
If you want to properly track your calories and macros, you need to get a sense of the caloric content of each macro.
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Carbs help provide us with energy, and have 4 calories per gram, so if you eat 250g of carbs a day, that contributes 1,000 total calories.
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Fats help support hormones, and have 9 calories per gram. Fat is the most calorically dense macro, and can be more filling. If you eat 80g fat everyday, that contributes to 720 calories.
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Protein helps repair the muscles after we workout, and has 4 calories per gram. If you eat 150g protein everyday, that contributes to 600 calories.
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DON”T FORGET ABOUT ALCOHOL EITHER. Alcohol, in some ways, can be considered a 4th macro. It contains 7 calories per gram. So if you have 2 drinks (those 2 drinks in this example being 2 1.5 oz shots of vodka), that can come out to around 190 calories. Calories from alcohol can be very sneaky, so make sure to keep that in mind!
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So let’s put all those numbers together: From the examples above, let’s say one person one day eats 250g carbs, 80g fat and 150g protein. All that combined comes out to 2,320 calories. 1,000 calories coming from carbs (250g x 4 calories/g), 720 calories coming from fat (80g x 9 calories/g), and 600 calories coming from protein (150g x 4 calories/g).
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Hope this helps if you’re struggling with macro tracking!