Counting Your Macros: What They Are and How to Calculate Them

For some folks, monitoring your every day weight loss plan is usually a useful means to be sure to’re getting the correct amount of gasoline every day. Trying to observe each single calorie won’t be your greatest guess, although. Instead, contemplate monitoring your macronutrients — that is principally a fancier phrase for the key nutrient teams that your physique wants, that are carbohydrates, fat and protein.

There are many advantages to monitoring macros as an alternative of energy. First, you will have a extra balanced weight loss plan by specializing in consuming a wide range of vitamins that give your physique power and assist your digestive system work. Not solely can this apply show you how to attain your well being targets quicker than specializing in energy alone, this technique of meals logging may show you how to perceive which kinds of meals make you are feeling good or unhealthy, which meals enhance your athletic efficiency and which meals show you how to focus or make you drag. Counting macros may show you how to shift your present consuming habits to more healthy patterns for the long-term.

You’ll want to find out how to learn a diet information label for this method, however the advantages far outweigh the time you will spend greedy the idea of a macro weight loss plan. 

Read additionally: What’s in a Calorie, and Why That Matters More Than the Number

What are macronutrients?

Macronutrients are molecules we want in massive quantities, also called the primary vitamins we want to merely survive. Micronutrients, in distinction, are substances required in a lot smaller quantities, equivalent to nutritional vitamins, minerals and electrolytes.

The three macronutrients are carbohydrates, proteins and fat. Despite fad diets, you do want all three: Cutting out anyone macronutrient places you in danger for nutrient deficiencies and sickness.

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates provide you with fast power. When you eat carbs, your physique converts them to glucose (sugar) and both makes use of that sugar instantly or shops it as glycogen for later use, usually throughout train and in between meals. Complex carbohydrates — like starchy greens and complete grains — additionally promote digestive well being as a result of they’re excessive in dietary fiber.

Protein

Protein helps you develop, restore accidents, construct muscle and fend off infections, to title just a few capabilities. Proteins are manufactured from amino acids, that are the constructing blocks of many buildings in your physique. You want 20 totally different amino acids, 9 of that are important amino acids, that means your physique cannot produce them by itself and you will need to get hold of them from meals.

High-protein meals embody poultry, beef, fish, soy, yogurt, cheese and different dairy merchandise. If you stick to a plant-based weight loss plan, some starches, greens and beans are additionally good sources of protein.

Fats

Dietary fats is required on your physique to do its many roles. You want fats to soak up the fat-soluble nutritional vitamins (A, D, E and Ok), to insulate your physique throughout chilly climate and to go lengthy intervals of time with out consuming. Dietary fats additionally protects your organs, helps cell progress and induces hormone manufacturing.

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How many calories does each macronutrient have?

Each macronutrient corresponds to a specific calorie amount per gram: 

• Carbohydrates have 4 calories per gram
• Proteins have 4 calories per gram
• Fats have 9 calories per gram

How many macros should I eat?

There’s really no answer to this question: Every person is different, and as such, every person’s preferable macronutrient intake will be different. However, the federal dietary recommendations suggest this macronutrient ratio:

• 45% to 60% carbohydrate
• 20% to 35% fats
• Remainder from protein 

The federal suggestion is based on the fact that carbs serve as the body’s main fuel source, and are the easiest macronutrient for the body to convert from food into energy. The metabolic processes for fat and protein are much more complex and take longer, which wouldn’t serve you well when you need quick energy.

Your macro ratio depends on your health and fitness goals, as well as how your body responds to particular foods. For example, many people thrive on a low-carb diet, but the thought of a low-carb diet for myself makes me shudder. I perform at my best when I eat about 50% carbohydrates.

Similarly, you may do well on a high-protein diet, while someone else might experience digestive discomfort from consuming too much protein.

Note that some people, especially those on the keto diet, count net carbs instead of total carbs. To get net carbs, subtract the grams of fiber from the total grams of carbs. Why count net carbs? Our bodies don’t digest fiber, so it doesn’t get absorbed by the small intestine and doesn’t provide your body with any energy. In that sense, calories from fiber don’t really count. 

How to calculate macronutrients

Now you know what macros are and how many calories they have. Next, you’ll need to do some math. That’s because your intake ratio is written in percentages but nutrition information is provided in grams. I’ll use my macro intake as an example.

1. First, you need to know how many calories you eat (or want to eat) each day. I eat roughly 2,300 calories per day.

2. Next, determine your ideal ratio. I like to eat about 50% carbs, 25% fat and 25% protein.

3. Then, multiply your total daily calories by your percentages.

4. Finally, divide your calorie amounts by its calorie-per-gram number.

Here’s how I would calculate my calories for each macronutrient:

• Carbs: 2,300 x 0.50 equals 1,150. I eat 1,150 calories worth of carbs each day (hello, extra slice of toast).
• Protein: 2,300 x 0.25 equals 575, so I get 575 calories worth of protein.
• Fats: 2,300 x 0.25 equals 575. I also get 575 calories comprised of dietary fat. 

To calculate the actual gram amounts: 

• Carbs (4 calories per gram): 1,150 divided by 4 equals 287.5 grams of carbs.
• Protein (4 calories per gram): 575 divided by 4 equals 143.75 grams of protein
• Fat (9 calories per gram): 575 divided by 9 equals 63.8 grams of fat.

 If you don’t like math, don’t fret. The internet is home to a range of macronutrient calculators that will do the math for you.

The best macro calculators

IIFYM

Price: Free, but you must provide your email address to get your results.

IIFYM stands for “If It Fits Your Macros” — a phrase and popular hashtag used by the macro-tracking community to refer to their flexible dieting approach.

This calculator is one of the most comprehensive available. It collects lifestyle and health information that many calculators don’t, such as how active you are at work, what kind of cravings you have and whether you have any medical conditions.

Healthy Eater

Price: Free

Healthy Eater’s macro calculator calculates your macronutrient ratio based on your age, gender, height, weight and activity level. You can customize your ratio based on whether you want to reduce your weight, lose 10% body fat, maintain or gain weight.

I like this macro calculator because you can see your ratio in terms of all day, three meals, four meals or five meals.

Legion Athletics

Price: Free

The Legion Athletics macro calculator is another very detailed calculator. It takes into account your weight, your body fat percentage, and your activity level. From there, this calculator determines your lean body mass, basal metabolic rate and total daily energy expenditure.

The upside to this calculator is that you get a more accurate ratio because it considers more factors. The downside is that you need to know your body composition before using it.

You choose whether you want to gain, lose or maintain your current weight, and you can use the sliders at the bottom to adjust your ratio if the automatic recommendation isn’t ideal for you.

Tracking your macros

Your macro numbers aren’t very helpful if you don’t put them to use.

“Tracking macros” refers to the process of logging all your meals throughout the day and breaking down your macro ratio to ensure you’re eating according to your goals. It sounds scary, but again, the web comes to the rescue with a slew of digital macro-tracking programs.

The best macro trackers

MyFitnessPal

Price: Free or $20 per month

The free version of MyFitnessPal doesn’t allow you to enter gram amounts for macros, only percentages. If you’re comfortable with percentages only, then MFP is a great free option because of its barcode scanning feature and massive database of foods and drinks.

With a premium subscription, you can track by gram amounts and percentages, and you can see macro breakdowns for each meal and snack. A premium subscription also gets you extra features like food analyses (quality of what you’re eating), food timestamps (when you eat what) and weekly reports.

MyMacros Plus

MyMacros Plus is another great app with a large food database and barcode scanning feature.

You can also track your body weight and enter custom foods for homemade recipes so you don’t have to log the individual ingredients. My favorite thing about MyMacros Plus is that it’s usable without the internet, so you can track macros even when you’re offline.

Tip: Food databases are helpful, but they often include multiple entries with different information for the same item, which can get confusing. It might be easier to manually log the macronutrients in your meals instead of relying on the food database. 

Cronometer

Price: $50 per year. Free version available.

The Cronometer tracker tracks vitamins and minerals in addition to macros. It also allows you to track important biometrics, such as blood pressure, cholesterol, sleep, mood, pulse and more — but you first need this information on hand to use the features.

If you do have access to that information, Cronometer provides insight into long-term trends and a clear snapshot of your overall health. While Cronometer is impressive, it can be a bit overwhelming if you only want to track macros, and not the rest of the metrics it offers.

Why should I track macros?

Know that you don’t need to track macros to be healthy, lose weight, build muscle or reach any other health goal. The only time you actually need to track macros is if your doctor told you so.

In fact, logging your every bite can be frustrating and time-consuming, but it’s worth noting that you’ll get pretty good at eyeballing portions if you make tracking a habit.

Tracking macros can definitely be useful for some things, such as preparing for a bodybuilding show or optimizing athletic performance. It can also be helpful if you want to implement “flexible dieting,” or the practice of eating any foods you want, as long as they fit into your macronutrient ratio. 

Counting your macros may also be the key to finally eating less processed foods, as processed and packaged foods tend to be high in fats and carbs (and not often high in protein), and adding in more superfoods. Many people who want to create a calorie deficit to lose weight prefer tracking macronutrients instead of counting calories, as it takes the emphasis off of weight loss and shifts the focus to nutrition. This is helpful for creating long-term healthy habits.

Additionally, many people enjoy tracking macros because it helps them understand what types of foods work best for their bodies. Give it a try to see if it works for your lifestyle, but don’t feel like you ever need to track your macros. 

More for your nutrition and wellness

The information contained in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as health or medical advice. Always consult a physician or other qualified health provider regarding any questions you may have about a medical condition or health objectives.