How to Track Macros for Beginners
Learning how to track your macros can make a big difference if you are trying to reach fitness or weight goals. And starting a macro diet seems so simple if you follow Instagram or TikTok. Influencers make it look so easy! But tracking macros for beginners? It’s not always so simple. If nutrition is not your area of expertise, the whole program can seem overwhelming.
A healthy diet is important for preventing disease and positively influencing health. So don’t worry about prepping the perfect macro plate like your favorite fitfluencer or reaching an exact daily target for protein grams. Instead, follow this guide to learn how to track macros for beginners.
Macros for BEginners: An Overview
A macro diet is one in which you track the macros you consume to ensure you get enough of each nutrient. Sometimes it is called “macro tracking” or “tracking your macros.” You might also see the acronym IIFYM on social media, which means “if it fits your macros,” and it is another name for the macro diet.
Strong evidence supports a macro-based eating style. In fact, according to a 2020 study published in the journal Nutrients,
“A healthy diet is one in which macronutrients are consumed in appropriate proportions to support energetic and physiologic needs…”
But before you start a macro diet, it is helpful to have a solid understanding of what a macronutrient is. The word “macro” is short for macronutrient. Macros are nutrients that are required in large amounts in the diet. Your body needs three macronutrients: protein, fat, and carbohydrates.
Fat: Provides energy, insulates your body, and protects your organs.
Protein: Made of amino acids and provides structure to hair, skin, nails, bone, and, importantly, to muscle.
Carbohydrates or Carbs: Your body’s preferred energy source.
The USDA and Department of Health and Human Services provide recommendations about the amount of each macronutrient to consume. Every five years, they compile the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA). According to current guidelines, adults should consume 20-35% of calories from fat, 45-65% of calories from carbohydrates, and 10-35% of calories from protein.
How do I Track My macros?
Learning how to track your macros is simply a matter of figuring out which system works best for you and sticking to the plan consistently. Usually, macro tracking is accomplished with the help of a smartphone app or website. Some apps help you figure out your optimal macro numbers, but many times you have to do the math on your own. All of the apps give you a place to input the grams of protein, carbs, and fat you consume. But you can also just use an old-school pen and paper list if you prefer.
How to Track Macros in 3 Simple Steps
Calculate your optimal macro ratios using the Coach My Macros Daily Macros Calculator
Choose how you will tally your nutrient grams each day. Use a smartphone app (such as MyFitnessPal, LoseIt! or Carb Manager) or download a spreadsheet.
At each meal, use your app or an online source (such as the USDA FoodData Central) to gather nutrient information for each food you consume and add nutrient grams to your protein, carbohydrate, and fat tallies for the day.
Do your best to reach your daily macro targets for each nutrient. But remember, you don’t have to be perfect to gain the benefits of a macro diet.
In order to reach daily macro targets more precisely, many macro trackers plan meals in advance. You can either prep the meals ahead of time or simply decide what they will eat beforehand. Advance planning allows you to input and evaluate your macro numbers for the following day (or week!) and make adjustments as needed.
For instance, let’s say that for the following day you plan a healthy low-calorie high protein breakfast, a hearty bowl of high-protein soup for lunch, and a pasta meal for dinner. You input all of the foods into your app or spreadsheet and realize that you will fall short of your desired protein grams for the day. Having this information in advance helps you to make adjustments. For example, you can add an extra egg to your breakfast and a chicken breast to your pasta dinner to help boost your protein grams and reach your target.
Planning meals in advance also takes the guess-work and decision-making out of the picture. If you plan meals in advance, you just grab the foods that you prepped and/or decided on previously. Having the decisions made ahead of time helps many people make better food choices overall.
Alternative Methods of macro-TRacking for Beginners
For some people, tracking all three macros is too much when they are first starting out. These three alternate methods allow you to start small and build on your program as you feel comfortable. Evaluate all three and decide which one is best for you. Or better yet, start with method number one and gradually transition to methods two and three before taking on a full macro diet plan. You can also give my 5-4-3-2-1 Health Challenge a try. It’s a great way to get a head start on healthy eating.
The Macro Plate Method
If you don’t like counting grams or calories, this method is for you. It simply involves consuming each macro at every meal or snack and using your plate to guide your food choices.
You may be familiar with the MyPlate program that was developed several years ago by the USDA. You can use that method to choose foods and plan meals.
If you use this general design to add foods to your plate, you are likely to consume a macro-balanced meal. Fruits, vegetables, and grains all provide carbohydrates, and some also provide protein and small amounts of fat. Protein is accounted for on the plate, and that is where you’ll place lean meats or plant-based proteins like tofu or beans. But you might be wondering why there is no space designated for fat.
You’ll get fat naturally from many foods you consume, like meat or dairy products. You might also use fat to prepare your food. For example, you may add a small amount of oil to your pan to saute vegetables, or you might toss leafy greens with an olive oil vinaigrette. So there is no need to make a special effort to add fat to your meal.
The plate method is a great first step if you’re a beginning-level macro tracker. It gets you accustomed to ensuring balanced nutrition at each meal.
Track a Single Macro
Many seasoned macro-trackers prioritize protein. Evidence suggests that adequate protein (up to 3 grams per kilogram of body weight per day or more) is essential for gaining muscle alongside a strength training program. But if you are tracking macros for weight loss, protein is also important. Studies show that getting more protein in your diet helps to preserve muscle mass when cutting calories for fat loss.
So, when you are first starting your macro diet, you may simply want to count protein grams each day. Set a target for yourself based on your goals. Divide that number between the number of meals you consume each day and aim to reach your target at each meal.
Not sure where to start? Experts suggest that you get at least 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. If you typically don’t consume protein-rich foods (like lean meat, dairy, beans, nuts, or fish) then that number may be the best starting point. But if you already consume protein foods regularly, you might want to double that number. The International Society of Sports Nutrition states that 1.6 grams of protein per gram of body weight per day is adequate to help promote favorable muscle adaptations to exercise training.
Keep in mind, however, that you don’t need to track protein as your primary macro. Are you a runner? A cyclist? If you participate in endurance activities, you may want to track carbs to ensure that you have enough energy to fuel workouts. The nutrition experts at the USDA suggest that 45-65 percent of your daily calories come from carbs.
Shoot for Ranges Rather than Specific Targets
Once you feel comfortable getting all three macros at every meal and targeting one macro as a priority, you’re probably ready to address all three macros. But you don’t have to be exact or precise with the amounts to gain benefits. In fact, the DGA suggests ranges for each macro that you can use when first starting out. Again, those ranges are:
10% — 35% of calories from protein
45% — 65% of calories from carbohydrates
20% — 35% of your calories from fat
You’ll want to use an app, like LoseIt! or MyFitnessPal, to track your food intake. Then, at the end of the day, check to see where you consumed your calories. Did your macros fall into the ranges suggested above? Many apps provide this data without you having to do any additional math.
At this stage of the game, you’re probably ready to explore more advanced macro diet methods. If you haven’t done so already, pick up a copy of Macro Diet for Dummies. It will serve as your go-to resource on macro tracking for years to come. You’ll find solutions for travel, eating in restaurants, meal prep, recipes, and more.
And finally, remember that once you’re well into your macro tracking journey, it’s fine to dial back every once in a while and use one of these beginner macro tracking methods. It can help to give you a break from counting grams every day and help to keep your program sustainable.
