Calculating Calories and Macros - How To

[skinnydream1991]

Mostly small bodies or under 200 poundsup here... how do I find a nutrition or the place to start when you over 400 pounds No neck and never exercised a day in your life except walking short distance.. love to know....

[Heisman2]

General Info: 36yr old male, 6ft, 202lbs | Target weight 185lbs ~15% bodyfat

Summery: When I was in my early 20's I was fat ~230lbs, decided to get in shape. By 26 I was in the best shape of my life, 175lbs and had a good amount of muscle and a baby 6pack lol. Fast forward to 36yrs old and I was back to 235lbs and what felt like no muscle on my body. I've dropped 33lbs since July 4 2018 to get to my current weight of 202lbs. I've never kept track of Macros in my life.

Goal: I wan't to hit 185lbs as my next milestone. During my initial weight loss i've been eating 1200-1500 calories per day and if I had to guess on average I was eating about 8g protein, 150g carbs, 80g fat. I've definitely gained some muscle as well but I want to be as efficient as possible.

I put my Info into a TDEE calc and it's saying to eat 165g P, 73g F, 83g C on the cutting section under lower carb. I've been playing with my meals and can realistically get to 110-30g protein 60g fat 80g carbs. With that I'm still 35-50g's of Protein short..


Question: Do I really need to eat that much protein? how do my Macro's look? Also I've been thinking of trying intermediate fasting with a eating window from 12pm-8pm aka 16/8. I'm not trying to be a bodybuilder, but would like to have some toned muscles and a flat stomach. Any tips or help would be much appreciated.


Workout: For the last 3 months (minus 2 weeks where I wasn't able to go) I've been on a pretty strict schedule of 5days a week at the gym. 90% doing weights with a sprinkle of cardio. My splits are chest&Tris, Back&Bi's, Legs&abs(I do some shoulders too) with my 2 rest days on Wed or Thurs and Sunday.


Thanks again in advance.

Intermittent fasting is pointless if you're otherwise healthy but likely won't be detrimental and if it helps you stick to a caloric deficit that is fine.

Do you only do legs once weekly? Getting on a split where you hit each muscle twice weekly may yield better results.

Your goal is 185 pounds. 185 * 0.7 = ~130. Should not be that hard; you can definitely still make good progress with less but it may take longer to get to the same endpoint. 60g fat will probably be fine though 75g may be a bit safer if you are doing this long term (I'd be surprised if 60 was not enough though while actively cutting assuming it is only for a few months).

So just to make sure I am understanding correctly; if I am a male who weighs 450 pounds but I want to weigh 250 pounds I should base my protein, fat, and carb intake using the goal weight of 250?

You can, but you can also pick a smaller number such as 200 pounds (which is still greater than your ideal bodyweight), then increase the calories as needed such that you lose weight at an acceptable rate (no more than 1% bodyweight per week is a good general guidelines)

Mostly small bodies or under 200 poundsup here... how do I find a nutrition or the place to start when you over 400 pounds No neck and never exercised a day in your life except walking short distance.. love to know....

Same idea. Keep protein high; at least 0.8 grams per pound of ideal bodyweight is a good metric. You can go high and may get better results going high (but make sure a doctor tells you that your kidneys are fully functional first). Lose no more than 1% of your bodyweight per week. Try to do a full body resistance training routine twice weekly (you can do more if you'd like). Keep moving.

[Persian206]

Intermittent fasting is pointless if you're otherwise healthy but likely won't be detrimental and if it helps you stick to a caloric deficit that is fine.

Do you only do legs once weekly? Getting on a split where you hit each muscle twice weekly may yield better results.

Your goal is 185 pounds. 185 * 0.7 = ~130. Should not be that hard; you can definitely still make good progress with less but it may take longer to get to the same endpoint. 60g fat will probably be fine though 75g may be a bit safer if you are doing this long term (I'd be surprised if 60 was not enough though while actively cutting assuming it is only for a few months).

First thanks for the reply. I do eat healthy with a cheat meal (burger,pizza,etc) once a week. Even without fasting (which I just started) being in a caloric deficit was no problem once I started tracking what I was eating. I started fasting because of all the info saying it's a good way of targeting fat burning. I figure fasting + working out should speed up the process. Are you saying I'm really not getting any benefits from it? It's much easier for me to spread my eating into my regular 12hr window then cram everything into a 8hr window!

Yes I only do legs once a week.. If I add a additional leg day, do you recommend adding a extra workout day or including it to one of my other workouts and keeping 2 days off?

[xsquid99]

First thanks for the reply. I do eat healthy with a cheat meal (burger,pizza,etc) once a week. Even without fasting (which I just started) being in a caloric deficit was no problem once I started tracking what I was earthing. I started fasting was because of all the info saying it's a good way of targeting fat burning. I figure fasting + working out should speed up the process. Are you saying I'm really not getting any benifits from it? It's much easier for me to spread my eating into my regular 12hr window then cram everything into a 8hr window!

Yes I only do legs once a week.. If I add a additional leg day, do you recommend adding a extra workout day or including it to one of my other workouts and keeping 2 days off?

Fat loss is the result of a consistent calorie deficit over time. Intermittent fasting does NOTHING for fat burning, its just a tool for reducing your caloric intake by limiting yourself to a smaller eating window and is done for personal preference or convenience only. If its more convenient for you to have a larger eating window then intermittent fasting is not for you.

[Heisman2]

First thanks for the reply. I do eat healthy with a cheat meal (burger,pizza,etc) once a week. Even without fasting (which I just started) being in a caloric deficit was no problem once I started tracking what I was eating. I started fasting because of all the info saying it's a good way of targeting fat burning. I figure fasting + working out should speed up the process. Are you saying I'm really not getting any benefits from it? It's much easier for me to spread my eating into my regular 12hr window then cram everything into a 8hr window!

Yes I only do legs once a week.. If I add a additional leg day, do you recommend adding a extra workout day or including it to one of my other workouts and keeping 2 days off?

Completely your choice regarding the legs.

[adamsmit32]

Thank you so much for the nice and simple explanation. It is really useful information for everyone.

[getbigordie18]

Mostly small bodies or under 200 poundsup here... how do I find a nutrition or the place to start when you over 400 pounds No neck and never exercised a day in your life except walking short distance.. love to know....

I use the complex Harris-Benedict Forula to calculate caloric need,protein,carbs,and fats to prescribe a diet. After doing that you would need to track your food and changes would be made over time. I strive for optimal nutritional needs analysis. I am anti bro meal plan. Tbh nothing wrong with it except the mental issues you will face from dieting.

[polaniaadrian]

Hi everyone,

Typically on a sunday I meal prep about 15 meals for the week that consist of grilled chicken, salmon, turkey, and beef and use the same vegetables such as broc****, green beans, and also use sweet potato and rice. I would consistently eat about 4 of those meal preps each day.

I wanted to give the whole idea of weighing my food once cooked to see what I should truly be eating daily to make sure i'm accurately meeting the needs of my goal.

I'm 5'10, 163lbs, and i'm 28. I was able to calculate the below:

Total daily calories: 2730

Carbs: 306grams
Protein: 204 grams
Fats: 76 grams.

I weighed a piece of chicken breast but it came up to 104 grams, so two pieces of chicken for the day would meet my protein intake goal? I'm not entirely sure if that's right or if it makes sense.

I'm sure i'm missing something in between but figured I'd reach out to see what type of input can help me better understand.

[Persian206]

Hi everyone,

Typically on a sunday I meal prep about 15 meals for the week that consist of grilled chicken, salmon, turkey, and beef and use the same vegetables such as broc****, green beans, and also use sweet potato and rice. I would consistently eat about 4 of those meal preps each day.

I wanted to give the whole idea of weighing my food once cooked to see what I should truly be eating daily to make sure i'm accurately meeting the needs of my goal.

I'm 5'10, 163lbs, and i'm 28. I was able to calculate the below:

Total daily calories: 2730

Carbs: 306grams
Protein: 204 grams
Fats: 76 grams.

I weighed a piece of chicken breast but it came up to 104 grams, so two pieces of chicken for the day would meet my protein intake goal? I'm not entirely sure if that's right or if it makes sense.

I'm sure i'm missing something in between but figured I'd reach out to see what type of input can help me better understand.

I'm here for help too but out of the 104 grams of weight not all of it is protein. For example a 4oz (~112g) piece of chicken breast from Costco (frozen) is 23g of protein. Hope that helps.

[LaJoseGrande]

I know you said not to do macro percentages, but I'd like to know whether I'm doing well or not in my diet so I don't go on hurting my effort.

My typical day is: 45/39/15 (Carbs/Protein/Fat). Does that need adjusting, or is it okay?

[TJfrance16]

Hi, i am a 53 yr old lady, training now for 6 months, train every day for 1.5 hours, lifting heavy 4 days a week (deadlifts 87.5kg, bench press 81 kg, squats 62kg and all rising weekly). I am very active also so have calculated my tdee to be about 2300 calories per day. I am trying to bulk now and i am daily monitoring calories, macros etc and have gained 400g so ar over 2 weeks. But i am not sure about the macros calculation. The sticky at the beginning of this thread said dont use percentages, i was using 40, 40, 20. But if i use that i should have 230g protein but i weigh 55kg so using the 0.8 g per lb bodyweight i should have a lot less than that, and the calculator suggested on here said 164g of protein. So i am very confused. Can somebody advise me please. Thanks in advance

[CodizzleG2C]

Hey I just signed up here and can't find the right place/person to ask this and yall seem to be very knowledgeable so I figured I'd ask yall.

I'm 25 yrs old, 6'1, and only 125lbs. I've been trying to gain weight since I was around 15 and never been able to no matter how much I eat. What do you think would be best for me to do in order to gain weight? If you could give me a calorie, protein intake per day or something I would greatly appreciate it dude cause it's KILLING me😖😖😔 I faught MMA for 2 yrs and my trainer faught for UFC and he tried to help me gain weight and couldn't so he tried to talk me into steroids and I almost did it but I backed out at the last minute. Btw I also ha e an eating
disorder where i just have spills of not being able to eat all day around 2-3 times a week. What do you think I should do man?

[mlift11]

So the protein requirement doesn't change for cutting? I'm at 198 LBs to start my cut- 160 grams of protein is sufficient?

I was planning on macros of 2900 cals, 160g protein, 290g carbs, 61g fat

[georgevictor07]

Hello, calculate your daily energy requirement( just google daily energy requirement or basal metabolic rate, put in your values and activity level). After You know the value, add 15-20% of the calories to this, 50-55% should be carbs. If this still does not work, go higher in calories(+20-30% of daily energy requirement) and carbs(>55%). Try and also eat more meals. Good luck

[mlift11]

Hello, calculate your daily energy requirement( just google daily energy requirement or basal metabolic rate, put in your values and activity level). After You know the value, add 15-20% of the calories to this, 50-55% should be carbs. If this still does not work, go higher in calories(+20-30% of daily energy requirement) and carbs(>55%). Try and also eat more meals. Good luck

lol who are you talking to?

[medhu]

Hello, I would really appreciate some help here, I have been losing fat and building muscle for the past weeks but ultimately I feel really tired (some headaches) and my workouts seem to be harder than before, currently I am at

Age: 24 Male
Height: 5ft 7
Weight: 172lb
Body Fat%: According to Nokia Body Scale: 16%, According to Omron Handheld devide 13.6%, According to Inbody 14.6%

I train 6 times a week:
Mornings - 45 minute cardio in intervals 6-6.5km
Nights - 45-50 minutes strenght training and 45 minute cardio in intervals 5-5.5km

I have been eating around 1691 calories per day
133g Protein
139g Carbs
67g Fat

Should I change these numbers? I am happy with the way my weight and bf are moving but as I said ultimately I feel really tired all day and have a lot of headaches

Thanks

[sabbyroc]

Mrpb! Thank you for the straightforward information and advice. Gonna begin following it when I get new groceries this weekend and prep. Looking forward to see how it effects my body.

[Robsgil]

Just wondering if you could clarify something? I’ve been on a plan to loose fat! I was 97kg and about 30% body fat. My TDEE used to be 2525 calories so I was eating 2020 cals/ day. I was on this for about 3 months! Im now 88kg and around 15% body fat. Was doing new calculations for my new TDEE which is now 2730 and for fat loss I should be eating 2184 calories. Should I adjust it and increase my calories or keep eating the same calories as before? I still want to loose more body fat!
Thanks

[Mrpb]

Just wondering if you could clarify something? I’ve been on a plan to loose fat! I was 97kg and about 30% body fat. My TDEE used to be 2525 calories so I was eating 2020 cals/ day. I was on this for about 3 months! Im now 88kg and around 15% body fat. Was doing new calculations for my new TDEE which is now 2730 and for fat loss I should be eating 2184 calories. Should I adjust it and increase my calories or keep eating the same calories as before? I still want to loose more body fat!
Thanks

Whatever amount of calories makes you lose ~1 pound per week. Keep getting stronger on a good routine.

Try 2200 first. Go lower only if necessary.

[lolilol1987]

Nice and informative contribution for the needy.

[alexincabo]

Great stuff here, has really helped on my journey

[John6655]

It'll at that point set your caloric admission to 80% of your TDEE (20% calorie shortage) and your macros to 40% of calories from protein, 40% from carbs, and 20% from fat. In the event that you need to keep up your present weight, select "keep up."

[Jake3410]

yes

[tensecun]

Hi everyone,

Typically on a sunday I meal prep about 15 meals for the week that consist of grilled chicken, salmon, turkey, and beef and use the same vegetables such as broc****, green beans, and also use sweet potato and rice. I would consistently eat about 4 of those meal preps each day.

I wanted to give the whole idea of weighing my food once cooked to see what I should truly be eating daily to make sure i'm accurately meeting the needs of my goal.

I'm 5'10, 163lbs, and i'm 28. I was able to calculate the below:

Total daily calories: 2730

Carbs: 306grams
Protein: 204 grams
Fats: 76 grams.

I weighed a piece of chicken breast but it came up to 104 grams, so two pieces of chicken for the day would meet my protein intake goal? I'm not entirely sure if that's right or if it makes sense.

I'm sure i'm missing something in between but figured I'd reach out to see what type of input can help me better understand.

I'm 6'1, 145lb, 32m

So if my target goal is 155lb to start, I'd need (minimum):

Calorie - Whatever the surplus is of my TDEE
Protein - 110g
Fat - 62g

right?


I calculated my intake for breakfast this morning and got:

Calories - 1745
Protein - 61g
Fat - 85g
Carbohydrate - 207g

I've been underweight my whole life and struggled with it but only recently (today) started counting my calories. My breakfast is virtually the same every morning, so I seem to be fine there. What I have issues with is my afternoon meals mostly due to work. Most calorie calculators state I need ~3000-3500 calories to gain 1-2 lbs/week. I've already gotten half of it for my breakfast. Is it really as simple as getting the other half through my afternoon meals?

Another thing is, I'm mostly active due to the work I do but I don't work out. Will this extra weight I potentially gain simply be fat?

Thanks for the thread btw

[Charlie Murphy]

Hello, I would really appreciate some help here, I have been losing fat and building muscle for the past weeks but ultimately I feel really tired (some headaches) and my workouts seem to be harder than before, currently I am at

Age: 24 Male
Height: 5ft 7
Weight: 172lb
Body Fat%: According to Nokia Body Scale: 16%, According to Omron Handheld devide 13.6%, According to Inbody 14.6%

I train 6 times a week:
Mornings - 45 minute cardio in intervals 6-6.5km
Nights - 45-50 minutes strenght training and 45 minute cardio in intervals 5-5.5km

I have been eating around 1691 calories per day
133g Protein
139g Carbs
67g Fat

Should I change these numbers? I am happy with the way my weight and bf are moving but as I said ultimately I feel really tired all day and have a lot of headaches

Thanks

Damn son, relax on all that cardio. You trying to be Richard Simmons? Also what specifically is your lifting routine.

[zanisbar]

I'm 6'1, 145lb, 32m

So if my target goal is 155lb to start, I'd need (minimum):

Calorie - Whatever the surplus is of my TDEE
Protein - 110g
Fat - 62g

right?


I calculated my intake for breakfast this morning and got:

Calories - 1745
Protein - 61g
Fat - 85g
Carbohydrate - 207g

I've been underweight my whole life and struggled with it but only recently (today) started counting my calories. My breakfast is virtually the same every morning, so I seem to be fine there. What I have issues with is my afternoon meals mostly due to work. Most calorie calculators state I need ~3000-3500 calories to gain 1-2 lbs/week. I've already gotten half of it for my breakfast. Is it really as simple as getting the other half through my afternoon meals?

Another thing is, I'm mostly active due to the work I do but I don't work out. Will this extra weight I potentially gain simply be fat?

Thanks for the thread btw

Online calorie counters are notoriously inaccurate,what my anecdotal evidence tells me is that-the farther you are from "average" the inaccurate these calculators get.

At 6'1" you surely are not average,so you need to monitor yourself for two weeks to find your maintainence calories.

weigh yourself everyday in the morning,keep counting your calories,keep your food roughly the same so if there is an error in counting,the error is atleast consistent.

take two weekly averages and subtract them,and use that to determine your maintainence calories.

also don't change your carb intake drastically or even slightly if you can,last thing you want is water weigh affecting your maintainence calories counting.

[tensecun]

Online calorie counters are notoriously inaccurate,what my anecdotal evidence tells me is that-the farther you are from "average" the inaccurate these calculators get.

At 6'1" you surely are not average,so you need to monitor yourself for two weeks to find your maintainence calories.

weigh yourself everyday in the morning,keep counting your calories,keep your food roughly the same so if there is an error in counting,the error is atleast consistent.

take two weekly averages and subtract them,and use that to determine your maintainence calories.

also don't change your carb intake drastically or even slightly if you can,last thing you want is water weigh affecting your maintainence calories counting.

Thanks For awesome Information and Tips. let me try

[LedHead89]

Thanks for the great information OP! I’ve been training for a year now and have been making progress, but probably not as much as I should’ve because I’m still trying to fully understand what I really need in terms of nutrition.

Quick question, in the OP it says that 0.7g of protein per lb is the suggested intake. I’ve been getting a bit more than that in my bulking phase, but now I’m going to be switching to a cutting phase. Is 0.7g sufficient while cutting or should I get more protein? I’ve heard people say you should get 1.5g of protein per lb, but that seems like an awful lot of calories just from protein when you’re trying to be in a caloric deficit.

[ryan982]

What is your personal timeframe of visible results? I worked out for 8 weeks, measured once a week and see great results via the numbers on the paper but could not visibly see any results. My chest increased 3 inches, my biceps 2 inches, etc... It is a long story.. I am a 3-time cancer survivor, never looked like I wanted to and just trying to be happy with what I see in the mirror. Since my first Cancer (Brain and Spine) I have been very skinny and do not gain muscle much. I am just curious how long till other people see visible change.
Thanks and sorry if I gave to much information.
Ryan

[tensecun]

Great stuff here, has really helped on my journey

You lost your weight ?