Here’s an example demonstrating how to calculate protein, carbohydrates, and fats for a training phase. In this case, with a focus on body maintenance. This approach is also adaptable for determining macronutrients for cutting, bulking, and recomposition phases.
It's worth noting that the majority of calorie apps can automatically generate these figures for you, making manual calculations unnecessary unless you prefer to handle them yourself. Nonetheless, this example serves to clarify the inner workings of calorie apps in determining macronutrient values, including grams, calories, and percentages, tailored to your training objectives.
Step 1: Calculating Total Calories
In this example we’ll be taking a look at Marcus.
Marcus is a healthy 180lb athlete, who wants to maintain his current body composition of muscle mass and body fat.
To determine a calorie starting point for his maintenance phase, he uses an online calorie calculator, which recommends his total calories per day to be 3,000 calories.
Step 2: Calculate Protein Intake
Marcus does a little research and finds that a good recommended protein intake for maintenance when strength training is around 1.2-1.6 grams per kilogram of body weight (or 0.7-1 gram per pound) daily.
Based on his goals, weight, and body composition, he chooses to calculate his protein intake at 1 gram per pound of body weight
To do the calculation, he multiples his body weight by 1
180lbs x 1 = 180 grams of protein per day
Next, he calculates his protein in calories by using the constant (1 gram of protein = 4 calories).
To do the calculation he multiples 180 grams of protein by 4
180 grams x 4 = 720 calories
Now, he calculates what percentage of his total calories is protein.
To do the calculation he divides 720 calories by 3,000 calories
720 calories / 3,000 calories = .24
.24 is his percentage in decimals, to make it a percentage he multiples .24 by 100
.24 x 100 = 24%
Marcus’s total calories are approximately 24% protein
Step 3: Calculating Carbohydrate and Fat Intake
Based on Marcus’s food preferences and training style he chooses to allocate 50% of his total calories to carbohydrates and 26% to fats
Marcus’s macronutrient distribution is:
24% protein, 50% carbohydrates, and 26% fats.
Carbohydrates
To convert his percentage of carbohydrates to grams, Macus multiples his total calories by 50%
3,000 x 50% = 1,500 calories
Marcus then uses the constant (1 gram of carbohydrates = 4 calories)
To do the calculation he divides 1,500 by 4
1500 / 4 = 375 grams
Marcus needs to consume 375 grams of carbohydrates per day
Fats
To convert his percentage of fats to grams, Macus multiples his total calories by 26%
3,000 x 26% = 780 calories
Marcus then uses the constant (1 gram of fat = 9 calories)
To do the calculation he divides 780 by 9
780 / 9 = 86.6 grams, rounded to 86
Marcus needs to consume 86 grams of fat per day
Summary
In total, Marcus’s macronutrient distribution is:
180g of protein, which is 24% of total calories (equaling 720 calories)
375g of carbs, which is 50% of total calories (equaling 1500 calories)
86g of fat, which is 26% of total calories (equaling 774 calories)
This breakdown equates to 2,994 calories instead of 3,000 because of rounding 86.6g of fat to 86g for the sake of simplicity. Marcus can use this breakdown initially and monitor his results, either adjusting his training or percentages to ensure he maintains weight.
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