How do you guys figure out your macros? I know protein is roughly 1g per pound but how do yall figure out how many carbs and fats you need. Im new to this macro shit haha.
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guyzcool
Member
Well, proteins are 4 calories per gram, carbs are 4 calores per gram, and fat us 9 calories per gram. Figure out your bmi, and your protein. Should be 40% of your calorie intake, and fats 30% and carbs 30%
RodgerThat
New Member
That depends really, like stated protien and carbs are 4 calories and fat is 9 calories. Generally for "enhanced" lifters 1g per lb of BW is the minimum consumed with some guys eating upwards of 1.5g per lb of BW. For days unless you are in a ketogenic state they aren't your source of fuel so shoul be in a relative constant between 60-80g for most guys this is something to play around with for what keeps you more full during a cut and let's you eat more during a bulk. The main fluctuating thing is carbs. Carbs are your energy source and should be used to hit your calorie goal.
Personal example:
I'm 5'8 and a very patatoe looking 200lb
(Pssst I'm enhanced aswell)
Protien 240g = 960 cals
Fats 90g = 810 cals (I like high fat diet
Calorie goal 3800 cals
Calories from fat and protien 1770
Calories need from carbs 2030
2030/4 = 507.5
So my macros are
P240g C507.5g F90g
I always hit my protien requirement and my calories but if I fluctuate 20g ether way on cabs it's no big deal and same with gays if I fluctuate 10g either way also no big deal
Personal example:
I'm 5'8 and a very patatoe looking 200lb
(Pssst I'm enhanced aswell)
Protien 240g = 960 cals
Fats 90g = 810 cals (I like high fat diet
Calorie goal 3800 cals
Calories from fat and protien 1770
Calories need from carbs 2030
2030/4 = 507.5
So my macros are
P240g C507.5g F90g
I always hit my protien requirement and my calories but if I fluctuate 20g ether way on cabs it's no big deal and same with gays if I fluctuate 10g either way also no big deal
guyzcool
Member
Meant to put bmr, not bmi.... dang autocorrect
You want TDEE not BMR
Thanks guys im trying to get my diet down better. Im starting to figure it out google is my best friend haha
Try starting with protein 1-1.5g/lb and fats 0.4-0.5g/lb. fill in the rest of your cals with carbs. Stay the course for 2-3wks and make adjustments as you feel necessary. You may find you respond well to high carbs or you may find you respond well to high fats.
I generally eat higher carb foods anyways so that will probably work better for me. Im trying to cut a lil body fat right now. Idk if i did my numbers right but going off what i read. Im going for 3000 cals with 225g protien 67g fat and 375g carbs. It dont seem like i can lose fat eating that many carbs but i guess i could.
The amount of carbs is not what matters when losing weight or cutting fat, the total calories you eat being less than what you burn is what matters. If you find you don't lose weight at that intake the. Reduce calories by about 300-500 for another week or two. Keep making adjustments as needed. Sometimes it'll take a week or two for adjustments to be noticed so don't panic if you don't lose weight right away. Also, weight loss isn't linear so one week or two you might not lose weight or even gain, then the following week you lose more weight than you thought you would.
Mine currently look something like this:
Training days
Total calories: ~4750
Carbs: 625-675
Fat: 80-120
Protein 275-300
Off days
Total calories: ~3550
Carbs: 325-375
Fats: 90-120
Protein: 250-300
Calories will be the same, macros vary a bit depending on what I eat that day. They almost always fall within those ranges though.
In my opinion trying to use percentages doesn't really work well with super high calorie diets. It's all good at 3000 or less, but trying to make those numbers work at 5000-6000+ is going to be tough. In terms of cost and forcing it all down every day. Get your protein numbers and then figure out a balance of fat and carbs that works for you.
Training days
Total calories: ~4750
Carbs: 625-675
Fat: 80-120
Protein 275-300
Off days
Total calories: ~3550
Carbs: 325-375
Fats: 90-120
Protein: 250-300
Calories will be the same, macros vary a bit depending on what I eat that day. They almost always fall within those ranges though.
In my opinion trying to use percentages doesn't really work well with super high calorie diets. It's all good at 3000 or less, but trying to make those numbers work at 5000-6000+ is going to be tough. In terms of cost and forcing it all down every day. Get your protein numbers and then figure out a balance of fat and carbs that works for you.
Ok cool. Im slowly figuring it out. Wish i woulda cared more about diet when i first started lifting weights.
Steve Stevenson
New Member
Figure out your TDEE. There are shitloads of ways to do this, all of which are probably very inaccurate unless you have something like a bodybug that measures your caloric expenditure. You'll need to know your bf%, and unless you are using a bodpod or some other legit means of measuring bf%, you're just guessing anyway.
Once you know your TDEE, you can decide if you want to be at a surplus or deficit. Add or subtract that to your TDEE. My TDEE is 2630. I'll use that number for reference.
I don't like to eat more than 75g fat per day. As mentioned above, a gram of fat is 9 calories, mutiply 75x9= 675 calories. I'll subtract 2630-675= 1955 calories I now have to spend on carbs and protein.
Theres a lot of differing opinions on how much protein you need. Remember, you aren't feeding protein to your fat, so you'll only use your lean body percent, which is your bodyfat% subtracted from your total weight. I weigh 165, 15% bodyfat, so I have a lean total of 140lbs. I use 1.5g per lean pound for my macros, you can make your adjustments as needed. 1.5x140=210g protein. Multiply that by 4, 210x4=841.5 calories.
Now that I know how much protein and fat calories and grams I need, all that is left is carbs. I had already subtracted my fat and was left with 1955 calories, so if I now subtract my protein calories, 1955-841.5= 1113.5 calories to devote to carbs. I know that carbs are 4cal/gram, so divide 1113.5/4= 278g
So, my macros are:
fat- 75g/675cal which is 25.67% of my total
protein- 210g/841.5cal which is 32% of my total
carbs- 278g/1113.5cal which is 42.33% of my total
Once you know your TDEE, you can decide if you want to be at a surplus or deficit. Add or subtract that to your TDEE. My TDEE is 2630. I'll use that number for reference.
I don't like to eat more than 75g fat per day. As mentioned above, a gram of fat is 9 calories, mutiply 75x9= 675 calories. I'll subtract 2630-675= 1955 calories I now have to spend on carbs and protein.
Theres a lot of differing opinions on how much protein you need. Remember, you aren't feeding protein to your fat, so you'll only use your lean body percent, which is your bodyfat% subtracted from your total weight. I weigh 165, 15% bodyfat, so I have a lean total of 140lbs. I use 1.5g per lean pound for my macros, you can make your adjustments as needed. 1.5x140=210g protein. Multiply that by 4, 210x4=841.5 calories.
Now that I know how much protein and fat calories and grams I need, all that is left is carbs. I had already subtracted my fat and was left with 1955 calories, so if I now subtract my protein calories, 1955-841.5= 1113.5 calories to devote to carbs. I know that carbs are 4cal/gram, so divide 1113.5/4= 278g
So, my macros are:
fat- 75g/675cal which is 25.67% of my total
protein- 210g/841.5cal which is 32% of my total
carbs- 278g/1113.5cal which is 42.33% of my total
ranger.danger
Member
I'm have come to the belief it's not as simple as calories in calories out... don't you think the type of calories you're consuming have a roll in weight loss or gain?
Steve Stevenson
New Member
It isn't as simple as most make it out to be "calories in/calories out" argument, as that entire concept is based on Newton's Law of Thermodynamics, and while it does make for a compelling argument, that law only applies to a closed system and the body is not a closed system in terms of physics and its energy input and output. It is the closest thing we do have to explain in simple terms how basic weight loss works, but it doesn't take into account metabolism issues.
That being said, the calorie "type" that you eat isn't going have much a role in weight loss/gain. A calorie is a calorie, and once you understand what a calorie is you'll see that the type of calorie doesn't really matter when it comes to affecting weight loss/gain, but does have an effect on how you might look.
ranger.danger
Member
I'm aware of what a calorie is. Although I'm in no way an expert in this I do feel I have somewhat of a basic knowledge. My point being is the whole calorie in calories out thing is over simplified. Your body metabolizes foods differently. For example if you eat too much sugar your body can actually become resistant to insulin then causing your body to produce more insulin leading to fat gains.
Again I'm not trying to pretend to be an expert here I'm just saying I don't think it's that simple.
Weight loss is solely about calories in vs calories out. To make it fat specific weight loss, the type of calories you take in become important yes...specifically, you need adequate protein intake to maintain muscle mass so fat is preferentially oxidized.
You're right in a sense. The body does metabolize different macros differently and macro compositions of meals affects the TEF (thermic effect of food) but this is still all a part of cals in vs cals out. Your TDEE is your BMR or RMR + TEF + NEAT + TEA
BMR is basal metabolic rate
TEF is thermic effect of food
NEAT is non-exercise activity thermogenesis
TEA is thermic effect of activity
It's not as simple as you make it out to be and exercise improves insulin sensitivity. Cutting fat improves insulin sensitivity. Other factors affect it as well. Insulin isn't the only hormone that controls fat gain nor is it the strongest hormone that controls it either. You don't even need insulin to store fat. The point is, no matter how much fat insulin causes you to store, it still cannot overcome the basic principle of cals in vs cals out bc if insulin causes you to store fat while you're in a caloric surplus, the body will then need to oxidize stored fat to meet energy demands thus causing a net fat loss.
Did not take it that way at all and I enjoy this topic so I have no problem discussing it at length with you.
The body is a closed system.
Damn doc i wish i had your knowledge on all this. Its kinda interesting learning all this but at the same time it gives me a headache lol
If you want reading material I'm more than happy to link it for you. Just give me an idea of what specific topic you'd like.
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