How the heck do I calculate Macros??

Calories, macros, low carb, low fat, fasting, carb cycling, low glycemic, high glycemic, etc....it can be SO OVERWHELMING!! So what should you do?? The short answer is IT DEPENDS!! I know, no one wants to hear this, but it's up to YOU, trail and error, consistency and clear goals to figure out what works for YOU!!!

The purpose of this blog will be to give you a better understanding, and some math to give you a very realistic, starting point that will be VERY close to where you need to be. Then it's up to you to tweak till perfection!!!

One thing to keep in mind, is that what works now, will have to be adjusted as your weight, bodyfat, activity level, diet, age, etc, changes. It's NOT a simple process! Over time, you will get REALLY good at figuring out your bodies needs and recognizing when you aren't performing optimally!

THE BASICS:

1 gram of Protein = 4 Calories

1 gram of Carbohydrate = 4 Calories

1 gram of fat = 9 Calories

So well start with determining your calories

BW=Bodyweight

If you are trying to gain 16-18xBW

If you are trying to maintaing 15xBW

If you are trying to lose 12-14xBW

The trick once you figure out your calorie requirements is to make small adjustments. If you want to lose weight, don't drop your calories to 12xBW right away. You want to start at 14xBW, wait a couple of weeks and see what happens. If nothing, then adjust lower. You WANT to keep calories as high as possible for as long as possible to fuel your workouts. Remember the better your workouts, the more calories you will be burning as well. Look for a weight loss of 1-2 lbs/week. More is not necessarily better!

**NOTE: Never let your calories get below 10xbw. This is the absolute minimum number for your body to fuel normal functions of the brain and systems to get through the day!! If you've been doing this for a while, I suggest increasing your calories to maintenance OR MORE for an extended period of time. Going this low WILL NOT help weight loss. You need to get your hormones functioning properly before going back to a weight loss plan.

Maintaining your muscle is important as the more muscle you have, the more calories you burn at rest. People with a lot of muscle mass will have an easier time maintaining their weigh, and will need more calories to sustain daily activities. If you lose to fast, your are jeoprodizing hard earned muscle.

Don't change things that aren't broken!!! If you are seeing progress, keep doing what you are doing......if you aren't, change something! Optimally you would add exercise before decreasing calories. Once the added exercise isn't working anymore, THEN decrease calories!

Conversely, if you are trying to gain muscle, don't just start eating EVERYTHING under the sun. You want this to be a gradual weight gain, so you are staying as lean as possible.

YO-YO dieting is NOT good for your body. Start slow, 16-17xBW, and increase every two weeks until you are gaining 1-2 lbs/week. Any more than this and you are more than likely putting on a good amount of fat as well.

Macros

Confused about macros?? These can take a lot of trial and error. Keep in mind, at the end of the day, it's more about your intake in general than it is the percentages of macros you are consuming!!

I have a BIG BEEF about how some people treat the IIFYM (if it fits your macros) lifestyle. For instance, many will eat next to nothing most of the day, and have all sorts of carbs and fats left over at the end of the night. They use this to binge on all sorts of unhealthy, "crap" in the evening to meet their macros. They almost show off at how much they are able to eat and show that sugary things fit in their everyday diet. YES, this can work for your physique, as long as you are meeting your calories and macros, but NEVER believe the statement "a carb is a carb." These people obviously don't understand the science of how the body works!! You will always benefit at a cellular level, with HEALTHY food, that is FULL of nutrients.

Ok, now that I have that out of the way, a GREAT approach to IIFYM is to allow yourself a "indulgence" ONCE IN A WHILE, (not everyday) while still meeting your pre-planned goals. I like the term "flexible-dieting" much more...but even with that, I don't like the word DIET. A diet is simply what we eat, and it's turned into a negative, frustrating term to most. My point is, keep you food intake HEALTHY as often as possible, with occational "treats."

NOW, back on track, LOL

Determining

MACRO BREAKDOWN

Method 1: For Weight Loss I like to divide my pre-determined calories into 50% Protein, 20% Carbs, and 30% Fat

For Maintenance : 40% Protein, 30% Carbs, and 30% Fat

For weight gain: 30% Protein, 40% Carbs, 30% Fat

Method 2: Determine your calories, and then calculate you protein as 1.5g/pound of body weight

I usually have my fats at .45/lbs of bodyweight, and the remainder of your calories would come from Carbs.

You can use this handy calculator for this method here!!

You can manipulate the fats and carbs based on what you feel gives you more energy. I find this way a little nit picky, I don't think it's necessary, but feel free to try it!

Keep in mind, these are numbers that I've found work for the majority of my clients, but these numbers STILL need to be tweaked!!! One range will more than likely not keep you achieving results LONG LONG term!

For example, I feel the BEST when I'm lower carb and higher fats. My maintenance is usually 40%protein, 20% carbs and 40% fat. I don't really crave carbs, and I love healthy fats, so this is where I find I'm happiest and healthiest. It took me a quite a while to figure out these ratio's :)

EXAMPLE

120lb female. wants to lose some bodyfat.

Start with Calories, 14xBW (bodyweight)=1680

Protein 50%: 1680x.5=840 Calories (4 calories/gram of Protein)/4=210 grams Protein

Carbohydrates 20%: 1680x.2=336 Calories (4 Cals/gram Pro)/4=84 grams Carbs

Fats 30%: 1680x.3=504 Cals (9cals/gram Fat)/9=56 grams Fat

YES, this is a lot of protein, protein becomes more and more important as you get into a calorie deficit.. Your body can only absorb and use about 30 grams of protein at a time. Optimally you will be splitting this into 6 meals/day, and make sure you are consuming your water!!!!

Stick to this for two weeks, if you aren't seeing progress, you can redo the whole thing with 13xBW numbers. Remember you have to be CONSISTENT, or you would be able to tweak!

I hope you will put this info to use, and start tweaking things for yourself. Remember, it's not all about physique!!! Keep a journal, and record how you feel after meals, and take note of the breakdown of those meals!! Before you know it, you will be feeling like a well oiled machine, and you will REALLY recognize what your body reacts poorly to!

HOW DO YOU TRACK?

I have been using myfitnesspal for a LONG time. It's takes time at first, but once you have entered all your common food, it becomes SO quick and easy!!! I have also been one to just write everything down in a paper journal! Whatever floats your boat!! :) (the latter is much more difficult to track your macros and percentages.)

personal training, meal planning, macros, iifym

**The trick to staying on track is to plan your day of eating AHEAD of time, at least the day before...once the day comes, FOLLOW what you planned! This way, you won't find yourself at a loss at 8 pm trying to figure out what to eat to hit your goals :)

What's REALLY more important?? To feel like a million bucks, or to be as lean as a racehorse?? REALLY!! I'm serious! Think about that for a minute ;)

What do you have to look forward to in future blogs??

Step by Step MyFitnessPal Instructions

Nutrient Partitioning (Meal Timing)

Carb Cycling

Goal Setting

Keep your eyes peeled, better yet, join my mailing list so you don't miss out!! I DO NOT, send spam! SHARE SHARE SHARE, it make it worth my time writing these tips! :)

Remember, it's never too late to #detoxifyyourlife

Need help figuring this all out?? See me SERVICES