Girls, have you ever listened to someone talk about “hitting their macros” and nodded along while your brain quietly left the room?
Same. For years I thought macros were some advanced thing for bodybuilders with six-packs and food scales.
Macros are just the split of protein, carbs and fat on your plate. That’s it! 🎯
And once you get that, weight loss gets so much simpler. You stop guessing why the scale does what it does.
So grab a coffee and a notebook, girl. I’m walking you through how I calculate mine, step by step, no math degree required.
What Are Macros, In Plain English?
“Macros” is short for macronutrients, the three things your food is actually made of: protein, carbs and fat.
Each one carries calories. Protein has 4 per gram, carbs have 4, and fat has 9, and that’s the whole science lesson, I promise.
Protein builds and repairs your muscles. Carbs give you energy for workouts and brain stuff. Fat keeps your hormones and your skin happy.
None of them is the enemy, not even carbs, no matter what that one aunt says at family dinner. 💁♀️
Step 1: Find Your Calorie Starting Point
You can’t split a budget you don’t have, so first we need a rough calorie number for losing weight.
The simple starting point I use is your goal body weight in pounds, times 12. If you want to weigh 140, you start around 1,680 calories a day.
It’s a starting point, not a life sentence. Your real number depends on how much you move, how tall you are and how your body runs, so we adjust as we go.
And if straight-up calorie counting ever made you obsessive and cranky, I’ve been there, girl. I wrote a whole post about why I stopped counting calories and what I do instead now.
Step 2: Set Your Protein First (The Boss Macro)
Protein is the one macro I never negotiate with. It keeps you full, protects your muscles while you lose fat, and makes every meal actually satisfying.
My rule of thumb is 0.7 to 1 gram of protein per pound of that goal body weight. So our 140-pound girl aims for roughly 100 to 140 grams a day.
If that sounds like a lot, start with the eyeball version: a palm-sized portion of protein at every meal. Chicken, Greek yogurt, eggs, fish, tofu and lentils all count.
Need ideas? My 7 high-protein vegetarian meals post has you covered, even if you’re a meat eater.
Get this one macro right and you’ll feel the difference in your cravings within days. Protein is sneaky like that. 💪
Step 3: Split The Rest Between Carbs And Fat
Take your protein calories off the top first. Remember, protein is 4 calories per gram, so 125 grams means 500 calories are already spent.
What’s left gets split between carbs and fat based on your life. Yes, really, your actual life.
If you train hard, walk a lot or just love rice, give carbs the bigger share. Carbs are fuel, and workouts on an empty tank feel like leg day in quicksand.
If you’re more of a walk-and-stretch girl, shift more of the budget toward fats: olive oil, avocado, nuts, whole eggs. Fats keep you full and make healthy food taste like food.
A middle split that works for most of my girls: a little over half of the leftover calories to carbs, the rest to fat. You’ll fine-tune it later, and that’s the fun part.
And no, carbs will not ruin this plan. I’ve watched girls drop sizes eating rice and potatoes every single day, because the total is what counts. 🙄
Step 4: Track For Two Weeks, Then Adjust Like A Human
Now you have three numbers: calories, protein, and a rough carb and fat split. Track them for two weeks without changing anything else.
Use an app or plain pen and paper. A food scale helps for the first week or two, just until you learn what 4 ounces of chicken actually looks like on a plate.
Then adjust ONE thing at a time. Hungry and miserable means more protein or veggies; no change after two honest weeks means trimming about 100 calories, mostly from carbs or fat.
I learned this the embarrassing way. My first month I changed five things at once, and when results showed up I had no clue which one worked. 😅
My Lazy-Day Shortcut When You Can’t Even
Some weeks you won’t feel like tracking anything. I don’t either, and I still stay on track.
On those weeks I fall back on my plate method: half the plate veggies, a quarter protein, a quarter carbs. I walk you through the whole thing in my balanced plate method post.
The math isn’t exact, but it keeps you in the neighborhood while your brain takes a little vacation. Consistency beats precision every single time. ✨
That’s the real secret anyway, Girls. The ones who get results aren’t perfect, they just don’t quit over one messy weekend.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to weigh my food forever?
Nope. Weigh for a week or two to calibrate your eyes, then eyeball it. Your hand is a decent measuring kit: palm for protein, fist for veggies, cupped hand for carbs, thumb for fats.
Can I eat carbs and still lose weight?
Absolutely, as long as you stay near your calorie target and hit your protein. I eat carbs every single day and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Rice, potatoes and oatmeal all make the cut at my house.
How long until I see results?
Give any setup two to four honest weeks before you judge it. Water weight bounces around, especially that time of the month, so trust the trend over any single morning on the scale.
Now It’s Your Turn!
Look at you, girl. You just calculated your macros with a coffee in one hand, and most people never even try.
Write your three numbers on a sticky note: calories, protein, and your carb and fat split. That note is your plan now.
Start this week, track for two, adjust one thing, repeat. Boring? Maybe. But boring is exactly how the scale finally starts moving.
You’ve got this, and I’m right here cheering for you.
Till next time, babe! xo, Monica