Marcos, or macronutrients, is a way of breaking down what dieters eat on any given plan.
It refers to the larger groups of nutrients, carbohydrates, protein and fats.
Many claim the different break down of macros can lead to different diet results, even if you eat the same calories.
An expert explained more about macros for Express.co.uk.
What are macros?
Rafael Rozenson, nutritional expert and founder of www.Drink-Vieve.co.uk, said: “For the most part, everyone knows what fat; protein and carbohydrates are and how to effectively manage them with regards to nutritional intake and maintaining a healthy diet.
“However, there seems to be an abundance of confusion surrounding what exactly a macronutrient is. To put it simply, this group of nutrients are located in different foods and drinks that help our bodies produce energy.
“This means that fat, protein and carbohydrates are all macronutrients in their own right, with each one being absolutely essential, no matter what your fitness goals might be, in order to lead a healthy life.
“There is no set template when it comes to macros; everyone is different and when trying to figure out your balance, you need to be taking your height, weight, activity levels and your overall fitness goals into account.”
The expert gave an example of what is considered typical macros for weight loss.
She said: “For those wanting to lose weight, you may want to start your ratio at 40 per cent carbs, 40 per cent protein and 20 per cent fat.”
The expert added if weight loss is your main goal, it is important that you eat fewer calories than your maintenance calories intake.
A good number to start with is 500 calories less than recommended, but do adjust accordingly if this isn’t working for you. If you aren’t sure how many calories you should be consuming to maintain your current weight, there are multiple tools to help you online.
What are the macros for the keto diet?
The macros for the keto diet are typically 60 to 75 per cent fat, 15 to 30 per cent protein and five to 10 per cent carbs.
Is the keto diet plan healthy long term? The diet was not originally used for weight loss. In fact, it was used as a cure for epilepsy.
Hebe Mills, who is an Associate Nutritionist, told Express.co.uk: “The Ketogenic diet has been used since the 1920s as a medical therapy diet for epilepsy patients that do not respond to anti-epilepsy drugs (AEDs) to aid seizure control.
“It has also been used to improve symptoms in metabolic syndrome patients.
”The idea behind the diet is to prime the body into a state of ketosis by minimising the intake of carbohydrates (including starchy vegetables) and to use fat as the main source of energy.”
Ketosis is a state the body will go into when you don’t have enough carbs for energy.