The Ultimate Guide On How To Track Your Macros

In this article, I’m going to show you how to track your macros in order to make fat loss a bit easier.

This is important because fat loss is already freaking hard enough.

There are many things that impact your ability to lose fat: diet, exercise, sleep, stress, hormones, lifestyle, etc.

As you can imagine, it can get a bit overwhelming.

This is where learning how to track your macros (macronutrients) helps. It’s a great first step that makes dieting and reaching your goals much easier. 

The reason for this is that your macros (carbs, fats, protein, and alcohol) are what drive fat loss by creating a calorie deficit. It is literally the foundation of every single diet. 

Without a calorie deficit (eating less food than your body burns), fat loss is impossible. 

So, I’d say it’s a good place to start then.

Now, some may say it’s obsessive to track your macros.  I’d counter that by asking:

Is learning how to do math problems by practicing obsessive? 

Is measuring your ingredients in a recipe obsessive? 

Is tracking your finances obsessive?

No, these are all tools to make sure you’re being accurate and staying on track to reach your goal. 

Therefore, learning how to track your macros is a great learning tool to become self aware of hunger and how your body feels, build nutritional knowledge, the amount you’re eating, and learn how to be flexible on a daily basis. 

Alright, lets get started!

Is the Pain Worth The Pleasure?

Maybe you don’t want to learn how to track your macros because it sounds tedious. Well, that’s not a good enough excuse. Learning how to track your macros is going to get you better results and therefore, I think it’s something most people should do.

Sometimes you have to do things even if you don’t want to. It’s called discipline, which is a key ingredient to reaching any goal.

That said, eventually the goal is to eat intuitively – meaning, eat based on your hunger and body signals. 

But, intuitive eating is a skill you have to learn first. 

For instance, it’s like learning how to ride a bike. You don’t just get on the bike and say alright let’s go! That wouldn’t be smart because you’re probably going to fall off and injure yourself. 

So, you start with training wheels to learn how to balance and maneuver the bike. Then you eventually go to one training wheel, and then take them off completely.

Before you know it, you’re able to ride a bike forever.

Tracking your macros is the same thing. The training wheels on the bike is like learning how to track your macros. Eventually you will learn how to eat intuitively without tracking just like you learn how to ride a bike without training wheels. 

The reason for this? We’re actually really bad at eyeballing portions. 

For example, when you quickly eat 2 pieces of pizza or spread a huge glob of delicious peanut butter on a piece of toast, do you know how many calories is in 2 pieces of pizza or what an actual tablespoon of peanut butter looks like?

Probably not… As a result, you’re probably eating more than you think.

It’s no wonder people have a hard time losing weight because they haven’t developed the skill necessary to lose weight. Learning how to track your macros is one of the most important skills to learn.

This doesn’t mean you have to track forever, but it will always be  a useful tool to help dial in your nutrition when you need to. 

Take me for an example. I don’t track calories anymore because I have years of experience and know how my body works. I’ve built the skills that allow me to be accurate with how much food I’m eating while staying lean. 

However, when I want to lose weight, you bet your ass I start to track because I need to be more dialed in to lose weight. And the leaner you get the more dialed in you need to be.

Is the pain of learning how to track your macros worth the pleasure of getting results forever? That’s a question you can only answer.  

How to Track Your Macros: Finding How Many Calories To Eat 

Let me tell you a secret..

There are a million ways to calculate your calories and macros. However, all of them have the same thing in common – they’re all estimates.

Therefore, there’s no equation out there that’s 100% accurate. It’s impossible for these equations to take into account your:

• Genetics
• Gender
• Age
• Daily Lifestyle
• Stress Levels
• Past history of dieting and exercise
• Different activity levels each day 
• Muscle Mass
• Hormones

That said, estimations are still useful because they can get you within a good range to start with. 

Estimating Your Maintenance Calories:

The first step is estimating your maintenance calories.Your maintenance calories are how many your body needs to stay the same weight. 

Calories are the main driver to whether you gain or lose weight so those have to be calculated first in order to find your macros.

If your goal is weight loss, then you have to eat under this amount.  If you want to gain weight then you have to eat more than this amount.

Pretty simple right?

Here’s the equation to calculate your calories:

(Estimated) Maintenance Calories: Bodyweight x 13-15

Ex: 160 lbs x 15 = 2,400 Maintenance Calories 

That’s it. There’s no need to over complicate it with a huge math problem. Plus, it’s only an estimation that will be adjusted later on. 

Once you have your maintenance calories calculated, then it’s time to adjust based on your goals.

If your goal is fat loss, then you need to be in a calorie deficit. In this case, you’d multiply your maintenance by 5-20% and then subtract that number by your maintenance to put you into a deficit. 

If you don’t have much weight to lose because you already have a borderline six pack, then choose a smaller deficit closer to 5% because it’s a more sustainable approach that allows you to keep muscle on your body.

If you have a lot of weight to lose then you’d be ok going with a 20% deficit.

Ex: 2,400 Calories x .20 (deficit) = 480  

2,400 Calories – 480 = 1,920 Calories Per Day 

On the other hand, let’s say you want to build muscle. Well, you’d do the exact same equation but instead of subtracting the calories you’d add them. 

Ex: 2,400 Calories x .10 (surplus) = 240  

2,400 Calories – 240  = 2,,160 Calories Per Day

Now that you know how many calories to eat, let’s talk more in depth about the macronutrients that make up these calories. 

Macros and Their Roles:

If you remember from before, macros (carbs, fat, protein, alcohol) make up your daily calories. 

While alcohol is amazing for a good time, we’re only going to focus on carbs, fats, and protein in this article.

I have a whole guide on alcohol if you want to check it out here. 

Carbs (4 cal/g) 

• Give your body quick energy to have kick ass workouts, aid in building muscle, fuel your brain for thinking, and taste amazing. 
• They’re also your body’s and brain’s preferred fuel source. 
• Some of the main carb sources include: rice, potatoes, grains, vegetables, fruits, and all of the sugary desserts that taste amazing.

Fats (9 cal/g) 

• Essential for making hormones, absorbing nutrients, giving your brain energy, and for your overall health. 
• Out of all the macronutrients, fats contain the most calories so make sure not to over do them. 
• Fats are found in oils, nuts, avocados, fatty meats, full fat dairy, butters, etc.

Protein (4 cal/g)

• Gives your body the tools to retain and build new muscle. 
• It’s also going to help keep you full when you’re eating less food.
• Takes more energy to digest than the other macronutrients do – meaning it burns more calories and is harder to store as body fat. 
• You can find these in meats, poultry, fish, legumes, dairy, eggs, tofu, Greek yogurt, and protein supplements.

How to Calculate Your Macros:

Let’s use the calorie example from above of 1,920 calories to calculate your macros.

First, you will calculate your protein as that’s the most important for building muscle and getting lean. Next will come fat because it’s also essential for health and quality of life. Lastly, you’ll use the rest of your remaining calories for carbs to fuel your workouts and daily activities. 

Here’s what that would look like:

• Protein Goal: .8-1.2 g/lb of bodyweight
  • Ex: 1g x 160 lbs = 160 grams per day x 4 cal/g = 640 calories
• Fat Goal: .3-.5g g/lb of bodyweight 
  • Ex: .4 x 160 lbs = 64 grams per day x 9cal/g = 576 calories 
• Carb Goal : Fill in the rest! Find how many grams of carbs by subtracting your protein and fat calories from your total calories then dividing that number by 4 since carbs have 4g/cal.
  • Ex: 1,920 (Total daily cals) – [640 (Cals from fat) + 576 (Cals From Protein)] = 704 Calories Left for Carbs
    • 704 Calories / 4cal/g = 176g of carbs per day.

This is an oversimplification of how to track your macros. If you’re confused, feel free to email me here or you can start with only tracking your calories and protein. 

However, if you decide to track your macros you don’t need to track your calories since your macros equal your calories. 

I’ll make a more in depth article in the future but for now, this should get your started on the right path. 

With macros out of the way, it’s time to learn how to read a nutrition label. 

How to Read a Nutrition Label to Track Your Macros:

In order to accurately track your macros, you have to know how to read a nutrition label.

Before I dive into it, there’s a bunch of things that don’t matter on a food label so it’s important we keep it simple. 

First, you’ll notice a bunch of percentages about micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) that are based on a 2,000 or 2,500 calorie diet. As long as you eat the majority of whole foods that include lean protein, fibrous fruits and vegetables, and take a multivitamin you’ll be fine.

Below the percentages will be a list of ingredients. These are always listed in order of greatest to least. So, the ingredients that are most abundant are at the top while the bottom is the least abundant.

Calories:

The number one thing you want to focus on is calories. It’s hard to miss because it’s usually the biggest number on the label towards the top.

The reason for this is because calories are the determinant of whether you gain or lose weight. The calories listed are the amount of calories for 1 serving. 

Serving Sizes:

Next, focus on the serving size at the very top of the label. This is the measurement that contains the amount of calories listed on the nutrition label. 

I.e. If it says 2 tablespoons (28g) is the serving size and 50 calories is a serving, then 2 tbsps (28g) would be 50 calories, 1 tbsp (14g) would be 25 calories, and 3 tbsp (42g) would be 75 calories and so on.

Even though the measurement says tablespoons or cups, I don’t want you to focus on those. Instead, I want you to focus on grams or milliliters (basically the same measurement). These numbers will be on every label typically next to cups or tablespoons in parenthesis.

The reason for this is that measuring utensils measure the volume of the food. This is subjective and measures the amount of space something takes up. 

Every time I see someone use a measuring cup its overflows. That’s more like 1.5 servings and can add hundreds of calories depending on what the food is. 

Plus, you can pack a lot of food into a measuring cup if you smash it down. 

Instead, you want an objective measurement that’s accurate, which is why I recommend using a food scale to measure in grams or milliliters.  

Protein:

Protein is the most important macronutrient for fat loss for the reasons previously listed.

Be careful though because some foods are labeled as good sources of protein when that’s far from the truth.

Peanut butter has 200 calories with only 7 grams of protein per serving. That means you’d have to eat 800 calories for 30g of protein. Holy Sh*t. Compare that to 4 oz of chicken which is only 120 calories for 30 grams of protein. 

Therefore, eating high calorie foods that are low in protein can make it hard to hit your daily protein goal while staying under your calorie amounts. This is something you’ll learn as you gain more experience tracking. 

Fiber

Fiber is crucial for any diet, especially a lower calorie one.

Foods that are high in fiber like fruits, vegetables, and whole grains are great for your health and help keep you full. 

This is because fiber takes up a lot of space in your stomach for very little calories which tricks your brain into thinking it’s full.

The fiber amount will always be listed underneath the carbohydrates on the food label.

Be careful though as sometimes too much fiber will give you unwanted gas and/or bloating.  

Carbs and Fats

You’re probably wondering where the hell are the carbs and fats? Luckily you get to choose whatever your heart (or tummy) desires.

Remember, these only matter if you decide you want to track macros to optimize your performance in the gym and potentially improve your results.

However, as long as your calories are controlled at the end of the day, then that’s what matters most for fat loss or building muscle.

How to Accurately Measure Your Food 

Now that you know how many calories/macros you should eat and how to read a food label, we’re on the final step. It’s time to go over how to accurately measure and track your macros using a food scale and logging your macros using an app such as MyFitnessPal.

Step 1: Buy a Food Scale to Track Your Macros

Like I said before, do not use measuring cups to measure out your food. While there’s nothing wrong with using measuring cups, using a food scale is way more accurate.

I’ve had clients make this small change which made a huge difference.

So, store all your measuring cups away, go to the store, and buy a food scale. (You can buy a cheap $10 one at target) As long as you can measure in grams or ounces you’re good. 

Don;t forget to zero out the plate, bowl, spoon, or whatever you’re placing the food on before you measure your food or else the measurement will be way off. 

This would look like placing the plate/bowl/spoon on the scale first, zeroing out its weight, and then placing your food on the plate/bowl/spoon. 

Remember, we want to be as accurate as possible.  

Step 2: Download a Tracking App

This is where you are going to record all your food you’ve eaten for the day.

I prefer an app like MyFitnessPal or my buddy Mike Vicanti’s app Mike Macros. 

These apps have food databases, allow you to plan ahead, see your macros throughout the day which are automatically calculated out for you, and are way more efficient than writing everything down on a piece of paper.

Now, if you are more of a hands- on person, then by all means write down what you eat and write down the serving and calories from the food labels.

All you have to do with the app is search/scan the food you’re eating, select the amount of servings you’re eating, and everything will be calculated out for you. By the end of the day you want to make sure you get within your macro/calorie goals. 

How to Track Your Macros When Eating Out: Potential Problems

I want to make one important point – You will NOT be perfect. So, don’t freak out if you don’t know what or how much to track.

Not only is it impossible to be 100% accurate with your tracking…

But,  you’re also human. This means you’ll go out to eat, go to parties, vacations, and have situations where unexpected things come up. 

Therefore, the goal is to be consistent. Aim to track and be consistent 90% of the time. (Vacation or your child’s birthday is not one of those times). As long as you don;t make it into a habit and get right back on track you’ll be fine. 

Also, please don’t bring your food scale with you everywhere. You’re not a competitive bodybuilder so this obsessive behavior is not necessary. Instead, use your knowledge that you’ve learned from tracking to make your best guess.  It’s also a great time to practice flexibility and eat foods you wouldn’t otherwise enjoy.

So, when you eat out you have two options:

The first is not to track at all. Go in there, enjoy it, try to stick to a meal with protein and vegetables, and get back on track with your next meal. Yeah, it’ll be more calories but that’s ok. 

Second, try your best to track. You can either look on the restaurant’s website to manually input the calorie and macros that the meal contains. Or you’ll have to individually input each ingredient which can be tedious but if you’re willing to do it then go for it. 

(Side note: a ton of meals on the database are inaccurate. It may be a good idea to track the meal as 1.5 servings to account for extra calories)

Again, use your best estimation and know you aren’t going to be 100% accurate. Being somewhat on point is better than not guessing at all. 

Something that may help is to go  in with a plan and set rules for yourself.

Don’t say fuck it, order 2 large pizzas and a slice of cheesecake. My goodness how many times have I done that only to feel like a piece of shit afterwards. 

Focus on protein and vegetables and maybe have a small dessert or a few pieces of pizza. 

So that’s a few things to consider when eating out. 

Which brings up another important point – Eating more home cooked meals is important to making progress. You have complete control of the ingredients unlike eating at a restaurant where there’s no control. 

Enjoy eating out only a few meals a week if you can. 

Final Thoughts

Few… we made it. Save this article for a reference if you ever need it. 

Now you hopefully have the ability to track your macros so you can start making amazing progress. 

Remember, it’s not a forever thing. It’s only temporary for you to get results while you learn how to properly eat. 

I hope you enjoyed this article.

Any questions, feel free to ask and feel free to share this with anyone you think it may help 🙂

Thanks again and talk soon.

-Bob 

Ps. If you happen to be interested in 1:1 Online coaching, where I do all of this for you and teach you everything you need to know to get lean and fit forever, you can apply here where we’ll chat and see if we’re a good fit. 

Pps. If you want your free 30 Workouts You Can Do From Anywhere Manual, sign up for my email list to get it here. Again, its 100% free!