What is the Best Macro Ratio for Fat Loss?

Fat loss through diet is possible when you effectively calculate your perfect macro goals.

And your macros won’t be the same as mine, your partner’s, your sibling’s, your trainer’s, or Taylor Swift’s – even if your goals are to perform a 3.5-hour medley in heels without missing a beat.

Your body is unique and so are its needs when it comes to fat loss, but is there a golden macro ratio that will help you to hit your goals?

Before I get into the nitty-gritty ratios of macronutrients, let’s quickly cover the basics of macros and why each is important:

3 Types of Macros (macronutrients)

• Protein: Not only is protein essential for muscle growth and recovery (so all that hard work in the gym pays off), it is also what helps keep our hunger regulated.

• Carbohydrates: Our body’s main source of energy – in and out of the gym. Meaning our body will pull from carbs for energy when we have the perfect macro ratio, rather than breaking down our hard earned muscle.

• Fats: A secondary source of energy for our body, and also plays a huge role in our hormonal balance. Don’t skip on getting enough healthy fats, Beautiful Peach.

Why I Advocate for Counting Macros

1. Food Freedom: Tracking macros is a game changer when it comes to your relationship with food. When you have the proper macro goals based on your metabolism, body, and individual goals – you can eat both the foods loaded with nutrients AND the foods that are simply good for the soul, while still being right on track with your goals. Bring on the Monday night pizza and Bachelorette watch parties, 100% guilt free!

2. Body Composition: Having the proper macros is the most effective way to help you achieve and maintain your desired body composition – whether that is fat loss, muscle growth, a healthy metabolism, or an epic body recomposition. It’s not just about weight loss but about building muscle and reducing fat long term.

3. Comfort and Confidence: Tracking macros is backed by science, which allows us to eliminate the guesswork and decision fatigue of trying to decide what icky and restrictive diet you should do next. Who doesn’t love the comfort of knowing you are eating the perfect amount of protein, carbs, and fat for your body’s needs.

4. Adjusting Macros: Properly tracking macros allows you to make necessary adjustments over time to continue progressing toward your goals.

Now, when calculating your starting macros, I don’t recommend using specific ratios. Instead, we can fine tune our macros even more by using a detailed process that I learned in my 6+ years of education and 10+ years of macro coaching experience.

Here’s a breakdown:

The 4-Step Macro Calculation Process

Step 1: Assess Your Metabolic Health

Often, online macro calculators use only your height, weight, age, and activity factor – completely missing one of the most important factors that go into macro calculations: your metabolism health. This can lead to an inaccurate macro calculation that overestimates how much you are eating (which in turn can lead to fat gain), or underestimates how much you are eating (which in turn can lead to a slowed metabolism).

Pro tip: I am in full support of using MyMacrosPlus to track your macros, but I suggest staying away from apps like MyFitnessPal when calculating your macros.

Step 2: Calculate Protein

Once you have your metabolism set point nailed down, it is time for your protein calculation! Contrary to popular to some bro-science belief , protein is best calculated based on kilograms of body weight, not pounds. 

Step 3: Calculate Fat

Next comes our fat calculations! When I first started tracking macros, after many years of eating low fat due to the fear that consuming “fat” leads to fat gain on the body, I was in awe to learn that fat intake should be a percentage of your overall calorie intake to ensure you are eating adequate fat for hormonal balance. This is why it’s important not to rely solely on height, weight, age, and activity factor, or to follow apps that slash your calories without considering your individual needs.

Step 4: Calculate Carbs

Carbs are the easiest to calculate once your protein and fat are determined. The remaining calories in your diet will come from carbs.

Ready to put this process into action and calculate your macros? Get the CSchmidt Macro Calculator here!

The Importance of Adjusting Macros for Fat Loss

While it’s essential to have the best starting macro goals, it’s equally important to adjust these macros every week to every few weeks once you have mastered hitting your macro goals. Many people mistakenly believe they can use one set of macros long-term to lose significant weight. However, the human body is complex and requires regular adjustments in order to avoid an unwanted plateau.

Factors to Consider for Effective Macro Adjustments:

1. Hitting Your Macro Goals: Consistency is KEY when it comes to getting results while tracking macros. I suggest 6 full days of hitting your macro goals, with one free meal a week on the 7th day. Pro tip for my newbie macro trackers: if you are struggling to hit your macros, start with 3 days a week and work your way up.

2. Starting in a Calorie Deficit or Reverse Diet: Losing weight does come from an overall calorie deficit. However, if you are currently eating low calories and are not seeing results, it is likely that your plateau is caused by a slow metabolism due to low calorie burnout. Not to worry! If your metabolism is in need of a little love, you will want to  first heal your metabolism through a reverse diet to support your long term fat loss. It’s like the saying, “You can’t out-exercise a bad diet.”

3. Body Response: One of the biggest mistakes I see is adjusting your macros before your body is ready. This is why I suggest paying attention to your biofeedback, such as your weight range and how accurately you have hit your macro goals, each week. Just as every woman has a different hair color, lifestyle, and metabolism, the way your body responds each week will vary as well.For my gals who have been in a low calorie space for a prolonged period, it might take a little extra time for your body to fully heal and trust that you’re not going to drop to low calories again.

4. Metabolic Adaptation: When we think of the term “metabolic adaptation”, we can break it down into [1] “metabolic” meaning metabolism and [2] “adaptation” meaning adapting. In other words, our metabolism and bodies adapt to the macros we’re tracking, so adjustments are necessary every few weeks to maintain progress.

The Perfect Macro Ratio for Fat Loss

Surprise, surprise: there is no one-size-fits-all perfect macro ratio for fat loss.

This is why it’s important to work with a coach who understands your goals and health history to make informed adjustments to your plan over a period of time and ensure your metabolism is thriving through the process. 

Remember, the journey to fat loss is about understanding and listening to your body. By following these principles and being patient with the process, you can achieve your goals in a healthy and sustainable way.