Set your calories first, then protein at about 1.8 to 2.2 g per kg of bodyweight, fat at about 25 percent of your calories, and let carbs fill the rest. Protein and carbs have 4 calories per gram, fat has 9.
Every calorie you eat comes from one of three macronutrients, or macros: protein, carbohydrate and fat. Calories decide whether your weight goes up or down. Macros decide much of what that weight is made of, how full you feel, and how well you train.
What each one does
Protein (4 calories per gram) builds and repairs muscle, and it is the most filling of the three. Meat, chicken, fish, eggs, dairy, lentils and beans are the main sources.
Carbohydrates (4 calories per gram) are your body's preferred fuel for hard training and for your brain. Rice, bread, oats, potatoes, fruit and dates are carb-rich foods. Wholegrain and high-fibre carbs keep you fuller for longer.
Fat (9 calories per gram) is needed for hormones, for absorbing some vitamins and for healthy skin and joints. Olive oil, nuts, avocado, fish, eggs and dairy all provide it. Because each gram holds more than twice the calories, fat adds up quickly.
How to set your numbers
A simple, reliable way that works for most people:
- Set your calories first, from your goal (how to find your number): below maintenance to lose fat, at maintenance to keep your weight, a little above to build muscle.
- Protein: about 2.2 g per kg of bodyweight when losing fat, 1.8 g to maintain, and 2.0 g to build muscle.
- Fat: about 25 percent of your calories.
- Carbs: whatever calories are left.
Example: a man who weighs 80 kg wants to lose fat on 2,300 calories a day.
- Protein: 80 × 2.2 = 176 g, which is 704 calories.
- Fat: 25% of 2,300 = 575 calories, or about 64 g.
- Carbs: 2,300 − 704 − 575 = 1,021 calories, or about 255 g.
The macro calculator on this page does this for you in a second.
If you only track one macro, track protein. Let carbs and fat move around it.
Hitting them without the stress
- Build each meal around a palm or two of protein. Then add a fist of carbs and a thumb of fats, and fill the rest of the plate with vegetables.
- Repeat meals that work. Most people eat the same ten or fifteen meals most weeks. Log them once and reuse them.
- Aim for close, not perfect. Within about 10 g of protein and 100 calories of your target is a great day.
- Watch the hidden fats. Cooking oil, ghee, sauces and nuts are where most surprise calories come from. A tablespoon of oil is about 120 calories.
Do carbs make you fat?
No single macro makes you gain fat. Eating more calories than you burn does. Low-carb diets can work for people who prefer them, mostly because they cut out easy-to-overeat foods. But if you train hard, carbs help you train better. Choose the split you can keep up.
Sources
- The International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand on protein and exercise: Jäger et al., 2017
- A meta-analysis of 49 trials on protein and muscle growth: Morton et al., 2018
The takeaway
Set your calories, then protein, then fat, and let carbs fill the gap. Track for a few weeks until you learn what your portions look like. Shulah sets your calories and macros from your body and the pace you pick, and its food diary shows how much of each is left as you log your meals.