Vegan Macro Calculation: A Guide To Counting Your Macros

Counting macros is a popular way to ensure your diet is supporting your fitness, physique, and health goals. It involves tracking the number of macronutrients (macros)—namely, protein, fat, and carbohydrates—that you consume each day. This can be done using apps, spreadsheets, or pen and paper.

Calculating your macros is based on your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE), which is the number of calories you burn per day. This can be calculated by adding your basal metabolic rate (BMR)—the number of calories your body needs to perform basic functions—to the number of calories you expend through exercise or daily movement.

Once you know your TDEE, you can adjust it according to your fitness goals. For example, if you want to lose weight, you would need to eat less than your TDEE, creating a caloric deficit. Conversely, if you want to gain weight or build muscle, you would need to eat more than your TDEE, creating a caloric surplus.

After determining your calorie intake, you can calculate your macro ratios. This typically involves setting a protein goal, followed by fat and carbohydrate goals. For instance, a common macro breakdown is 50% carbohydrates, 25-30% healthy fats, and 20-25% protein.

When following a vegan diet, it is important to ensure you are getting enough complete protein, as plant-based sources often lack all essential amino acids. This can be achieved by combining plant proteins, such as eating legumes with grains. Additionally, vegan diets tend to be high in fiber, which should also be considered when calculating macros.

Calculate your maintenance calories

To calculate your maintenance calories, you need to work out your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR), which is the number of calories your body needs to perform the basic functions of sustaining life. This does not factor in your activity level.

To calculate your BMR, you need to calculate your body fat mass and lean body mass.

Calculate your body fat mass by multiplying your body weight in pounds by your body fat percentage and dividing that number by 100.

Calculate your lean body mass by subtracting your body fat mass from your body weight in pounds.

Once you have your lean body mass, you can use the following formula to determine your BMR:

9.82 x LEAN BODY MASS) + 370 = BMR

Now that you have your BMR, you can calculate your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) by multiplying your BMR by an activity factor, which depends on your activity level.

If you are sedentary (little or no exercise), use an activity factor of 1.000.

If you are lightly active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days per week), use an activity factor of 1.200.

If you are moderately active (moderate exercise/sports 6-7 days per week), use an activity factor of 1.375.

If you are very active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days per week), use an activity factor of 1.550.

If you are extra active (very hard exercise/sports and a physical job), use an activity factor of 1.72.

Your TDEE will give you an estimate of how many calories you burn per day and, therefore, how many calories you need to consume per day to maintain your weight.

It is important to note that these calculations are estimates and may not be 100% accurate. Individual factors such as metabolic rate, exercise, and movement can affect your energy needs, so you may need to adjust your calorie intake if you are not seeing the desired results.

Calculate your deficit

Now that you have an understanding of your daily calorie goal, it's time to focus on creating a deficit if your goal is weight loss. This involves consuming fewer calories than your body burns, which will result in a net negative energy balance and promote weight loss.

To calculate your deficit, you can subtract anywhere from 200 to 600 calories from your maintenance calories, as recommended by Karin Inkster, a vegan fitness coach. This will create a caloric deficit, leading to weight loss. However, it's important to note that a larger deficit doesn't always mean faster or better results. A smaller deficit allows for slower weight loss but ensures that the weight lost is more likely to be fat rather than muscle. Additionally, slower weight loss is typically more sustainable and long-lasting.

For example, let's consider Joe, who has a maintenance level of 2400 calories and wants to lose weight at a moderate pace. He can subtract 500 calories from his maintenance level, resulting in a daily calorie goal of 1900 calories. This would be his deficit, and by consistently consuming 1900 calories per day, he would create the necessary energy deficit to lose weight.

It's important to monitor your progress and adjust your deficit as needed. If you find yourself losing more than 2 pounds per week, you may be losing muscle mass as well. In that case, you should reduce your deficit by increasing your calorie intake slightly. On the other hand, if you're not losing weight, ensure that you're accurately tracking your calories, including any condiments or cooking oils used. You can also incorporate more cardio into your workout routine to create a larger energy deficit.

Calculating your deficit is a crucial step in achieving your weight loss goals. By understanding your maintenance calories and creating a sustainable deficit, you can effectively lose weight while preserving muscle mass. Remember to be patient and consistent, as weight loss is a journey that requires time and dedication.

Calculate your macros

Calculating your macros is a crucial step in achieving your fitness goals. It involves determining the optimal intake of macronutrients – protein, carbohydrates, and fats – based on your body composition, activity level, and goals. Here's a step-by-step guide to calculating your macros for a vegan diet:

Step 1: Determine your calorie needs

The first step is to calculate your maintenance calories, which is the number of calories you need to maintain your current weight. This can be done by tracking your food intake for a week and calculating the average number of calories consumed. Online calorie calculators can also provide an estimate, but they may be less accurate.

Step 2: Adjust for your fitness goals

If your goal is to lose weight, create a calorie deficit by subtracting 200-600 calories from your maintenance level. For muscle gain, aim for a calorie surplus by increasing your maintenance calories by 10%.

Step 3: Calculate your protein needs

Protein is essential for building and repairing muscle. The recommended intake is 1.6-2.2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day. For a vegan diet, include protein-rich foods such as tofu, tempeh, beans, and plant-based protein powders.

Step 4: Determine your fat intake

Fats are essential for survival and play a crucial role in hormone production and nutrient absorption. Aim for 15-30% of your calories to come from fat. Include healthy fats like nuts, seeds, and avocados in your diet.

Step 5: Calculate your carbohydrate needs

Carbohydrates are the body's preferred fuel source and are important for energy levels and exercise performance. Calculate your carbohydrate needs by subtracting the calories from protein and fat from your total daily calorie intake, then divide by 4 (as there are 4 calories per gram of carbohydrate).

Step 6: Track and adjust

Use apps like MyFitnessPal or Cronometer to track your macronutrient intake. Remember that your macro needs may change over time, so adjust your intake as needed to align with your fitness goals.

Begin logging your food

Now that you have an idea of your daily calorie and macro goals, it's time to start logging your food. This step is crucial to tracking your progress and ensuring you're meeting your targets. Here are some tips to help you get started:

• Consistency is key: Be consistent with your food tracking, as it will help you achieve your goals. Every time you weigh and log your food, you are practising, and the more you do it, the better you'll become at it. Tracking everything also helps hold you accountable. You're less likely to indulge in unhealthy snacks if you know you have to record them.
• Record honestly: Food logging will only be effective if you're honest about what you're eating. Don't skip recording that extra snack or treat; every bite counts! Be sure to include those sneaky calories from cooking oils, sauces, and condiments as well.
• Use a food scale: For accuracy, it is best to use a food scale rather than relying solely on measuring cups or spoons. Foods can settle in packages or be chopped to different sizes, affecting the volume. Weighing your food ensures you know exactly how much you're consuming.
• Apps vs pen and paper: Choose the method that works best for you. While pen and paper are straightforward, apps like MyFitnessPal offer convenience and additional features. MyFitnessPal has an extensive food database, allows you to save meals and recipes, and makes it easy to track your progress over time.
• Plan your meals: Having a plan for your meals will help you stay on track. You can plan a day or even a week in advance. This way, you're more likely to stick to your targets and make healthier choices.
• Focus on protein and calories: If you're new to tracking your food, start by focusing on your protein and calorie goals. Hitting these two targets regularly will put you in a good place. As you become more confident, you can begin calculating and tracking your fat and carbohydrate intake as well.
• Have a "good, better, best" approach: If things get overwhelming, don't stress. Focus on the "good" tier, which is hitting your calorie goal within a 100-calorie range. Even this will yield weight loss results.

Have a plan of attack

Although flexible dieting is all about being flexible, having at least a loose plan is going to be incredibly helpful to your success.

Whether you want to plan your food a day in advance or a full week in advance, flexible dieting still allows you the freedom to work in the foods that you enjoy. Trying to wing it from the get-go, however, is a recipe for failure when you're learning. Slow down there, cowboy.

Joe the Example Man personally likes to plan his daily meals in the morning, but many people like to do it the night before. Joe pretty much always eats the same thing for breakfast (creature of habit), and then takes about 5 minutes to plan the rest of his day. This way, he has a plan, and if it changes a little bit, it's easy to manipulate a few grams here and there, but overall, he knows what he's going to do.

Putting your food into My Fitness Pal a day, or even a week in advance is also great because, once it's logged, you're much more likely to eat it.

As you get used to it, buying groceries becomes both more fun than eating a strict meal plan, and also allows you to not buy a bunch of extras because you already have a rough idea of what you're going to eat.

Use a "good, better, best" approach when needed.

When first attempting a flexible dieting lifestyle, it can be overwhelming for some to have so many numbers to think about. For this reason, we recommend a "good, better, best" approach if things feel like they're getting out of hand:

• Best: Sticking to the plan you've made.
• Better: Hit the protein and calories goal. (Even if carbs and fats are a little off, you'll still make progress by hitting protein and calories goals).
• Good: Hit that calorie goal, within a 100-calorie range. It's important to remember that even the "good" tier will yield weight loss results.

A little work goes a long way. Body transformation is work, and it takes tracking, honesty, and a little bit of math here and there. But if you put all those pieces together, you'll be on your way to achieving whatever goal you've set for yourself — whether that's losing weight or building muscle.

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