In this article, nutrition experts explain step-by-step how to calculate macros and, more crucially, who needs to.
Health monitoring has become so much easier with apps available to us on our phones. With so many apps, you can keep track of how many steps you’ve taken, how many floors you’ve climbed, your calorie intake, and more. After installing a few apps, you can even begin tracking the grams of carbohydrates, fat, and protein (called macronutrients) you consume on a regular basis.
But is it really necessary to keep track of your vitamin intake? Experts explain how to calculate macronutrients based on your goals and health, as well as the benefits and drawbacks of utilizing them to guide your meal choices. NOTE: Calculating macro intake is not suitable for everyone.
What Exactly Are Macros?
Macronutrients, or “macros” for short, are nutrients that your body utilizes to carry out daily tasks and functions. Carbohydrates, fat, and protein are the three essential macronutrients, and each performs a distinct purpose to keep you healthy and balanced.
Everything the body does requires carbohydrates. Fats make up the body’s cells, play a role in heart health, help absorb vitamins, and help us feel fuller for longer, while protein helps maintain muscle and bone health, controls diabetes, and repairs cells.
There is no one-size-fits-all suggestion for the number of macronutrients you should aim for each day, and your gender, height, weight, exercise level, and personal goals all influence your needs. According to experts, the United States Department of Agriculture suggests that 45 to 65 percent of calories for women come from carbs, 20 to 35 percent from fats, and 10 to 35 percent from protein.
These broad principles might assist you in determining how much space on your plate to devote to each macronutrient. However, some people, such as those attempting to meet a health or performance goal or those suffering from specific medical conditions, may want to determine the exact amount of macronutrients they require and pay closer attention to their intake.
How to Compute Macros
First, in order to determine how much of each macronutrient you require on a daily basis, you have to know how many calories you burn. (The U.S.D.A. provides an online calculator that estimates your daily calorie need to maintain body weight. Just keep in mind that your requirements vary according to your level of activity.)
You’ll need to know how many calories each macronutrient contains in a gram:
NOTE: 1 gram of carbohydrates contains 4 calories, 1 gram of protein has 4 calories, and 1 gram of fat has 9 calories.
Then, take out a paper and follow the following two fundamental formulas:
- Daily Calories Per Macronutrient: total calories per day x percentage of calories from each macronutrient per day
- Calories per gram of macronutrient per day: calories per gram of macronutrient per day
If a person burns 2,000 calories per day, for example, they may calculate their macros as follows:
2000 total calories x.50 carbohydrate calories = 1000 carbohydrate calories
1000 calories from carbohydrates divided by 4 calories per 1 gram of carbohydrate are 250 grams of carbohydrate per day
Fat
2000 total calories x.30 calories from fat is 600 calories
600 calories from fat divided by 9 calories for 1 gram of fat is 67 grams of fat per day
2000 total calories x.20 protein calories = 400 protein calories
400 calories from protein divided by 4 calories per 1 gram of protein equal 100 grams of protein per day
Please note the grams of carbohydrates, protein, and fat provided here are only guidelines; each person’s calorie and macronutrient requirements will vary. If you like to go for a run or do cardio every day, you will require more carbohydrates than someone who prefers to relax on the couch most days.
Your Goal
The distribution of macronutrients will change depending on your health or performance goals. If losing body fat is your goal and/or you are wondering how to calculate macros for weight loss, you might reduce your carbohydrate intake. Keep your protein intake constant to maintain and build lean muscle mass and stick to a moderate fat intake.
But if your goal is to gain weight, you should increase your carb and fat intake. In addition, if you want to gain muscle, you’ll probably need to ingest more calories from carbs and protein.
This unpredictability is why meeting with a qualified dietitian is critical if you want to know how to calculate macros properly and reach your health and fitness objectives. After all, your macro targets are only useful if the methods used to calculate them take your individual body and lifestyle into account.
Set aside some time and money to meet with a dietitian and discuss your goals and where you are in your personal goal and journey. Then, let them put something together that is customized and individualized for you. They can also educate you on what they recommend in terms of food and calorie intake.
How to Keep Track of Macros
Once you’ve established your objectives and learned how to calculate macros, experts recommend installing an app to track your intake, such as Fitbit or MyFitnessPal.
You’ll be able to log your meals and view nutritional profiles there. Just make careful to check for “verified foods” because anybody can add a product to those apps and provide erroneous nutrition information, which may prevent you from meeting your macro requirements.
If you find using apps too complicated, experts recommend you don’t go back to basics and read the nutrition information label on your food, which will have the information you need on how much macronutrient is in a serving.
However, no matter which technique you choose to track and calculate your macros, keep in mind you need to have an accurate record of how much you have. Taking the effort to document the proper foods and portion sizes is critical to meeting the macronutrient targets you and your dietitian established.
The Advantages of Tracking Macros
Tracking your macronutrients isn’t necessary for everyone, but certain groups may benefit from it. Whatever the reason, calculating your macros will help you with your goals with accuracy.
People with specific medical disorders, such as type I diabetes, may refer to their macro consumption to make sure they match the grams of carbs they ingest during a meal to an insulin dose. Similarly, persons with chronic kidney disease may need to limit their protein intake to better manage their condition, and tracking their macronutrients can help them ensure they don’t exceed their recommended intake.
According to experts, someone following the keto diet may want to track their macros, particularly their carb and fat intake, to ensure their body stays in ketosis.
Those looking to reduce weight, develop muscle mass, or achieve a specific performance goal may also choose to calculate and track their macronutrients. An endurance athlete training for an Ironman event may benefit from measuring their carb consumption to ensure they are providing their body with enough of the energy source it needs to perform at such a high level.
The Drawbacks of Macros Calculation
A word of caution regarding using macronutrient calculations to guide your dietary choices: Just because you eat ‘x amount of macros doesn’t mean it’s quality; if someone is only concerned with the macronutrient
Distribution of their diet, they can eat a diet high in processed foods and still meet macronutrient targets. While protein bars and low-carb, high-fat ice cream may help you meet your macronutrient requirements, they may be deficient in fiber and critical micronutrients.
Furthermore, keeping to your macro goals involves a significant amount of mental work, and this fixation with numbers might foster an unhealthy relationship with food in certain people. We already have enough on our plates without having to add macro counting to it. Instead of relying on numbers, we should rely on internal cues such as hunger, fullness, and emotional satisfaction with food.
“Counting your macros” takes a lot of determination and focus. “Counting your macros” might consume too much of your time, and you might get burned out. Some experts recommend using the time to do something that might make you happy and more productive.
To Conclude: Should You Do Your Macros?
Experts urge that only those who will actually benefit from tracking their macros do so because you don’t need macro counting to have a balanced diet. Focusing on consuming quality food will promote being emotionally and physically satisfied. You may not even have to count calorie intake.
And, if you do decide to calculate your macros after consulting with a licensed nutritionist, don’t let those numbers control you.
Focus on your macros to help you develop good eating habits and food patterns that are good for you. However, be very aware and mindful not to turn it into an obsession.