Macro Tracking Spreadsheet
A macro-tracking spreadsheet is the perfect tool for people who prefer to see all of their nutritional data and macro-tracking progress in one place. While macro tracking apps can be helpful, they don’t allow you to see trends from a bird’s eye view as you work to reach fitness or nutritional goals. A spreadsheet that tracks daily, weekly, and monthly macro trends helps you to see your short and long-term progress.
This macro tracker spreadsheet allows you to input each food that you eat along with grams of each macro. The spreadsheet is designed to automatically calculate your percentages and see your ratios so that you can see where you stand from meal to meal, day to day, week to week, and month to month.
👉 Get the best macro ratios personalized just for you with the macro calculator!
How to Download A macro Tracker Spreadsheet
This spreadsheet works best when used on a laptop or desktop computer. It does not work well on a phone because downloading the sheet and then navigating the page is tedious on a small screen. So, I recommend that you use it on a device with a larger screen.
To download this spreadsheet, follow these steps.
Click the Full Size icon on the bottom right corner of the image below. The spreadsheet will open in a new window, but you cannot use it yet.
At the top of the new page, choose File, then click Create a Copy to download to your laptop.
Once you’ve downloaded the sheet, you can choose to print the sheet if you want a paper copy.
To print, go to Page Set Up, click Sheet, and then check the Gridlines box in Print Options. This will enable the lines to print on the sheet so your data stays organized.
Go to File and choose Print.
Keep in mind that with most printers, you’ll want to adjust some print settings so that the full sheet prints on one page. To do this, open the Print dialogue box and check the Scale to Fit box. Change the orientation from Portrait to Landscape.
*The version below is v.1 This version will be updated if we find any issues with the formulas in the cells. Let me know if you have problems and I will look into it. Then check back for an updated version
How to Use Your Macro Tracker Spreadsheet
Once you’ve downloaded your macro tracking spreadsheet, you will be ready to input data. You’ll notice that each day of the week has its own tab at the bottom. Click each tab to navigate to that day of the week. There is also a Weekly Totals tab and a Monthly Totals tab that you can use to track your progress from week to week and month to month.
You’ll also notice that some column headings are highlighted yellow. Those are the cells that you will need to input. The columns or rows that are highlighted red are not editable by you. These cells contain the formulas to calculate your ratios. They will auto populate as you input your nutritional numbers.
Let’s walk through the process:
Input the food you plan to eat in Column B.
Input the amount in Column C.
Input the grams of fat, carbs, and protein in Columns E, G, and I (see below for more info on this step).
As you input numbers, you’ll see Columns F, H, and J autofill with calorie numbers. You’ll also see your macro ratios autocalculate in Columns L, M, and N.
You will also see your daily totals calculated automatically.
If you choose to use the Weekly Totals tab, you’ll fill in the yellow rows based on the data collected from each day. Then fill in the weekly data on the Monthly Totals page to see larger scale trends.
Keep in mind that if you use the printed sheet, the autocalculate features will not work. Pick up a copy of Macro Diet for Dummies to see how to calculate your macro numbers using old-school math with pen and paper.
Tips for Tracking Macros With a Spreadsheet
The more accurate you can be when inputting data, the more you’ll get out of this spreadsheet. Follow these guidelines to get the best nutritional numbers.
Gather nutritional data from the Nutrition Facts label on the package of your food.
When a Nutrition Facts label is not available, use a reputable source to gather fat, carb, and protein information. Apps like MyFitnessPal and others get much of their data from the USDA, but you can go their website, FoodData Central, to get the most accurate numbers. You can also use numbers from apps, but try to stick to verified entries. These are often indicated by a checkmark.
Make sure you know exactly how much of each food you are consuming. Use a digital scale to measure portion sizes. Remember that Serving Size on the Nutrition Facts label is not necessary the amount that you did or should consume.
If you can’t get “perfect” numbers or perfect amounts, a guestimate is better than inputting no data at all.
If you currently use an app and enjoy it, just use the Weekly Totals and Monthly Totals to see your progress and trends. This is one area where the apps are not as helpful. Print out these two sheets and fill in your daily or weekly trends from the app. Post the sheets in your kitchen or in a place where you will see your progress to keep yourself accountable to your nutritional goals.
It may take a few days to get used to calculating your macro ratios with a tracking spreadsheet. The first few days will be the most tedious. Once you get the hang of it, you’ll complete each step in a snap! And remember that you can use the spreadsheet along with an app if that is helpful. Simply enter daily totals and use the Weekly and Monthly tabs to see short and long-terms trends.