How to Track Macros: 6-Step Crash Course

Do you want to learn how to track macros TODAY so you can start making progress with fat loss immediately?

The step-by-step process that I’m going to explain is so simple that anyone can follow it, even if you’re a total beginner. I’ve seen this approach work with over 600 clients I’ve worked with in my 12 years as a dietitian, so I know it will get you results if you follow it carefully. So keep reading and let’s get started with tracking.

But first, if you’re new here, welcome! I’m Andres Ayesta and I’m a registered dietitian who teaches busy professionals and parents how to lose weight using the science of sports nutrition and principles of habit change.

Alright, now let’s dive into the basics of how to track macros.

What are “Macros”?

Macronutrients or “macros” are the three main nutrients your body needs in large quantities. They are protein, carbohydrates, and fats. Each one plays a vital role in your overall health and performance.

Protein gives you the building blocks for tissues, enzymes, and hormones, and supports muscle growth and repair. Good sources of protein include chicken, fish, tofu, eggs, Greek yogurt, and cottage cheese, to give you just a few examples.

Next, carbohydrates are your body's primary energy source. Sources of carbs include fruits, vegetables, grains, and legumes.

And, finally, fats are essential for so many body functions, including hormone balance, nutrient absorption, and cell structure. Most of the time, you want to choose unsaturated fats from sources like avocados, nuts, and olive oil.

Each macronutrient provides your body with energy in the form of calories. Protein and carbohydrates give you 4 calories per gram and fats give you 9 calories per gram. The process of tracking macros involves counting and balancing these 3 macronutrients to achieve your specific goals.

Why Should You Track Macros?

By understanding the amounts of protein, carbs, and fats your body needs, you can create a nutrition plan tailored to your unique needs. Whether you want to lose weight, gain muscle, or simply feel more energized, tracking macros gives you the information you need to take control of your health and performance.

I like to call macro tracking a nutrition awareness method. It’s not about trying to restrict yourself, it’s more like following a budget, the way you would with your finances. A budget helps you avoid overspending, and tracking macros helps you avoid over or undereating.

How to Lose Weight with Macro Tracking

If your goal is weight loss, you need to burn more calories each day than you consume from the food you eat. This is called a calorie deficit. When you’re in a deficit, your body will use its stored fat for energy and you’ll lose weight.

When you track macros, you determine how many calories you need to eat each day. Then, we break those calories down based on the 3 macronutrients and set targets for the amounts of protein, fat, and carbohydrates you should eat daily. When you hit these targets, you’ll be in a calorie deficit and it will result in weight loss.

Now that you understand what macros are and why we track them, let’s get started with the 6 steps of the tracking process.

Step 1: Download a tracking app.

There are a number of different apps available, but the one I use with my clients is Cronometer. MyFitnessPal and Lose It! are other options and you can try out a few to see which you like best. These apps allow you to input your macro goals, and then they have a database of foods you can use to track what you eat in a day. Once you have the app on your phone, you can move on to step 2.

Step 2: Audit Your Nutrition

This is an important step and something I go through with every single one of my clients. Before you start tracking to hit specific targets, you want to have a starting point with what you’re currently doing.

What I want you to do for the next 7 days is start using the app you downloaded to track what you’re eating. The key thing here is to try not to change your diet to what you think you “should” be eating at this stage. BUT, also don’t treat this week as your last week “before the diet” and have a huge overeating fest.

Step 3: Calculate Your Macros

Now that you’ve seen how much you’re eating in a typical week, that gives you a starting point for making changes.

Your next step is to calculate your macro targets. There are many online calculators available that can help you estimate your macro goals for fat loss. But something that’s important to understand is that any calculator (or even working with a professional) is going to give you an ESTIMATE. It’s not a perfectly accurate amount, because the amount of calories you burn changes every day. However, when we make a close estimate, it will give you a good idea of what you need to eat to be in a calorie deficit.

For people who are looking to calculate their macros on their own, I recommend using the macro calculator from Precision Nutrition to get an estimate of your fat loss macros. I’m not affiliated with them in any way, I just like the calculator they’ve created.

Step 4: Start Adjusting Your Diet

Once you’ve calculated your macro goals, you can start making changes to your diet to bring what you’re currently eating more in line with your targets. Many people will find that they are overeating when they compare their food audit to their goals. For these people, there are a few common changes that need to be made:

Start eating out less and cooking more at home. Restaurant foods often are a lot higher in calories than home cooked meals because they care more about the taste of food than the nutritional value.

Add protein to each meal. Most people aren’t eating enough protein to optimize fat loss.

Add vegetables to each meal. Most vegetables have lots of volume for fairly low calories, so they’ll help you feel full without overshooting your calorie goal.

Reduce your portion sizes of high-fat foods. Fatty foods aren’t “bad”, but they are calorie-dense, so many people overeat them without realizing.

Use the rule of 3 at most meals. This means including a source of protein, a high fiber carb source, and some kind of colorful fruit or veggie on your plate.

It can be helpful for many people to buy a kitchen scale and weigh their foods in the beginning to get a better understanding of portion sizes.

As you make each of those changes, you’ll notice your calories start to come more in line with your goals.

On the other hand, if you’re undereating in your food audit, start by making sure you’re being accurate with your tracking. Are you really tracking EVERYTHING? Even the little bites, licks and tastes you have throughout the day? If you are and you’re still undereating, try adding larger portions of protein to your meals and slightly increasing your portions of carbs and see how you feel.

Step 5: Fine-Tune Your Tracking Process

After you’re getting comfortable with tracking, you can start to streamline the process. Something I like to do is pre-track my days, so I’ll create a plan in the morning for my meals and input that in advance, so I know exactly what I need to do to hit my goals. You can also start meal planning based on your macros, by planning your meals for the week, inputting them to check calories and macros, and building a grocery list based on meals you already know are in line with your macros.

Step 6: Adjust Your Macro Goals

As I mentioned before, the macros that you get from a calculator are not always going to be the perfect amount of calories for your body and goals.

After a week or two of tracking, it's time to assess your progress. Are you hitting your macro goals? Are you feeling more energetic and focused? Has your weight changed?

Based on your results, make small adjustments if needed. For example, you may want to increase your total calorie target or decrease it. Or, you might want to increase your protein goal, which is especially helpful if you’re feeling overly hungry.

Okay, there you go — that’s everything you need to know about how to track macros to get started.

Now, the last thing I want to remind you is that flexibility is key. You do not have to stress about being perfect. Life happens, and that is completely okay. Even if you go over your macros, that does not mean you’re instantly going to gain weight. If you overeat slightly, that would just bring you a little closer to your maintenance calories, which is the point where the amount of calories burned is the same as the amount you’re eating. And if you do happen to significantly overeat, that is okay too. All you need to do is get back on track at your next meal. One day will not ruin your progress.