How To Figure Out Your Macros

Macros can be this mystical thing with which a lot of people struggle. There is so much information out there, some science-based and a lot very much not. How much protein, carbs and fat do you really need? To make it more confusing, often, the answer is, it depends.

Hopefully by the end of this post, it will be a lot less confusing*. Then you can begin to play with a nutritional balance that works for you. This post is going to assume that you either want to lose fat or gain muscle, or both.

*A little heads-up. This post has a fair amount of math and science in it. It may become even more confusing as you read. Hopefully by the end when I show the Macro Math, you’ll fully understand. But before we get to the Macro Math, you do need to understand all the theory to create a plan to fits your unique metabolic needs.

For the caloric intake floor, I’ll be using a 2000 kcal per day meal plan in a lot of examples. This will work for many bodies. And it comes with a huge caveat. If you are in a larger body of 136+ kg (300+ lb) and do little to no exercise and if you follow a 2400 kcals per day meal plan, your expected minimum rate of fat loss will be around 0.35 kg (0.77 lb) per week which is easier to maintain. I strongly caution you from going below that. If this is you, your macro calculations will also be a bit more complicated, as you will see when I talk about ratios vs fixed values.

Another note: I do not recommend you start any fat loss meal plan until you have routinely increased your NEAT.

What Are Macros

Macros are the macroscopic nutrient groups: protein, carbohydrates and fat. You need all of them. Any meal plan that restricts one without a valid medical reason should be ignored.

Your body uses protein to repair and grow muscles. It uses carbohydrates to drive that protein into your muscles, it gives you energy to move your body and it is the primary source of brain fuel and literally makes it possible for you to think clearly. Fat is essential for hormonal regulation, prevention of conditions such as dementia and the absorption of certain vitamins, including vitamins A, D and E. Together, macros play a vital role in blood sugar regulation, satiety and more.

That’s just the beginning of why you need each in unrestricted quantities.

Of course, not all macro sources are equal. Your body makes better use of certain proteins sources. Your body feels much better when you consume complex carbs than if you consume naked refined carbs. But if you pair those refined carbs with fibre, healthy fats and protein, your body will make better use of them, so no need to eliminate them. Simply add to them! Not all fats are created equal either.

The Common Wisdom and Protein Myths

The common wisdom is if you consume 1.4 – 2.2 grams of protein per kilogram of target weight, you’re golden. You may have heard that more than 2.2 g/kg is even better. Not so fast!

A meta analysis – the gold standard – of studies has found that 1.6 – 1.8 grams per kilogram of target weight is the most efficient if your primary form of exercise is strength training. That said, if you are an athlete like me who does high volume training for both endurance and strength with lots of cardio, then your protein needs may be higher than 1.6 – 1.8 grams per kilogram of target body weight. But the science is still up in the air on that one.

There are a couple protein myths that need to be addressed. One goes something like, if you eat more than 30 grams of protein in a meal, you’re wasting it because your body can’t absorb more than that. Another along similar lines is, if you eat more than 30 grams, anything over that 30 grams will turn into fat.

That isn’t true. Anything over what your body can use for muscle protein synthesis will be used as energy to fuel your body. The only time excess protein will be stored as fat is if you are in a caloric surplus and even then, there are a lot of caveats because you need to be in a surplus to gain muscle mass.

Next, you need 25 per cent to 40 per cent of your daily calories coming from fat. Then you fill the rest with carbs. These targets are the same if you goal is fat loss or muscle gains.

For many people, if they do the math to figure out their protein, and then the math for fat, and then figure out what is left for carbs, they will do fine. That is, if you are not overly restricting your calories. If you drop your daily intake below 2000 kcals per day, it will be difficult to maintain a ratio that supports complete metabolic function while also supporting your fitness goals. As already mentioned, this caloric floor is higher for larger bodies.

However, the above doesn’t work for everyone. And then things get tricky.

Why That Doesn’t Work for Everyone

The most common reason why the above doesn’t work for everyone is because of those valid medical reasons I already mentioned. Below are examples for each macro.

If your kidneys don’t function properly, then you must be careful when it comes to protein consumption. Too much protein can stress the kidneys but that is only if your kidneys are already dysfunctional. I cannot stress the part about being already dysfunctional enough. Another common myth about protein is that it can cause kidney damage, which isn’t true.

If someone has diabetes or reactive hypoglycaemia, then carbs are an issue. A low carb meal plan is necessary for many diabetics. Someone with reactive hypoglycaemia produces too much insulin if they have too many carbs with or without other macros, and they experience huge blood sugar crashes. Many people with reactive hypoglycaemia cannot tolerate more than 40 per cent carbs per meal, even if those carbs are complex carbs with a low glycaemic index.

It can be difficult for people with high LDL cholesterol to keep their meal plan under 10 per cent saturated fat when pushing the higher end of 40 per cent fat for their macros. Even healthy fat sources such as olive oil contain some saturated fats, so they need to be used sparingly.

Ratios vs Fixed Macros

Now there may be many of you who read the above and still find this all clear as mud. Or you don’t want to math the math. Then the somewhat easy solution would be to simply do ratios. People love to say it’s a simple as ratios. I wish that were true.

A common ratio is 30 per cent protein, 45 per cent carbs and 25 percent fat. At a 2000 kcal per day meal plan, that would work for a lot of people with a variety of weight goals, at least in terms of fat loss while preserving muscle mass. Smaller people may even find that a 25/50/25 ratio will allow them to meet all their macro needs. For larger people eating at a deficit of 2400 kcals per day, 30 per cent protein may only just meet the minimum needed for their target weight.

When I was at a 2000 kcal per day meal plan, 30/40/30 was my perfect ratio to manage my reactive hypoglycaemia and gave me more than enough protein to support maintaining my muscle mass while I lost fat.

But ratios stop working if you have high caloric needs. Over a seven-day period, my maintenance calories are an average of 2950 kcals per day. If I were to eat 30 per cent protein, that would equal 221 grams of protein which is 3.8 grams per kilogram of my current weight. That is way too much, even with my higher protein needs.

I also have grumpy kidneys, meaning I’m circling the drain of kidney dysfunction because of a medicine-related kidney injury. My limit for protein is 170 grams, which would still be excessive if I didn’t also need higher quantities to help manage my reactive hypoglycaemia. This is especially true with such high caloric needs because I can’t fill those extra calories with carbs like most people. When it’s time for me to purposefully go into a small surplus, this balance becomes even more tenuous.

In the end, after a lot of experimentation, the solution that is perfect for my specific needs is a mix of ratios and fixed amounts with ranges and ideals. My caloric target is based off a weekly average because that is how bodies work. And then I work out my macros based on that average. Please avoid variable meal plans that keep you guessing from day to day what you’ll be allowed to eat. It’s a recipe for disaster.

No matter what my calorie target is, my protein stays fixed at 140 – 224 grams per day with an ideal target of 170 grams. Thanks to quarterly regular kidney testing and lots of experience with blood sugar crashes, I know that 170 grams is the higher limit of what my kidneys can tolerate. The minimum in that range is what is needed to somewhat keep my sugars stable when at higher caloric needs. Even at 170 grams per day, I experience more reactive hypoglycemic crashes than I’d like. Sometimes they are so severe, I fall asleep/pass out while sitting up as soon as I stop working. The max of this range is the math if I were working at my 30/40/30 ratio at maintenance calories; it’s not something I’d ever try to achieve.

Next, my fat is a ratio of 25 – 40 per cent of my caloric target. The ideal varies. When my calories are under 2400 kcals, the ideal is 30 percent. It increases to 35 per cent when my intake is over 2400 kcals. Increasing my fats to 40 per cent would probably stop all reactive hypoglycaemic episodes, but unfortunately my lipid profile goes sideways when I go over 35 per cent, even if I keep my saturated fats to less than 10 per cent of daily calories.

Finally, my carbs are whatever is left over. The range is whatever the math says it is after I figure out some things with the minimum and maximum protein and fats. The ideal is known after more math to figure out the ratio for the ideal protein and fat numbers. This is easier to show in the Macro Math section than it is to tell.

Now that I’m carb cycling to help manage my reactive hypoglycaemia, it’s a bit more complicated. Carb cycling, what it is, how I’ve tweaked it for my needs and that math will be a future post.

How To Play with Your Macro Targets

While there are some great general rules about macros, especially protein to prevent muscle loss while in a deficit and to promote growth while trying to gain, those are based on populations and not individuals. Even if you do not have health conditions that play a huge roll in your diet, your body will still respond differently to different macro mixes. You should absolutely play with your macros while using the above as general guidelines to help you find what works best for you.

If your current caloric intake is between 2000 – 2400 kcals per day, then playing with your macros is relatively easy as you can do it by changing ratios.

The first thing you need to do is pick a macro ratio while prioritizing protein. Not only is it the key protein for sparing and growing muscle, but it is also the macro most responsible for satiety. Once you’ve picked a ratio, eat that way for two weeks while keeping a journal about how you feel immediately after a meal and then again two hours after. At around the two-hour mark post meal is when the crash will happen if your body is having any issues with carbs.

Afterwards, change one variable pairing, such as increase fat and decrease carbs if you find you’re not tolerating the carbs well, or increase carbs and decrease fat if you find the opposite to be true. Be sure to never go below the minimum requirement of 15% of daily calories coming from fat. Eat that way for two weeks while continuing to journal.

Once your daily intake is at or above 2400 kcals, the basic principles of change one thing at a time then give it two weeks and journal about how it makes you feel remain the same. The only thing that changes is you figure out your ideal fixed protein amount, a starting point for fats as a percentage of total calories, then filling the rest with carbs. Adjusting afterwards means first play with the percentage of fat, then figure out what’s remaining for carbs.

And of course, to do this, you do need to track consumption of both calories and macros. I use Cronometer Gold because it has the most accurate database, is the app of choice for health care professionals, and allows me to not only share custom foods and recipes, and allows me to import recipes, but also lets me schedule custom macro targets for when I’m doing my version of carb cycling. If you want $5 off Cronometer Gold, email me at jules@julessherred.com and I’ll send you an invite.

Macro Math

Some people may hate the following because math, while others may love it because math.

It’s great to know how many calories of each macro you want to target, or the grams. But without knowing the relationship of calories per gram of each macro, you can’t figure out your target grams if using ratios. And you can’t figure out multiple variables if using a fixed method, or a combo of both.

First, you need to know the following:

1 gram of carbs = 4 calories.
1 gram of protein = 4 calories.
1 gram of fat = 9 calories.

If you ever want to get super dialled in and figure out your net carbs and fibre, then:

1 gram of fibre = 2 calories.

But that doesn’t tell the whole story because that is for soluble fibre. And nutrition labels never break up the types of fibre. For most people, the difference between net carbs and gross carbs is between 40 – 80 kcals per day, which isn’t going to have a significant impact on your goals.

Because of this, all examples will be using gross carbs.

Ratios

Let’s start easy with an example of the math for a 2000 kcal meal plan based on a 30/40/30 ratio.

The person following this meal plan is 91 kg (200 lbs) and is 180 cm (5’9”) who does little to no exercise and has a goal of losing 0.25 kg (0.5 lbs) per week. We don’t know anything about their muscle mass.

Protein: 2000 kcals x 0.30 = 600 kcals ÷ 4 [kcals/gram] = 150 grams.
Carbs: 2000 kcals x 0.40 = 800 kcals ÷ 4 [kcals/gram] = 200 grams.
Fat: 2000 kcals x 0.30 = 600 kcals ÷ 9 [kcals/gram] = 66.67 grams but let’s round up to 67 grams.
Saturated Fats (a subset of total fats): 2000 kcals x 0.10 = 200 kcals max ÷ 9 [kcals/gram] = 22 grams.

Mix of Fixed and Ratios

Now the bit more complicated math.

1. Let’s do an example of a 3000 kcals meal plan.
2. This person weighs 91 kg (200 lbs) and is 180 cm (5’9”) tall. They exercise 2 – 3 times a week and want to gain 0.25 kg (0.5 lbs) a week. We don’t know anything about their muscle mass.
3. They’ve decided they want their protein range to be 1.6 times their weight up to 30% of total daily intake, with an ideal of 2 times their weight.
4. They want their fat range to be 25 – 40% with an ideal of 30%.
5. The carb range and ideal will be determined by what’s leftover.

Protein Math

Minimum: 91 kg x 1.6 [gram/kg] = 145.6 grams of protein. For simplicity, let’s round it up to 146 grams. 146 grams x 4 kcals = 584 kcals from protein.

Maximum: 3000 kcals x 0.30 = 900 kcals of protein ÷ 4 [kcals/gram] = 225 grams.

Ideal: 91 kg x 2 [grams per /kg] = 182 grams of protein. 182 grams x 4 kcals = 728 kcals from protein = 24% of macros (728 kcals ÷ 3000 kcals).

Fat Math

Minimum: 3000 kcals x 0.25 = 750 kcals ÷ 9 [kcals/gram] = 83 grams.

Maximum: 3000 kcals x 0.4 = 1200 kcals ÷ 9 [kcals/gram] = 133 grams.

Ideal: 3000 kcals x 0.3 = 900 kcals ÷ 9 [kcals/gram] = 100 grams.

Carbs Math (the complicated part)

Minimum = 3000 kcals – Protein Maximum – Fat Maximum
3000 kcals – 900 kcals – 1200 kcals = 900 kcals ÷ 4 [kcals/gram] = 225 grams.

Maximum = 3000 kcals – Protein Minimum – Fat Minimum
3000 kcals – 584 kcals – 750 kcals = 1666 kcals ÷ 4 [kcals/gram] = 416.5 grams, rounded up to 417 grams for simplicity.

Ideal = 3000 kcals – Protein Ideal – Fat Ideal

3000 kcals – 728 kcals – 900 kcals = 1372 kcals ÷ 4 [kcals/gram] = 343 grams = 46% of macros (1372 kcals ÷3000 kcals).

The Final Product

Ranges
Protein: 146 – 225 grams = 584 – 900 kcals = 19 – 30%.
Carbs: 225 – 417 grams = 900 – 1666 kcals = 30 – 56%.
Fat: 83 – 133 grams = 750 – 1200 = 25 – 45%.

Ideals
Protein: 182 grams = 728 kcals = 24%.
Carbs: 343 grams = 1372 kcals = 46%.
Fat: 100 grams = 900 kcals = 30%.

Max Saturated Fats (a subset of total fats): 10% of total calories = 300 kcals = 33 grams.

If you don’t find the idea of doing macro math appetizing (pun intended), then here is a handy dandy online calculator.

The Bottom Line

Seeing the math does help to visualize the fact that keeping a minimum 2000 kcal per day meal plan will ensure a wide range of body types will meet their protein requirements without having to give up the foods they love, while also being in a caloric deficit. Going below 2000 kcals per day and you will have to not only give up foods, but you risk not meeting your minimum dietary requirements that keep your body healthy. This floor is much higher for people in larger bodies.

If you are in a smaller body like mine, you will not be wasting protein plus it will not be converted to fat. To be wasting protein by way of it being converted to fat, you need to be in such a surplus that your body cannot use the calories to build muscle and keep the body running, which on average is a surplus more than 15 per cent of maintenance*. If you are in a deficit, all that protein will be used to maintain muscle with leftovers used to keep your body running.

*This is for people who are not taking performance enhancement drugs (PED). People not on PEDs includes cis and trans people who are on TRT and maintain therapeutic ranges of blood serum testosterone. People who talk about their 2000 kcals surplus diets and all those calories going to muscle are on PEDs, often taking something like 4x the therapeutic dose of testosterone, plus a bunch of other stuff.

Prioritize protein for muscle gains and maintenance. Do not give up carbs. They are necessary to build and maintain muscle plus this is your literal food for thought. Do not give up fats. They are necessary for hormonal support, vitamin absorption, plus it keeps the wiring of your brain healthy and working. And ratios are great if your meal plan is under 2400 kcals per day. After that point, it’s time to break out a calculator.

Featured image is one of my award-winning photographs.