Meaningful Macros

So, you’ve decided you want to lose some pounds. Get “snatched” as the kids call it nowadays. And you don’t want to do it the Ozempic way. Props! You’re in the right place. Let me show you how to lose some weight with a little bit of discipline instead of pharmaceuticals.

Determining Your Timeframe

Before we dive in, we have got to iron out some details. That is, you kinda have to know what your weekly workout plan is going to be. Because you burn calories when you work out & that will affect your numbers.

I have a pretty consistent weekly schedule when it comes to working out, & this is a habit I HIGHLY recommend. I take a look at work & other duties, & try my best to find a reasonable way to fit in 4 consistent 60-90 minute sessions each week (bonus points if you can mix in a 5th session every once in a while. But remember… above all else it’s critical that you find a time commitment that you can STICK to. Consistency is absolutely crucial when it comes to habits & hitting your goals.

Nutrition Goal Formulation

With that out of the way, lets talk macros. If you know your weight & how often you expect to work out weekly (based on the above), you can find your maintenance calories with this handy dandy link right here. We’re going to aim for losing ~1 pound per week because we’re not insane crazy people & don’t want to hate our lives. It takes 3500 calories deficit to burn off a pound, so losing ~1 pound per week equates to a daily deficit of ~500 calories.

This is the way to think through it, using myself as an example:

Let’s say, hypothetically, I weigh 185 lbs… & I’m going to have 4-5 consistent training days per week. That means I’m going to burn ~2600 calories per day (using my aforementioned link). I’m going to target losing ~1 pound per week, so I’m going to target a diet resulting in ~2100 calories per day (because losing a pound a week requires a daily surplus of ~500 calories).

My goal is to hit ~170 pounds before switching to maintenance, so I should expect to be in that ballpark in 3-4 months! Though it is important to weigh yourself every week or so to make sure you’re directionally on track. Remember… even slow progress is progress. I highly recommend thinking of this as a lifestyle change. Nutrition/exercise isn’t something that’s going to stop once you reach your goal… & if you think of it that way, you’ll likely find yourself moving backward once you hit your number. Eating healthy & exercising needs to be a part of your life forever!

As far as macros go, when cutting, you’ll want to focus on a ratio that maintains muscle while losing fat… ensuring you’re in a caloric deficit but still fueling workouts and recovery. This looks something like:

• Protein: 30-40% of total daily calories. High protein preserves muscle mass during a calorie deficit and keeps you feeling full.
• Carbohydrates: 40-50% of total daily calories. Carbs provide energy for your workouts and support muscle growth.
• Fats: 20-30% of total daily calories. Healthy fats are essential for hormone production and overall health.

Based on the above, my target for ~2100 calories looks like:

• Protein: 35%. My goal is ~185 grams per day.
• Carbohydrates: 40%. My goal is ~200 grams per day.
• Fats: 25%. My goal is ~60 grams per day.

My priority list is:

1. Make sure I am not surpassing 2100 calories each & every day.
2. Hit 185 grams of protein every day.
3. Go for ballpark ~200g carbs & ~60g fats. #3 is by far lowest priority.

With the above math (kudos to this link & MyFitnessPal), I have my macros goals sorted out. I like to keep things simple, so here’s my nutrition plan:

Nutrition Plan (based on goals formed above).

Breakfast

~400 calories (~70 grams of protein)… usually is just a protein shake.

I am NOT a morning person so I like to basically get this all in with a protein shake of sorts (easy to take down on the road & put together… & its usually the same thing every morning because I do not have the brain capacity to get creative before 7:00am.

Lunch/Dinner

~700 calories (~50 grams of protein each… meaning recipes with a protein ratio of 25%<)

I basically just filter OUT the 800+ calorie recipes & pick any two that look good. 99% of my recipes are WELL above 25% protein so my blog, so you don’t need to worry about finding recipes with bummy macros. The amount of protein & calories is also listed at the top of each recipe, so you can use that as a quick check. You don’t need to hit the 700 number EXACTLY, but ballpark an average of 700 is where you’re going to want to be. You could even do one 600 calories recipe & one 800 calorie recipe in a week! The world is your oyster.

Snack

~300 calories (~15 grams of protein)… usually need to target a protein-rich snack like a meat stick.

That’s literally everything you need to know about cutting! Nutrition is quite literally half the battle. Rest is another 30%… but training is still very important. I recommend pairing your cut with cardio. Burning more calories via exercise gives you way more wiggle room with diet.

With that said, I’ve found it incredibly helpful to have a fitness watch. I personally use & recommend the Fitbit Versa 4. This bad boy tracks my workouts & estimates the calories burned.. then presents all that information on its own app (that integrates with other health apps like myfitnesspal). This setup gives me instant insight into roughly how many calories I burned on the day, & if I had a REALLY good workout that burned a ton of calories, I give myself the grace to have an extra snack. It’s all about the deficit!