Carbs, Fats and Proteins!
If you’ve been reading the other articles on fats, proteins and carbs in the battle of the buldge series then you’ve probably got a decent idea about these macro nutrients (that’s what they’re known as).
So, if someone mentioned macros or you read it somewhere and it relates to nutrition and food then it’s about how much fat, protein and carbs you’ve been eating.
Now here’s an interesting tip, and you might not have heard it before, but counting carbs and fats isn’t really that important. In fact, it’s been shown in studies that the main numbers for helping people with weight loss are:
- Protein goal
- Calorie goal
And when you break it down it really doesn’t make sense.
Calories
Rule one of the universe is that you can’t make something out of nothing. In fact, that’s really what Einstein’s theory of thermal dynamics poses.
You can’t make something out of nothing. You also can’t create or destroy energy or matter.
You can only change it or move it.
In its basic form, fat is stored energy.
So if you’re trying to lose fat then you’re either not eating the right amount of calories for your body to lose the weight, which means you haven’t got a deficit.
This is what you need in order to lose weight: eating less calories than you’re burning!
(Figuring out how many calories you’re burning is actually hard, as there are so many factors to the calculation.)
Or you’re burning far fewer calories than you think you are and by default you’re over eating.
Protein
The next most important figure is your protein goal.
Why protein and not carbs or fats?
Simple.
You use protein for a lot more things than you use fats and carbs alone for.
For example, the main use of carbs is to give you quick energy, but you can make energy from proteins and fats.
But we can’t get what protein does for us from carbs.
Protein, as discussed before, is used to repair and regenerate your tissues (you can’t make something out of nothing, so you really do need an adequate amount of it).
Also, you constantly need protein to make the tissues of your body (and more so when you’re training) because you burn through these tissues.
If you aren’t putting that stuff back in then the area that will suffer the most is your metabolism because you won’t be able to repair your muscles properly.
This means that you’ll also struggle to put on lean muscle and your body will have no choice but to store the excess calories as body fat.
So, how do we solve this problem?
First, by making changes to your diet (the food you eat) that are sustainable.
There is no point doing a mad calorie reduction diet as they’re rarely sustainable and you’re practically starving yourself.
Second, let’s assume that what you generally eat each day is balancing your input and output, which means your weight is staying roughly the same.
Losing Weight
In order to lose weight though, we need to create a deficit so all you need to do is drop 10% of your intake.
This means a reduction of about 150-250 calories depending on how much you eat a day.
But, what would that equate to?
A couple slices of bread and butter. Not a silly amount when you think about it.
Where I believe a lot of people go wrong is at the weekend.
Making a deficit is easy during the week, but you can quickly use up that deficit and add a ton more by adding in alcohol and a few treats or a trip to the cinema.
Remember that it’s consistency and sustainability which are key to getting the body you desire in life.
Food Tracking
This is where food tracking really helps, as it highlights where you’re falling down and if you’re hitting your calorie and protein targets.
There are some brilliant systems in place these days and one that we have at Masters Fitness and which I use daily is My PT Hub (which all clients have access to).

This not only helps you to track your food intake, but it passes the information to your local personal trainer and allows them to message or talk to you offering any advice about how to make healthier choices and simple changes to your diet.
Some of these are simple changes and can have a massive effect on your body.
Don’t forget to refer back to the other articles if you need more info on:
You might find some of the information a little too much to read right now, but if you’re committed to becoming the best version of yourself wouldn’t you want to understand the steps to get you there?
You can then figure out how to smooth over the “bumps in the road” that might push you off track or cause a little bit of sadness in your life?
If you’re a client and any of the information in the Battle of the Buldge series requires a little bit more explanation then reach out either to me or your fitness trainer. We’ll be happy to explain any thing further or answer any questions.
If you’re not currently an MPT client then it might be best to complete this form and come in for a consultation.
Make that decision and take action to get the body you’ve always wanted in life.