Callie Frye interview on macronutrients
[Disclaimer:
This interview is for informational purposes only. You should not use this interview as a substitute for professional medical advice or treatment. If you have questions about your eating habits or nutrition, please consult with your doctor or a healthcare provider.]
Callie Frye, Daily Moth Reporter:
Can you explain what macronutrients are? What is it?
Lorne Farovitch:
Macronutrients simply means: fat, carbs, and protein. That’s it. When you look at the back label of food packages, there is nutrition information listed. You’ll see fat, carbohydrates, and protein. These three things are macronutrients.
Callie:
Share your journey with eating meals according to macros. Do you follow it for losing weight, or to gain muscle, or to keep your weight stable? I’m curious.
Emily Jo Noschese:
Looking back, it’s hard to believe that it will soon be 8 1/2 years with macronutrients. How did I start? Really, in 2013, around that time, I moved to Hawaii. All of my life, I’ve always — really, I didn’t eat well. More likely, I didn’t eat at all. Hi mom! Sorry! So yeah, I grew up not eating at all and I basically had a fear of food. I was scared that if I ate, I would gain weight. And you know how society is with women. I looked at magazines and the media and it would say, “If you eat that, it’s bad for you!” So with this kind of thing, I refused to eat. Then I got tired of that. I felt like there had to be something, a way. So I found macronutrients through research. At that time, it was a new thing based on scientific research. I started reading and I first thought it was impossible. But I went ahead and gave it a try because I had nothing to lose. I went for a try and my life changed. I never went back.
Lorne:
Me too. It really changed how I look at food, wow. I wanted to get bigger. I saw that other men would eat very “clean” — they said you had to eat chicken and broccoli and I was like, are you serious? That’s not how you live. I love to go out and eat and it’s a big part of culture.
Callie:
Yeah.
Lorne:
It’s impossible. There had to be a different way. So just like Emily Jo, I just went with it. I had nothing to lose. I gave it a try. And it was incredible because I could eat anything I wanted, as long as I kept counting and meeting my goals. Fat, carbs, and protein. You’re all set. So wow, it changed my perception on food. I can basically eat anything. I should show you that I’m eating cake, but I still got this nice body!
Emily Jo:
Me too!
Lorne:
But it’s important to count the cake’s macros. There is information on the back of it. It might say that it has high calories, 600, and in which categories. If you put it down, you’ll be fine.
Callie:
I know that people who are watching want to know exactly what macronutrients are. You mentioned fats, carbs, and protein. Can you expand on these? You’re supposed to meet certain numbers? Can you explain more?
Lorne:
Really, fat, carbs, and protein combined become calories. Many people tend to count calories, but you’re supposed to count the three categories to see how they add to calories. Because if you have two dishes, for example, the first dish might have 1,000 calories, and the second one has the same number. But the first dish’s 1,000 calories is based on a very high fat content and low protein amount. The second dish also has 1,000 calories, but it has a perfect distribution of protein, lower fat, and a good amount of carbohydrates. The two dishes are the same, but one is healthier because it has protein that you need. The science behind that is your body requires the three things for utilization to produce specific things of anything the body needs. For example, with your nails, you might need a specific thing that will develop cells, so you need the three. If your liver needs to replace its cells, you also need the three things: fat, carbs, and protein. Your body needs all three to process. So often people tend to not eat enough protein. So it means you are getting only two things and you’re not able to make that specific thing that our bodies need. So that’s why macronutrients are important. The three things combined are what makes up the calories.
Callie:
I have a question that is specific to Emily Jo. I’m curious about macronutrients from a woman’s perspective. How does macronutrients benefit women? Can you explain this specifically, why does it work for women?
Emily Jo:
Yes, sure. You know, like what Lorne said, what your body needs is fat, carbs, and protein. These are important. Now, as for women, we need more fat than men. For our hormones. And because of that, it helps with my body’s processes and development. It’s better. From my experience, when I — women in general really — don’t eat enough, it means they don’t get fats from food. It’s not enough. So it means in your body, you know, with periods, bloating, there will be an impact. Now, when I started macros, I struggled a bit at first, but when I got the hang of it, I noticed a big difference. I had less craving for specific food while I’m on my period. I had no craving at all. I was less cranky. Bloating was greatly reduced.
Callie:
Your information is really helpful for me and for others who may feel like others’ eating habits aren’t a fit. We might feel that it’s only for men and that it might not work for women or for my body. So thank you, I now understand.
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Callie:
When you mentioned counting, can you explain more how I can know my macros numbers for fats, protein, and carbs? How do I figure it out?
Lorne:
I’ll show you.
[Lorne shows a close-up of his iPhone app. It shows three circles that are listed, “Protein, Carbs, Fat.” It has numbers indicating the levels of macros consumed]
Lorne:
It’s hard to see, but I have an app where I put down the food. If I put that I ate cereal, I’ll put in that this cereal has 10 grams of protein, 31 grams of carbs, and 9 grams of fat. The app will show me where I’m at with my levels as I eat. My goals will be met one by one. I use different apps, such as “MyFitnessPal,” “Avatar Nutrition,” and there’s another one, what is it? B-something?
Emily Jo:
Biolayne, it’s called “Carbon.”
Lorne:
That one. So really…
Callie:
How do I know… my numbers?
Emily Jo:
Your body weight.
Lorne:
I suggest you sign up. The app will calculate it for you. It’s based on your height, your BMI, everything. It depends on your goals. If you want to gain or lose weight, the app will calculate it and present it to you what your goals are. So you can just follow and count. So I recommend the two apps, “Biolayne” and “Avatar Nutrition.” It’s a good place to start.
Emily Jo:
The first time you start, yes, it might feel very difficult and time-consuming. It’s frustrating, yes. But, after three, I would say 3-4 months, you’ll start getting the hang of it and become confident. Now I’ve been doing it for almost nine years. I can put it in the app on the go. It takes me just five minutes!
Lorne:
Me too! It’s quick.
Callie:
Some say macronutrients are just another fad diet. I’m curious about your thoughts on that.
Lorne:
Really, it is… it’s already scientifically proven. So it’s hard for me to say that it’s trendy because it’s scientifically proven. Now for others that are trendy, such as a keto diet, in which you are only allowed to eat fat and protein, the only reason it works is because science shows that carbs and fats can be used interchangeably as long as you keep the numbers stable to each other. So really, the root of it is macronutrient amounts. Keto makes things easier because you only count fat and protein. Really, you don’t count, you just eat both all the time, that’s it. So you may see progress, but it’s based on that. So it’s a bit hard to see progress with keto.
Callie:
I understand.
Lorne:
With meal prep for the week, sometimes others will prepare meals for you, or you have a list of meals you are supposed to eat daily, if you follow it and it works, it’s because the macronutrient information is the same every day. So you’re meeting your goals constantly. It’s already prepared for you. It’s a good place to start. You may look at it and try changing the meat to a different kind and you’ll still meet your protein goals. So you’ll learn and you can eventually switch to counting by yourself.
Emily Jo:
Macronutrients is about you deciding what you want to eat for yourself. No restrictions. Meet your numbers with whatever you want to eat. So you’re less likely to fail. The only time you will fail is when you don’t count.
Callie:
We are meant to feed our bodies according to our needs through nutrition. We meet certain numbers and amounts. Well maybe not exact, but in the approximate amount. If we meet our bodies’ daily needs, we can keep on going.
Thank you for sharing your journey related to macronutrients! I learned a lot already from you two. And you’re still on it. Emily Jo for nine years…
Emily Jo:
Soon for nine years.
Callie:
…Lorne, for how many years?
Lorne:
Now three years, soon four.
Callie:
Seems like a long time. It seems like a healthy lifestyle, not a fad diet.
Lorne:
It’s a lifestyle.
Callie:
Really cool. Thank you!
Emily Jo and Lorne:
Thank you.