Balance Your Macronutrient Intake for Healthy Weight Loss

If you ignore the quality of the calories you consume and fail to lose the weight in a healthy way, you are much more likely to regain the weight than someone who achieved weight loss consuming a nutritional balance of protein, carbs and fat. When your meal plan is customizable, the flexibility of consuming healthy amounts of these macronutrients becomes empowering and does not feel restrictive. Obesity affects one in three adults and understanding how to maintain the best balance of macronutrients could be critical in collectively achieving healthier body weights for all Americans.

• PROTEIN – When it comes to reducing hunger, your gut uses protein to make hormones that slow digestion to keep you feeling fuller, longer. This in turn slows the release of glucose into your blood to stabilize blood sugar levels and prevent insulin spikes. Proteins are made of amino acids. There are nine essential amino acids found in all meat sources that your body cannot synthesize. Protein deficiency can contribute to lack of energy, loss of concentration, weakness, mood swings and difficulty sleeping.
• FAT – If you were told to avoid all fats, you need to rethink the role of this important macronutrient. Fats help your body produce important hormones. Healthy fats are good for you but try to eat most of your fat from unsaturated sources, such as avocados, nuts, olive oil and seeds, rather than saturated fats. You should always try to avoid unhealthy fats from foods like French fries, margarine, hydrogenated oils and trans fat.
• CARBOHYDRATES – Carbohydrates do not make you fat or keep you from losing weight as long as you are consuming them within the context of how much energy your body needs on a given day. Added sugars are not naturally occurring and are defined as those added to foods during preparation or processing. Major sources of added sugars include soft drinks, cookies, cakes, pies, fruit punches, dairy desserts and candy.

Shedding unwanted weight, building muscle mass, and maintaining a healthy weight would be easy if one-size-fits-all. However, everyone has to take a different road to get his or her ideal body. If you are insulin resistant and your macro menus are moving the scales in the right direction, try increasing your fat intake while reducing your carbohydrate intake. After all, the overall goal of weight loss should be to reduce fat deposits while preserving lean muscle tissue. Moreover, when it comes to choosing what to eat more of and what to cut back on, consider the end goal of living a healthier, happier life.