Since the start of the year, I’ve had clients drop upwards of 20+ pounds. How did they do it? By following a simple calorie plan and strength training 2-3 times per week to make sure the weight they’re losing is fat, not muscle.
But an optimal nutrition plan goes beyond just counting calories. In order to make sure we’re eating the healthiest, most nutrient dense meals possible we need to also have Macronutrient targets for either weight loss or bulking.
For a quick overview, macronutrients (Macros) refer to Protein, Carbohydrates, and Fat. You want to have a balance of all three (as well as of your micronutrients like iron, calcium, etc.) in order to feel your best, performance at your highest level, and reach your target weight.
Let’s use some simple math to calculate 1) how many calories we need to consume and 2) how much of those calories should be made up of protein, carbs, and fat. Let’s calculate our macros!
*Always consult a Healthcare Professional Before Beginning Any Nutrition/Fitness Program
CALORIE COUNT
It takes approximately 15 calories per day to maintain 1 pound of body weight. Knowing this, let’s calculate how many calories a hypothetical person would need just to maintain their current weight.
Subject A weighs 150 pounds.
To maintain 150 pounds, Subject A needs to eat 15 calories per pound of weight.
150 x 15 = 2250
That’s 2250 calories per day to maintain 150 pounds of bodyweight. But, how do we divide those calories among our Macros?
PROTEIN
Protein is the most important macro when it comes to building/maintaining muscle. The average person will need to consume between 0.7 and 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight . For the sake of simplicity, let’s keep it to 1g per pound. Therefore …
If Subject A weighs 150 pounds, they need to consume 150g of protein as part of their nutrition plan.
There are 4 calories per gram of protein. 150 x 4 = 600.
That’s 600 calories of protein per day, roughly 27% of their total calories.
FAT
Fat is also an essential part of your nutrition, as it helps your body regulate its hormones. Consuming between 0.3 and 0.5 grams of fat per pound of bodyweight should meet the average person’s needs. Therefore …
Subject A’s weight of 150 x 0.3 grams of fat = 45 grams of fat needed per day.
A gram of fat has 9 calories in it, so Subject A needs to consume 405 calories of fat per day, 18% of our total.
CARBOHYDRATES
And now that we know our proteins and fats, we can calculate our carbs. Carbs are the building blocks of energy, fueling our brain, muscles, and central nervous system. To calculate the amount of carbs we need to eat per day, we just look at what’s left after protein and fat.
We take our maintenance calories (2250) and subtract our protein (600) and our fat (405) and we have …
2250 - 600 - 405 = 1245.
1245 calories remaining
Every carb has 4 calories, so divide 1245 by 4.
1245/ 4 = 311.25
So we need roughly 311 grams of carbs per day, 55% of our total.
CONCLUSION
Let’s take a quick overview of our calculations of Macros: Proteins, Carbs, Fats For Weight Loss And Bulking.
Subject A weighs 150 pounds.
To maintain this weight, they need to consume 2250 calories per day.
Those 2250 calories should be made up of
600 calories of protein (150g)
405 calories of fat (45g) and
1245 calories of carbs (311g).
To calculate your macros and get the help you need to reach your fitness goals, book a free consultation call today!
Comments