This week on Instagram, I received a few questions about how I calculate my calories and macros and rather than just write a quick few lines and not really answer the question, I decided it was best for a blog post!
There are lots of calculators available on the internet, but the one I prefer is from Precision Nutrition (disclaimer; I just completed my Level 1 Coaching Certificate with them).
The Precision Nutrition Body Weight Calculator
I like to use the PN Planner as it based on weight loss, maintenance and lifestyle changes. Working through the planner, you can see if the suggested calorie changes are practical and if your time to complete is just too short. Whilst we might want to lose weight quickly, sometimes those dates and amounts are just ridiculous. For a female, your calories should NEVER drop below 1200 -1300 and if you are exercising, anything below 1500 is crazy.
Select Lifestyle Change as the planner to use and adjust both the time and calories to something realistic. First I put in my details to understand what my calories should be if I want to maintain my current weight and body fat.
My current goal is to lose Body Fat without sacrificing any of my muscle.
So I adjust the planner to keep my calories within a 500-600 deficit of my maintenance calories and when I plan my weekly meals, I choose high protein foods with complex carbohydrates to assist my training.
To go from calories to macros, I do it a very simple way.
I adjust for protein (PROTEIN FIRST!) and then fats and carbs are just half-ish of what is left. Particularly when I was starting out, hitting my protein target for the day was the most important thing – other than sticking to my calorie deficit. But what you choose to eat also matters! Whilst you can choose the foods you like to eat to stay within your calories, the more protein-rich and nutrient-dense the foods, the fuller you will feel for longer and the more energy you will have.
Generally, you need about .8 grams of protein per kg of body weight but as you start exercising more, this increases to 1.2 – 2g.
Or, to have everything calculated for you – use the TDEECalculator
From here, I use MyFitnessPal to keep a track on my numbers for the day, setting up the split. I choose Moderate Carbs for training purposes.
In reading my day below though – remember these are specific to me. Yours will be different! If you get this far and you are still stuck, let me know, I’m here to help.
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