HOW TO CALCULATE MACROS FOR CUTTING

COACHES NOTE:

Firstly ask yourself how serious you want to get in regard to body composition adjustment. It takes discipline and a level of trial and error. It is not for everyone.

As a coach I promote better relationships with food with a focus on pure water and nutrient density. Routines and habits that are sustainable are integral. Diets, cutting and counting macros I feel should be used as an education process rather than a regular behaviour.

It should be done with a level of self discovery and mindfulness to how your body responds to certain food and calorie intake.

It can be an enlightening process and you will learn a lot about yourself if you calculate your macros however once you have learnt your numbers, portion sizes and food types that work for you, I suggest adapting that knowledge into a routine that works for you and is stress free.

For those who seek greater results or are on a weight/fat loss journey then maybe this is for you.

HOW TO CALCULATE MACROS FOR CUTTING

Eating food is a life pleasure. Unless you are competing or an athlete with a specialised focus, why distort your life and happiness by making insane sacrifices in diet that ultimately find yourself becoming unhappy, unhealthy and ultimately someone who is quite painful to be around. No one wants to be this person. Your diet is about understanding your macros and how to best incorporate your favourite foods into a diet that allows you to live the life you want. Eat well but more importantly be happy.

Here is how you do it! I have used a formulae that utilises pounds but it can easily be converted to KG. 1KG = 2.2 pounds

This is a guide and there are alternative variations to this protocol.

What are Macros & What is Cutting?

Macros are protein, carbohydrates and fats. They are what your body needs for energy, recovery and day to day function, and each element has a certain calorie value.

Protein and carbohydrate have 4 calories per gram.

Fat has 9 calories per gram.

Alcohol is the fourth macronutrient and has 7 calories per gram. (Let’s not focus on this though :))

Cutting means losing body fat.

“How to Calculate Macros for Cutting” = “How much protein, carbohydrate and fat do I need to get lean?”

Step 1: Determining Calories

How many calories you need each day?

Take your bodyweight in pounds (KG x 2.2) and multiply it by 11 to 14. See scale.

Multiply by 11 if you have a sedentary job and do little to no exercise

Multiply by 12 if you have a relatively active job or sedentary but train 2-3 times per week.

Multiply by 13 if you have an active job and train 2 to 3 times per week, or have a sedentary job and train at an intense level (ie. weight training, or high level aerobics) 4 to 6 times per week.

Multiply by 14 if you have an active job and train at an intense level (ie. weight training, or high level aerobics) 4 to 6 times per week, or you’re an athlete training every day or multiple times per day.

Note: Be honest. Don’t think that by picking multiplying by 11 when you’re really a 14 will lead to you getting shredded sooner. You will probably drop weight quicker, but you’ll also lose muscle mass, and performance will suffer. Likewise, if you occasionally, sometimes, when you feel like it and when your friends are also up for it, go to an aerobics class a couple of times per week, you can’t justify this moderate activity by putting yourself at 13 or 14.

Remember this number.

Step 2: Working Out Protein

Take your bodyweight in pounds (KG x 2.2). This is the number of grams of protein you’ll eat per day.

Super easy. Weigh 130 pounds? That’s 130 grams per day. Weigh 200 pounds? That’s 200 grams of protein.

Step 3: Working Out Fat

You need between 0.3 and 0.6 grams of fat per pound of bodyweight.

This should be largely based off personal preference, as provided you’re hitting a minimum of 0.3 and not exceeding 0.6, you’re okay. To determine what your ideal intake should be, ask yourself what your favourite types of foods are.

If you tend to eat fattier foods, such as cheese, bacon, nuts and fatty desserts, then aim for 0.5 or 0.6 grams of fat per pound. You’ll likely enjoy a diet far more (and therefore be much more likely to stick to it) if you have more room for your preferred higher-fat foods in your diet. This makes complete sense.

If, on the other hand, you’re more of a carb-o-holic, and crave bread, pasta, crisps and pretzels, aim for 0.3 to 0.4 grams per pound. Your carb and fat intake will be inversely proportional, so the higher one is, the lower the other. Therefore, you can go lower order nexium online no prescription with your fat intake in order to consume more carbs.

The only caveats to the above (though these are really minor details) is that athletes focused on performance and needing to recover quickly should keep their carbohydrates high to moderate, while if you rarely train, or only ever partake in gentle exercise, your carb tolerance is likely lower, so set fat towards the higher end of the scale.

Step 4: Working Out Carbs

First up, take your daily protein intake and multiply it by 4.

There are 4 calories in a gram of protein, so this will give you how many calories you’re consuming from protein each day.

Then multiply your fat intake in grams by 9 to give your fat calories.

Add these two numbers together, and subtract the result from the total number of calories you’re aiming for each day.

This will give you how many calories you need from carbs each day.

Divide this by 4 (remember – carbs have 4 calories per gram) and that’s how many carbs you need each day.

Examples:

If you’re struggling, check out these two examples.

Case Study 1:

140 pound female with a sedentary job who trains twice per week and prefers higher-fat foods –
Calories needed = (140×12) = 1,680

Protein = 140 x 1 = 140g

Fat = 140 x 0.5 = 70g

Protein and fat calories = (140 x 4) + (70 x 9) = 1,190

Carbs = (1,680 – 1,190) ÷ 4 = 122.5g

Daily Macros = 140g protein, 70g fat, 122.5g carbs

Case Study 2:

190 pound male semi-professional athlete, training multiple times per week at high intensities.
Calories needed = (190×14) = 2,660

Protein = 190 x 1 = 190g

Fat = 190 x 0.4 = 76g

Protein and fat calories = (190 x 4) + (76 x 9) = 1,444

Carbs = (2,660 – 1,444) ÷ 4 = 304g

Daily Macros = 190g protein, 76g fat, 304g carbs

Progress and Variations

I am 100% confident that were you to follow the numbers generated by these calculations, you would have no issues whatsoever in shedding body fat. You will however need to make certain adjustments as you progress.

Fat loss is almost never linear, so as you get leaner and your body weight drops, you’ll need to continue to create an energy deficit, either by increasing energy expenditure by training more, or by decreasing your food intake. The most effective way I’ve found to judge progress is to weigh yourself once every one to two weeks and take progress photos.

If you feel you’re not losing fat, lower your total calories by between 50 and 100 per day. (This should mainly come from carbs and fat, as protein is needed to preserve muscle mass.) Always aim for the smallest drop possible, unless you have a specific deadline to make, such as a bodybuilding contest or a photo shoot.

These macros are also only a guide, and may need slight tweaking from the outset. If you’re losing more than a couple of pounds per week after the first three or four weeks and are not obese, it may be the case you can tolerate a higher calorie intake, so go back to step 1, and re-work your macros using a higher energy factor. Genetically-gifted individuals who already carry a large amount of muscle mass may be able to diet on 15 or 16 calories per pound, or possibly even higher.

The macros are also variable — there’s no need to hit each one exactly, provided you’re consistent. Aim to be within 5 to 10 grams of each on a daily basis, and don’t sweat it if you’re a little over or under.

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