Master Counting Macronutrients for Your Health Goals

Counting macros goes beyond calories. It lets you track the building blocks of your food: carbs for energy, protein to build muscle, and fat to keep you feeling full. Think of it as picking the right tools for your body’s toolbox!

Key Takeaways:

• Diet like a boss, not a math whiz: Counting macros lets you ditch strict calorie counting and focus on the big players: carbs, protein, and fat!

• Fuel your body right: Choose your food adventure! Macros help you pick foods that give you energy to play, protein to build muscles, and fat to keep you satisfied.

• More than just a fad: Over 25% of Americans track macros for a reason! It’s a flexible way to reach your health goals, whether you want to lose weight, gain muscle, or just eat awesome.

What are macronutrients?

Ever wonder why pizza makes you zoom and veggies keep you full? It’s all about macros, the superstar nutrients your body needs in big batches!

Macros, short for macronutrients, are like the main characters in your food. There’s three of them: carbs, protein, and fat. Carbs are your body’s fuel, giving you the energy to play like a champ. Protein helps you build strong muscles, and fat keeps you feeling full and happy (it’s not a villain!).

Knowing your macros isn’t just a grown-up thing. Figuring out the right mix of these three characters can help you feel and eat your best!

Why is counting macronutrients important?

Feeling lost in a sea of calorie counting apps? You’re not alone! Over a quarter of Americans are ditching strict calorie counting for macro tracking, the cool way of saying “counting macros.”

Here’s the thing: macros are like the building blocks of your food. Carbs give you energy, protein builds muscles, and fat keeps you feeling satisfied.

Counting macros lets you be the boss of your plate, choosing what fuels your body best. Want to run faster? Focus on those energy-giving carbs! Building muscle? Protein’s your friend. It’s all about picking the right tools for the job, and macros help you do just that!

Caloric Restriction

It has been proven that a caloric restriction leads to a decrease in caloric expenditure that ends up slowing down weight loss and generating symptoms such as an obsession with eating, constant cold, or feelings of sadness.

However, there is another current of thought. It is proposed that obesity is actually due to a disorder in the expression of hormones and enzymes in our body, caused by specific foods in our current diet.

For example, the expression of some hormones such as insulin, glucagon, or leptin, whose function is to regulate the storage and use of fats, is related to the number of macronutrients we eat daily.

This macronutrients counting approach understands that even though two foods have the same amount of calories, their macronutrient ratio can differentiate between beneficial or detrimental to your health and your figure.

This, as fiction, as it may seem, is a matter of common sense. If we measure the calories of 1 a piece of bluefish versus a glass of Coca-Cola, the fish will lose out, but we all agree that eating fish is much better than drinking Coca-Cola.

As you read this, the good news is that the Nutrition Science Initiative has launched a multi-million dollar program to conduct more scientifically rigorous nutritional research and find the reason that causes the problems we currently suffer from—related to food.

How to calculate the amount of macronutrients to eat

Now that we have done this introduction, we will see how to calculate protein, carbohydrates, and fat. In this calculation, we have not gone deeper into the nutritional richness of foods (for example, egg protein, which has all the essential amino acids, is better than that from soybeans).

First, we calculate the amount of calories that a person needs approximately:

• In general, we can say that the energy consumed by a person is: TDEE = (BMR + TEF + NEAT) + Ex + EPOC

• Both BMR + TEF + NEAT are the calories you spend at rest, that is, what your basal metabolism consumes.

• This added the calories expended doing an exercise (Ex = exercise and by EPOC = Post-exercise effect).

To calculate it, it is best to estimate the macronutrients for a rest day, and we will extrapolate it to a training day.

From here, we start the calculation of protein consumption.

How to calculate protein?

The WHO (World Health Organization) recommendation for an adult person is a minimum of 0.66 g protein for each weight kilogram.

These values ​​can often be confusing considering that the WHO establishes minimum requirements to avoid nutritional deficiencies, that is, the minimum to avoid being malnourished.

Our proposal differs a bit considering that health is not only that your life is not at risk but that you are in the fullness of your physical and mental capacities. We have added a little more protein to what is recommended by the WHO.

This table will help us select our necessary amount of protein-based on our level of physical activity and your goal:

Activity level	Lose weight	Be healthy	Gain strength
Sedentary	1.1	1.1	1.3
Active	1.5	1.5	1.7
Very active	1.8	1.8	2
Athlete	2.2	2.2	2.5
Super athlete	2.6	2.6	2.8

Remember that these amounts indicate grams of protein per Kg of body weight, as we already explained in this article.

How to calculate carbohydrates?

Calculating carbohydrates is somewhat more difficult because scientific data diversity does not allow a more clarifying perspective on the amounts needed per day.

It is also true that many nutritionists use tables to calculate carbohydrates that do not correspond to body weight.

For example:

• Glycemic intake goal (g / day)

• Ketosis 30

• Low carb sedentary diet 100

• Sedentary person 116

• Inactive person 132

• Active Person 141

• Very active person 150

Weight and body composition greatly affect how many calories a person needs. For instance, a 50 kg girl might need 1500 calories, while a 100 kg man could need 2800 calories. Giving them the same diet advice could lead to too few calories for one and too many for the other.

We’ve accurately matched protein intake with body weight. It makes sense to apply a similar approach to carbohydrates. This way, protein and carbohydrates support each other instead of being considered separately.

Yet, there’s a challenge. The research linking carbohydrate needs to body weight mostly focuses on high-level athletes.

Calculating Carbohydrates

In these cases, people consumed a lot of carbohydrates. On active days, they ate up to 12 grams of carbs per kilogram of their weight. On rest days, the minimum was 3 grams per kilogram. Carbs made up almost 70% of their total calorie intake. They mainly ate foods like bread and pasta, which have a high glycemic load.

To figure out the right amount of carbs, we looked at a 2010 study from The British Journal of Nutrition. Dr. Remko S. Kuipers suggested different Paleolithic diet plans in this study. These plans varied the ratio of animal to vegetable foods from 30% – 70% to 70% – 30%. In these diets, carbs made up about 40% of the food.

And those would be the parameters that we will use to calculate carbohydrates.

From this approach we will also use the following premises for food:

The protein is of animal origin. Carbohydrates are of plant origin. Fat has a mixed origin:

Protein	Fat	Carbs
Meat	22%	4%
Eggs	14%	7%
Fish	20%	8%
Vegetables	1%	15%
Tubers	1%	15%
Nuts	50%	20%
Olive oil	100%	0%

With the premise that this is valid for a regular diet but does not work for eating protocols such as the ketogenic diet, whose purpose is the mobilization of fat stores. If your interest lies more in this branch, I suggest you get your free ketogenic diet eBook.

Amount of Protein based on the Activity Level

Our proposal is slightly different. We believe health is not just about not being in danger. It also means being at your best physically and mentally. So, we’ve increased the protein amount from what the WHO recommends.

This table will help us select our necessary amount of protein-based on our level of physical activity and your goal:

Activity level	Calories	Index Increase concerning BMR	BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate)
Sedentary	1.2	2000	20%
Assets	1.37	2284	37%
Very active	1.55	2584	55%
Athlete	1.73	2884	73%
Super athlete	1.9	3167	90%

Remember that these amounts indicate grams of protein per Kg of body weight, as we already explained in this article.

How to calculate fats

Fat is the easiest to calculate because, by default, you have to fill your caloric needs after subtracting proteins and carbohydrates.

If you like calculations, the formula would be similar to this:

FAT TO EAT = (TDEE – (Grams of protein x 4 kCal) – (Grams of carbohydrates * 4 kCal)) / 9 kCal

Indeed, part of the pure fat you will eat (as in oils) will depend on the protein you have eaten since animal protein sources contain a significant fat percentage.

And that’s it, that simple.

But counting macronutrients for a day of physical activity is missing.

In reality, the formulas would not change much, but the calories needed would increase.

Let’s go for it!

How to calculate macronutrients on a training day

A training day is a rest day in which we expend the session’s energy and the energy used by the higher post-exercise oxygen consumption.

For example, a person on a rest day spends 2000 kCal, but on an exercise day, he spends 2500 kCal.

This person is expending 25% more energy and should increase that extra in their diet.

If you remember what was explained in our previous post, to calculate the TDEE, we used the BMR multiplied by a factor determined by the level of activity.

Each of these factors results in a jump of approximately 20% relative to the BMR.

We could say that a person with little physical activity raises her caloric expenditure by 40% in a training session is no longer at the passive person’s level but rather an active person.

And after testing many mathematical models on caloric intake, we have opted for a proportional increase of each macronutrient to increase caloric expenditure.

How to measure macronutrients on the ketogenic diet?

In the ketogenic diet, you can follow a series of similar formulas based on the following proportions:

Follow the same recommendations with proteins:

• 70% of the total calories expended must correspond to fat

• The rest, fill it with grams of carbohydrates.

In total, you will have approximately: 

• 70% fat, 

• 25% protein, and only 

• 5% carbohydrates to stay in ketosis.

If you want to avoid these calculations, a practical way is to use our macro calculator in our ketogenic diet course. You can enroll in its free version here:

Conclusion on how counting macronutrients works

You are surely wondering why so much formula, and we do not give recommended absolute numbers.

The answer is that due to our scientific objectivity, it is essential for us not to give general recommendations for everyone, but something that is completely adapted to you.

We have done the best we know to conform to scientific rigor and the evolutionary diet guidelines.

Counting macros goes beyond calories. It lets you track the building blocks of your food: carbs for energy, protein to build muscle, and fat to keep you feeling full. Think of it as picking the right tools for your body’s toolbox!
Key Takeaways:

Diet like a boss, not a math whiz: Counting macros lets you ditch strict calorie counting and focus on the big players: carbs, protein, and fat!

Fuel your body right: Choose your food adventure! Macros help you pick foods that give you energy to play, protein to build muscles, and fat to keep you satisfied.

More than just a fad: Over 25% of Americans track macros for a reason! It’s a flexible way to reach your health goals, whether you want to lose weight, gain muscle, or just eat awesome.
What are macronutrients?
Ever wonder why pizza makes you zoom and veggies keep you full? It’s all about macros, the superstar nutrients your body needs in big batches!
Macros, short for macronutrients, are like the main characters in your food. There’s three of them: carbs, protein, and fat. Carbs are your body’s fuel, giving you the energy to play like a champ. Protein helps you build strong muscles, and fat keeps you feeling full and happy (it’s not a villain!).
Knowing your macros isn’t just a grown-up thing. Figuring out the right mix of these three characters can help you feel and eat your best!
Why is counting macronutrients important?
Feeling lost in a sea of calorie counting apps? You’re not alone! Over a quarter of Americans are ditching strict calorie counting for macro tracking, the cool way of saying “counting macros.”
Here’s the thing: macros are like the building blocks of your food. Carbs give you energy, protein builds muscles, and fat keeps you feeling satisfied.
Counting macros lets you be the boss of your plate, choosing what fuels your body best. Want to run faster? Focus on those energy-giving carbs! Building muscle? Protein’s your friend. It’s all about picking the right tools for the job, and macros help you do just that!
Caloric Restriction

It has been proven that a caloric restriction leads to a decrease in caloric expenditure that ends up slowing down weight loss and generating symptoms such as an obsession with eating, constant cold, or feelings of sadness.
However, there is another current of thought. It is proposed that obesity is actually due to a disorder in the expression of hormones and enzymes in our body, caused by specific foods in our current diet.
For example, the expression of some hormones such as insulin, glucagon, or leptin, whose function is to regulate the storage and use of fats, is related to the number of macronutrients we eat daily.
This macronutrients counting approach understands that even though two foods have the same amount of calories, their macronutrient ratio can differentiate between beneficial or detrimental to your health and your figure.
This, as fiction, as it may seem, is a matter of common sense. If we measure the calories of 1 a piece of bluefish versus a glass of Coca-Cola, the fish will lose out, but we all agree that eating fish is much better than drinking Coca-Cola.
As you read this, the good news is that the Nutrition Science Initiative has launched a multi-million dollar program to conduct more scientifically rigorous nutritional research and find the reason that causes the problems we currently suffer from—related to food.
How to calculate the amount of macronutrients to eat
Now that we have done this introduction, we will see how to calculate protein, carbohydrates, and fat. In this calculation, we have not gone deeper into the nutritional richness of foods (for example, egg protein, which has all the essential amino acids, is better than that from soybeans).
First, we calculate the amount of calories that a person needs approximately:

In general, we can say that the energy consumed by a person is: TDEE = (BMR + TEF + NEAT) + Ex + EPOC

Both BMR + TEF + NEAT are the calories you spend at rest, that is, what your basal metabolism consumes.

This added the calories expended doing an exercise (Ex = exercise and by EPOC = Post-exercise effect).
To calculate it, it is best to estimate the macronutrients for a rest day, and we will extrapolate it to a training day.
From here, we start the calculation of protein consumption.
How to calculate protein?

The WHO (World Health Organization) recommendation for an adult person is a minimum of 0.66 g protein for each weight kilogram.
These values ​​can often be confusing considering that the WHO establishes minimum requirements to avoid nutritional deficiencies, that is, the minimum to avoid being malnourished.
Our proposal differs a bit considering that health is not only that your life is not at risk but that you are in the fullness of your physical and mental capacities. We have added a little more protein to what is recommended by the WHO.
This table will help us select our necessary amount of protein-based on our level of physical activity and your goal:
Activity level
Lose weight
Be healthy
Gain strength
Sedentary
1.1
1.1
1.3
Active
1.5
1.5
1.7
Very active
1.8
1.8
2
Athlete
2.2
2.2
2.5
Super athlete
2.6
2.6
2.8
Remember that these amounts indicate grams of protein per Kg of body weight, as we already explained in this article.
How to calculate carbohydrates?

Calculating carbohydrates is somewhat more difficult because scientific data diversity does not allow a more clarifying perspective on the amounts needed per day.
It is also true that many nutritionists use tables to calculate carbohydrates that do not correspond to body weight.
For example:

Glycemic intake goal (g / day)

Ketosis 30

Low carb sedentary diet 100

Sedentary person 116

Inactive person 132

Active Person 141

Very active person 150
Weight and body composition greatly affect how many calories a person needs. For instance, a 50 kg girl might need 1500 calories, while a 100 kg man could need 2800 calories. Giving them the same diet advice could lead to too few calories for one and too many for the other.
We’ve accurately matched protein intake with body weight. It makes sense to apply a similar approach to carbohydrates. This way, protein and carbohydrates support each other instead of being considered separately.
Yet, there’s a challenge. The research linking carbohydrate needs to body weight mostly focuses on high-level athletes.
Calculating Carbohydrates

In these cases, people consumed a lot of carbohydrates. On active days, they ate up to 12 grams of carbs per kilogram of their weight. On rest days, the minimum was 3 grams per kilogram. Carbs made up almost 70% of their total calorie intake. They mainly ate foods like bread and pasta, which have a high glycemic load.
To figure out the right amount of carbs, we looked at a 2010 study from The British Journal of Nutrition. Dr. Remko S. Kuipers suggested different Paleolithic diet plans in this study. These plans varied the ratio of animal to vegetable foods from 30% – 70% to 70% – 30%. In these diets, carbs made up about 40% of the food.
And those would be the parameters that we will use to calculate carbohydrates.
From this approach we will also use the following premises for food:
The protein is of animal origin. Carbohydrates are of plant origin. Fat has a mixed origin:
Protein
Fat
Carbs
Meat
22%
4%
Eggs
14%
7%
Fish
20%
8%
Vegetables
1%
15%
Tubers
1%
15%
Nuts
50%
20%
Olive oil
100%
0%
With the premise that this is valid for a regular diet but does not work for eating protocols such as the ketogenic diet, whose purpose is the mobilization of fat stores. If your interest lies more in this branch, I suggest you get your free ketogenic diet eBook.
Amount of Protein based on the Activity Level
Our proposal is slightly different. We believe health is not just about not being in danger. It also means being at your best physically and mentally. So, we’ve increased the protein amount from what the WHO recommends.
This table will help us select our necessary amount of protein-based on our level of physical activity and your goal:
Activity level
Calories
Index Increase concerning BMR
BMR
(Basal Metabolic Rate)
Sedentary
1.2
2000
20%
Assets
1.37
2284
37%
Very active
1.55
2584
55%
Athlete
1.73
2884
73%
Super athlete
1.9
3167
90%
Remember that these amounts indicate grams of protein per Kg of body weight, as we already explained in this article.
How to calculate fats

Fat is the easiest to calculate because, by default, you have to fill your caloric needs after subtracting proteins and carbohydrates.
If you like calculations, the formula would be similar to this:
FAT TO EAT = (TDEE – (Grams of protein x 4 kCal) – (Grams of carbohydrates * 4 kCal)) / 9 kCal
Indeed, part of the pure fat you will eat (as in oils) will depend on the protein you have eaten since animal protein sources contain a significant fat percentage.
And that’s it, that simple.
But counting macronutrients for a day of physical activity is missing.
In reality, the formulas would not change much, but the calories needed would increase.
Let’s go for it!
How to calculate macronutrients on a training day

A training day is a rest day in which we expend the session’s energy and the energy used by the higher post-exercise oxygen consumption.
For example, a person on a rest day spends 2000 kCal, but on an exercise day, he spends 2500 kCal.
This person is expending 25% more energy and should increase that extra in their diet.
If you remember what was explained in our previous post, to calculate the TDEE, we used the BMR multiplied by a factor determined by the level of activity.
Each of these factors results in a jump of approximately 20% relative to the BMR.
We could say that a person with little physical activity raises her caloric expenditure by 40% in a training session is no longer at the passive person’s level but rather an active person.
And after testing many mathematical models on caloric intake, we have opted for a proportional increase of each macronutrient to increase caloric expenditure.
How to measure macronutrients on the ketogenic diet?

In the ketogenic diet, you can follow a series of similar formulas based on the following proportions:
Follow the same recommendations with proteins:

70% of the total calories expended must correspond to fat

The rest, fill it with grams of carbohydrates.
In total, you will have approximately:

70% fat,

25% protein, and only

5% carbohydrates to stay in ketosis.
If you want to avoid these calculations, a practical way is to use our macro calculator in our ketogenic diet course. You can enroll in its free version here:
Conclusion on how counting macronutrients works
You are surely wondering why so much formula, and we do not give recommended absolute numbers.
The answer is that due to our scientific objectivity, it is essential for us not to give general recommendations for everyone, but something that is completely adapted to you.
We have done the best we know to conform to scientific rigor and the evolutionary diet guidelines.