Counting Your Macros and Enjoying What You Eat

Are you looking to shed unwanted pounds, build muscle, or simply eat healthier?

Although we’ve long heard that weight management is all about “calories in and calories out,” there’s more to it than just tracking calories. By focusing on macronutrients—proteins, fats, and carbohydrates—you can create a more personalized, effective plan to reach your health goals without feeling deprived.

So, What Exactly are Macronutrients?

“Macros” is short for macronutrients, the nutrients that provide energy, specifically proteins, fats, and carbohydrates. Proteins and carbohydrates provide four calories per gram, and fats deliver nine calories per gram. We need to consider macronutrients as a source of fuel for our bodies. The total calorie intake comes from the macronutrients. 

We do not want to confuse macronutrients with micronutrients. Micronutrients are the vitamins and minerals critical for health but provide no calories per se. They are extremely important, and if we eat whole foods, we can feel confident we are getting a good supply of these micronutrients. You can think of macronutrients as the fuel and micronutrients as the engine parts needed to use the fuel. Both are needed for optimal functioning and metabolism. 

So how do I count macronutrients to lose weight?

Macros make a big difference when we are looking to lose fat. Learning to count your macros can help you on your health journey whether you are trying to increase protein intake and optimize muscle protein syntheses through the consumption of quality meats, fish, eggs, and nuts or reduce fats like oils, nuts, and seeds and refined carbohydrates like bread, pasta, and sweets to help with blood sugar regulation.

We know a lack of protein and healthy fats and excessive carbohydrates (especially when processed) can lead to blood sugar dysregulation, reduced energy levels, mood swings, and excess body fat, which can make losing weight difficult. Carbohydrates in the form of alcohol can be especially problematic given they provide 7 calories per gram and provide no nutrient value. 

Assessing your macronutrient intake and addressing imbalances between your protein, fat, and carbohydrate intake is important to nudge your metabolism into a more fat-burning state while also helping you to avoid feelings of deprivation. And it all starts with numbers.

When we count macronutrients, we need to consider them as percentages or in grams.

So, someone may want to follow a diet that has 40% carbohydrates, 30% protein, and 30% fat, or they will look at the actual gram content of foods. Many food labels show macronutrients as grams, but we still need to have an idea of percentages to figure out the exact values. 

Sometimes it helps to start with calories just to give you some perspective.

A simple way to estimate your calorie needs is to multiply your desired body weight (in pounds) by 12.

• Example: If your goal is 120 lbs, multiply 120 × 12 = 1,440 calories/day (the original article stated 1140, but using 120 × 12 yields 1440. If you are using 95 lbs or a different metric, adjust accordingly).

Note: The original example used 120 lbs × 12 = 1140 calories, but typically that calculation results in 1440. You may need to adjust based on your activity level, age, or metabolic rate. Always remember these are estimates, not exact science.

It helps to start by assessing what you are eating, using measuring cups and even a food scale to gain some objective insight into where you are. Most of us underestimate the amount we are eating. In fact, studies have shown most people underestimate calories and macronutrient levels by 20%, and those who are overweight may underestimate by over 40%. Figuring out these numbers can be eye-opening, but more importantly, this practice can help you address where you can make changes.

These underestimations can certainly derail you in your weight loss goals.

Tracking food should be considered a short-term plan to help you develop long-term success. It is not healthy to become fanatical about measuring food and counting macronutrients. This recommendation is simply to help you develop a baseline and become more mindful of what you are consuming. In time, you will be able to assess these things without the extra steps. Online food trackers can be especially helpful. Check out My Fitness Pal or Cronometer apps available on the iPhone. 

Note these estimations are just that. This is not an exact science but rather an “estimate” of where you are. Many restaurant and food labels are simply estimations of content; however, you will still be shocked to see the numbers when you measure the contents of “healthy choices”.

So where do you start?

The best part of following macronutrients is you can make it very personalized.

If your goal is fat loss you will want to adjust protein up and fat and carbohydrates down. Once you have determined your calorie amount, you will start with the protein macronutrient. This is a good anchor. Goals for protein intake can be between 0.8 to 1 gm per desired body weight.

Protein intake should make up at least 30% of your macronutrients and possibly more if you are working on muscle protein synthesis while working on fat loss. So the 120 lb person we previously described would aim to get 100-120 gm of protein per day. Given protein is 4 kcal per gm that would be an estimated 480 kcal of the 1140 kcal we calculated previously. That leaves 660 kcal to be split between carbohydrates and fats. 

Protein intake needs to be consistent from day to day, but the calories/grams that come from carbohydrates and fats can vary. Individuals who perform more high-intensity activities may want to increase carbohydrate intake, while those who are working on weight loss and metabolic disturbances may want to reduce their carbohydrate percentage. Either way increasing protein intake will help to control carbohydrate and fat intake because the increase can help with satiety. 

Carbohydrates provide 4 kcal per gram, while fats, the most calorie-dense macronutrient, can provide 9 kcal per gram. So, back to our 120 lb. individual. If the total calorie count is 1140 kcal and 480 kcal is going toward protein intake. The 660 kcal left will be split between the carbohydrate and fat intake. For those looking to improve insulin resistance and metabolic disturbances while looking to lose body fat keeping the carbohydrates equal to the protein in grams may help. For example, carbohydrate intake can be set at 30 gm and fats at 30 gm while protein intake can be increased to 40 gm per day.

Here is how you would do the math:

• Total calories to reach a desired weight of 120 lbs.
  • 120 x 12 = 1140 kcals per day
• Protein intake is 100 gm per day minimum and up to 120 gm per day.
  • 120 x 4 = 480 calories. If we want to increase the protein to 40% of the calories allotted, then this would suffice.
• Carbohydrate intake would be 30% of the total or 342 calories per day, which comes to 85 grams per day.
• Fat intake would be the remaining calories which is 1140 calories-480 calories (protein) – 342 calories
• Carbohydrates = 318 calories from fat. When we divide 318 calories by 9 (# calories per gram of fat) this leaves you with 35 gm of fat per day. 

Counting these macronutrients for a period of time can help anyone looking to lose body fat and change their body composition.

Learn About Our Macros Cooking Class

It can easily be personalized based on goals of fat loss or muscle gain and can help individuals become more mindful of the balance of nutrients they are putting into their bodies.

Awareness is key to making change.

Ultimately, though, our goal is nutrition through a balanced diet of whole foods with balanced macronutrients and plenty of micronutrients and phytonutrients we acquire from a plant-heavy diet. As we move to a less processed diet a macronutrient approach will become easier to manage as well. The goal is short-term information and awareness to help you reach your long-term goals. 

If you want to learn more about managing macronutrients and putting the data into a nutrient-dense diet, join us on January 14th for our cooking class, where we will review this eating plan in detail while sharing delicious ways to implement it.