What is macro counting?
If you have been associated with the health world, you have probably heard of ‘Macro counting’, aka, the ‘If It Fits Your Macros (IIFYM)’ diet (8). In fact, I could name at least one YouTuber who is a self-professed certified macros-coach.
IIFYM is considered an alternative approach to a more classic calorie counting weight loss diet. Unlike counting calories, IIFYM also focuses on counting macronutrients (short-form macro’s) within a set calorie allowance.
There are four types of macronutrients that provide energy, these are: per 1 g Carbohydrates provide 4kcal, Fats provide 9kcal, Protein provides 4kcal, and Alcohol 7kcal (22)
IIFYM focuses on fine-tuning a ratio of Carbs, Fat, and Protein only after a determined daily calorie goal.
Since these energy-providing macronutrients also have different roles in the body with carbohydrates being critical for brain function (20), proteins being the infrastructure of muscles and hormones (14), and fats being necessary for vitamin absorption (26). Considering macros can make calorie counting pale by comparison to macro counting because the body’s needs are likely to be better met. After all, all calories are not created equal.
But should you count macros?
1) It can be used to improve performance goals.
For those who have made a career out of sports the principle of macro counting could be used to optimise performance.
During low to moderate day-to-day activities muscles prioritise fat for fuel. As activity intensity increases muscles shift to carbohydrates for a primary fuel source, sometimes from the muscle itself in the form of glycogen (glucose +water) (29).
The longer the duration of moderate to intense exercise, the more depleted muscle glycogen (glucose+water) stores become (6).
Because of this, the same way in which it’s important to “top-off” a petrol tank of a car for it to function, athletes are encouraged to “top-up” muscle glycogen, which has been shown to optimise performance duration in moderate to high-intensity activities (13,27).Since athletes have been shown to underestimate perceived intake of fats and carbohydrates, there could be a benefit in macro counting in improving performance (16)
2) There are no forbidden foods
Unlike other restrictive diets like the keto diet, and the paleo diet, the IIFYM approach has no forbidden food groups (8), as long as the food fits into the macro count it’s all good.
Having no good/bad food labels means that the guilt that may come with restrictive diets (9) will stay at bay, allowing for a more pleasant experience.
With all-permission IIFYM is also called The “flexibility diet” (8), but context must also be considered…for example, scouting out nutritional information before eating out to pre-empt going over macro allowance for the day, whilst adjusting all other meals may not be so freeing.
The flexibility that comes with being care-free about what to eat is opposed to the careful consideration needed for how much to eat. It comes down to individual perspective.
3) Steppingstone to better eating quality
Unlike calorie counting, macro counting looks beyond calories helping increase awareness of food.
IIFYM can become a stepping-stone by which an individual may become “conditioned for complexity”, where informed food choices relating to macronutrients in general, may lead to increased ability to learn the subtypes of each macronutrient and their food sources, leading to better eating quality.
For example, simple carbohydrates like sucrose (a fancy name for table sugar); which is commonly high in processed foods like cake and soft drinks (19) and complex carbohydrates like pectin; a dietary fibre found in whole grains (15), are types of carbohydrate. knowledge of these subtypes and health associations (24) could improve eating variety (32)
While there are some benefits to the applications of macro counting, there are some downsides too.
1) There isn’t an emphasis on micronutrients.
With macronutrients taking centre-stage, micronutrients (your vitamins and minerals) (31) are kept out of the spotlight.
Though IIFYM does encourage making “health foods a priority” such as opting for fats from plant-based sources (23) theoretically individuals could still primarily meet their macros with processed foods that are less nutrient-rich, increasing the risk of low dietary intake of vitamins and minerals (2).
Indeed, a study assessing micronutrient quality of weight-loss diets that focused on macronutrients found a significant proportion of women with inadequacy of a substantial amount of micronutrients like vitamins E and C (12).
2) Tracking may put people at risk of eating disorders
Though well-intentioned, the use of food scales, which has been considered ‘Gold standard’ in IIFYM (25), could do more harm than good.
it’s possible that the habitual tracking of food intake could lead to eating disorder (ED) symptoms like an increase in eating concerns and dietary restriction, with no prior history of an ED (28)
One study looking at those recovering from disorders such as anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa found that 73% of those using a calorie tracking device attributed some of their symptoms to its use (17).
3) Risk of over- and under-eating
Because our daily energy need is influenced by many factors sticking to a set daily calorie allowance (determined by a macro calculator or predictive equation) (23), can be impractical.For instance, how hot or cold your environment is (11) the amount of teas and coffees (1) or number of cigarettes you have in a day (21) as well as what stage you are in your menstrual cycle; whether pre-ovulation or post-ovulation (7), can all impact the amount of energy your body uses up.
Even choosing a horror film or a rom-com affects energy needs! (30) Which is reflective of how emotions impact energy requirements.
These factors among others can result in over- or under-eating, resulting in discomfort.
Final thoughts
Whilst there are benefits to those requiring specific amounts of macronutrients for enhanced performance and improved awareness of nutrients and their food sources, these benefits pale in comparison to the risk such as potential disordered eating along with a being above or below actual energy needs.Let me emphasise that the IIFYM diet as its foundation is predominantly as a weight-loss diet (reducing calories by around 20%) (8), with it can come a host of other issues outside of those that come with tracking without restriction.
Essentially, when you lose weight your body responds to try shift back to its biologically defined “stead state” through internal regulators that drive a desire to eat above energy requirements until the initial weight is gained or even surpassed (18) So yes, though technically it isn’t a lie when these IIFYM promise weight loss (3,6), it’s just short-lived (5).The phenomenon called ‘adaptive thermogenesis’ is seen in competitions like ‘” The Biggest Loser” where a significant amount of weight loss is regained (10)…beginning the pattern of yo-yo dieting and its adverse health effects (4)
Main takeaway
With all this being said, there is something we can learn from IIFYM it is to be curious about which food is a source of what macronutrient and incorporating this in a way that can work for our body’s fluctuating energy needs. This can be met with intuitive eating, for more on this topic, read a previous blog post.
Disclaimer: This blog is to provide a research-based perspective and is for informational purposes only.
Written by Augustina Guye
References
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