Macros (The Sequel): PLS SIR, WAT EAT?
How to determine your target intake — Part 2 (of 3) of my Macros FAQ
Hello again, and welcome, new subscribers! It’s really cool to have you with us.
This section of my Macros FAQ is probably the bit you’re most interested in, i.e. how to set up your individual targets. Every single calculator and remotely fitness-woke person seems to have a different opinion on what you should be eating, so let’s find out the actual answer.
Quick reminder: you can find the first 5 questions (more of an ‘Intro to Macros’) in this issue, and, in case you’re wondering who I am and why I think I’m qualified to write about these things, please see this link.
Alright, on with the show.
6. So, how do I know what macros to aim for?
First, you need to know how many calories to consume.
7. How many calories should I be eating?
Use a calculator or simple multiplier to estimate your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE), or track your intake and compare it against any movement in scale weight/measurements over 2-4 weeks to determine your TDEE — the latter is my preference. (If applicable, track between a similar period in your menstrual cycle, e.g. 7 days after the start of your period, to minimise hormone-related fluctuations.) Bear in mind that even the best calculators (including any I’ve recommended) are just an estimate of a starting point. Institute a moderate deficit or surplus, according to your goals. And remember — only you can answer this question. Track your intake, monitor your progress and how your body feels, adjust accordingly (e.g. Zero fat loss over time? Probably reduce intake. Feeling like death? Probably increase intake).
NB: “Moderate” deficit = anywhere between 250-600 calories per day under your TDEE. When in doubt, shoot for a smaller deficit, because this will help prevent loss of lean mass, you won’t hate life and therefore it will feel and be more sustainable, and it leaves room to adjust intake in case you hit a plateau and need to take calories further down in the future. “Moderate” surplus = aim for 75-250 cals per day over your TDEE. The average unassisted athlete isn’t able to pack on more than about 1-2lbs of lean mass per month, and eating a surplus in excess of this will simply result in additional stored fat alongside your newly minted muscles.
8. How do I log my food?
Any way you please, soldier. MyFitnessPal (MFP), Mike’s Macros, EatThisMuch, SparkPeople, Avatar Nutrition, DIY with Excel spreadsheets or a note-taking app in your phone, or kick it old-school with pen and paper. Some of those have databases, some of which are more accurate than others. Google “[food item] calories” and most things should have a nutritional table pop up. Refer to nutritional info on packaged food (but take note of serving sizes). Use a food scale, where possible. (This infographic is a good guide on when it’s more important to break that scale out, and when less accurate eyeballing won’t do much harm.) Don’t bring a scale out to eat in restaurants if you don’t want to — I’ve done this exactly once in my life, and probably never will again.
If you often cook in batches and use MFP, this is a great tutorial for adding bulk recipes and logging single servings.
If you're more of an advance-planner, I built my own meal-planning and recipe-calculator spreadsheet (wherein you’ll populate a reference table with your own list of commonly eaten foods, and it’ll calculate your macros per serving for you). Let me know if you want that — I’d be happy to email it over.
9. Should I ‘eat back’ my exercise calories?
Generally speaking, no. It’s impossible to accurately log how many calories are burned during exercise, even if you have a hella-fancy heart rate monitor. Most of these devices have been shown to be inaccurate by as much as 93%. YUP. So, pick an activity multiplier according to your average weekly physical activity, and include your exercise in it. If you have a desk job, but you regularly hit 15k steps/day and attend CrossFit classes 3x a week, the “sedentary” multiplier probably isn’t right for you.
NB: Depending on the type and intensity of exercise you do as well as your goals, it may make sense to cycle calories and/or carbs around training days. Chances are, if you’re an athlete who trains at that level though, this fairly basic FAQ isn’t gonna be teaching you much in the way of new information. (On the off chance that this is you, and you’d like more information, do reach out.)
10. So, how do I know what macros to target?
Let’s break it down by macronutrient.
Shortcut: use a calculator such as the one in Mike’s Macros, on iifym.com or tdeecalculator.net which will give you a starting point. They’ll probably give you slightly different results, if you try them all. It doesn’t matter which you pick to start, and you should probably read the next few questions anyway, even if you don’t want to DIY your targets.
11. Okay. How much protein do I need?
Aim for 1.5g to 2.5g of protein per kg (0.7g to 1.2g protein per lb) of your total body mass.
This amount of protein will support satiety and muscle protein synthesis (MPS) which is important for increasing lean mass in a surplus, or retention of existing lean mass in a deficit.
In the event that you've are just trying to maintain things/not seeking to make any changes, you can probably go as low as 1.3-1.5g protein per kg (0.6-0.7g/lb) of lean body mass (also probably a useful number for vegans, or anyone else who may be unable to hit those higher protein targets, to be mindful of), but I personally would not go any lower than that.
Most health boards recommend 0.8g/kg (0.4/lb) of total body mass, but bear in mind that this recommendation is simply the bare minimum in order to meet the nutrient needs of the average individual, and do not take any body recomposition/athletic efforts or outlying variances into account.
12. That sounds preposterous, I can’t eat 217g of protein per day. Even if I could, won’t that destroy my kidneys?
No. There is no current evidence to suggest that a high protein diet will wreck your kidneys, in the absence of existing kidney issues. (If you have pre-existing kidney issues, you should talk to your doctor and not an unaccredited stranger on the internet regarding what you should or should not be eating.) There have in fact been studies that show that up to 3.4g protein/kg of total body mass (i.e. ~2x the amount recommended above) in conjunction with resistance training may improve body composition and is safe for extended periods of time.
There is, however, absolutely a learning (and up-regulation of digestive and enzymatic function) curve with this. If you currently consume say 30-50g of protein per day, and are trying to triple or even quadruple that amount, you’re probably not gonna be able to do that without an unholy amount of protein shakes and more chicken breast than you can fathom chewing. And you’ll probably blow your fat intake like WHOA. And then you’ll give up on “this dumb macros schtick”. So do yourself a favour and increase that amount gradually. Hit 60-75g for 2-3 days, then try to get to 80-100g, and so on.
NB: If you are very overweight, have a low-ish TDEE for your size, and are likely to be in a sizeable deficit for an extended period of time, getting 50% (or more) of your calories from protein can also make quality of life and therefore adherence pretty difficult. In situations like these, it may make more sense for you to be less aggressive with your protein intake, at least to start.
Also, see this link for “How to Get More Protein” (by Mike Vacanti).
13. What’s this about “blowing fat intake”? Don’t we need fat? Fat doesn’t make you fat.
No, fat doesn’t make you fat. Yes, we need some fat to have healthy hormone function and feel satiated, and a life with zero dietary fat is frankly barely worth living, no matter how shredded you are. However, (refer to Q1), fat is the most calorie-dense of the macronutrients, so when in a deficit, limiting dietary fat (instead of carbohydrates) usually results in an increase of volume of food consumed which many people find more satisfying. If you are not one of those people, please feel free to consume more of your calories from dietary fat.
The minimum recommended fat intake is 0.67g per kg (0.3g/lb) of total body mass, or no less than 15-20% of your total daily caloric intake. Below this, things start to go awry. Do not go below this unless a trained medical professional has told you to do so, and is supervising your health. Most people function best in the 1 to 2g per kg, or 0.4g to 0.9g per lb, of total body mass. Yup, you might be an outlier. How might you find out? Log your food.
14. Which leaves us with carbs?
Yup, fill in the rest of your calories with carbs. There is no minimum or maximum recommended amount of carbohydrates one should consume. Depending on your preferences, any peculiarities to your own physiology and hormone function, and your existing activity level, you may function better on more or less carbohydrates. If you exercise a lot, especially strength training, you will probably feel better with higher carb intake, especially on your training days. (It has, however, been observed that female athletes generally oxidise more lipids and less carbohydrates than male athletes, and hence are less likely to witness a decline in performance from lower carb diets.) If you have a medical condition such as PCOS or are otherwise insulin-compromised, you’re probably gonna do better on higher fat and lower carb.
Aaaaand once more for the people in the back: if you have any medical conditions or hormone dysfunction, please talk to a doctor instead of taking advice from me.