What are macros?
For those of you who are new to this, “macros” is short for “macronutrients”, the nutrients found in large quantities that give us energy. The three main macronutrients are fat, protein and carbohydrate. Avoid getting these confused with micronutrients — these are vitamins and minerals found in food and consumed in small amounts.
Calculate Your Maintenance Calories
No matter what goal you have in mind, calculating your maintenance calories allows you to figure out how many calories you need to eat daily in order to maintain your weight. Everyone will have a slightly different amount of maintenance calories as it can vary with age, gender, activity level, and other factors.
The simplest way to estimate a good starting amount is by using the following equation:1
Men: BMR = (13.397 x Weight kg) + (4.799 x Height, cm) – (5.677 x Age) + 88.362
Women: BMR = (9.247 x Weight kg) + (3.098 x Height, cm) – (4.330 x Age) + 447.593
For example, if you’re a woman who weighs 63kg, your BMR (a.k.a. maintenance calories) should be somewhere between 1398-1400 calories.
