Understanding Macronutrients
Macronutrients, or macros, are the three primary components of food that provide your body with energy: carbohydrates, protein, and fat. While calorie tracking focuses solely on energy balance, macro tracking provides a deeper look into the source of that energy, enabling you to optimize your diet for more specific goals. For instance, protein is vital for muscle repair, while carbohydrates fuel intense workouts.
- Carbohydrates: 4 calories per gram
- Protein: 4 calories per gram
- Fat: 9 calories per gram
How to Calculate Your Custom Macros
Before you adjust your macros in MyFitnessPal, you need a starting point. While the app uses a default based on your calorie goal, calculating your own macros will give you more precision. Many online calculators can help with this, but the manual process involves two main steps:
- Determine Your Daily Calorie Target: Based on your weight, age, sex, and activity level, you need to first establish your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE). If your goal is weight loss, you'll need to create a calorie deficit (e.g., subtracting 500 calories). For muscle gain, you'll need a surplus (e.g., adding 300-500 calories).
- Choose Your Macro Ratio: Select a ratio of carbohydrates, protein, and fat that aligns with your specific goals. You will then convert these percentages into grams based on the caloric values listed above. For example, on a 2,000-calorie diet with a 40% carb, 30% protein, 30% fat split:
- Carbs: (2000 x 0.40) / 4 = 200g
- Protein: (2000 x 0.30) / 4 = 150g
- Fat: (2000 x 0.30) / 9 = 67g
Setting Your Macros in MyFitnessPal
Once you have your custom numbers, you can adjust the settings in the MyFitnessPal app. The process is slightly different depending on whether you are using the free or Premium version.
Adjusting Macros in the Free App
- From the home screen, tap "More" (the three dots) in the bottom right corner.
- Select "Goals" from the menu.
- Under "Nutrition Goals," tap "Calorie & Macronutrient Goals."
- Tap on any of the macro percentages to bring up the adjustment wheel.
- Use the wheel to set your macro percentages. The free version only allows adjustments in 5% increments, so you may need to get as close as possible to your target and remember the slight discrepancy.
- Ensure all percentages add up to 100% and save your changes.
Adjusting Macros with MyFitnessPal Premium
- Follow steps 1-3 for the free app.
- Instead of using the percentage wheel, you can directly input your target grams for each macronutrient.
- Premium also allows you to set different macro goals for different days of the week, which is useful for carb cycling or rest days.
Common Macro Ratios for Different Goals
Choosing the right macro ratio is key to seeing results. The ideal split depends heavily on your activity level, fitness goals, and dietary preferences.
| Goal | Carbohydrates | Protein | Fat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weight Loss | 40-50% | 25-35% | 20-30% |
| Muscle Gain | 45-55% | 30-35% | 15-25% |
| Maintenance | 50-60% | 25-30% | 15-20% |
| Endurance | 50-60% | 20-25% | 20-25% |
| Low-Carb/Keto | 5-10% | 20-30% | 65-75% |
Best Practices for Tracking Macros on MyFitnessPal
For macro tracking to be effective, consistency and accuracy are paramount. Following these tips will help you make the most of your efforts.
- Use a Food Scale: Accurate portion sizes are critical. A digital food scale removes the guesswork and ensures your logged data is correct.
- Verify Food Entries: MyFitnessPal has a vast, user-contributed database, which means some entries can be inaccurate. Look for entries with a green checkmark indicating they have been verified for accuracy.
- Don't Over-Log Exercise: Some experts suggest setting your activity level to 'Sedentary' and adjusting your calorie goal manually, rather than letting the app add back calories for exercise. This prevents potential overestimation of calories burned.
- Plan Ahead: For consistent tracking, plan your meals in advance. Use the app to pre-log your food for the day so you know where you stand with your macros.
- Monitor Progress: Don't just track your food; pay attention to your body's response. How are your energy levels? Is your weight progressing as expected? Adjust your macros gradually over time based on these observations.
Conclusion
While MyFitnessPal provides a solid foundation for health tracking, manually adjusting your macro goals allows for a more personalized and effective approach to nutrition. By first calculating your specific calorie and macro needs and then accurately logging your intake, you can leverage the app to fuel your body precisely for your goals, whether that's losing weight, building muscle, or maintaining a healthy balance. It’s a powerful tool when used with a clear understanding of your nutritional strategy.
For more information on macro tracking, you can read the MyFitnessPal blog post on The Right Macro Mix.
