Earlier this summer, I laid out for you a list of “rules” you should follow if you want to get yourself into tip-top dancing shape. For some of you that might mean losing weight; for others that might mean gaining weight. And for others still, you might be searching for a way to maintain the gorgeous body you’ve already got! In that first article I laid out those rules in a general sense, which you can read here, and since then I’ve been going in depth with each of those rules, one-by-one. We are going to continue in this post with how to count calories and macros.
I started with Part 1 of our Rule 1: Educate Yourself. We discussed how to determine your body type by examining the three body somatotypes. If you missed the post about somatotypes, you can get yourself caught up right here! But in Part 2, we are going to discuss how to count calories and macros – otherwise known as your macronutrients – and why it’s important to count them. Also, we will explore how to determine the right amount of calories and macronutrients you should be eating.
Remember, my goal in this series is not to prescribe for you any particular diet or style of eating. I want to give you as much material as I can so you can create the diet that will fit your own individual needs. Maybe you are perfectly happy with your body the way it is, and that’s cool, too! You will still get a lot out of this article and the others that are part of this series. After all, education is power, right?
I do have to warn you, though, there will be some math involved! Don’t be scared. I’m not a math girl myself, but this formula is easy to follow and will make you look like a math wiz while you’re at it. If you’d like a step by step breakdown of how to determine daily caloric and macronutrient intake, click here in order to download your FREE Calorie Calculation Worksheet.
How to Count Calories
So, the first question of the day is, do you really need to count calories and macros? Is it important? Well, the simplest way to answer this question is… yes. It is important if you want to lose weight. Also, it is important if you want to gain weight. In fact, it is important in a general sense if you want to change your body shape at all. This first tenet of how to count your calories and macros is important.
Don’t get me wrong. If you eat 100 calories over today or the next, it doesn’t make that big of a difference. Considering a healthy daily diet could be anywhere between 1,500 and 3,000 calories, depending on individual needs, 100 calories is not going to make or break your body shape. 500 calories, on the other hand, will. And keep in mind that a single glass of red wine has 125 calories, and a tall latte has 190 calories. Let’s say you drank 2 lattes during the day and a glass of wine at night. You’ve just added 485 calories onto your day, without having eaten a thing. That’s why at least being generally aware of your caloric intake is important.
But what, exactly, is a calorie? The simplest way to answer this question is just to say that a calorie is a unit of energy. More specifically, a single calorie is the amount of energy required to warm up one gram of water by 1º Celsius. In terms of calories as we think of them in food, what we really mean to say is a kilocalorie, or a kcal. On nutrition labels in Europe, as an example, you will still see the term kcal listed. In America, a calorie automatically means a kcal. In other words, that is the amount of energy it takes to heat up a kilogram of water 1º Celsius. 1 kcal = 4,184 joules of energy.
The reason why this is important is because we all expend a certain amount of energy throughout the day. Some of us naturally expend more, some of us less. And some of us expend more because of the physical workload required of our bodies, some of us less. The most simple way to explain why counting calories is important is like this:
Imagine you have a balloon. From one end of the balloon, you are filling that balloon with water. On the other end of the balloon you have pricked a hole. Now, if the amount of water draining from that hole equals the amount of water you are putting into the balloon, the shape of that balloon will stay the same. Next, imagine that you block off the water filling up the balloon. What happens? As they water draining out is not replaced by the water going in, the balloon becomes skinnier.
Now let’s do the opposite. Plug the hole draining water from the balloon and open up the hole filling the balloon. What happens? The balloon gets bigger, and fatter, and bigger, and fatter… until it finally pops.
The water going into the balloon is the same as the calories you put into your body on a day to day basis. As for the water draining out, well, that is the caloric expenditure of your body on a daily basis. If you eat more calories than you expend, and you will gain weight. Eat less calories than you expend, and you will lose weight. And if you eat the same, you’ll stay the same.
Determining Your Daily Caloric Needs
This is where the math comes in! Everyone is different in their own individual needs, but as a baseline, this method of determining your daily caloric needs is really useful. Once you have determined your daily caloric needs, you will find it much easier determining how to count calories on a daily basis in order to reach your specific dieting goals.
And remember, when I say dieting, I mean gaining weight, losing weight, and maintaining!
So the first part to determining your daily caloric needs is to figure out your Basal Metabolic Rate. Ok, you get a fancy term for a simple concept. Sweet!
Your Basal Metabolic Rate is the minimum amount of calories needed in order for you to survive and maintain your shape and size while sitting at rest all day. I promise, the calculation is easy to do and will make you look smart when others see your calculation notations on that scrap piece of paper you just happened to leave lying around.
1. Weigh Yourself
You need to weigh yourself, and for this calculation to work, you need your weight in kilograms. Don’t freak out! If you’re accustomed to the Imperial system of weights, like good ole American me, you just need to convert pounds into kilograms. For every pound, you need to divide by 2.2. So, I weigh 108 lbs. Divide by 2.5 and that gives me a weight of approximately 49 kg.
2. Measure Your Height
Next, you need your height in centimeters. Don’t worry if you’re raised on the Imperial system, it’s not so bad. Let’s assume your 5 feet 3 inches, like me. I know, I know, I’m a shrimp. Ok, there are 12 inches in every foot, so 5×12=60, plus 3 inches more equals 63 inches tall. There are 2.54 centimeters in every inch, so take your height in inches and multiply by 2.54. In my case, 63×2.54 = 160cm.
3. Determine Your Gender
I don’t think I need to go into details about this. You should know which gender you are. And for the purposes of this equation to work, you need to know which gender you are biologically, not which gender you happen to identify as. Sorry, it just had to be said.
4. Plug in the numbers.
If you’re a man, your equation looks like this:
BMR=(10xWeight(kg)) + (6.25xHeight(cm)) – (5xAge(years)) +5
If you’re a woman, your equation looks like this:
BMR=(10xWeight(kg)) + (6.25xHeight(cm)) – (5xAge(years)) – 161
Total Daily Energy Expenditure
Alright, now that you’ve figured out your BMR, it’s time to calculate exactly how many calories you should be eating each day. It’s important to remember that the calculation for your BMR is not exact, but it gives you a fairly accurate ballpark on which to base your caloric needs. However, your BMR is your caloric needs at rest. That means you are sitting in bed 24/7. Most of us are not like that, especially if you’re reading this blog. So another adjustment needs to be made.
Now you need to determine your Physical Activity Level, or your PAL. Consult the table below to figure out which PAL you belong to.
| Activity Level | Description | Multiplier |
| Sedentary | Desk Job with little to no daily exercise | 1.2 |
| Lightly Active | Light Exercise or sports 1-3 days/week | 1.375 |
| Moderately Active | Moderate Exercise or sports 3-5 days/week | 1.55 |
| Very Active | Heavy Exercise or sports 6-7 days/week | 1.725 |
| Extremely Active | Very Heavy Exercise or physical job or training 2x/day | 1.9 |
Now that you have determined your BMR, take that number and multiply it by your PAL multiplier. So, let’s say you are moderately active. Therefore, BMRxPAL = TDEE (total daily energy expenditure). This is the total number of calories you need to maintain your weight and shape and maintain your current energy level.
The next stage is to match this number with your specific dieting goals. If you want to maintain, then shoot for calories within a range of 200, give or take, of your TDEE. If your goal is to lose weight, multiply your TDEE by between .9 and .75, depending on how drastically you would like to cut your calories. I would not suggest going less than .75 of your TDEE, because then you risk triggering your body’s “starvation preservation mode”.
If, however, your goal is to gain weight, then you need to multiply your TDEE by between 1.25 and 1.5, depending on your weight gaining goals.
In the end, in its simplest form, calorie counting is about energy balance. Calories in – calories out = consequence. A calorie deficit will create weight loss, while a calorie surplus will create weight gain. Simple. And remember! If all of that math up there was a little confusing for you, click here to download my FREE Calorie Calculation Worksheet, where I take you through that process step-by-step.
Macronutrients
But is it all really as simple as just counting calories? Well, unfortunately, no. When it comes to just losing weight or gaining weight on the scale, then yes it is. But when we say “gain” or “lost” weight, we very rarely mean the number on the scale. What we really mean is how we LOOK. And as the old adage goes, looks can be deceiving.
For instance, two women with a height of 5 feet 5 inches and an age of 28 can look and weigh completely differently. Muscle is more dense than fat, so oftentimes, the 28 year old with more muscle mass will register a higher number on the scale, even if her waist is two inches smaller. For this reason, I never suggest my students to use weight as a measurement of physical fitness or physique. I prefer measurements. After all, on the dance floor, the judges have no idea what you might weigh, but they can see clearly if the girl next to me is in better physical shape or not. Except in determining your BMR and TDEE, as described above, the scale is, in my opinion, useless.
We are not simply trying to gain or lose weight. We are trying to improve the visual composition of our bodies. That is where macronutrients come into play. What is a macronutrient, you ask? Well, the dictionary defines a macronutrient as:
“Any of the nutritional components of the diet that are required in relatively high amounts, including macrominerals.” For the purpose of this post, we are going to stick to those macronutrients that are not minerals. In other words, carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. Let’s start by doing a quick breakdown of each of those three macronutrients.
Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates are a major food source made up of sugars, starches, and cellulose. Since we’re not plants, we’ll just stick with the saccharides; in other words, the sugars and starches. It’s important to note that carbohydrates are the most important source of energy for your body, as your body changes carbohydrates into glucose, which is “blood sugar”, which is then used as energy for your cells, tissues, and organs. They are an important nutrient and should never be maligned or ignored.
Fats, or Lipids
Fats, in terms of macronutrients, are a type of lipid called “triglycerides”. Unlike carbohydrates, they are not soluble in water. As a result, they are a major part of the biological membranes of the cells of your bodies. The fats referred to in terms of macronutrients, those “triglycerides”, should not be confused with the fat around your waist or jiggling off your thighs, which is called “adipose tissue”. Lipids, like carbohydrates, are an extremely important part of your diet and should never be ignored. Did you know that your brain, and every brain cell within it, is made up of fat? Think about that next time you reach for the nonfat milk in your refridgerator.
Proteins
Protein is another name for a group of enzymes called “amino acids”. They specifically help grow and maintain the body’s tissues. That includes everything from muscles and tendons, down to your skin and hair and nails. Furthermore, protein is needed in order to help the body regulate hormones and keep the body’s systems functioning properly.
The IIFYM Method of Dieting
The method of dieting I always recommend to my students, no matter their dieting goals, is called the IIFYM Method. IIFYM is an acronym that stands for “If It Fits Your Macros”. Basically, this means that depending on your dieting goals and individual physical needs, you figure out how many grams of each macronutrient you need in your diet and calculate your food intake from there.
We’ve already gone through how to calculate your daily caloric needs, or your TDEE. That is necessary for the IIFYM Method of dieting. Next, we’re going to learn how to calculate your macronutrient needs. It’s time for a bit more math, now.
How to Calculate Your Macronutrients
For this, let’s imagine your TDEE requires you to eat 2,200 calories at maintenance. But you want to lose some weight before the big dance competition coming up, so you’ve cut your calories by 20%. This gives you a daily caloric intake of 1,760 calories. How, then, do you calculate your macros?
Based on your body somatotype that you learned about in this article here, you most likely have come up with a good ratio of macronutrients. For instance, in my case, I am a textbook mesomorph. What works best for me is a diet that is slightly higher in protein and fats and lower in carbohydrates. My macronutrient ratio is 25% carbohydrates, 35% fats and 40% proteins. For more information on the best ratio of macronutrients for your body type, check out this website here.
Now I need to calculate what those percentages of my 1,760 calories look like, in terms of numbers. I’m going to take 1,760 and multiply it by .25, which gives me 440. Doing the same with .35, I come out with 616, and .40 gives me 704. Those are the numbers of calories I need to eat of each macronutrient. Next, I’m going to convert that into grams. I know that carbohydrates and proteins have 4 calories per gram, while fats have 9 calories per gram. So, for carbohydrates, I take 440 and divide by 4, which gives me 110 grams. For my fats, I divide 616 by 9, which gives me approximately 68 grams; and for my proteins, I take 704 and once more divide by 4, giving me 176 grams. Therefore, my macronutrient breakdown for each day is 110 grams of carbohydrates, 68 grams of fat, and 176 grams of protein.
If you found any of this confusing, I have it all laid out clearly in my FREE Calorie Calculation Worksheet, which you can get right here!
How to Count Calories and Macros
I hope this was helpful for you! I remember having to scour the internet for this information, but it was my pleasure to lay it all out for you in an easy-to-understand format. The best thing about the IIFYM Method of Dieting is that it’s so easy to work towards your own dieting needs and goals, no matter your body type or individual difficulties. Remember to download the FREE Calorie Calculation Worksheet for an easier time in doing these calculations. If you found this post to be helpful, or if you have any questions, please leave a comment below!
Next up in this dieting series, How to Read Nutrition Labels. Learning how to read nutrition labels is paramount to being able to count calories and macros. Stay tuned and subscribe to the email list for updates.
Follow me on social media:
