Short for macronutrients, macros refers to carbs, fats, and proteinsthe three basic components of every diet.

The three main macronutrients

There are three main macronutrients: protein, carbohydrates and fat.

Alcohol is a macronutrient too, whichweve covered extensively here.

Protein

Calories:4 calories per gram.

Proteins are made ofamino acids, many of which the body can make itself.

However, there arenine amino acidsthat are strictly required for normal body function that your body cant biosynthesize.

These are (aptly) calledessential amino acids, and can be found from all meat sources.

Carbohydrates

Overview:The diet industrys relationship with carbohydrates has been fickle at best.

While its technically the only macronutrient your body can survive without, doing so would be no fun.

In common nutrition speak, carbs are largely divided intosimple and complex carbohydrates.

The two classifications refer to the length of the carbohydrate molecules.

In the world of macros, a carb is a carb, whether it comes from sugar or starch.

To be clear: were not advising relying on pop tarts and candy to meet your targets.

Fats

Calories:9 calories per gram.

Overview:Fats are a key component of essential dietary supplements like Nutella, bacon and peanut butter.

There area bunch of different types of fats, from saturated to monounsaturated to polyunsaturated fats.

Theyre usually found in packaged foods and various brands of margarine.

The latter two, however, are whats known as essential fatty acids.

Eating more than this will cause you to gain weight, while eating less will make you lose weight.

The best method would be to track what you eat normally for about a week.

For more information, weve covered finding your calorie requirements for maintenance and weight losshere.

Divvy up your calories among macronutrients

There are two ways to determine your macronutrient targets.

The simplest method is to allocate calories towards each nutrient according to a percentage split.

Themost common split is 40:40:20, i.e.

40 percent of your calories allocated to protein, 40 percent to carbohydrates, and 20 percent to fats.

From here, working out how many grams of each macronutrient you need is a matter of simple arithmetic.

As an example, say your target caloric intake is 2000 calories per day.

You decide to split your macros according to a 40:40:20 split.

From there, use the following calculations:

40 percent of your calories are devoted to your carbohydrate intake.

2000 x 0.4 = 800 calories.

There are 4 calories/gram of carbs, so the total amount is 200 grams of carbohydrates (8004=200).

Repeat process for protein and fats.

For example, if you are a 160 lb.

if you run into problems, modify them as required.

Here are a few troubleshooting tips, based on the most frequent problems my clients and I have encountered.

With regards to the former, try tracking your intake by weighing your food.

Volume measurements are easy to slip up on because theyre easier to cheat on.

Lets be honest: a heaped tablespoon of peanut butter is still technically a tablespoon, if speaking loosely.

If hunger is an issue

First, distinguish between whether this hunger isphysiological or psychological.

If psychological hunger is an issue, considertrying intermittent fastingto go longer periods of time without food.

ensure that your calorie targets are not too low and thatyoure getting enough protein.

If all else fails, increase your calories by 10 percent evenly through carbohydrates and fat.

If your caloric deficit is appropriate, physiological hunger shouldnt be a big issue at the start.

This should allow you more flexibility in your diet choices.

There are other nuances to macronutrient targeting, such as tracking macronutrients when eating out and reading nutritional labels.

This story was originally published on 5/26/15 and was updated on 10/7/19 to provide more thorough and current information.