Dieters who obsessively calculate carbohydrates, proteins and fats at every meal



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Vince Schiano, a native of Chicago, was trying to get rid of body fat, he often carried a food scale, a protein powder and a tupperware filled with ground beef or turkey.

"I have a meatball body. I wanted to lean over. I wanted a six-pack, "said MarketWatch Schiano, 27. He started the Macro Diet in 2016. He weighed his food and counted nutrients and calories. The first months were the most difficult, he said. Going out for dinner and drinks started to look like a chore.

"People would say," Why do not you eat this or that? "I was going to a bar to say that I was taking a vodka soda, but it would really be soda water, you just live to count these macros, it really drives you crazy. had less than 30 carbs.

Restaurant dining has become a science for diners like Schiano, who religiously trusts the nutrients in his meals. The Macroscopic Diet Diet, popularized by fitness enthusiasts, has become a traditional game of numbers with people who aggressively calculate macronutrients – grams of protein, carbohydrates and fats – sometimes to the detriment of social life. .

People who follow a macroscopic diet set a specific goal in terms of the number of grams of protein, carbohydrate and fat to eat each day. Each person's macros are calculated as a percentage of the total number of calories consumed per day.

You can eat whatever you want (within reasonable limits)

The diet is different for each person. For example, an active adult weighing 130 pounds on a 1,600-calorie diet could opt for 40 percent of calories from carbohydrates; 30 percent protein; and 30 percent fat, recommends Runners World.

Schiano, for example, follows a global count for a 200-pound man and consumes 179 grams of protein, 215 grams of carbohydrates and 75 grams of fat a day. He says it helps to lose weight.

Although most plans deprive people of indulgences, it is not necessary to eliminate foods while on a macroscopic diet, as long as you are under your account.

It's similar to the Weight Watchers International system where you eat what you want, as long as you do not exceed a certain number of calories. For his part, Schiano will award additional macros to a Dos Toros burrito when he feels like a Mexican.

The market for weight loss was $ 167.95 billion in 2016 and is expected to reach $ 278.95 billion in 2023.

Commercial diets such as Weight Watchers and NutriSystem, owned by Tivity Health, have grown in popularity in recent years, but niche meal delivery services are provided at the Macro counter. Apps like My Fitness Pal and MyMacros make it easier for consumers to do this by finding nutritional information, recording the food they eat, and tracking calories.

The search term "How do you count macros" has increased by 19% in the United States since 2016 and the use of macronutrient calculators has increased 183.52% over the last three years, according to the data SEMrush, a marketing and analysis platform.

Some restaurants help people on the macro diet

The restaurant owners take note. Stratis Morfogen, managing partner of Brooklyn Chop House in New York, opened his gluten-free October menu at 50% of its price, with the demand for healthier dining options.

The steakhouse chefs with Chinese-inspired dishes use a drizzle of olive oil over the steaks, never butter, he adds, and replace the flour for cornstarch when from cooking satays to chicken and shrimp.

"The old steakhouses are losing their millennium because they do not want steakhouse with cream of spinach and baked potatoes," says Morfogen who offers lighter options like lobster with salt and pepper to attract customers concerned about their diet.

Nevertheless, despite the restaurants offering healthier options, other macros, like Leslie de Graaf, a native of Florida, who has had macros since 2013, says she will stick to a spreadsheet if it is very strict.

"I created an Excel spreadsheet to keep me healthy in mind. I entered meals based on my total number of macros and just ate them off this menu, "she explained about the repetitive meal options like salmon, salads and smoothies. "It has become too much to try to add all these macros for different foods."

The culture of macro counter-counting

The FOMO factor (fear of missing) was also real. De Graaf, whose goal was to participate in a bodybuilding competition, said she would take meals with a tupperware in her car before meeting friends, before having tea or water at the table. A snack at the restaurant would be a cocktail of beer and shrimp.

"You feel a bit guilty because you do not participate," she says. "If your beliefs and goals are very strong, you joke about it and understand that you are not going to eat it. They tempt you and they tease you, but it becomes more of a joke. "

Traditional potluck dinners have become macro-friendly sessions for Schiano and his fitness tribe who will gather on Sunday and share soups, hot peppers and grilled chicken for the week.

"There is tupperware everywhere," he says, adding that he was saving money by eating. Instead of ordering high-calorie takeaway meals, he will use a Chicago-based, Chicago-based meal replacement service for take-away breakfasts and lunches at around $ 8 per meal.

"It's always cheaper than eating out," he adds.

Schiano says he's been malnourished by friends who do not follow the same diet and, even worse, by ultra-strict macro meters that will remind you if you break down.

"It's a little ostracizing. I have not lost friends because of that, but you need people who have this common point of balance, "says Schiano.

Taeler De Haes, 26, based in Cleveland, does not let her food friends shame her when she goes to the restaurant. She is preparing for the future by keeping some of her macros in carbohydrates or fat if she knows she's going to eat out. She spends about $ 300 a month on groceries and says she does not have to spend more money to keep her diet healthier.

"If you follow the macros, you can not just neglect your social life," she says. "Maybe moving to happy hour means you do not get appetizers, but you get drinks. It's not an all-or-nothing mentality.

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