In my previous post on calories, I introduced the importance of macronutrients when building a sound nutritional plan.  I also promised that I would create a general guide for calculating macronutrient and calorie needs - Anybody can say they'll eat 1500kcal a day.  It's where they're going to get those 1500kcal from that's the issue.

So here's a quick EXTREMELY GENERAL guide to assist you when figuring out your macros and calories, depending on your goals.  I'm assuming you have goals, or you wouldn't even be reading this.

Step 1: Figure out your BMR (basal metabolic rate)


The easiest way to explain BMR is this - These are the calories Sleeping Beauty needs.  She doesn't eat, she doesn't move, she doesn't think, watch TV, work a desk job, exercise, whatever.  She's just in bed, sleeping.  These are the calories her body needs to keep her alive.

To compute for BMR, let's just use the standard formula:

For men:

BMR = 66.5 + ( 13.75 x weight in kg ) + ( 5.003 x height in cm ) – ( 6.775 x age in years )

For women:

BMR = 655.1 + ( 9.563 x weight in kg ) + ( 1.850 x height in cm ) – ( 4.676 x age in years )

It is important to note that at best, this can only give you a guess-timate of your BMR.  If you are obese or extremely muscular, this thing will not work at all for you.  Email me for a free consultation and we'll see what we can do.

Step 2: Activity multipliers

Most websites usually ask you to multiply your BMR with an "activity multiplier," depending on your lifestyle to come up with a figure for your daily maintenance calorie requirements.  Forget about that.  The BMR we have is a simple estimate, so unless you're trying to put on some significant muscle, using an activity multiplier will do you more harm than good (translated: activity multipliers make you fat).

Step 3: Identify your goal

Goal 1 - Fat Loss

If you have a double chin and don't see your abs, this should probably be your goal.  Simple as that.

Goal 2 - Muscle Gain

If you have at least four-pack abs, and you want to gain more muscle, this is the one for you.

Goal 3 - Maintain

Just do what you've always done.  Seems to be working for you. :)

Step 4: Set calories according to goal

If your goal is fat loss, then decrease the amount of calories you take by 20%, or

BMR x .8 = Calories for fat loss

If your goal is muscle gain, then INCREASE the amount of calories you take in by 20%, or

BMR x 1.2 = Calories for muscle gain

Pretty simple, right?  Now let's get down to macronutrients!

Step 5: Calculate macronutrient needs

A quick Science lesson, with a little creative license to fit our needs:

1g protein = 4kcal

1g carbohydrates = 4kcal

1g fat = 9kcal

Protein repairs and builds muscles.

Carbohydrates fuel the body.

Fat is essential for healthy cellular and brain function.

Basically, our bodies NEED all three macronutrients, but they each come with what I like to call "calorie costs."

A man who is on a diet that dictates he only has an intake of 2000kcal daily means he has only 2000kcal to "spend" on these macronutrients.  How does he choose how much of each macronutrient to get?

Let me be clear and say that there is NO ONE OPTIMAL RATIO for macronutrient intake.  Everybody is different, and so are their macro needs.  Again, this is an EXTREMELY general guide.  

Protein - The most common figure for protein needs is usually 2g/kg of lean body mass (LBM).  If you don't know what your LBM is, relax.  Here's a handy image guide for BF% I picked up off Google:

Men first:

For the ladies:

So if you look like you're at 20% BF, then your LBM is at 80%, and so on and so on.  Time for some Math!  Take your weight in kg, then multiply it by your LBM% to get your LBM in kg.  Multiply that figure by 2, and that's how many grams of protein you should be taking in.  Sample:

If you weigh 80kg with 20% BF, then your daily protein intake will look a little like this:

Protein in grams = (80kg x .8) x 2 = 128g of protein  

Carbohydrates and Fat - This is where it gets tricky.  There are many diets out there that advocate low-carb practices, and believe it or not, they actually work.  However, I am going to assume that you enjoy pizza, and pasta, and fries, and bread, and rice.  I know I do.

Fat has also been unfairly vilified by the health industry, mainly because it's an easy scapegoat.  Dietary fat in moderation is actually a good thing; in fact, Inuit who live mainly off dietary fat have the lowest incidence of heart disease in the world (most likely a ketogenic side-effect, but let's keep thing simple for now.)   Besides, our bodies NEED fat to function properly. 

For our purposes though, let us keep fat relatively low.  Around 40-80 grams of fat daily should be enough to keep your body happy and your cravings at bay, no matter your weight.

As for carbohydrates, all you've got to do is balance the equation!  Let's bring it all together with a sample subject:

EXAMPLE

Suppose you are 26 years old, male, 173cm, and 80kg with 20% BF.  Your BMR would be:

BMR = 66.5 + ( 13.75 x 80 ) + ( 5.003 x 173 ) – ( 6.775 x 26 ) = 1,854kcal

And because you won't see your abs at 20% BF, you will subtract 20% off your BMR:

1,854 x .8 = 1,483kcal

We already know that your protein intake should be at around 128g, and that your fat intake should be at around 40-80g (let's just say 60g), so:

1,483kcal = 128g (4kcal) + 60g (9kcal) + Xg (4kcal), where X is the amount of carbohydrates you should be consuming. 

After some basic algebra, the answer is clear!  X = 100, or 100g of carbohydrates!

1483kcal = 128g protein (4kcal) + 60g fat (9kcal) + 100g carbs (4kcal)

Again, I cannot stress enough how this is only a GENERAL guide.  There are many other factors to consider when building a more accurate macronutrient profile plan, and I can't discuss every single possibility here.  Just email me to ask, and I'll try to get back to you ASAP.

If you do plan on following this guide, I have a few pieces of advice for you:

• Don't stress over it.  You don't need to follow your macros and calories EXACTLY.  Just be in the general ballpark (100-150kcal over or under is no big deal, and don't sweat a few extra grams of fat or carbs.)
• Use the scale, mirror, and weighing scale regularly, but not often.  By regularly, I mean you should check your progress at the same time, on the same day, every week.  This way, you can see if you need to adjust your calories + macros.  
• Check the nutrition information for the foods you eat online - Fitday and MyFitnessPal are awesome FREE services.  

Oh, did a little more researching, so image credits go to:

• vibrantsexystrong.com
• leighpeele.com

YES.

A calorie is a calorie.  How much simpler can it be?

100 calories of fat is still 100 calories, the same way 100 calories of protein is still 100 calories.  A dog is a dog, a cat is a cat, and a calorie is a calorie.  End of debate.

That being said, does it matter where I get my calories from?

Now this is a much better question, and the answer is still yes.  In the simplest terms possible, here's why:

A calorie is a measure of energy.  Our bodies need energy to function.  Too little and you lose weight, too much and you gain weight.  

We get our calories from three macronutrients:

• Protein
• Fat
• Carbohydrates

Aside from the calories these macronutrients provide, they also support our body's functions.  Protein is required for muscle growth, fat supports healthy cell function, and carbohydrates.. well, let's just say they make for an excellent source of immediate energy.

The bottom line is this: 

Our bodies need calories, but we need to balance out where we get those calories from because our bodies need all three macronutrients as well.

So if you need 2000 kcal to function properly, it's got to look a little something like this:

2000kcal = calories from Protein + calories from Fat + calories from Carbohydrates

Calculate your macronutrient needs depending on your goals and go from there.  If you don't know how to do that, no problem - I'll be posting about it in the next day or two.  

This is the first thing I want people on my site to read.  It's pretty much the most important article here.  Everything else is just details.  

1. Losing Weight = Losing Body Fat

There is a huge difference between losing body fat and losing weight.  You could have two people with the same height and the same weight, but their bodies might look very different from each others'.  For example, these two women (couldn't find pictures of guys, sorry) are both 5'3 and 120lbs. 

The reason these two look so different is that while they may weigh the same, the woman on the left has a significantly higher body fat percentage (BF%).  Basically, body fat percentage is the amount of fat you have on your body.  

The woman on the left has around 25% BF, while the one on the right is probably at 18% or so.  More often that not, your BF% will play a huge part in determining what your body looks like, just as much as your weight does.  A woman who weighs 120lbs with 18% BF will probably look a lot better than a woman who is 110lbs at 25% BF.  

If you're looking to improve your body, it only makes sense to lower your BF%.  I'm not saying you should stop checking your weight - I'm just saying that it's not the end-all, be-all determinant of progress.  Here, whenever we talk of losing weight, we mean losing weight WHILE REDUCING BODY FAT (also known as body recomposition).   

I'm sure there are two questions on everyone's minds right.  One, when can I expect seeing abs, and two, how do I get there?  For women, 18% BF sounds just about right, and for the men, if you can get your BF below 10%, then you're ready to go.

As for how to get to those coveted BF%s.. that brings us to Fitness Myth #2!

2. If you want to lose weight WHILE LOSING BODY FAT, then you must do cardio.

I have nothing against cardio, but it is definitely not the most efficient way to lose weight.  Sure, if you ran on a treadmill 4 hours a day everyday for a month, you'd probably lose a few pounds.  Of course, simple math will show that you also lost around 120 hours of your life in that same month, not to mention some precious muscle.  It it worth it?  

Personally, I find cardio to be much too time-consuming to be used as a weight loss tool.  I encourage you to do cardio for fun, like if you enjoy swimming, running, basketball, football, etc, but I would strongly advise against using it for weight loss simply because it takes too much time. 

The best way to lose weight and reduce your BF% is to simply eat the right way and lift a little weight.  It's a lot easier to not eat a 300 kcal Sausage McMuffin than it is to spend 30 minutes on an the elliptical burning it off.  You have a life outside of the gym.  Don't ever forget it.

This guy didn't get in that kind of shape doing cardio.  He got into that kind of shape by lifting regularly and eating right.  Table push-aways beat cardio, any day of the week.

3. Lift like Arnold, look like Arnold.

First, for the men:

Arnold (last name unnecessary) is the golden standard for all bodybuilders and physique freaks.  This guy was long, huge, and ripped.  He also won the genetic lottery and was on a ton of steroids while working out maybe 4 hours a day.  

It's all well and good to want to emulate our idols, but unless you're on steroids, following Arnold's legendarily high-rep, high-frequency bodybuilding routines won't make you look anything like him.  Arnold was a genetic freak on steroids, and he took full advantage of that by pushing his body to the limits.  If you don't plan on taking the same juice he did, there's no point to putting your body through all that punishment.  In fact, it could be detrimental to your body's development, even.

For the ladies:

It kills me whenever I hear women talking about how they don't want to get bulked up, or look too manly.  Ladies, there is a reason why men take steroids and creatine and whey powder and nitrous oxide - It's because building muscle is HARD.

You can't possibly lift enough weight and diet enough to get "too bulky."  Unless you are taking some serious steroids, the chances that you will look like this are non-existent:

That's right, I said NONEXISTENT.  I didn't say low, or slim, or unlikely, I said nonexistent, meaning NO CHANCE AT ALL.  If you eat well and lift properly, you're more than likely going to end up with a body like this:

 

Does that look too bulky for you?  I didn't think so. 


4. Eating "right" means cutting out everything except for grilled chicken breasts, oatmeal, and dried up newspapers.

I am a firm believer that nutrition is 75% of improving your body, but that you should be able to still enjoy life and all it has to offer despite that large number.  Sure you probably can't pig out as much as you want to, but there's no reason to swear off cheeseburgers for life.  If it's somebody's birthday, or if it's Christmas, go ahead and stuff yourself silly.  If we were in some alternate universe where the only way to get in great shape was to forsake all foods except chicken breasts, broccoli and turkey bacon, I would tell you to just go ahead and get fat. 

Fortunately in THIS universe, that isn't the case. 

Be aware of your body's caloric and macronutrient needs and work to satisfy those.  That's all you need to remember.  If you need 2000kcals a day with X grams of proteins and Y grams of carbs, it doesn't matter whether you eat a chicken breast or a pizza.  As long as you satisfy your requirements, then you are good to go.  More often than not, people tend to focus too much on what they think they should be eating instead of looking at what their bodies actually need. 

As cliche as it sounds, you need to think of this as a marathon with mini sprints in between.  There will be times when are energized and decide to go on an all-out sprint, and there will be times when you hit a figurative wall.  The important thing is to keep going, and stick to the road you know will get you to the finish line. 

Let the macros guide you, and everything will be alright. 

***

Don't let the (billion dollar) fitness industry fool you.  Getting into great shape doesn't involve buying magazines, or eating designer food, or running on a ridiculously expensive treadmill.  It's all about making informed decisions and a commitment to improving your body.