Flexible Macro Targets: A Simpler Way to Track Nutrition Without Burnout

Tracking Macros

Dec 3

Tracking macros is a strategy that can help you meet your fat loss or body composition goals with more confidence and less second-guessing, but when tracking macro targets can feel overwhelming or confusing, it’s important to recognize it’s not the only tracking strategy:

Just tracking your calories and protein intake can be just as effective.

Counting specific carb, fat, and protein macros is a very effective method for reaching our body composition goals.

But over time, having exact macro targets can feel restrictive. What if one day you want to eat more fat and fewer carbs? Or you’re at an event and can’t figure out how to hit your exact targets with the food available? These are common issues my clients experience once they’ve been tracking for a while. My solution: flexible macro targets.

Flexible Macro Targets: How to Track Calories and Protein Without Feeling Restricted

Here’s the thing - we don’t have to eat the exact same macros every day in order to reach our nutrition goals.

If your goal is to lose fat or maintain your current body composition, then research shows you need to do two things:

Eat the right amount of calories for your specific goal
Eat enough protein.

So long as we practice these two principles, we have almost unlimited flexibility in what our nutrition looks like day to day.

Let’s explore these principles in practice using an example client who has fat loss goals. Let’s say this client needs to eat 2000 calories per day in order to be in a successful calorie deficit (or eating fewer calories than they’re burning on average).

Two Simpler (and Proven) Tracking Strategies

Option 1: Track Calories Only

First, some quick background information: when you are tracking your macronutrients, you are inherently tracking calories as well because each macronutrient has a specific caloric value.

Each gram of fat = 9 calories
Each gram of carbohydrate and protein = 4 calories

So if a client has macronutrient targets of 150 grams of protein, 215 grams of carbs, and 60 grams of fat, they would be eating 2000 calories. The math: (150g of protein x 4 cals/g) + (215g carbs x 4 cals/g) + (60g fat x 9 cals/g) = 2000.

However, this isn’t the only set of macro targets that equals 2000 calories. In fact, there are basically an infinite number of different macro targets that equal 2000 calories and, according to research, we don’t HAVE TO eat a specific macro percentage split (such as 40/30/30) in order to lose fat so long as we consume the right amount of calories and protein.

With this principle in mind, I can give my example client a simple calorie target of 2000 per day, which gives them an infinite amount of flexibility to eat according to their preferences and circumstances.

Option 2: Track Calories + Protein Minimum

However, while a specific split of carbs and fat isn’t necessary for the best results, eating enough protein does matter when it comes to achieving fat loss or muscle gain results.

Fittingly though, there is a lot of flexibility when it comes to protein needs because the amount of protein that each person needs is a range, NOT an exact amount. That range according to research is generally 0.7-1 gram of protein per pound of body weight. (There is some nuance to this topic and here is a blog post all about protein needs if you want to explore more).

Let’s say our example client weighs 160 lbs. Their range of enough protein would be between 112-160 grams of protein per day.

So using two principles (eat enough cals, eat enough protein), I as a coach could give this example client a goal to eat 2000 calories and 112-160 grams of protein a day.

What “Flexible Macro Targets” Look Like in Practice

So long as they practiced these two principles, they would be in a calorie deficit and lose fat just as effectively as somebody who eats the exact same carb, fat, and protein macro targets everyday.

Over the course of a week, this client could eat

Mon: 112P/70F/230C = 1998 cals
Tue: 140P/110F/112C = 1998 cals
Wed: 128P/48F/263C = 1996 cals….

You get the idea. The macro amounts are different everyday, but the principles of eating enough protein and the right amount of calories are consistent.

Why Flexibility Helps You Stay Consistent

Now you can see why I call this approach “flexible macro targets”, because it gives my clients a framework that allows them to be flexible with their food intake while still making progress towards their goals.

You don’t have to play macro tetris in order to hit exact macro targets everyday.

If you go to a company event and their fat intake is higher than normal, you can adjust your carb intake accordingly.

If a co-worker gifts you a high carb snack unexpectedly, you can adjust your fat intake accordingly.

Flexible macro targets simplify nutrition and give us the flexibility to adjust our food intake based on what life throws at us. We don’t need perfect numbers or identical macros every day to make progress. We need consistency with the fundamentals and flexibility to enjoy our food and our lives.

Resources:

For absolute simplicity when it comes to tracking your macros, make sure to grab a free copy of Everyday Macros: our macro-friendly meal prep cookbook. It’s full of simple recipes, batch prep tips, and insight into how to make your nutrition as seamless as possible.

If you’re ready for support that’s personalized, flexible, and grounded in what actually works, learn more about our high-touch 1:1 nutrition support. We’d love to help you feel strong, capable, confident in your body, and like yourself again.