Determining Energy Needs And Calculating Macros: How To Do It!

"You’ve probably heard the saying 'Abs are made in the kitchen.' And nothing could be further from the truth. You can spend hours at the gym, but if your nutrition isn’t on point, you won’t achieve your goals. That’s why it’s important to align your nutrition with your objectives. You do this by determining your energy needs and calculating your macros. It all sounds very complicated, but in practice, it’s not so bad. After reading this blog, you’ll be able to determine your energy needs and calculate your macros yourself! If you’d rather not know how the theory works and just want to calculate your personal daily calorie and macro needs, use our calculator; it will save you a lot of time! ;-)"

What are macros?

Our diet consists of various nutritional components that can be divided into micro- and macronutrients. Micronutrients are present in small amounts in your diet. Examples include vitamins and minerals. Macronutrients, often simply called macros, are nutrients that are present in large quantities in your diet. You can think of macros as the primary building blocks of your body. We distinguish three different macronutrients:

• Carbohydrates
• Proteins
• Fats

These macros together form the basis of your dietary pattern, and the ratio between the macros is also important for achieving your goals. Each macro has its own properties and functions.

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates function within our bodies primarily as energy suppliers. At a daily intake of 130 grams from all sources, carbohydrates are good for the brain. There are different types of carbohydrates: simple and complex carbohydrates, both of which have their own effects on the body. These two types are also called fast and slow carbohydrates. Carbohydrates provide four calories per gram.

Protein

Everyone knows that protein is an important part of your diet. Especially as an avid athlete, it is important that you get enough protein. This is because proteins support muscle recovery after training and promote muscle growth. In addition, proteins have a higher satiety than carbohydrates and fats and therefore ensure a satiated feeling for longer. One gram of protein equals four calories.

Fats

Fats are also important for our bodies. Like carbohydrates, we also know fats in different types: saturated fats and unsaturated fats. Unsaturated fats can also be divided into monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. Unlike carbohydrates and proteins that account for four calories per gram, fats provide nine calories per gram.

BMR - Basal Metabolic Rate

Even when you are not actively engaged in any activity or when you are sleeping, your body consumes energy to manage functions such as breathing, circulation, and brain activity. Your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) is the number of calories your body burns at rest. The number of calories your body uses at rest varies for everyone. Your BMR depends on several factors:

• Gender
• Age
• Height
• Weight
• Body fat percentage
• Physical condition (for example, illness)

Your BMR is essentially the number of calories your body needs to function without any additional physical exertion. The higher your BMR, the more calories you require. There are several factors that affect your BMR which you cannot change, such as your gender and age. However, you can influence your activity level and body fat percentage. The lower your body fat percentage, the greater your Lean Body Mass (LBM), which is the portion of your body that consists of muscle. And the greater your LBM, the higher your BMR becomes. This is because muscles consume more energy at rest than fat. To calculate your calorie needs and macros, it is important to first know your BMR. There are various formulas to calculate your BMR.

Katch-McArdle Formula

To use this formula, you need to know your lean body mass (LBM). You can calculate this if you know your body fat percentage. Subtract the percentage of your weight that is fat from your total weight. What you have left is your lean body mass. So: weight in kg * (100 - body fat percentage in %) / 100 = LBM. For example, I weigh 94 kg and have a body fat percentage of 15%. I calculate my LBM as follows: 94 * (100 - 15) / 100 = 79.9 kg. For simplicity, we round this off to 80 kg. In this formula for calculating your BMR, there is no distinction made between men and women, as it is no longer necessary once you know your LBM. The difference between men and women lies in the difference in muscle mass. If you know this, the calculation is the same for both. 370 + (21.6 * LBM in kg) = BMR.

Harris-Benedict Formula

If you don’t know your body fat percentage and therefore cannot calculate your lean body mass, there is another formula to calculate your BMR. This formula calculates your BMR based on your weight, height, and age. Additionally, this formula distinguishes between men and women, as lean body mass is not included in this formula.

For men:
66 + (13.8 * weight in kg) + (5 * height in cm) - (6.8 * age in years) = BMR

For women:
655 + (9.6 * weight in kg) + (1.8 * height in cm) - (4.7 * age in years) = BMR

Determining Energy Needs

Now that you have calculated your BMR, you can determine your actual energy needs. This is the amount of energy you actually need in a day, adjusted for your level of activity. This is also referred to as your "maintenance" level: the number of calories you can consume without gaining or losing weight. Calculating this is always an estimate because you never truly know how many calories you burn in a day unless you connect your body to a device that measures it accurately.

To calculate your energy needs, you need to determine your activity level. Your activity level consists of your training, but also the level of exertion from, for example, your job and any other activities. You can estimate this activity level using so-called "PAL" values. PAL stands for Physical Activity Level. Each PAL value is associated with a number that you multiply your BMR by to arrive at your maintenance energy needs.

• Sedentary (little or no exertion + desk job) = 1.2
• Lightly active (a bit of daily physical exertion + light training 3-5 times a week) = 1.3/1.4
• Moderately active (average daily physical exertion + moderate training 3-5 times a week) = 1.5/1.6
• Very active (physically demanding lifestyle + heavy training or many sports 5-7 times a week) = 1.7/1.8
• Extremely active (intensive daily physical exertion and heavy training every day) = 1.9/2.0

I already knew that my LBM (Lean Body Mass) is 80 kg. In the previous step, I calculated my BMR using the Katch-McArdle formula. So: 370 + (21.6 * 80) = 2098. I train 5 times a week and also work in a store. I estimate my activity level to be moderately active. I now multiply my BMR by 1.6, so: 2098 * 1.6 = 3356.8. For simplicity, I round this down to 3350. This is my maintenance calorie requirement. I can eat 3350 kcal a day without gaining or losing weight, which is quite good, right?! Keep in mind that the maintenance energy need is an estimate. It is possible that you have overestimated this, and with this maintenance requirement, your weight may still increase. Conversely, it could also be that you have underestimated the maintenance energy need and your weight decreases.

Calculating Macro Ratios

I now know that I can consume 3350 calories per day without gaining or losing weight. Let’s assume that my goal is to maintain my weight and that I will stick to this calorie count. While I know how many calories I can eat, I still don’t know how these calories are distributed among the macros. Besides the total number of calories you consume, the distribution of these calories among the macros also affects your progress. Therefore, we will now move on to the next step: calculating macros. Proteins are the main building blocks for your muscles. You might think: the more protein, the better. However, this is not necessarily true in practice. Your muscles can only absorb a maximum amount of protein.

Anything you consume above that amount is essentially useless. There are many different views on the amount of protein you should consume daily. Generally, between 1.5 and 1.8 grams per kilogram of body weight is common, and this should also be sufficient for muscle building. When you are cutting, it can sometimes be useful to increase your protein intake. Proteins keep you feeling full longer, which means you will be less hungry while cutting; additionally, your muscles need more protein during a cut to prevent muscle breakdown.

To use my example: I weigh 94 kg. I will set a high target for my protein intake, aiming for 1.8 grams per kilogram of body weight. That comes to 94 * 1.8 = 169.2 grams of protein per day. For convenience, I round this off to 170 grams. Proteins contain 4 calories per gram, which means I will be consuming 170 * 4 = 680 calories per day from protein.

My total calorie intake was 3350, so 3350 - 680 = 2670 calories remaining. I will now distribute these calories over my carbohydrates and fats. There are no specific guidelines for carbohydrate and fat intake. Generally, it is recommended to consume 1 or 2 grams of fat per kilogram of body weight per day, or to have 20% of your total calorie intake come from fats. In principle, you can distribute the calories you have left after determining your protein intake among carbohydrates and fats according to your preference: do you prefer a bit more fats or a bit more carbohydrates?

Let’s say I want to be somewhat in the middle with my fat intake, aiming for 1.5 grams of fat per kilogram of body weight. This brings me to 94 * 1.5 = 141 grams of fat per day. That is 141 * 9 = 1269 kcal from fat. I had 2670 calories remaining, so: 2670 - 1269 = 1401 calories left for carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are 4 calories per gram, so: 1401 / 4 = 350 grams of carbohydrates per day. Now I have created a distribution of my macros based on my calorie intake for maintenance! But of course, it doesn't stop here; we can take it a step further...

Energy Balance: Cutting or Bulking?

When your goal is to maintain your weight, you can simply stick to your maintenance energy needs. However, for most of us, that won't be the goal. Some want to get leaner, while others want to gain muscle mass. You need to decide whether you want to cut or bulk, and adjust your energy needs accordingly.

Do you want to cut? Then it’s important to create a negative energy balance, meaning you burn more calories than you consume. You can achieve this by eating below your maintenance calorie level. How much below is up to you. It’s advisable to reduce your intake in small steps to see how your body reacts. For example, start by subtracting 10-20% from your total calorie count. Then observe how your body responds and adjust based on that feedback.

Do you want to bulk? Then you do the opposite and create a positive energy balance. Bulking sounds super attractive because it means eating a lot! However, bulking can also be very tricky. The danger is that if you consume too many calories, you will gain a lot of fat. Of course, you want to gain as much muscle mass as possible while minimizing fat gain. Especially when bulking, it’s important to increase your calorie intake in small increments and see what works best for your body. Again, it’s wise to increase your total calorie intake by about 10-20% each time.

Patience is a Virtue

What’s important is to remember that every body is different. Each body reacts differently. So when you start adjusting your energy needs, it’s essential to see what works for you. Whenever you make changes to your calorie intake, it’s crucial to observe how your body responds. This cannot be done in a single day; of course, we all want to see results as quickly as possible, but patience is a virtue. So, for example, observe what happens to your body over two weeks after adjusting your calorie intake. Is your weight increasing or decreasing? And is that what you had in mind? Your weight is not always a reflection of what’s happening with your body. Therefore, it’s also beneficial to measure your skin folds with a skinfold caliper to see if your body fat percentage is rising or falling. A third method to track your progress is simply by taking photos. Often, you might not notice your own progress as clearly because you see yourself in the mirror every day. By taking photos of yourself every other day or weekly (preferably in the same location for consistent lighting) and comparing these photos, you can often see the differences much more clearly!

Once you've processed the mountain of information you've just received, you can start calculating your energy needs and determining your calorie intake and macros on your own. That shouldn't be a problem now! What will it be, will you bulking or cutting!