MACRO
You may have heard it said that while energy balance determines whether weight is gained or lost, macronutrients (carbohydrate, protein and fat) determine whether that change is fat or muscle mass.
Though this simplification underrepresents the importance of training, macros play an exceptionally important role in how fast we reach our physique goals, and whether we reach them at all.If you feel that you are being careful about selecting foods so that you eat only “healthy” foods, but are not losing weight, calorie balance is your problem. You need to eat less. (note: this is very common in the “I’m doing training but not losing any fat!” dilemma)
PROTEIN
Adequate protein intake ensures that we have the building blocks for recovery, growth, and to prevent muscle breakdown. It’s also the most satiating (filling) macronutrient, which makes it useful for combatting hunger when we’re dieting.
For active individuals and those looking to build lean muscle or lose fat (aka – building lean muscle or seeing ‘tone and definition’), a minimum of 1.6-2.2 grams per kg of bodyweight has been shown in studies to provide optimal amounts. Another simple way of calculating your protein intake
if you are particularly skinny or overweight can be seen here.
CARBOHYDRATES AND FATS
Carbs and fats fuel the body.
Fat is essential for hormonal regulation.
Carbohydrates, though not essential, help fuel our training which is the key to tell the body to hang on to muscle when dieting. It's also the spark for muscle growth when in a weight gain phase. So, we don’t want to go too low in either when it comes to our nutrition.
Most people will do well when setting fat intake at 20-30% of their calorie budget, and the rest of their calorie balance as carbohydrate.
Don’t set your fat intake super high and your carbs low. Ketogenic diets may be trendy right now, but you need your main source of fuel (Carbohydrates) to fuel your workouts, especially for High Intensity Training.
Much of the latest scientific literature doesn't support metabolic benefits for these diets, and they are overly restrictive for most people, making diet adherence harder.