What are macros (macronutrients)?
Macros (macronutrients) are the three main energy nutrients: protein (~4 kcal/g), carbohydrates (~4 kcal/g), and fat (~9 kcal/g). Tracking your macros means splitting your daily calories across those three buckets according to a goal (loss, cut, muscle gain, maintenance, sport, or balanced eating), rather than looking only at the calorie total.
The three macros in practice
Protein builds and repairs tissue (including muscle), is strongly filling, and costs a bit more energy to digest. During weight loss or sport, a target around 1.6 to 2.2 g per kg of body weight is common in healthy adults — adjust with a professional if there is a medical need.
Carbohydrates fuel effort and the brain; their share varies a lot with activity and preference (low, moderate, high). Fat carries hormones and fat-soluble vitamins: cutting it out is neither necessary nor recommended for most profiles.
A gram of fat provides about twice as many calories as a gram of protein or carbohydrate. That is why a “small” oily deviation weighs quickly on the daily total, even when the volume on the plate does not look huge.
Why talk about macros rather than calories alone
Two days at 2,000 kcal can produce very different feelings and body compositions depending on the split. Lots of protein + fiber = more satiety; lots of fat + fast sugars = hunger sooner and less muscle preserved in a deficit.
Macros mainly act as guardrails: a protein target to protect muscle, enough fat for hormonal comfort, and the rest in carbohydrates according to training and taste. It is not a dogma — it is a dashboard.
Obsessing over the exact gram wears you out. Precision of ±10 g on a macro is more than enough for everyday use outside a medical or competition context.
Common ratios (indicative)
Weight loss: high protein, a moderate calorie deficit, fat at a comfortable minimum, carbohydrates adjusted to activity. Muscle gain: calories above TDEE, high protein, carbohydrates often more generous around workouts.
Maintenance / general health: often close to 20–30% protein, 30–40% fat, the rest carbohydrates — to be adapted. Very-low-carb or very-low-fat diets work for some people, but they are not a prerequisite.
These ranges are landmarks, not prescriptions. Illness, pregnancy, adolescence, or high-level sport call for professional advice.
How it connects to Daizu
Daizu sizes the program menus to your calorie goal and keeps a protein target consistent with your profile (especially for weight loss or sport use). You do not have to redistribute every gram by hand: the week's program already carries a usable split, and the photo scan covers the deviations.
