Balance Your Macronutrients to Attain Your Target Weight

Counting calories to lose weight can quickly lead to paralysis by analysis; and scrutinizing every gram of food you consume is mostly wasted effort. Instead, balance your consumption of macronutrients (carbs, protein and fat) to attain and maintain your goal weight. Managing macronutrient intake can help you lose weight and reduce body-fat levels without obsessing over calories or the number on your bathroom scale. When you force yourself to eliminate entire food groups to lose weight, the restrictive approach can lead to an unhealthy relationship with food and is simply not sustainable.

• CARBS - Carbohydrates are digested at different speeds depending on how much fiber and fat the protein source contains. Refined and processed carbohydrates release glucose into the bloodstream more quickly which can lead to overeating. Slow carbohydrates found in vegetables provide a slower release for an energy supply that lasts longer. Carbohydrates are a primary energy source to fuel your brain, muscles, nervous system and heart.
• FAT - A menu plan that includes healthy fats helps protect organs, regulates hormone production (including estrogen and testosterone), stabilizes body temperature and provides fuel for your brain. Essential fats are a necessary component of any healthy menu plan. As is the case with the best sources of carbs and protein, the fats in nuts and fatty fruits also contain fiber and beneficial micronutrients to keep you healthy.
• PROTEIN - Protein from animal sources contains all the amino acids and is considered a "complete protein", whereas vegetarian sources of protein are less complete. However, simply combining vegetarian sources of protein, such as beans and rice, forms a more complete protein. It is important to make sure you balance your protein intake throughout the day (both meals and snacks) for satiety benefits and to maximize muscle synthesis to keep tissues metabolically active.

While adding lean mass to muscles can occur alongside fat loss, neither process will happen to its full potential if you try to tackle too much at the same time. In the beginning, you need to decide which is more important to you right now, then focus on that goal. When you are trying to lose weight, you have to accept the fact that you are not going to be able to eat everything that you want. However, a macro-based menu plan should deliver enough variety to prevent boredom while you still reach your macro targets.