60 Day Macro Challenge
Once upon a time, I could eat anything I wanted and burn it off with exercise. I wish I could say “The End” after that statement. After I turned 25, this quickly changed, my body decided it was going to allow the evidence of pizza binges or any family food gathering to appear by adding pounds to the scale…dislike! After trying all kinds of fad diets from Atkins to South Beach, I realized the issue wasn’t losing weight on the diet, it was how to keep the weight off once you reach your goal. You can stay on track with a particular diet as long as there is a goal, like a wedding, milestone birthday or vacation. Then after you hit the milestone, you indulge and have a hard time finding your way back to eating balanced, nutrient dense meals.
My trainer, Yusuf from ClackFit suggested I try a 60 Day Macro Challenge where the main goal is to hit protein goals daily while logging everything in My Fitness Pal, you can follow my progress by adding me as a friend. I will be sharing my food diary, meals and recipes on Instagram, Twitter and my blog. Below is an overview of how to calculate your macros or you can go directly to the Macro Calculator.
What is a Macro?
Macro is short for macronutrient, which are fat, protein and carbohydrates. Your body uses macros for energy.
- Protein = 4 calories/gram
- Carbs = 4 calories/gram
- Fat = 9 calories/gram
What are the steps to finding your macros for weight loss?
- Calculate the number of calories you need per day, taking into account physical activity.
- Multiply your body weight (lbs) by 12 – 14
- 12 = desk job and inconsistent exercise
- 13 = regularly exercise
- 14 = physically demanding job and regular exercise
- Example: 168 x 12 = 2016 calories
- Calculate the calorie deficit you aim to have per day
- Take the number from step 1 and subtract 500 calories, this will be about 1 lb/week)
- Example: 2016 – 500 = 1516 calories
- Figure out your protein goals – Use your bodyweight as your guide,
- Example: If you weigh 168 lbs. 168 x 0.45 = 76. 76 x 1.5 = 114 grams protein
- I chose to multiply by 1.5 because to increase my protein intake to support weight training.
- Convert your weight to kilograms: <body weight in lbs.> x 0.45
- Multiply your weight in kilograms by
- 0.8 if you are sedentary
- up to 1.8 if you exercise regularly
- Example: If you weigh 168 lbs. 168 x 0.45 = 76. 76 x 1.5 = 114 grams protein
- Figure out your fat goals – Take your bodyweight and multiply by 0.3 and 0.6 depending on how much of the follow you want to consume: nuts, cheese, or bacon, etc. 168 x .5g = 84g (this is because I like bacon)
- Figure out your carbs
- Protein grams x 4 = protein calories
114g x 4 = 456 protein calories - Fat grams x 9 = fat calories
84g x 9 = 756 fat calories - Add protein calories + fat calories then subtract from calories required to lose weight
- 456 + 756 = 1212 calories
- Total calories – protein calories – fat calories = carbs
- 1516 – 1212 calories = 305 carb calories
- 305 carb calories / 4 calories per gram of carbs = 76g carbs
- Protein grams x 4 = protein calories
My goal is to increase protein to support weight training and fitness goals. The screenshot below breaks down the number of calories and macros per meal, if I eat 4 meals a day.
Calories and macros to target per meal
What are your thoughts?