seek help from healthcare professionals and weight management experts.

The team of experienced healthcare professionals with many years working on weight management can help you decide whether counting calories or macros is the one for you.

Get SAFE, EFFECTIVE, and CUTTING-EDGE therapies for health optimization at YM. Contact us to schedule your FREE consultation at our four offices in Florida, Ocala, Fruitland Park, and Daytona. 2020 is DONE. Let’s SLAY 2021!

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Counting Calories vs. Macros: Which Is More Effective?