Our diet plays a huge role in losing fat and building muscles
Our body is so capable of multitasking that it can lose fat and build muscle at the same time. When it comes to weight loss, what you are looking for is fat loss. When you lose weight, you should be losing fat while maintaining your body's muscle mass or gaining more muscles. The key to burning fat and building muscle simultaneously lies in tracking your calorie & macronutrient intake for the day. Understanding your macronutrients and learning how to consume them can help you achieve your body goals effectively. Fitness expert, Miten Kakaiya, tells us all about macronutrients and the best macro split to build muscle and burn fat.
What are Macros?
Macronutrients (Macros) are the major nutrients that are crucial for your body to stay healthy and moving. The macronutrients give our body energy in calories which are needed for supporting basic bodily functions. There are three macronutrients namely, proteins, carbohydrates, and fats.
Protein is an important factor in healthy nutrition and helps in increasing our lean body mass by building muscle. It is the building block of all muscle and muscle synthesis and is a source of amino acids that are vital for nutrient absorption and tissue repair. It increases satiety and makes you consume fewer calories.
Carbohydrates include starch, sugars, and fibers, and are the most preferred source of fuel for our body. Carbohydrates prevent muscle degradation and provide muscle glycogen. Fiber from carbohydrates helps in reducing appetite.
Fats help our body to absorb the fat soluble vitamins (A, D, E & K), make a crucial part of our cell membrane structures and form other molecules such as hormones.
To function optimally, there is a certain balance you need to create between these three macronutrients. Your diet plays a huge role in losing fat and building muscles. If you want to lose weight the right way, i.e. lose fat while building or retaining muscle, then in addition to tracking your calorie intake, you also need to keep an eye on the macronutrients that make up those calories.
The Best Macro Split
Every individual's macro split depends upon their body type and their level of fitness. People who exercise regularly need a higher amount of protein and carbohydrates than those who do not. Similarly, those with a high metabolism can consume more carbs and fat than those with a slower metabolism.
Here's is how I split macros for myself and our MSF Members (unless they are on a Keto diet):
- A minimum of 1 gram of protein per lbs of your Lean Body Weight (LBW)**
- A minimum of 0.4 grams of Fat per lbs of your LBW
- Over 1 gram of Carbohydrates per lbs of your LBW
**LBW = your total body weight minus your body fat weight
Let me explain it more easily with an example. A person weighing 200 lbs with 20% body fat, will have LBW = 200 – (0.2 × 200) = 160 lbs. So this person will require a minimum of 160 grams of protein, 60-70 grams of fat, and over 160 grams of Carbs.
Once you find your macro split, convert your macro balance into calories and translate it into nourishing food to fuel your body the right way.
Tracking Progress
When you use the macros to work on muscle gain and fat loss, you may not see much difference in the numbers on your weighing scale. However, you will see massive changes in the appearance of your body. This is because the body goes into a recomposition process. Body recomposition is a process in which fitness and nutrition techniques lead to healthy changes in the body's ratio of fat to muscle. This happens mainly in the case of untrained individuals who have more fat mass and less lean muscle mass.
It is a good idea to not rely on the weighing scale alone to track your progress. Instead, keep track of your progress through pictures as well as Body Composition Analysis (BCA) reports. When clicking pictures make sure to wear a similar outfit and stand in the same location. You can also take body measurements once a week and record them to keep a track of your progress.
Figuring the right macro split for your body is simple and easy once you get the hang of it. Tracking your macros is a great approach to building muscle while losing fat. It can help you set clear objectives, and following through will help you achieve your goals. It is also vital to keep in mind that nutrition and exercise go hand in hand when looking to lose fat and build muscle. Make sure to keep switching up your workout routine to progressively overload your muscles with more repetitions, extra weights, or fewer breaks, depending upon your level of fitness, and add a variety to your workouts. And if you are looking for structured guidance on your fitness journey, don't forget to check out Miten Says Fitness's MSF Transformation Plans.
(Miten Kakaiya, fitness coach and founder of Miten Says Fitness)
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