How to count macros for weight loss? Counting macros allows you to keep track of your calories and food to ensure you can accomplish your fitness, health, and fat loss goals.
To figure out your overall calorie needs you need to determine your resting energy expenditure and non-resting energy expenditure. REE is the number of calories burned during rest and NREE is calories burned during activity and digestion.
How to count macros for weight loss? photo credit: iStock-Tarikvision
To determine the overall calorie needs you need to use the Mifflin St. Jeor equation:
For men the formula is: calories/day=10*weight(kg)+6.25*height(cm)-5 * age (y) +5
For women the formula is:
calories/day=10*weight(kg) + 6.25 * height (cm) -5 * age (y) – 161
Then multiply your result by an activity factor. This is a number that represents different levels of activity.
Sedentary: *1.2 (limited exercise)
Lightly Active: * 1.375 (light exercise less than 3 days a week)
Moderately Active: * 1.55 (moderate exercise most days of the week)
Very Active: *1.725 (hard exercise every day)
Extra Active: 1.9 (strenuous exercise two or more per day)
The result of this gives you total daily energy expenditure.
After you figure out how many calories are based on your activity you now need to figure out which macronutrient works best for you.
The average macronutrient recommendations are:
Carbs- 45 to 65% of your total calories. If you want to round that number, it can be 40%
Proteins- 10 to 35% of your total calories. If you want to round that number, it can be 40%.
Fats- 20-25% of your total calories. If you want to round that number, it can be 20%.
You can tweak the macros from this baseline based on your respective fitness, health, or weight loss goals.
This is a good example of how to count your macros off a 2000 calorie a day diet that is 40% carbs, 30% protein and 20% fats.
Proteins:
4 calories per gram
30% of 2000 calories= 600 calories of protein per day
Total grams of protein allowed per day would be 150. Divide 600 by 150 = 4
Carbs:
4 calories per gram
40% of 2000 calories = 800 calories of carbs per day
Total grams of carbs allowed per day= 800/4=200 grams.
Fats:
9 calories per gram
30% of 2000 calories= 600 calories of fats per day
Total of grams allowed per day= 600/9= 67 grams.
For this example, your daily intake would be 200 grams of carbs, 150 grams of protein and 67 grams of fat based off a 2000 calorie a day diet.
Counting macros can be an effective tool for weight loss to help you meet dietary recommended goals. You can log your macros in an app or in diary notebook. Your protein, carbohydrates and fat need to balance to ensure proper health.
Here are some high-quality carbs foods:
- Brown rice
- Quinoa
- Beans
- Peas
- Lentils
- Potatoes
- Sweet Potatoes
- Oats
- Whole Wheat Pasta
- Whole Wheat Bread
- Fruits
- Vegetables
High Quality Proteins foods:
- Chicken
- Beef
- Turkey
- Fish
- Salmon
- Egg Whites
- Tofu
- Milk
Fats:
- Avocado
- Egg Yolks
- Flaxseeds and Chia Seeds
- Coconut Oil
- Butter
- Olive Oil
- Avocado Oil
“Counting macros allows you to keep track of your calories and food to ensure you can accomplish your fitness, health, and fat loss goals.” Celebrity Fitness & Nutrition Expert Obi Obadike
The Bottom Line before setting up and counting your macros you need to figure out what are your fitness and health goals. And then after that, set your daily calorie limit. And then figure out what macronutrient ratio would be best for your goals.
Understand that you will always tweak your macros and calories from week to week based on your fitness and weight loss progress as well as your physical activity level.
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