Calculating your macros: Start here

This is the starting point for fat loss, muscle gain, maintenance… everything. Get this right, and we’re on the road to success, so calorie setting comes first and needs to be considered the most important factor in this whole process… to begin with.

This number can be seen as a 'best guess' using the evidence and data available to us. As time goes on, and you acquire more relevant data by adherence to your macros, tracking your progress in the gym, photo comparisons and body measurements, we will be able to refine this 'best guess' to be even more accurate, and change it only when absolutely necessary.

I actually stopped counting calories a long time ago, but that’s because I’ve reached a point with my macros where I can be within 85-90% accuracy, which is why I say this is the most important factor to begin with. I’ve been trialling not counting calories and instead just macros for six years now and haven’t suffered any negative results from inaccuracies.

This supports the notion that it’s all well and good to track calories, like some high street restaurants now help you with via their menus, but if you don’t know the macronutrients that make up those calories, you could be eating way more carbs, proteins or fats than you actually want or need.

That’s why there are some restaurants that are much easier to go to and stay on track with, as they publish a full macronutrient profile of each dish online. You have to take this with some room for manoeuvre though, as every chef is different, each plate of food will vary slightly, but I’ll go over what you should factor in when eating out in another post.

Another reason why I’ve tested counting just macros is because you don’t want to be calorie counting 365 days a year. Believe me, I’ve been there and it’s a road to psychological meltdown. From my experience, I don’t want to encourage this extreme version of controlling your food intake, so whilst I’m here to coach you to create the body and nutritional plan you want, it’s also only a guideline. Get to know your portions specific to you by sight, and then put the weighing scales away and live your life, knowing that you are being 80% consistent and that will deliver real results over time.

As mentioned earlier, we need to find a realistic target. Not only to avoid disappointment, but also to get the right calorie surplus (for muscle gain) or deficit (for fat loss) and make this difference as small as possible to begin with. Small? ‘What do you mean, Ruari – I reckon I could cut out way more calories than that!’ Well hold on there...

If you did that, you would get results… fast. But then what? You’ve cut that many calories and now your body has adjusted, and your weight loss has stalled. So what do you do? You would have to cut calories by another huge chunk, and that’s going to lead you down a miserable road to celery sticks and lettuce. Ideally, you don’t want to really think of yourself as being on a diet or a calorie deficit, because let’s face it, you’ll be miserable…

With small increments for muscle gain and small reductions for fat loss, you can picture how it will be a sustainable approach for you and your body. Balance this with your energy expenditure (not just the time in the gym but getting daily steps in etc.) and you’ll begin to envision your energy equation like a set of scales. Tip them in the favour of a calorie surplus, and you’ll gain weight, and so on.

Enter the Harris Benedict Calculator, a handy tool to estimate your daily calorie needs.

There are several calculators that produce calorie estimates, but from my experience, the Harris Benedict equation is the most rounded, near-to-accurate macro calculator out there.

What is the Harris Benedict Calculator?

Developed in the early 1900s, the Harris Benedict equation is a mathematical formula used to estimate your BMR. This represents the number of calories your body burns at rest, simply to maintain basic functions like breathing, circulation, and cell activity.

There are separate formulas for men and women, taking into account factors like:

Age: Our metabolism naturally slows down with age.

Weight: Larger bodies require more energy to function.

Height: Taller individuals tend to have higher BMRs.

Sex: Men typically have a higher BMR due to more muscle mass.

Step 1: Calculating your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR)

This number will give you a close approximation of what calories your body needs to just function – to keep your heart pumping blood around the body. Remember that everything from breathing, talking, chewing, sleeping, sneezing all burn calories, so this is your baseline that the rest of the calculations will come from.

I want this to be as simple as possible for you, which is another reason for choosing the Harris-Benedict equation, as you don’t need to know your body-fat percentage. Not everyone has that information to hand or can estimate their own with total certainty.

The Harris Benedict method:

Men:

BMR = 88 + (13.4 x weight in kilos) + (4.8 x height in cm) – (5.7 x age in years)

Women:

BMR = 448 + (9.2 x weight in kilos) + (3.1 x height in cm) – (4.3 x age in years)

Right, now that we have this number, we need to work up to learning what your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) is, based on your current level of activity, factoring in the type of job you do and the exercise you’re performing as well.

This isn’t like when you go to the doctor and they ask how many units of alcohol you drink per  week, and you reply ‘none Doctor.’ If you exaggerate your activity level here, it will inflate your TDEE calorie estimate, so if you were looking to lose weight, it’s unlikely to happen with an inflated figure, as you’ll be eating more than your body needs, which will encourage it to store weight.

So be honest. If you can only commit to three training sessions a week, that’s fine. We all have things going on in life that this type of thing has to fit around. Be realistic with what you can commit to now, and your goals will be one step closer.

TDEE = BMR x one of the following numbers…

Sedentary (little or no exercise): BMR x 1.2

Lightly active (training/sports 2-3 days/week): BMR x 1.375

Moderately active (training/sports 4-5 days/week): BMR x 1.55

Very active (training/sports 6-7 days a week): BMR x 1.725

Extremely active (training/sports and physical job): BMR x 1.9

This isn’t an exact science, so these are best guesses and estimations to begin with. After a few weeks of following your nutrition numbers and training level, we’ll see pretty quickly if these numbers are accurate for your weight loss or muscle gain.

Fitness trackers can help, but again, there is no fitness tracker that is 100% accurate, so just because it might tell you that you’ve burned 150kcals on the stepper after your weights workout, doesn’t necessarily mean it’s true.

Remember: The Harris Benedict Calculator is an estimate. Factors like genetics, body composition, and hormonal imbalances can influence your actual calorie needs.

How does knowing your BMR and macros help you?

Weight Management: Knowing your BMR provides a baseline for calorie intake. To lose weight, you'll need to create a calorie deficit by consuming fewer calories than you burn.

Building Muscle: If your goal is muscle gain, you'll need to consume a calorie surplus (eating more calories than you burn) to provide the energy needed for muscle growth.

Maintaining Weight: Once you know your TDEE, you can adjust your calorie intake to maintain a healthy weight.

The Takeaway:

The Harris Benedict Calculator is a valuable tool for understanding your basic calorie needs. While it's not a perfect science, it provides a starting point for creating a personalised approach to healthy eating and achieving your fitness goals.