What's More Important for Weight Loss: Calories or Macros?
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Alright sister, if you’re in that weight loss mindset, I know you’re also probably in that “I need to count every single calorie I eat” mindset.
Real Talk: We toss the word "calorie" around all the time, but do we even know what a calorie actually is? If we don't know what a calorie is, how can we be so sure counting then will help us lose weight?
In this episode, I chat with you about why counting calories isn't everything it's cracked up to be and why you'll find so much more success when you start counting macros instead.
What you'll learn in this episode:
What a calorie actually is
How all calories are created equal
How all nutrients are not created equal
What macronutrients are
The benefits of each macronutrient
What happens when you don't eat enough of each macronutrient
How many calories are in each macronutrient
How your calories automatically ad up when you count your macros
The reason why you don't want to focus only on calories and not macros
If you love this episode, you’ll also love…
Episode 18: What Happens When You Don’t Eat Enough
Learn more about macro counting and get your customized macros here.
TRANSCRIPT:
Hey, there beautiful human. You're listening to Embrace Your Real with me, Julie Ledbetter, a podcast where I empower you to just be you. With each episode, I dish you a dose of real talk and actionable advice for building your confidence, honoring your body, and unconditionally loving your authentic self. Stay tuned if you're ready to embrace your real. Let's get it, Let's go.
Hello, and welcome back to the Embrace Your Real Podcast. I am so grateful that you are spending some time with me today, wherever you are in this beautiful world, whether you're walking, you're jogging, you're cooking, you're cleaning, you're working out, you're doing the dang thing. You're choosing to show up for yourself and prioritize yourself. I'm so proud of you, and I'm so grateful that you are here.
Now, if you're in that weight loss mindset, which I know a lot of women are, because I work with a lot of women on a daily basis, and that is probably top five things that I talk about on a daily in my DMs. I know most of you are probably in this I need to count every calorie mindset. So in this episode, I want to chat with you about why calories aren't what you should be focusing on, and why macros are so much more important.
So if you've ever been curious about that, if you've kind of dabbled into macro counting, but you don't really know why it's more effective, or why you should count macros over calories tune into this episode. Before we dive in, I want to read the review of the day comes from [JerryBerry23. 00:01:31] She says, "This is everything. Julie is a light that women of all ages can draw strength from. Her story is relatable on so many levels for women in today's world, where your size and the number on the scale are held in such a high regard, and your overall wellbeing is grazed over. Super thankful for all the wisdom and self love that Julie teaches in every single episode."
Thank you so much for the review. If you haven't already rated and reviewed the podcast, what are you waiting for? If you listen on Apple Podcasts, all you got to do is scroll all the way down, click the rate and review button. It takes less than 30 seconds. I'm so grateful. If you do, please screenshot it, post it in a DM, send it to me, and I will personally respond back to you. I love chatting with you ladies.
All right, so let's chat about calories. Let's start there. Now, we toss the word calories around all the time, but oftentimes I don't think we really know what a calorie is. I know for me, when I first started in this journey about eight years ago, I really didn't know what a calorie was. We grew up seeing calories, hearing about calories, hearing about low calorie, and counting calories, and all the things, but do you know what it is? In its simplest form, it's a unit of measurement, but if we go a little bit deeper, it's a unit of energy that your body uses to function, hence why you eat calories to have more energy, and why you burn calories when you move your body, because your body needs to exert energy to perform the movement.
Now I'm guessing we've all heard the saying all calories are not created equal, right? Well, I'd like to kind of argue that statement for a moment. So hear me out, if this is something that you have believed, all calories are not created equal. At the end of the day, 2,000 calories worth of donuts is the exact same as 2,000 calories worth of broccoli. Now don't just shut it off and be like, "No, you're wrong." Let me continue. Both are 2,000 calories. You would never tell me that 2,000 pounds of stone isn't the same as 2,000 pounds of brick, because they both weigh 2,000 pounds, right? It's a unit of measurement. A calorie will be a calorie, just how a pound will always be a pound, right?
So a calorie, though, really can't be good or bad, because all it really is, is a unit of measurement, and a unit of measurement does not change regardless of the food, just how a pound will always be a pound, no matter what you're weighing. So you could argue that 2,000 pounds of stone is different than 2,000 pounds of brick because they're made from different materials. And the same can be said for donuts and broccoli. Yes, they're both 2,000 calories worth, but that 2,000 calories are made up of different nutrients. So what the saying, all calories are not created equal should really be, not all nutrients are created equal, because that's really what it's referring to.
So let's correct it. Not all nutrients are created equal. So what are nutrients? Let's dive into that. There are two different types of nutrients. You have your macronutrients, or macros. If you've tuned into any of my episodes, you have most likely heard me talking about macro counting, or macros, which are your protein, carbs, and fats. And then you also have your micronutrients, which are vitamins, mineral, and water. Now each nutrient has something different to offer your body. Your body needs a certain amount of nutrients daily to be nourished properly. Plus, when you give your body the exact amount of nutrients it needs, you're able to build the body that you want. Let's talk about each macronutrient individually, to understand the specific benefits that each one has.
First, let's start with protein. So your muscles need protein to recover, build, and grow. Without protein, it's literally impossible to build muscle, and without muscle, it's literally impossible to change your body composition, and build the body that you want. Plus protein boosts your metabolism and increases your calorie burn. And another thing that I love about protein is that it's the most satiating, meaning that it's the macro that's going to keep you fullest, longest.
These are things I wish I would have known years ago, because if you've heard any of my previous episodes, just talking about my backstory, I was so scared of protein, and yet protein is so essential to your overall health and fitness goals, and just in general of feeling fuller longer. It's incredible what the proper amount of protein in your body can do to just make you feel more full, and also help assist you to build those muscles, to recover, and to grow.
Now, let's move on to fat. If you think the fat you eat gets stored as excess body fat, you couldn't be further than wrong. Now let me break this down, because I know that was me when I first started out. The process of burning fat actually requires dietary fat, the fat that you eat. So believe it or not, the fat that you might be trying to get rid of, like around your belly, around your thighs, or on your butt, it needs you to consume nourishing fats in order for you to burn it. So without it, your body's going to try to hang on for dear life to excess fat.
You also have to understand that we're a female body, and we're designed to carry fat in certain areas of our life. So I don't want you to be so fixated on, you can't spot reduce. That's impossible. So you can't just say, "I want to get rid of the fat on my belly." Or, "I want to get rid of the cellulite." Or whatever. It's not possible to spot reduce your body. You can slowly, over time, reduce your body fat percentage, which inevitable, you're going to lose fat on your body, but everybody's DNA and makeup is totally different.
So you can't say, "I want this part of my body to be slimmer here." It's just not possible, and that was a lie that I bought into just from reading so many of these magazines. I would read all of these myths, and I'd be like, "Oh, I want to lose that here." And then I'm like, "I can't." And it's so frustrating, and I was just going around in circles, because it's just not possible, right? Fat is also needed to absorb fat soluble vitamins. So it helps to produce certain hormones, which gives you energy, and also aids in your digestion.
So without having fat, you won't be able to burn fat, and you would have certain vitamin deficiencies. Your hormones would be out of balance, and because your hormones are out of balance, it leads to all other hormones to be out of balance, which could leave you being constipated. So although not all fats are created equal, and eating too many processed fats will actually switch you from fat burning mode to fat storing mode, it's still so important that you eat fat. I remember when I first was on this journey, I was like, "Well, I don't want to get fat, or I don't want to keep this fat. So I'm not going to eat fat." And I didn't realize what a vital macronutrient fat is in my hormones, and just the overall process of how our body works. So do not cut your fat. Your body needs fat.
And here is why you need carbs. Now carbs are probably the number one thing that women think that they need to cut when they are going on a "diet," or when they're trying to lean up, or when they're trying to tone up. And unless you're in ketosis, which is a strict keto diet, which I don't recommend, personally, because I have found that it's not sustainable for the many women that have gone onto it. Now you could be listening to this, and you could be years into keto and be like, "That's what works for me." That's great. I am a huge advocate for finding what works for you. Now, when I say finding what works for you, I mean, not just in six months, but in a year, in three years, in five years. I'm eight years on this journey, and I have pretty much tried everything, and I have found what works best for me. And for me, it's learning how to properly fuel my body, and it's not limiting my carbs. It's not limiting my fat. It's not limiting my protein.
It's having a moderate amount of all of those, because that's what's sustainable for me. Now, your carbs is your number one source of fuel. So if you don't eat enough carbs, not only will you not have enough energy to do the things that you need to do throughout your day, but your organs won't also have the energy to carry out their different processes. For example, both your metabolism and your digestion will slow down because your body doesn't have enough energy to function optimally, and your body is trying to conserve the energy that it does have. So as for us women, who are a majority of us listening, our hormones are very sensitive, and eating a low carb diet for too long will typically cause hormonal imbalances, and put you into a fat storing mode.
Also not to mention just I have found over the years that I can not restrict my carbs to a low amount, because I just get hangry, and I'm not fun to be around, and I don't enjoy social situations. I am all about creating that healthy, sustainable lifestyle that you feel your best. So it's really, really important that you don't restrict your carb intake. Carbs are especially important when it comes to building muscle. Now, not only do you need carbs to get the energy through for your workouts, but you also need the carbs for your muscles to recover and grow after your workout. Plus, carbs prevent you from losing muscle, which is something that you definitely don't want to do. So there's tons of different things, and as you can see, just going through protein, going through fat, and going through carbs, each specific macronutrient has a specific end goal, if you will, that it's doing in your body.
So you need to make sure that you're eating enough for what your body needs. Now you might be listening to this, and you're like, "Man, I don't know. I don't know how much I'm eating." That's okay. We all start somewhere, and I remember when I first got into this, I was like, "I have no idea." And it was so eye opening to me to learn the process, and to tell myself, this is not a diet. This is me choosing to fuel my body enough for what it needs. Now, a few signs that you're not eating enough carbs could be you're tired all the time, you struggle to concentrate, the bloating is real. That's right. Not enough carbs can even cause bloating, and that was something that I had no idea about, right. Previously, before I started macro counting, and fueling my body optimally, and really getting my metabolism into a healthy place, I was bloated all the time.
And I was like, it's so weird. I keep eating less and less, and I keep getting bloated more and more. And it's because your body needs a certain amount of these macronutrients or otherwise, things don't properly work. Another sign is you feel hungry after eating, you experience irregular digestion, you're gaining weight. Since your body needs carbs, it will begin producing sugar on its own, and then store it for later because it's in "starvation mode." So there's tons of different signs, and these are just a few that I mentioned. Being hangry, I mean, there's so many other signs that you might not be eating enough carbs, but you kind of get the point. So why do you want to count macros instead of calories? Kind of going back to the initial question of why macro counting is so effective in terms of reaching your health and fitness goals.
Now, I think you kind of have a good understanding of how food is more than just calories. There's also macronutrients, and as you can see, each macro plays a crucial role in the functioning of your body, as well as overall just building the body that you want. So let's say that your calorie goal is 2,000 calories a day. If you're only counting calories and nothing else, you could easily consume 2,000 calories of only carbohydrates or very, very little protein and fat, and a lot of carbs. While yes, carbs are extremely important, your body can also store so many at a time, and the excess will just get stored as fat, right?
So the same is true for fat and protein. So by counting your macros, not only does it ensure that you are eating enough of each macro, but it also ensures that you aren't overeating a certain macro for your specific body. So when it comes to having daily macro goals, your calories will automatically add up to what it should be. Now, if I'm losing you, take a second, breathe. Let me explain. Each gram of carb and protein contains four calories, and every gram of fat contains nine calories. So this is often the biggest question that I get when people start counting macros is they're like, "Do I need to still be counting calories?"
And I'm like, "Nope." You just need to count your macros, and eventually your calories will add up. And it's because each one gram of protein, and one gram of carbs have four calories, and one gram of fat have nine calories. So let's say your goal is to eat 2,000 calories a day with a macro breakdown of 200 grams of carbs, 65 grams of fat, and 155 grams of protein. Since one gram of carb contains four calories, that means that 200 grams of carbs is equivalent to 800 calories. So 800 of the 2,000 calories that I'm consuming is coming from carbs.
Since one gram of protein contains four calories, that means 155 grams of protein is equivalent to 620 calories. And then since one gram of fat contains nine calories, that means 65 grams of fat is equivalent to 585 calories. So when you add up those total calories, you're right at about 2,000 calories. So as you can see, counting macros automatically counts your calories for you, while at the same time ensures that you're not neglecting specific duties from each macronutrient that they do for your body, and in your body. Plus when you count calories, it also allows you the opportunity to conquer those fear foods, and to remind yourself that you can properly fuel your body by having that bagel and cream cheese if you want to.
Learning how to properly fuel your body while still allowing yourself foods that you love, because ultimately I've said it before, and I'll say it again, sustainability is what we're after. We are after creating that sustainable approach, but also helping you reach your health and fitness goals. I'm not going to tell you that you can just go straight into working out, and trying to properly fuel your body if you don't have any sort of education. I have found that so many women will be under eating on a certain thing, and overeating on a certain thing if they have no baseline. Now, does this mean that you're going to be counting macros for the rest of your life? No, probably not.
The majority of women will learn the tool of macro counting, and then, over time, they'll find what works for them, whether that's only when they have a specific goal, maybe they go back to macro counting to really tone up, or to make sure that they're eating properly, or just kind of check in with yourself a few times a year. But it does take a solid, anywhere from six months to a few years of counting macros regularly so that you can practice the habit of proper fueling your body.
Because, I know for me, eight years ago, if I would have went straight into intuitive eating, I, personally, this is just my opinion, I totally believe that there's going to be people listening to this that disagree, and that's okay. We are all entitled to our opinion. I'm not saying one is better than the other. This is just my personal experience. If I would have went straight from my total restriction mode into intuitive eating to try and reach my health and fitness goals, I wouldn't have been able to get there, because I didn't have any sort of concept of what 155 grams of protein looked like, or felt like in my body. I had no concept whatsoever of 200 grams of carbs.
I had this severe mindset of like, wow, that's so many carbs. There's no way. And until I started learning how to properly fuel my body and see results from eating enough food for what my body needs, that's when I was like, wow, this is actually working. This is something that I'm learning. And so I think it's so important that every person learns the tool of macro counting. Again, it's totally up to you what you choose to do with that tool in the future, but having that tool in your toolbox of just properly fueling your body can really serve you longterm. Now, I truly, like I said, believe that this is a sustainable approach for those who might not have any idea how to properly fuel your body, but you do have health and fitness goals, because don't restrict your food.
You don't label it as good or bad. You're able to fit whatever foods you want, in moderation, into your daily allotment of macros. Keep in mind every single person's macros are different. So we all have different heights, different weights, different activity levels, different metabolic capacities, based on what we've previously done in the past. We all have different training styles. So it's really important that when you go into this, you have some sort of customized approach to your nutrition, and if you want to learn more, I do have a program. I don't want to make this about that, but I did want to make you aware that I do have a program that teaches you step by step, and we personally calculate your macros, and we show you step by step, how to do it.
And the reason that we do that is because we want to empower you to feel like you know exactly what you need to do once you get it. We don't want you to come back to us year, after year, after year, we want to empower you so that you know how to properly feel your body. You know how to calculate your macros. You know what to do when your body progresses or stalls, you know what to do when your goals change, when life changes, things like that.
So that's the whole goal of our macro counting program. So I'll put the link in the show notes below. If you have questions, that page should answer any of them. You can always feel free to DM me if you have further questions, but there you have it. That is why I believe counting macros is more beneficial than counting calories. Now, if you loved this episode, I know that you'll love episode 19. If you haven't tuned into that, or if you haven't tuned in in a while, What Happens When You Don't Eat Enough? In this episode, I kind of give you a deeper understanding as to why eating less can cause more problems, and when you realize it actually doesn't help you lose weight. So definitely tune in to episode 19, What Happens When You Don't Eat Enough?
I hope that you found this helpful. I know that this was kind of like a lot of numbers, and I just want to reiterate that it's just like anything new, right? So you might be listening to this and you're like, "Julie, this is gibberish to me." Trust me, I've been in your shoes. I remember that feeling of like, whoa, this is a whole new world. But here's the thing I truly believe investing in yourself, and the tools that you need to properly fuel your body is one of the best investments that you can make, because this is not just like, "Hey, I'm going to pay you to create a meal plan for me that I have no idea what to do, or what happens when you go off the meal plan, or when you go on vacation."
It's not really empowering you to make sustainable life choices, and the beautiful thing about macro counting is it helps you to understand how to properly fuel your body. Not Sally's body, not Josie's body, not Bella's body, but your body, because we all have different bodies, which all requires a different amount of macronutrients to properly fuel our body. I hope that this episode serves. If you need to go back, listen to it again as many times as you need to. If you got questions, feel free to DM me. Feel free to check out that link in the show notes. I'll also post it up on the podcast post.
If you didn't know, every single episode on my website, JulieALedbetter.com. If you click on the podcast, you'll see literally every single episode. We have all the show notes, we have all the transcripts there for you. So if you ever want to go back and see any of the other episodes on a website, go to my blog and check that out. If you have somebody in your life that you feel like could benefit from this, if you're listening on Spotify, or Apple Podcasts, all you got to do is click the three dots in the top right, if you're looking at your phone right now and you can copy that link, you can share it out on your socials, you can share it out in a text message. The more the merrier, girl. Thank you so much for tuning in, and I'll talk to you guys in the next episode.
All right, sister, that's all I got for you today, but I have two things that I need you to do. First thing, if you're not already following me on the gram, be sure to do so, JulieALedbetter, yes, it's with an A in the middle for that daily post-workout real talk, healthy tips and tricks, and honest accountability to keep your mind and heart in check. The second thing, be sure to subscribe to Apple Podcasts to never miss an episode. Thank you so much for joining me. It means the absolute world, and I'm going to leave you with one last thought. The most beautiful women that I have met in my life are the ones who are completely confident and secure in being authentically themselves. Remember that beauty goes so much deeper than the surface. So go out there and embrace your real, because you're worth it.