I’ve got a special “master class” that will help 1) explain and 2) put into action a nutrition topic that’s all about flexible eating to help get you the results you want.
It works whether you want to gain weight, lose weight, maintain your weight, or try clean eating – without following a strict menu plan.
It’s called macro-based eating. It might seem a little complicated at first, but once you get the hang of it, it’s AMAZING!
I’m going to walk you through finding YOUR macro numbers below, but first, let’s talk about why it works so well.
The term “macro” refers to macronutrients – protein, carbs, and fats. It’s also helpful to include fiber because when you’re getting enough fiber, you probably are eating healthier carbs. 🙂
Each macro gives you different benefits, so it can be helpful to know you’re getting enough of them. Plus, you get to see how your body responds to different macro breakdowns. For example, some people feel better with more carbs and some with less.
Planning and tracking your macros let you get really TACTICAL about choosing the foods you eat to get you the results you want.
It gives you real data, vs. “guestimating” what you’re actually eating.
Note: you DEFINITELY are going to want to use an online food journal to do this – check out MyFitnessPal, Cronometer, FitBit’s food journal, or other online resources. It will save you tons of time and effort.
HOW TO CALCULATE YOUR MACROS:
STEP #1: Set your “daily target calorie intake amount” since all your calculations will depend on it.
You can use ours at https://adelefrizzell.com/resources/macro-calculator/
STEP #2: Calculate how much of each MACRONUTRIENT you want to consume.
Protein: This macronutrient helps you build, repair, and maintain your muscle mass. Not only that, but it also helps rev your metabolism AND it’s known as the most satiating macro, keeping you feeling full for hours after eating it. Shoot for 15% to 35% of your calories from protein.
Note: People who are dieting need more protein to preserve muscle, and people who work out generally need more protein to help with recovery.
Fat: Your body needs fat to be healthy. Among other things, fat helps your body convert and use several vitamins and minerals. While experts recommend keeping fats between 20% and 35% of your total calories, I find 20% to be unrealistically low and difficult to achieve for people who are eating fewer than 1500 calories a day. If that describes you, you’ll want to go higher.
Carbohydrates: The remaining percentage should come from carbs. Major health organizations recommend you getting at least 45% of your total calories a day but I think you’re fine going as low as 30%. It really comes down to personal eating preferences. You just don’t want to go too low on carbs, because you’ll miss out on important vitamins and fiber.
Fiber: This is another number you will want to keep in mind. It’s recommended you get 14 grams of fiber per 1000 calories consumed each day. For most people, this usually works out between 21-35 grams of fiber from food sources each day.
EXAMPLE: Let’s say you calculated you need 2,000 calories a day, and you work out 4-5 days a week and have a goal of losing fat/maintaining muscle – so you decide to eat 30% from protein, 25% from fat, and 45% from carbs.
30% x 2000 = 600 calories from protein
25% x 2000 = 500 calories from fat
45% x 2000 = 900 calories from carbohydrates
But wait! There’s more! You definitely can stick with looking at just your calorie targets, but most macro-based programs actually take it a step farther and break those calorie targets into grams for each macronutrient.
Breaking it down into grams helps you be more precise. Hang with me here because there’s another step of math involved …
● 4 calories of protein = 1 gram
● 4 calories of carbohydrates = 1 gram
● 9 calories of fats = 1 gram
So, in order to figure your gram totals, you simply divide the calories by the appropriate macro number.
From our example above,
600 protein calories ÷ 4 = 150 grams of protein a day
500 fat calories ÷ 9 = 55 grams of fat a day
900 carb calories ÷ 4 = 225 grams of carbs a day
Those are your MACROS!
The awesome thing is that once you calculate your macros, that job is DONE!
I prefer sticking with a macro breakdown for at least 2 weeks to see how it works, and then changing it up a little if results stall or you feel hungry/tired/etc.
P.S If you would some extra help with this, be sure to check out our Eat For Your Goals Macro Guide. It’s a Crash Course in Macros, Flexible Eating, and Nutrition. Learn how to use macros to lose fat, maintain your weight, or build muscle!
Were you able to calculate your Macros? If so, how did it go? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
