How to track macros

Macro tracking has a reputation for being tedious, which it is if you do it the hard way. Most of the benefit comes from a fraction of the effort.

1. 01 Calories first From maintenance, adjusted by your own trend
2. 02 Protein second Around 1.6 to 2.2 g per kg of bodyweight
3. 03 The rest to taste Split carbohydrate and fat however you eat best

Start with calories, then protein

Calories decide whether you gain or lose. Protein decides how much of that change is muscle. Everything else is preference.

Set protein as a fixed target rather than a percentage — a percentage of a shrinking calorie budget quietly shrinks your protein along with it, which is exactly backwards in a deficit.

Carbohydrate and fat are a preference, not a rule

Once calories and protein are set, how you split the remainder barely affects fat loss. It affects how you feel, how you train and how easily you stick to it, which matters more.

Train hard? Lean toward carbohydrate. Feel better on higher fat? Do that instead. Both work.

How to log without it taking over your life

Log the same meals the same way. Most people eat about a dozen distinct meals; save them once and logging becomes two taps.

Weigh the calorie-dense things and estimate the rest. Oil, nut butter, cheese and cereal are where the error lives; broccoli is not.

Log the whole day even when it went badly. A missing day is worse than an honest bad one, because it removes the data you would learn from.

Use the fastest input available — a photo, a barcode or a sentence — because the accurate log you skip is worth nothing.

When to stop tracking

Tracking is a teaching tool as much as a control system. After a few months most people can eyeball portions well enough to maintain without logging, and returning to it for a fortnight when things drift is a perfectly good long-term pattern.

Questions