Working out is only part of the fitness solution. In fact, it's arguably not even the most important part of it.
So what's the most important part? Answer: your diet.
As I explain in my 6 mantras to keep in mind when working out, 'getting fit' is like fine-tuning a car. For some, the most important part of the process is improving the car's speed, for some it's making upgrades to the body work. In both cases, neither of these goals can be achieved without the right tools.
The tools are your diet. Without the right amount of calories, protein, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, minerals, and water, working out is only going to get you so far.
In this second part of the 'Build Your Ideal Diet' series, I will show you how to calculate your ideal macronutrient balance.
Before you continue, I would recommend reading part 1: Estimating You Energy Needs.
What is a 'macronutrient'?
'Macronutrient' is a very common term in the fitness world and if you're new to the scene, be prepared to hear it a lot more!
Macronutrients are nutrients we require in large portions in our diet, specifically, protein, carbohydrate and fat.
The balance of macronutrients forms the basis of any diet plan. Micronutrients (vitamins and minerals), fibre, water and alcohol also need to be considered, but will be addressed in part 4 of this series.
The recommended balance of macronutrients
According to the Department of Health, the recommended proportions of macronutrients in your diet are as follows:*
Carbohydrates: 50–55%
Proteins: 10–15%
Fats: 30–35%
*It should be noted that these proportions are given as ranges to make them more realistic. Of course, the aim is to have your proportions add up to 100% in total, so if two of your macronutrient proportions are at the higher end of their recommended estimate, the other will need to be at the lower end.
On their own, these percentages aren't too helpful. But, in combination with the amount of energy each macronutrient contains, we can calculate how much of our estimated daily caloric needs should come from each nutrient. Make sense? Stay with me here.
As we found out in part 1, calories are the selected unit of energy measurement for food. We also found out that calories are used to measure energy in relation to each gram of something.
Now here's the important part: the amount of energy in 1 gram of each macronutrient differs. For carbohydrates and proteins, each gram contains 4 kcal of energy, whereas each gram of fat contains 9 kcal of energy.
Calculating the right balance of macronutrients for you
So, with the recommended proportions of macronutrients, the amount of energy each gram of macronutrient contains, and (hopefully) your estimated daily energy needs, we now have everything we need to calculate the right balance of macronutrients for you.
Step 1: Calculate the proportion of energy you should be getting from each macronutrient
To make this easy to follow, let's take our example from part 1: Anna.
As you may recall, based on her basal metabolic rate and physical activity level, her recommended daily energy income to maintain her weight was 2438 kcal.
To calculate the amount of carbohydrates Anna needs to consume daily, we simply multiply the recommended proportion with her daily energy income:
50% (0.5) x 2438 = 1219 | 55% (0.55) x 2438 = 1341
Let's now do the same for proteins:
10% (0.1) x 2438 = 244 | 15% (0.15) x 2438 = 366
And now for fats:
30% (0.3) x 2438 = 731 | 35% (0.35) x 2438 = 853
Based on our calculations, we now know how much energy Anna should be getting from each macronutrient:
1219–1341 kcal of carbohydrates
244–366 kcal of proteins
731–853 kcal of fats
Step 2: Convert your macronutrient proportions into grams
With each proportion of macronutrients calculated, all we do now is divide these numbers by the amount of energy in 1 gram of each macronutrient:
Carbohydrates:
1219 / 4 = 305 | 1341 / 4 = 335
Proteins:
244 / 4 = 61 | 366 / 4 = 92
Fats:
731 / 9 = 81 | 853 / 9 = 95
In summary, Anna should break down her daily macronutrient income like so:
305–335 g of carbohydrates
61–92 g of proteins
81–95 g of fats
If you already have a firm grasp of the healthiest options to consume for each macronutrient group, then you should have all you need to build your ideal diet plan.
For those wanting more guidance about food choices we need to consider when building an ideal diet, please continue onto the third part of this series: Choosing the Right Foods.
Disclaimer: I am not a doctor or medical professional. The information I provide on this website is based on my personal experience and my experience as a Personal Trainer. Use of this information is strictly at your own risk. In addition, the information provided on this website is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Never disregard professional medical advice, or delay in seeking it, because of something you have read on this website. Never rely on information on this website in place of seeking professional medical advice.
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