What should macros be?
Choosing the right mix of protein, carbs, and fat can make losing fat or building muscle easier. Here’s a dietitian’s take on the ideal ratios.
For a long time, if you wanted to lose fat or gain muscle, a personal trainer, dietitian, or healthcare provider may have advised, "Calories in, calories out." The upshot: To lose weight, you must consume fewer calories than you burn through movement. To gain muscle, you must eat more than you burn---and hit the weight room.
In recent years, this advice has become more nuanced. Although the basic math hasn't changed and calorie balance still matters, people running a calorie deficit typically lose fat and muscle. More importantly, different types of calories affect digestion, hunger, appetite, muscle formation, and energy levels differently. Put very simply, one 500-calorie meal might make it easier to reach your goals, while another meal with the same number of calories could make it much harder.
For this reason, interest in tracking macronutrients, or macros, has steadily increased in the last five years. Targeting the right macronutrient ratio within the calories you consume can make it easier to reach your goal, whether that's weight loss, muscle building, or something else.
Why do we care about macros?
Macros include protein, carbohydrates, and fat. Each influences digestion, sensations of hunger and fullness, and energy levels differently.
For example, carbohydrates are the primary energy source for our cells, particularly our brain cells. However, except for lower-calorie, fibrous carbohydrate foods like legumes and vegetables, this macronutrient isn't as effective as protein or fat at satisfying appetite or hunger.
In fact, by spiking blood sugar, the overconsumption of carbohydrates and energy can stimulate the pancreas to release too much insulin, which shuttles those excess carbs into fat cells and can lead to a quick return of hunger and, over time, weight gain.
Additionally, in a study of 69 adults published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, consuming a sugar-rich carbohydrate drink not only led to a dramatic rise in blood sugar and insulin but also stifled the release of hunger-suppressing hormones like glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1, the same hormone targeted by medicines like semaglutide, which is sold as the brand name Wegovy). This is partially why carbs make us crave more carbs.
Considering this science, think about what might happen if you ate half cup of candy corn, which is 100 percent carbohydrate. After this 370-calorie snack, you might find that you're still hungry (and likely a little sick and in need of a nap). On the other hand, consume around 200 calories from one skinless, boneless chicken breast, which is mostly protein, and you'll feel more satisfied for longer. That's because when we eat protein, our bodies release appetite-suppressing hormones like GLP-1, cholecystokinin (CCK), and peptide tyrosine-tyrosine (PYY), and the hunger-stimulating hormone ghrelin is suppressed.
But that's not to say that low-carb, high-protein diets are the only way to go. In fact, there are many different types of macro-ratio diets, and research shows positive results across many of them. For example, a recent study from Korea showed that people on a diet of 50-60% carbohydrate had the lowest risk of death, while other studies show that the sources of the macronutrients matter more than the ratios. For example, getting all your carbs from refined sources (sugar, flour) will make losing weight harder than consuming fiber-rich carbohydrates like fruits and vegetables.
In short, different ratios can work for different goals---read on to find some suggestions.
Recommended macro ratios by goal
As a baseline, most people do well when they consume 30 percent of their daily calories from protein, 30 percent from fat, and 40 percent from carbs, says Zoë Atlas, MPH, RD, a nutrition consultant with Levels. However, depending on your goals, you'll want to adjust some of those percentages up or down.
Macros for fat loss
To lose weight, you generally need to be in a calorie deficit. In other words, you need to burn more calories than you consume. Just about all experts agree on that point.
However, if you simply try to eat less---without paying attention to macronutrients---results can vary. Hunger and fat storage dynamics are two big reasons for this. Proponents of the carbohydrate-insulin model of obesity point to evidence that shows high-glycemic foods trigger a hormonal response that causes the body to promote fat storage and accumulation.
On the other hand, if you consume the right balance of macros, you'll not only blunt hunger and prompt fat burning but also preserve muscle mass, feel more energetic, and keep your metabolism humming.
If your goal is weight loss, you want to cut back on carbs without sacrificing protein, Atlas says. By doing this, you'll augment fat loss in three ways:
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You'll preserve muscle tissue. When the scale drops, the lost pounds come from a mixture of fat and lean mass, including muscle tissue. Staying physically active can help tip the scale toward fat loss and away from muscle loss. So can bumping up your protein intake. One study showed that men who restricted calories while consuming 2.4 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight---which adds up to 245 grams for a 225-pound person---were able to preserve lean body mass while simultaneously losing fat.
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Appetite and hunger will be less intense. By cutting back on carbs (especially refined carbs), you'll avoid hunger-inducing insulin spikes. In addition, as your digestive tract works to break down protein, it triggers the release of appetite-suppressing GLP-1, CCK, and PYY.
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You'll burn more calories through digestion. It takes more energy for your gastrointestinal tract to break down protein than carbohydrates and fats. It's thought that you'll burn off around 20 to 30 percent of protein calories just through digestion, compared to less than 3 percent for fat and 5-10 percent for carbohydrates.
For the above reasons, to create a calorie deficit, cut back on carb-rich foods (especially processed carbs) and fatty foods---not protein, Atlas says. With this in mind, use the following steps to estimate the best macros split for you.
Step 1: Figure out your daily calorie goal. To pin this down, you need a rough idea of your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE). Using a health tracker like the Oura ring or Apple smartwatch, you can likely pull this information straight from your tracking app. You can also use any number of free online TDEE calculators or calculate it yourself using the Mifflin-St. Jeor formula:
- Figure out your basal metabolic rate (BMR), or calories burned at rest, using the following formulas.
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For men: (10 x weight in kilograms) + (6.25 x height in centimeters) - (5 x age) + 5 = BMR
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For women: (10 x weight in kg) + (6.25 x height in cm) - (5 x age) - 161 = BMR
- Then, to get your TDEE, multiply your BMR by one of the following activity factors:
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If you're sedentary (little to no exercise): BMR x 1.2
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If you're lightly active (light exercise 1 to 3 days/week): BMR x 1.375
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If you're moderately active (moderate exercise 6 to 7 days/week): BMR x 1.55
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If you're very active (vigorous exercise daily): BMR x 1.725
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If you're extra active (vigorous exercise twice daily): BMR x 1.9
Once you know your TDEE, subtract 500 to 750 from it. In other words, if your daily TDEE is 2200, you want to consume about 1,700 daily calories to stay in a calorie deficit. (Note that this formula is not set in stone---some people may want to start with a less aggressive deficit, like 200-500 calories.)
Step 2: Estimate your protein needs. Altas recommends devoting 30 to 35 percent of your daily calories to protein. Research shows that people who consume this level of protein find it easier to eat less and lose fat than those who consume a smaller percentage of calories from protein.
Step 3: Decide on the rest of your macros. This step might require a bit of experimentation, as no one magical macros split works for everyone. "It's highly dependent on an individual's current state of metabolic health, fitness routine, gender, and stage of life," says Stephanie Greunke, MS, RD, a private practice dietitian and personal trainer.
For example, if you're a peri or postmenopausal woman, you might decide to eat relatively fewer carbs than fats, Greunke says. That's because, after age 50, your body may not process carbohydrates as efficiently as during your 30s. Additionally, as estrogen and other hormone levels fall, your risk of insulin resistance and Type 2 diabetes climb. So in this case, to lose fat, a 35 percent protein, 40 percent fat, and 25 percent carb macros split might work best.
In contrast, if you're younger, active, and hormonally healthy, you might include more carbs and fewer fats. In that case, you might aim for 30 percent protein, 30 percent fat, and 40 percent carbohydrate, Greunke says.
Step 4: Calculate your daily macros grams. If you're using a macro tracker, you can likely plug in your daily calorie target and macro percentages from above, and the app will do the math for you. However, if you're tracking using old-school pencil and paper, you'll need to do some arithmetic.
First, determine the daily calories you'll devote to protein, fat, and carbs by multiplying your calorie goal from step 1 and the corresponding macros percentage from steps 2 and 3.
For example, let's say you plan to consume 1,500 daily calories and use a 35 percent protein, 35 percent fat, 30 percent carbohydrate macros split. In this case, your math looks like this:
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1,500 calories x 0.35 = 525 calories each for protein and fat
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1,500 calories x 0.30 = 450 calories for carbohydrate
To guide your eating, convert those calories into grams.
There are four calories per gram of protein and carbohydrate, so divide those calories by four. Fat has nine calories per gram, so divide your fat calories by nine. Using the same example from above, the math looks like the following:
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525 calories ÷ 4 = 131 grams of protein
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525 calories ÷ 9 = 58 grams of fat
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450 calories ÷ 4 = 113 grams of carbohydrate
Macros for muscle gain
The most important macronutrient for muscle gain is protein. Protein and its amino acids are the raw materials used to build bigger muscles. In addition, when you consume protein, its amino acids stimulate muscle protein synthesis, the bodily process involved in muscle building. In research that combined the data of 105 studies involving 5,402 people, increased protein intakes were associated with increases in lean body mass. (And don't neglect resistance training. Protein doesn't build muscle all by itself.)
Unlike fat loss, building muscle requires eating more calories than you burn. These extra calories%2C%20respectively) enable muscle protein synthesis to outpace muscle protein breakdown.
To determine your macros for muscle gain, follow the same steps for fat loss, but put yourself in a calorie surplus. That means consuming at least 10 percent more calories than your body needs. So, if you're eating 2,200 daily calories, aim for 2,420.
Devote 30 to 35 percent of these calories to protein and split the rest of your calories between carbs and fats. Consider starting with 30 percent fat and 40 percent carbs and adjusting from there.
As explained above, if you're not using a macros app, you need to convert these percentages into daily grams of food. Assuming you're aiming for the 2,420-calorie goal mentioned above, that math looks like this:
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2,420 calories x 0.3 = 726 calories each for protein and fat
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2,420 calories x 0.4 = 968 calories for carbohydrate
Then, convert those calories into grams:
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726 calories ÷ 4 = 182 grams of protein
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726 calories ÷ 9 = 81 grams of fat
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968 calories ÷ 4 = 242 grams of carbohydrate
Macros on a keto diet
The idea behind the keto diet is that the body primarily uses carbohydrates for fuel. So when carbohydrate intake is low enough, insulin levels plummet, stored carbohydrates get depleted, and the body breaks down fat and creates ketone bodies as fuel, a process known as ketosis.
The exact macronutrient distribution for fat loss varies from one version of the keto diet to another. However, it generally looks like the following:
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55 to 60 percent fat
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30 to 35 percent protein
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5 to 10 percent carbohydrates
To convert those percentages into grams, you must know your total calorie needs as described above. Then do the following:
Step 1: Multiply your daily total calories by your goal percentage from above. For example:
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if you plan to consume 2,000 daily calories ...
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At a macro ratio of 55 percent fat, 35 percent protein, and 10 percent carbs ...
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That calculates to 1,100 calories from fat, 700 from protein, and 200 from carbohydrates.
Step 2: Now convert those calories into grams of food. Continuing the same example from step 1, the math would look like:
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1,100 ÷ 9 = 122 grams of fat
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600 ÷ 4 = 150 grams of protein
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100 ÷ 4 = 25 grams of carbohydrate
Keep in mind that what it takes to induce ketosis may vary from one person to another. You may need more fat and fewer carbs, for example. For this reason, during the early weeks of the diet, you may want to use a ketone monitoring device to ensure you are genuinely in ketosis.
How to track macros
If you're a numbers lover, you can track your macros by hand or in a spreadsheet, leaning on the USDA's Food Data Central for macros information. But now MyFitnessPal, Cronometer, YAZIO, and other apps make tracking macros throughout the day quick and easy.
For example, the Levels app uses artificial intelligence to help you quickly track what you eat. Just tell the app what you ate---by typing or speaking---and the AI engine will reveal the full macronutrient breakdown of the individual ingredients of the entire meal. You can also see your daily calorie and macros total for the day to understand how things are adding up.
Plus, if you point your phone camera at a barcode on packaged food, the app will scan it for macros information. And once you log a meal, the app remembers it, saving you logging time in the future. For best results, try to log each meal after you eat it so you can be precise.
In addition to using an app, you'll want a general understanding of portion sizes. "This can be incredibly helpful when trying to track macros without being obsessive," Greunke says. For example, if you know what 3 ounces of chicken breast or salmon looks like, you can still have a good sense of what you're taking in even when you're at a restaurant. A simple trick is to use your hand: Your palm is about the size of 3-4 ounces of meat; the tip of your thumb is roughly a tablespoon of fat; and your fist is about a cup of non-starchy vegetables.
Though macro tracking can require a lot of effort initially, you'll likely find that it gets easier over time, especially as you learn the macro splits of your repertoire of commonly consumed meals. However, if it feels too overwhelming to track all three macros, consider keeping tabs on just one or two of them, Greunke suggests. "To reduce the mental macro game of Tetris, some of my clients only track protein and calories and let their carbohydrate and fat fall wherever feels best," she says.
How do I know If my macro split is working?
Think of your first macros split as an experimental starting point. Stick with it for about two to four weeks, paying attention to how you feel: Are you snacky between meals? Worn out in the gym? Tired of chewing on big hunks of meat? Those are all signs that your macros split could use some adjustments.
As importantly, you should see some progress. If you're not losing fat or gaining muscle within two to four weeks, it's time to tinker. For fat loss, for example, you might try cutting more carbs and bumping up your protein. Then, wait another few weeks and see how you do. By making these tiny adjustments, you'll eventually land on the perfect macros split for you over time.
