Most people know that a healthy diet is the key to getting results but how much and what types of foods is where most girls seem to get stuck.
In my intake forms I often see girls living off of bananas, granola, and yogurt, and wondering why they aren’t getting results…
It all comes down to one important factor: your MACROS.
For those of you super new into this area; MACRO is short for macronutrient. There are 3 macronutrient food groups which are protein, carbs and fats.
Different health and wellness experts will give you different opinions on what is the best ratio of these macros to follow but, as my best friend and brilliant physician Dr. Gabrielle Lyon explains the safest bet for most people ( to start) is following close to a ratio which is 40/30/30 ( 40% protein/30% carbs/30%fat).
While diets that cut out certain macro groups work well for some people some of the time ( i.e. Keto), they are almost always not beneficial in the long term. My focus today is to teach you how to start tracking your macros for HEALTHY fat loss.
The first part of figuring out your macros is setting your calories. Below are some guidelines of how to get a base range of calories. NOTE, as the subject line says this is ideal for beginners or people who are moderately fit. NOT for athletes or someone with body fat higher than 30%. If you’re very overweight, it would be recommended to keep your protein up and focus on weight loss until you’re under 30% body fat which is where these calorie and macro ratios work best.
SETTING CALORIES:
To start, multiply your weight x one of these multiples based on your goals
(Ranges)
Lean : 9-11
Maintain: 11-13
Build: 13-15
For example – if I want to lose fat (lean out) and I am 160 pounds I would multiply 160 x 10 = 1600 calories.
* If you are overweight you’ll want to use the lowest multiplier (9) *
Once you have your calories set you can then use the macro multipliers to set your macro ratios. As explained earlier we will use a ratio of 40/30/30.
So ….
1600 x 40% protein= 640 . We then divide this number by 4 ( 4 calories per gram) to get 160 grams. This is the goal for grams per day of protein.
Next is carbs …
1600 x 30% = 480. We then divide this number by 4 ( 4 calories per gram) to get 120. This is the goal of 120g of carbs per day.
Next is fat….
1600 x 30% = 480. We then divide this number by 9 ( 9 calories per gram) to get 53. This is the goal of 53g of fat per day.
So you see now you have a breakdown of the amount of each macro you should trying to be consuming per day.
So how do you know the amount of macros in foods? Well you can look all of them up or we have attached a macro guide for you to use and track.
CLICK HERE for the macro guide 🙂
As I mentioned, this is a great starting point but your calories and macros will have to be adjusted as you go and as you become more muscular and/ or lean!
You can do this on your own using trial and error methods ( how most people learn) or you can get pre-set programs like my 28 Day Shred which have them all built in and calculated for you based on your goals and height.
Either route you go, paying attention to your macros will be a game changer!
One last thing.. these macros work best with a consistent weight training exercise program. While cardio is exercise, the best exercise for fat loss is weights.
New to weight training? Read my blog The 5 Biggest Mistakes Beginners Make.