There are all kinds of ideas and theories out there about how you should be eating to lose weight. Diets ranging from Weight Watchers, to the Whole Food Diet, to the Paleo Diet, and everything in between all have their own guidelines for how you should be eating to lose those unwanted pounds.
One of the latest ideas on the market today is a concept called ‘macro-patterning.’
Macro-patterning is simply the idea of pairing macronutrients in each of your meals. This theory has only three meal possibilities to help you lose weight.
The first macronutrient pair that this theory suggests eating is protein and carbohydrates. Protein is the building block for nearly every function in your body, and you can never have enough of it. It helps you build muscle and it speeds your metabolism. Carbohydrates on the other hand can make or break your diet. If you eat too many of them you could start storing them as fat. If you eat too few of them then you could send your body into starvation mode where you store everything as fat. This combination is recommended because your body can break down this pair adequately.
The next suggested macronutrient pair is combining protein and fat. Here again, your body can break down each one adequately, but when it comes to the last possible macronutrient pair in this theory it is believed that you will start to store fat.
This macronutrient pattern of combining fat and carbohydrates is believed that you will store one of them as fat as your body cannot break down each one simultaneously.
That is false, your body can utilize each fuel source for energy, one is just more efficient than the other.
Carbohydrates is the one group of foods that start breaking down as soon as they hit your mouth. Fats on the other hand, take twice as long to break down.
Where this idea of combining carbohydrates and fats as a means of gaining weight comes into play depends on the type of fats and carbohydrates that you consume.
You will not get fat eating fruits and nuts for a snack, however, if you eat pasta and trans-fats then you will undoubtedly gain weight.
The bottom line, macronutrient patterning is only a viable theory when it comes to pairing foods that are manufactured or non-whole foods. It is incredibly difficult to eat yourself to obesity off of meat, nuts, fruits, and vegetables as those were foods that our bodies were meant to eat.
If you enjoyed this article then check out Eating To Lose for more free information on dieting, nutrition, fitness, and how your lifestyle effects reaching your physical goals. There is also a plan available to help you get started reaching those goals.
