1)

2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
7)

Formula shortcuts (AKA tl;dr)

Estimate calories
Calculate macros
Monitoring
Example
Miscellaneous FAQ
Resources

1) Formula Shortcuts (AKA tl;dr)

Maintenance calories: Bodyweight x 14-16 calories
Cutting/Dieting: Bodyweight x 10-12 calories
Bulking/Gaining: Bodyweight x 16-18 calories
Protein requirements in grams: Bodyweight x 0.8-1.5
Protein requirements in calories: Protein requirements in grams x 4
Fat requirements in grams: Bodyweight x 0.45
Fat requirements in calories: Fat requirements in grams x 9
Carbohydrate requirements in calories: Target calories
protein requirements in c
alories
fat requirements in calories
Carbohydrate requirements in grams: Carbohydrate requirements in calories / 4
Fiber requirements in grams: Target calories x 0.0125
Order of importance to your diet: Calories > Protein > Fat > Carbohydrate
2) Estimate calories
Calories are THE most important factor in determining changes in body compositio
n. Generally speaking, no calorie deficit = no fat loss.
There are several different formulas/calculators that can estimate your calorie
requirements (Harris-Benedict, Mifflin-St. Jeor, etc.). Any of them will provide
a decent starting point for you.
Alternatively, taking your bodyweight and multiplying by 14-16 will give you rou
ghly the same ballpark calories. I prefer the latter since it doesn t require anyt
hing more than knowing your bodyweight (the formulas require you to estimate act
ivity).
From there, determine what your goal is

fat loss or lean body mass (LBM) gain.

If it s fat loss, multiply by 0.8-0.9 (representing a 10-20% decrease in calories)

. If LBM gain, multiply by 1.1-1.2 (representing a 10-20% increase over maintena
nce).
Alternatively, 10-12x bodyweight for cutting calories and 16-18x bodyweight calo
ries for bulking are good rough approximate starting points.
For all of these calorie estimates, the lower values are generally recommended f
or women and/or less active individuals. More active individuals may be able to
get away with the higher recommendations. Some individuals may have lower or hig
her calorie requirements than these recommendations, but for the majority of peo
ple, these ranges represent a decent starting point.
As a final note, no matter where you get your estimates from, these calorie esti
mates are just that
ESTIMATES. You always have to adjust your calories upwards/d
ownwards according to actual results. This is why stressing over getting your in
itial calories just right when starting out is pointless you ll more than likely hav
e to change them anyway.
3) Calculating macros
Note: using LBM vs. bodyweight for calculations

Technically speaking, using your LBM for your macro calculations is more accurat
e. However, using LBM requires estimating your bodyfat percentage
unless you kno
w how to do so and are comfortable doing it, bodyweight usually makes for an acc
urate enough surrogate in the average person.
Protein
Necessary protein intake is a controversial topic in fitness. Depending on your
citation, anywhere from 0.8-1.5g/lb LBM is recommended. General considerations f
or protein intake are as follows:
As calorie intake goes down, protein requirements increase. Higher intakes tend
to preserve lean body mass more effectively when dieting, which allows people to
be stricter with overall calorie intake if wanted. In other words, the more sev
ere the calorie deficit, the higher your protein should be.
As overall bodyfat decreases, protein requirements tend to increase
ds, fatter individuals can aim for the lower recommended values.

in other wor

Of the three macronutrient targets, this one is the most important one to hit.
Protein has a calorie value of ~4 calories/gram.
Fat
Approximately 0.45g/lb is a decent starting target.
Outside of essential fatty acids (EPA + DHA), there is no physiological requirem
ent for dietary fat. In other words, it can be set lower if more corresponding p
rotein or carbohydrate intake is desired.
The only fat source that should be avoided when possible is trans fat.
Fat has a calorie value of ~9 calories/gram.
Carbohydrate
Carb intake is highly dependent on individual preference and what the other two
macros are set at. People with lower carb intakes can get away with higher corre
sponding fat intakes, and vice versa.
There is no physiological requirement for dietary carbohydrate.
A side effect of low carbohydrate intake is ketosis (think keto dieting). Some peo
ple do just fine with this, others not so much. As a general rule of thumb, keep
ing carbohydrate intake above 100g should prevent the onset of ketosis.
Carbohydrates have a calorie value of ~4 calories/gram.
Fiber
Keeps your digestive system happy, and goes a long way towards helping with sati
ety. FDA recommends approx. 12-13 grams of fiber for every 1000 calories consume
d.
-Fiber can either be digestible (soluble) or indigestible (insoluble).
-Soluble fiber has a calorie value of ~2 calories/gram.

4) Monitoring
Monitoring progress is (obviously) a good idea. The main problem is that people
get caught up in weight fluctuations on the scale, can t see changes day to day in
the mirror, etc.
Scale weight is a fine indicator of progress IF you can look past daily fluctuat
ion. Weigh yourself in the morning, after using the bathroom and before eating/d
rinking anything. Then, I suggest using Excel or one of the countless weight mon
itoring apps available on the smartphone app stores to monitor your daily weight
and judge it according to a 7 day average, not individual values. In other word
s, if the overall trend is in the direction you want, you re good.
With regards to LBM gaining goals, gaining an average of 2 pounds a month is a d
ecent target for a bulk. Gaining weight too fast tags along disproportionate fat
gain, which means less time bulking and more time dieting it off.
Some people dislike using scale weight for one reason or another. If you have a
method of measuring progress that you prefer (clothing size, belt loops, etc.) t
hat s fine too.
How often do I need to change my calories/macros?
Weight loss isn t always a linear process, even when using trends and averages
wat
er retention, sodium levels, food in the gut, etc. all can contribute to variabi
lity in day to day scale weight, often by several pounds. As a general rule of t
humb, evaluate for 3-4 weeks before changing anything to your calories. If you ve
been stuck at approximately the same weight for a month or so, drop calories by
10-20% and see how that goes.
5) Example
Joe is 170 pounds. Joe wants to lose fat.
Maintenance: 170 x 15 = ~2550 calories
Starting dieting calories: 170 x 12 = ~2040 calories
Protein target (grams): 170 x 0.8 = 136g
Protein target (calories): 136 x 4 = 544 calories
Fat target (grams): 170 x 0.45 = 77g
Fat target (calories): 77 x 9 = 693 calories
Carbohydrate target (calories): 2040 544
693 = 803 calories
Carbohydrate target (grams): 803 / 4 = 201g
Fiber target (grams): 2040 x 0.0125 = 26g
6) Miscellaneous FAQ
You didn t cover (insert topic here)!
Nope. This is a general guide/starting point for
start dieting and exercising. If you ve reached
ut more advanced dieting protocols, that implies
should be looking for more in-detail literature

the average person who wants to

a point where you need to ask abo
you already know the basics and
anyway.

I haven t lost weight even though I m only eating (insert low number here) calories a
day. Do I have metabolic damage/am I going into starvation mode?
You re either not in a deficit, or you re getting too caught up in weight fluctuatio
n/monitoring for too short a period of time. Time to re-evaluate your intake and
tracking. Also, metabolic damage is a myth.

Can I eat (insert food item here) and still lose weight?
What s the name of this group again?
7) Resources
There s TONS of other resources out there, but this should be a decent starting po
int.
http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/
Lyle McDonald s website. A fantastic place to search for virtually anything fitnes
s, nutrition, or exercise. Lyle's information is responsible for much of the inf
ormation in this post, and goes into MUCH more detail. Worth its weight in gold
for the free articles.
I also highly recommend his books if you ever want to move on to more advanced d
ieting approaches later on.
http://www.iifym.com/iifym-calculator/
A calorie and macro calculator. Although I prefer doing back of the napkin calcula
tions as outlined above, this is also a viable resource for providing a starting
point.
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/
A calorie and macro tracker. There's several others available, but this one is o
ne of the most commonly used ones. Lets you create custom entries for your food,
and auto enter most commercial ones simply by scanning the barcode with your ph
one or searching its database for a match. Don't bother with the premium version
, you should be able to get in the right ballpark using the percentages. Also, s
ince the database is user made, double check the information it reports matches
the label of your food.
Additionally, don't bother paying for the premium version just for the ability t
o track in grams instead of percentages. This addon gives a workaround script fo
r free: https://chrome.google.com/ /glpkdgpldbbdpjbpimehpkpgdicibgp
http://rippedbody.jp/diet-progress-tracking/
A nice article summing up the various methods of tracking progress, including sc
ales, calipers, and progress photos.