Setting Macronutrient Goals – How Many Macros Do You Need? (2024)

Total calorie intake is important; however, it’s just one piece of the puzzle.

Macronutrients — carbohydrates, protein, and fat — are the main contributors of calories in our diets and each has its own unique effect on the body.

While one calorie of carbohydrate provides the same amount of energy as a calorie from fat, they can have different effects on rates of metabolism, hormone levels, and disease risks. As a result, what you’re eating is just as important as how much you’re eating.

But how do you know what your macronutrient goals should be?

Let’s take a look at what the current recommendations are and discuss how to find the best ratio for you.

What are Macronutrients?

Let’s quickly review what macronutrients actually are.

Macronutrients are nutrients that our bodies need in larger amounts. They include fats, carbohydrates, and proteins.

Briefly, the major roles and food sources of these nutrients include:

Fats:

Fats are an important energy source for the body; they help with brain function, nutrient absorption, muscle contractions, cell building, and they reduce inflammation. Sources of fats include oils, nuts, seeds, dairy, and fatty fish.

Carbohydrates (carbs):

Carbs are the primary energy source of the body and the preferred fuel for the brain. Carbohydrates that are high in fiber also play an important role in protecting against chronic disease. Sources of carbs include fruits, vegetables, grains, beans, and lentils.

Proteins:

Proteins are the building blocks of our bodies. In fact, every cell in our bodies contain protein. Proteins also make up hormones, antibodies, and enzymes — all important substances for the functioning of the body. Sources of protein include eggs, beef, fish, poultry, soy, beans, and dairy.

As you can see, all three macronutrients have important roles in the body. But the ratio in which you consume them can affect various health outcomes, such as muscle gains, appetite levels, and heart health.

Calculating Calorie Needs

In order to set macronutrient goals, you first need to know what your calorie needs are.

There are two key components to calorie needs: Resting Energy Expenditure (REE) and Activity Factor (AF).

REE is the amount of calories your body burns when it is just resting. To account for your activity, you’ll multiply your REE by an activity factor. The resulting number will be you daily calorie needs, also referred to as Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE).

Step 1: calculating your REE using the Mifflin St Jeor Equation:

Adult Men: calories/day = 10 x weight (kg) + 6.25 x height (cm) – 5 x age (y) + 5

Adult Women: calories/day = 10 x weight (kg) + 6.25 x height (cm) – 5 x age (y) – 161

Step 2: multiply by an activity factor:

Take your number from Step 1 and multiply it by the activity factor that most closely reflects your activity level.

• Sedentary: x 1.2 (limited exercise)
• Lightly active: x 1.375 (light exercise less than three days per week)
• Moderately active: x 1.55 (moderate exercise most days of the week)
• Very active: x 1.725 (hard exercise every day)
• Extra active: x 1.9 (strenuous exercise two or more times per day)

Voila! You have your TDEE. Of course this number can vary day-to-day based on activity levels, but it’s a good starting point.

If you’re looking to lose or gain weight, you’ll want to adjust this number. A good place to start is +/- 250-500 calories/day depending on if you’re looking to go up or down in weight.

Of course, you can skip all this math by having your Lose It! app calculate your energy needs for you.

Macronutrient Goals

It’s important to clarify that there’s no one best macronutrient distribution for everyone. As a result, the ratios below are simply starting points and should be tweaked to better fit your lifestyle and health goals.

Current recommendations from The Institute of Medicine are:

• 45–65% of calories from carbs
• 20–35% of calories from fats
• 10–35% of calories from proteins

After looking at these percentages, you may be thinking: those are pretty broad ranges. And you’d be right.

One way to start is by aiming for a middle of the road, balanced macronutrient distribution: 50% carbs, 30% fat, and 20% protein.

Another good starting place is simply tracking your macronutrient intake using an app like Lose It! Premium. Once you have an idea of what your normal percentages are, you can start playing around with the numbers depending on your health goals.

Tips for adjusting macronutrient goals:

• Feeling constantly hungry? Try reducing your carbs by 5-10% and increasing protein by 5-10%.
• Can’t lose weight despite cutting calories? Reduce carbohydrates to 35-45%, increase protein to 30-35% and keep fat around 20-25%.
• Looking to gain muscle? Aim for 25-35% protein, 40-55% carbs, and 15-25% fat.
• Concerned about heart health? Make sure your saturated fat intake is 10% or less of total calories. Start with 50% carbs, 25% fat, and 25% protein, with an emphasis on choosing high fiber carbs, lean proteins, and healthy fats.

How to Calculate Macronutrient Allowances

Once you’ve decided on a macronutrient breakdown, you’ll probably be wondering how many grams of carb, protein, and fat you can have each day.

We’ll use a 2,000 calorie diet with a 45% carb, 30% protein, and 25% fat breakdown as an example.

Carbs:

4 calories per gram

45% of 2,000 calories = 900 calories/day from carbs

Total grams of carbs per day = 900/4 = 225 grams of carbs

Protein:

4 calories per gram

30% of 2,000 calories = 600 calories/day from protein

Total grams of protein per day = 600/4 = 150 grams of protein

Fats:

9 calories per gram

25% of 2,000 calories = 500 calories/day from fat

Total grams of fat per day = 500/9 = 56 grams of fat

So, for this example, a 45% carb, 30% protein, and 25% fat breakdown would mean you would need 225 grams of carb, 150 grams of protein, and 56 grams of fat per day.

Importance of Diet Quality

Regardless of how you decide to divide up your macronutrients for the day, making healthy choices within those macronutrient groups is still essential for overall health.

When it comes to food choices, try to choose more nutrient-rich options, including fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds, legumes, whole grains, fatty fish, and healthy oils, and limit your intake of added sugars, refined carbohydrates, and high saturated fat foods.

The Bottom Line

In addition to watching overall calorie intake, it’s also important to be aware of the nutrients making up those calories.

While there are guidelines for setting macronutrient goals, it’s important to remember that these recommendations are starting points and should be tweaked to better fit your lifestyle, metabolism, and health goals.

Wondering how to track your macro intake? Lose It! Premium does all the calculations for you and makes it easy to adjust your goals.

If you still feel unsure of where to begin, it’s always a good idea to make an appointment with a registered dietitian who can help set macronutrient goals that are specific to your needs.