How to Count Macros: A Step-By-Step Guide

Tracking macros is a powerful tool for those looking to lose weight, improve diet quality, and reach specific health goals.

The process is simple:
✅ Determine your nutrient needs based on your goals
✅ Use a food diary or app to log what you eat
✅ Stay mindful of your macronutrient balance—carbs, protein, and fats

By tracking what goes into your body, you gain better control over your nutrition, making it easier to stay on track and see real results.

What Is Macro Counting?

If you’ve spent time at the gym or followed health trends, you’ve likely heard about “counting macros.” This method is popular among people looking to lose weight, gain muscle, or improve overall health.

But what does it actually mean?

Macro counting involves tracking the calories and types of food you eat to hit specific macronutrient (carbs, protein, fats) and calorie targets. While the concept is simple, getting started can feel a bit overwhelming at first.

In this guide, we’ll break down the benefits of tracking macros and walk you through a step-by-step approach to help you make it work for your lifestyle.

What Are Macronutrients?

To successfully track macros, you first need to understand what they are and why different people need different ratios.

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates include sugars, starches, and fibers. Your body breaks most carbs down into glucose, which it uses for quick energy or stores as glycogen in the liver and muscles.

Key facts about carbs:
✅ Provide 4 calories per gram
✅ Typically make up the largest portion of daily calorie intake
✅ Recommended intake: 45%–65% of daily calories (varies by individual needs)

Where to find carbs:
🥖 Whole grains (oats, brown rice, quinoa)
🥦 Vegetables and beans
🍎 Fruits
🥛 Dairy products

Carbs are often debated in the nutrition world, but choosing nutrient-dense sources over processed options can help support overall health and energy levels.

Fats

When it comes to macronutrients, fats provide the most energy, delivering 9 calories per gram. But they’re not just about calories—fats are essential for:

✅ Energy production
✅ Hormone regulation
✅ Nutrient absorption
✅ Body temperature maintenance

How much fat do you need?
General guidelines recommend 20%–35% of your daily calories from fat, though some people thrive on higher-fat diets.

Healthy fat sources:
🥑 Avocados
🥜 Nuts & seeds
🐟 Fatty fish (salmon, sardines)
🫒 Olive oil & coconut oil
🧈 Butter

Proteins

Like carbs, proteins provide 4 calories per gram, but their role extends far beyond energy. Proteins are the building blocks of:

✅ Muscle and tissues
✅ Hormones & enzymes
✅ Immune system function

How much protein do you need?
Experts recommend 10%–35% of your total calorie intake from protein, though this varies based on fitness goals, age, and overall health.

High-protein foods:
🍗 Chicken & turkey
🥚 Eggs
🐟 Fish & seafood
🌱 Tofu & lentils
🥩 Lean meats

By balancing your intake of fats, proteins, and carbs, you can optimize your diet for better energy, muscle growth, and overall well-being! 💪✨

Counting Macros: A Step-by-Step Guide

Macronutrient tracking might seem overwhelming at first, but with a little practice, it becomes second nature. Here’s how to get started:

1. Determine Your Calorie Needs

To figure out how many calories you need daily, you first need to calculate:

✅ Resting Energy Expenditure (REE) – Calories burned at rest
✅ Non-Resting Energy Expenditure (NREE) – Calories burned through activity & digestion

Adding these together gives you Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE)—the total calories you burn in a day.

Calculate Your TDEE Using the Mifflin-St. Jeor Equation

🔹 For Men:
📌 Calories/day = (10 × weight in kg) + (6.25 × height in cm) – (5 × age) + 5

🔹 For Women:
📌 Calories/day = (10 × weight in kg) + (6.25 × height in cm) – (5 × age) – 161

Adjust for Activity Level

Multiply your result by an activity factor to get a more accurate calorie estimate:

🛋️ Sedentary (little to no exercise) → TDEE × 1.2
🚶‍♂️ Lightly active (light exercise 1–3 days a week) → TDEE × 1.375
🏋️ Moderately active (moderate exercise most days) → TDEE × 1.55
🏃‍♀️ Very active (intense exercise daily) → TDEE × 1.725
🔥 Extra active (strenuous workouts 2x a day) → TDEE × 1.9

Adjust Based on Your Goals

📉 Weight loss: Eat fewer calories than your TDEE
💪 Muscle gain: Eat more calories than your TDEE

2. Find Your Ideal Macronutrient Breakdown

Once you know your daily calorie needs, the next step is to determine the best macronutrient ratio for your goals.

Here’s a general macronutrient breakdown:

✅ Carbs: 45%–65% of total calories
✅ Fats: 20%–35% of total calories
✅ Proteins: 10%–35% of total calories

💡 These are just guidelines—your ideal ratio depends on your health goals and lifestyle.

For example:
👉 Someone looking to improve blood sugar control and lose fat may do well with 35% carbs, 30% fats, and 35% protein.
👉 A keto dieter will need higher fats and fewer carbs, while an endurance athlete may require more carbs.

As you can see, macronutrient needs aren’t one-size-fits-all and should be customized to fit your body and goals.

3. Track Your Macros and Calories

Now, it’s time to monitor your intake!

📌 What is macro tracking?
Simply put, it means recording the foods you eat using an app, website, or food journal.

Best ways to track macros:

📱 Apps like MyFitnessPal, Lose It!, or My Macros + (user-friendly and efficient)
⚖️ Digital food scale (for precise tracking, but optional)
📖 Notebook or food diary (for those who prefer writing it down)

💡 Some apps even scan barcodes to log your food instantly!

Do I need to be 100% accurate?

Not at all! You don’t have to hit your macros perfectly every day—going slightly over or under won’t derail your progress. Consistency matters more than perfection!

4. Example: How to Count Macros

Let’s say you’re following a 2,000-calorie diet with a macro split of 40% carbs, 30% protein, and 30% fat.

Here’s how to calculate your daily intake:

✅ Carbs (4 calories per gram)
📌 40% of 2,000 = 800 calories from carbs
📌 800 ÷ 4 = 200g carbs per day

✅ Protein (4 calories per gram)
📌 30% of 2,000 = 600 calories from protein
📌 600 ÷ 4 = 150g protein per day

✅ Fats (9 calories per gram)
📌 30% of 2,000 = 600 calories from fat
📌 600 ÷ 9 = 67g fat per day

👉 In this example, your daily goal would be: 200g carbs, 150g protein, and 67g fat.

Benefits of Counting Macros

1. It May Enhance Diet Quality

Tracking macros encourages you to focus on food quality rather than just calories.

For example:
🍬 A bowl of sugary cereal and 🍓 a bowl of oats with berries and pumpkin seeds might have the same calories—but their macronutrient profiles are totally different!

By paying attention to macros, you’re more likely to choose nutrient-dense foods to meet your goals. However, remember that less nutritious options can still fit within your macros—it’s all about balance!

2. It May Support Weight Loss

Macro tracking provides clear dietary guidelines, making weight loss more structured and effective.

📌 A high-protein, low-carb approach is often linked to weight loss. Tracking macros helps ensure you’re eating enough protein while keeping carbs in check.

📌 Studies also show that monitoring food intake can help with long-term weight maintenance.

3. It Can Help You Achieve Specific Goals

Athletes and fitness enthusiasts often track macros to optimize performance, build muscle, or improve health.

🏋️‍♂️ For muscle gain, protein intake needs to be higher.
🔬 Research suggests resistance-trained athletes may need 1.4g of protein per pound (3.1g per kg) of body weight daily to maintain muscle mass.

By tracking macros, you can fine-tune your diet to match your personal health and fitness goals.

How to Meet Your Macronutrient Needs

Once you’ve determined your ideal macro breakdown, you may need to adjust your diet by adding or reducing certain foods to hit your target.

For example, if you’re following a 40% carbs, 35% fat, and 25% protein ratio, you might swap out some carbs for healthy fats and proteins.

Here are nutritious food options to help you meet your macro goals:

Carbohydrates (Carbs) 🍞🍚

• Whole grains: Oats, brown rice, quinoa, whole-wheat pasta, whole-grain bread
• Starchy vegetables: Potatoes, sweet potatoes, winter squash
• Fruits: Berries, bananas, pineapple, apples
• Legumes: Beans, lentils, peas
• Dairy: Milk, yogurt

Proteins 🍗🥚

• Animal-based: Egg whites, meat, poultry, fish, shellfish, milk, yogurt
• Plant-based: Tofu, beans, lentils, seitan, tempeh
• Supplements: Protein powders

Fats 🥑🥜

• Healthy oils: Olive oil, avocado oil, coconut oil
• Dairy: Full-fat milk, yogurt, cheese
• Nuts & seeds: Almonds, walnuts, flaxseeds, chia seeds
• Other sources: Egg yolks, avocado, butter, coconut flakes, fatty fish (salmon, sardines)

💡 Tip: Many foods contain more than one macronutrient, so you can mix and match based on your preferences and dietary needs!

Is Counting Macros Right for You?

Counting macros can be a fantastic tool for those who thrive on structure and detailed tracking. It helps improve awareness of food quality and quantity, making it especially useful for people following ketogenic or high-protein diets.

However, this method isn’t for everyone.

🔴 Potential Downsides:

• Requires constant tracking, which may not be practical for some.
• Can be overwhelming or lead to obsessive food monitoring.
• Not recommended for individuals with a history of eating disorders, as it may trigger unhealthy food fixation.

⚠️ Important Reminder:
While counting macros allows for flexibility, it’s still possible to make poor food choices if you only focus on numbers instead of nutrient quality.

✅ Best Approach:
If you choose to track macros, aim for a balanced diet with:

• Fresh fruits and vegetables 🥦🍎
• Healthy fats 🥑🥜
• Complex carbs 🌾🍠
• Good protein sources 🥩🐟

Ultimately, the best diet is one that supports your goals, fits your lifestyle, and promotes overall well-being!

Final Thoughts

Starting with macro counting might feel overwhelming at first, but don’t stress! By following the simple steps outlined above, you can make the process easy and manageable.

🔹 Key Takeaways:
✔️ Set your calorie goal 🎯
✔️ Find the right macronutrient balance for your needs ⚖️
✔️ Track your intake with apps or journals 📊
✔️ Focus on nutrient-dense foods for the best results 🥗🥑🍗

With practice and consistency, counting macros will soon feel like second nature—helping you reach your health and fitness goals with confidence!