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Determining Macros to Lose Fat
The more I’m involved in the health and fitness industry, the more I realize that there are very few absolutes in this field. A particular diet that is an excellent cutting diet for one person may be an impossible diet for someone else to follow. Or, a diet that results in dramatic fat loss for someone may be a slow burner for another. In my opinion, the perfect cutting diet is the one you’re most likely to stick with. I’m going to show you a simple way to determine how much calories, fat, protein, and carbs you should eat to be able to burn off fat and minimize lbm loss. All while still being able to eat foods of your choice.
The “must-haves”
I am of the opinion that there are no “bad foods,” nor “good foods,” just foods that are “everyday foods,” and foods that are “sometimes foods.” Although, I give clients a wide choice of foods to choose from, there are some “must-haves” that I recommend, and I recommend these because I believe that following these will result in better health.
• At least 2 servings of fruit a day
• At least 5 servings of vegetables a day
• Mostly whole grains
• Lots of healthy fats: avocado, fish, olive oil, flax seeds
• Lots of Legumes: Beans, nuts, seeds
• Lots of good protein: Fish, poultry, beans, lean beef, eggs
• At least 100-150 grams of carbs per day
How much carbs?
Carbohydrates are incorrectly labeled as bad, and are usually demonized by bodybuilders, but in reality, they should be eaten on a regular basis as long as you stick to the more nutritious ones. ie, whole grains, legumes, fruit.
Although, I approve of carbs, I do limit them when cutting. Not because carbs cause fat gain, but because when we eat high protein we stay satiated for longer, allowing us to be able to tolerate a caloric deficit better. Additionally, eating high protein while cutting will help minimize lbm loss. Since fat loss is entirely dependent on being in a caloric deficit, we usually don’t have enough calories to be able to eat high protein and high carbs; so logically, replacing some carbs with protein is the best decision.
How much Protein?
Although there are no studies on the protein requirement of aas users (that I’m aware of), I would hypothesize that they require more than an athlete that does not use aas. I generally recommend an intake of 1-1.5 grams of protein per 1 lb of lbm.
How much Fat?
I like to keep fat intake to .35-.5 grams per lb of lbm. Eating a good amount of healthy of fat is not only healthy, but will help keep you feeling fuller for longer and prevent over eating at the next meal.
Calculating your macros
1. The first step is to determine your BMR and multiply it by your activity factor. Basically, this will tell you, based on how active you are how many calories you can eat and remain the same weight. Theoretically, if you eat less than this, you’ll lose weight. Eating 10-20% less calories than this will result in fat loss at a healthy rate.
The equation I like to use is the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, and there are plenty of sites that will calculate this for you using this equation.
2. The next step is to determine how much protein you need to intake. I start off with 1 gram per 1 lb of lbm. You then multiply the number of grams of protein by 4 kcals. This gives you the amount of calories your protein provides.
3. Next, you determine your fat intake starting off with .5 grams of fat per lb of lbm. Multiply the grams by 9 kcals to determine how many calories you’ll get from fat.
4. You now have the amount of calories you should be eating for fat loss, and you have the amount of calories that you will get from protein and fat. The remaining calories that you are allowed to eat will come from carbs. You divide this number of calories by 4 and you have the amount of carbs in grams that you should eat.
5. The last piece is finding the correct foods that will provide these macros in their correct amounts. I personally use fitday.com to do this. They have a massive amount of foods to choose from and its very user friendly, you can even put in your own foods for quick reference.
Example
• 30 year old male, 6’0”, 200 lbs, moderately active.
• BMR=1900
• BMR X Activity factor=2950 cals
• 20% reduction=2350 cals
• 200 grams of protein=800 cals
• 100 grams of fat=900 cals
• 160 grams of carbs=650 cals
• 800+900+650=2350 cals
I am in no way making the claim that this is the best way to go about cutting, it’s just what has always worked for me, and I think it’s a way to cut in a sensible, healthful way. Most diets will work if you follow them and are consistent. The most important part is to be in a caloric deficit.
exphys88
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