Macro Counting Done Right
Coach Kev
“This is all about trial and error because you’re a unique person living a unique life.”
Our modern world has more FREE information about diet, exercise and recovery than any other time in history. The problem is that there is also more diet and lifestyle related disease than any other time in history.
So where’s the disconnect?
The answer to that question is multifaceted but the overarching point is clear; we need to simplify. It seems like each passing year brings a whole host of new studies that when pumped out into our cultural lexicon results in nothing more than stress and confusion as we suddenly have reason to avoid virtually everything under the sun. And the worst part of all is that we’ve completely missed the plot! Diets are meant to be about calories, macros and healthy foods.
Well to that I say “NO MORE!” as today I will teach you once and for all how to calculate your:
Baseline calories
Macros
and…
How to adjust them in a way that works for YOU.
Calculating Your Baseline Calories
First things first, the equation you’ve all been waiting for; how to calculate your baseline calories. Well as it turns out this perhaps the easiest math you’ll ever do.
Multiply your current weight in pounds by:
12 if you’re sedentary - little to no exercise
13 if your lightly active - exercise 1-2 days/week
14 if you’re moderately active - exercise 3-5 days/week
15 if you’re very active - exercise 6-7 days/week
*Remember that lifestyle will factor into this as well ie. if you have an active job like a server or personal trainer you might what to think on the higher side and vice versa for those with sedentary desk jobs. As a moderately active 215 lbs guy my equation looks like this; 215 x 14 = 3010 calories/day.
Easy! Now onto the fun part.
Calculating Macros
There are 3 macronutrients:
Proteins - ie. Fish, Chicken, Tofu, Protein Powder, Greek Yogurt
Carbohydrates - ie. Sweet Potatoes, Rice, Blueberries, Oats
Fats - ie. Olive Oil, Butter, Nuts, Avocado
Each macronutrient has its own caloric value. Remember 4-4-9:
1 gram of protein has 4 calories
1 gram of carbohydrate also has 4 calories
1 gram of fat has 9 calories
Both proteins and fats are essential for health while carbs provide energy. Which means the foundation of our ideal diet looks like this:
1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight
0.3-0.5 grams of fat per pound of bodyweight. Start on the higher end at the beginning of a diet!
fill in the rest with carbs
Since we’ve already calculated my caloric intake (3010 calories/day) the rest of the equation looks like this:
1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight = 215 grams of protein
0.5 grams of fat per pound of bodyweight - 215 x 0.5 = 107 grams of fat
To fill in the rest with carbs we just have to know how many calories we have remaining so we’ll first have to add our protein and fat together. To do that we’ll multiply 4 x 215 = 860 and 107 x 9 = 965. Add these two and you get 1825. Then we take 3010 (total calories) and subtract 1825 (calories from protein and fat) which gives me my remaining daily calories which is 1185. Divide that by 4 (number of calories per gram of carbohydrate) and you get 296 grams of carbs. BOOM!
Keep this page open and follow along to figure out your daily macros.
Adjusting Macros for Individual Needs
Before you adjust your baseline calories you have to know if they’re right for you.
There are 3 goals with every diet:
Gain weight: 250-500 calorie/day surplus above baseline
Maintain weight: consume baseline calories/day
Lose weight: 250-500 calorie/day deficit below baseline
The problem is that you don’t know if your baseline truly is your baseline if you don’t stick with it for a little while and find out. So here’s what we do:
After calculating your baseline macros you’ll stick with it for 2 weeks.
After 2 weeks if you are meeting your goal, GREAT! You’re awesome. Don’t change a thing.
If you are under consuming relative to your goal, simply add in a small surplus of 200-400 cals/day.
If you are over consuming relative to your goal, simply create a small deficit of 200-400 cals/day.
This is all about trial and error because you’re a unique person living a unique life and nobody can create the perfect diet for you accept you. But when you learn how to eat based off of your needs you’ll not only get the best results but you’ll set yourself up for life.
Luckily I have some easy to make macro friendly recipes up on Coffee With Kev so check them out. In the meantime don’t stress. This is a learning process and like anything else it takes a little practice.
Download My Fitness Pal to help streamline the tracking process and I’ll see you next time.