When you eat carbs, your body converts them to glucose (sugar) and either uses that sugar immediately or stores it as glycogen for later use, often during exercise and in between meals. The three macronutrients are carbohydrates, proteins and fats.Ĭarbohydrates give you quick energy. You'll need to learn how to read a nutrition facts label for this approach, but the benefits far outweigh the time you'll spend grasping the concept of a macro diet.

Counting macros can also help you shift your current eating habits to healthier patterns for the long term. Not only can this practice help you reach your health goals faster than focusing on calories alone, this method of food logging can also help you understand which types of food make you feel good or bad, which foods improve your athletic performance and which foods help you focus or make you drag.

First, you'll have a more balanced diet by focusing on eating a variety of nutrients that give your body energy and help your digestive system work. There are many benefits to tracking macros instead of calories. Macronutrients, also called macros for short, are the nutrient groups that your body needs in large amounts each day, including fats, carbohydrates and protein.

Instead, consider tracking your macronutrients. Trying to track every single calorie might not be your best bet, though. Tracking what you eat each day can be helpful for many who are trying to lose weight or reach certain nutrition goals. This story is part of New Year, New You, everything you need to develop healthy habits that will last all the way through 2020 and beyond.

Myfitnesspal weekly calories