If you want to want cut-to-the-chase macronutrient calculator for weight loss that helps you calculate your macros for cutting then click here.
But if you want to read some basic science why I recommend a specific macros for fat loss then stick around!
It’s also a pretty obvious fact that if you don’t eat less than your TDEE which is also your maintenance calories no matter what your macros are you will not lose weight!
I also have a kickass TDEE calculator that makes like quite simple. You can calculate your TDEE first and then come back to this post else keep reading…
Macros for Fat Loss-Yes, they matter for most people!
For them:
More than 50% of calories come from carbohydrates.
It’s unfortunate that most carb sources found in the market are processed.
When you eat refined and processed carbs it causes your insulin levels to spike pretty fast. Overtime this leads to insulin resistance.
Insulin resistance is the leading cause for type-2 diabetes. [1]
No wonder type-2 diabetes is an epidemic with more than 400 million people having full blown diabetes. [2]
India is the diabetic capital of the world with the current number of 51 million expected to rise to 87 million by 2030. [3]
What is even worse is that close to 100 million in India are pre-diabetic which is also termed as metabolic syndrome-X. Eventually many of them will develop type-2 diabetes.
Type-2 diabetes has tremendously increased in the past few decades…why?
Besides other factors, eating refined carbs, including calories from sugar-sweetened beverages is the number one reason!
When you tell someone that macros don’t matter, they naturally gravitate towards eating more carbs.
And how many of them do you think will eat their carb calories from:
-Sweet potatoes
-Veggies and some limited fruits
-Steel-cut oats
-Brown Rice
-Beans and Lentils
-Minimally processed whole-wheat flour [Roti]
I guess very few!
If you are an Indian, your carb calories will mainly come from:
-Roti [most commercially available flour is processed. Naan breads are the worst culprits]
-Rice [majority of people consume white rice]
-Daal | Rajma | Chole (beans and lentils) Sure people eat these but quantities are less when compared with above two items
-Indian Sweets. Very addictive!
-Breads. Even brown breads are very processed.
-Potatoes and corn. Not as bad as rice etc, but still these veggies have the potential to increase insulin quite rapidly.
-Regular refined oats
and so forth.
My point is: Carb are not bad and they need to be selected very intelligently and ideally eaten close to workouts to burn them off!
The other macronutrients i.e. proteins and fats when eaten the way I will explain in about a while, gives much better results then otherwise.
Macros for Fat Loss
Fat 40-50%.
You need to have 40-50% of calories from healthy fat sources minimum.
I have busted the myth that the type of fat you eat is important. Fats can be very good for your health, or they can be very bad, mostly all man made fats are bad, and all fat that exist in nature are very good.
Unless you don’t get over the phobia that eating fat will make you fat, you will not make the transition into eating these many calories from fat.
It’s not enough to reduce calories from carbs.
You need to replace those calories by eating foods high in fat and in order to do so you need to build faith that eating healthy fats like fat in eggs yolk, fat in whole milk, fat in coconut oil, ghee, nuts are indeed very good for you.
You cannot so please check out the facts and myths about Saturated fats, about cholesterol etc.
Few things to note:
You should ONLY cook with Desi Ghee or Cold Pressed Coconut Oil. Only these oils are stable when used for cooking.
Other oils like vegetables oils, olive oil turns rancid when cooking.
Note: Extra Virgin Olive Oil is somewhat stable and can be used to sautéed vegetables or even for eggs, but don’t use it for your main cooking.
You are required to have almonds and walnuts. These are important and not an exception.
These are the main ingredients one can use to include healthy fats in their diets. The next lecture, we shall discuss the protein ratio.
Protein 25-30%.
A person who is roughly 170-180 lbs will eat close to 2000 calories and 200g proteins then comes out to more than 2g/kg of Bodyweight or 1.2g/lbs of bodyweight.
I like to believe this is very high protein. It’s true that more protein has a satiety effect and can ward off cravings and hinger which is very important for weight loss and avoid snacking.
More protein also supports more muscle growth as well.
But numerous studies, support the fact that 1.4g-2g/kg of BW is sufficient to support any goals be it bodybuilding, powerlifting, or regular weight training.
You don’t need more.
Also the extra protein that is not used by the body is not simply excreted, it actually gets converted into body fat and sometimes it is converted into glucose and used for energy.
The exact opposite of what we want.
If you are a non-vegetarian it gets very easy to reach 30% of protein intake even without supplement use. So I would recommend not to use a whey if you can easily get enough protein from foods.
Please don’t listen to experts who say that proteins from whey is more superior than proteins in meats. The only time whey is superior to food protein is when it comes to convenience and taste.
With Whey, there is no cooking involved, and time is a limited factor for most, plus you cannot rule out the taste factor.
But do note, there are tons of phytonutrients etc that the food scientists still haven’t discovered that you can find in food and which are missing in your supplements, so even if you want to add whey, make sure it is no more than 1-2 scoops!
You don’t need more.
Supplement industry is a huge multi-billion dollar industry with a lot of hype around proprietary brands and very little science.
Most supplement companies use inferior ingredients and charge you more in order to increase their profit margins.
If you are vegetarian or even a vegan, I like to believe that a protein supplement does make life a lot easier.
I am not saying it not possible to consume more proteins if you don’t eat meat, you can, I have written an article on how to consume more than 100g of proteins if you are vegetarian or a vegan.
Carbohydrates 20-35%.
Carb intake is between 20-35% of the total calorie intake. This is Low-to-Moderate Carb Intake and can amount to roughly 75g to 175g of Net Carbs!
I am now going to point you towards some free or low-cost resources that will help you take the next step. Reading about something is awesome, but taking action is the key ingredient if you are looking for success.
Enrol in my Free course: The FAB-D Diet which upholds these macros for fat loss.
If you want discussion or need to connect with me and other Fabians, head over to our free community.
If you need more than 30 Fat Loss Diet Plans of all types from vegetarian, to vegan to non-vegetarian, Indian and/or Continental, you can start your fat loss
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