How to Track Your Macros: A Roswell, GA Physical Therapist's Simple Guide
- Dr. William Duncan PT, DPT
- Jun 22, 2021
- 3 min read
If you're not sure how your diet really stacks up and you want a way to actually see what you're eating each day, start by downloading the MyFitnessPal app on your phone. It's free, and it lets you log everything you eat.
Once you're tracking, pay close attention to your macronutrients, or macros: protein, carbohydrates, and fat. Each one carries a specific caloric value per gram:
Protein: 1g = 4 calories
Carbohydrate: 1g = 4 calories
Fat: 1g = 9 calories
Alcohol: 1g = 7 calories
Learning how to track your macros gives you a clear, honest picture of your intake, and that picture is usually the first thing that needs to change. It's one of the first things I walk clients through here in Roswell when nutrition comes up.
How to Track Your Macros: Start With Protein
If a medical doctor has advised you to avoid increased protein intake, skip this section.
You'd be surprised how often protein gets neglected day to day. Lean meats, chicken, turkey, beans, and protein-dense dairy like Greek yogurt should make up the bulk of your daily intake. Liquid proteins like whey and casein are good options to supplement and hit your target number, but they shouldn't consistently replace real food.
Aim for 0.8 to 1.0 grams of protein per pound of body weight. If you weigh 200 pounds and work out regularly, you should be averaging somewhere between 160 and 200g of protein daily, which works out to 640 to 800 calories.
Carbs and Fats: The "Fun" Macros
This pair brings a lot of flavor to the foods we enjoy, but they also pile on a lot of empty calories. The move here isn't to cut them out, it's to scale back in small increments of 5 to 10%.
Say you're eating 300g of carbs and 150g of fat a day. Try dropping to 90% of that (270g of carbs and 135g of fat), hold it for one to two weeks, and watch how your weight responds or how your clothes fit.
300g carbs = 1,200 calories → 270g carbs = 1,080 calories
150g fat = 1,350 calories → 135g fat = 1,215 calories
Small, sustainable adjustments like these are exactly what makes tracking your macros work over the long haul.
Don't Forget Hydration
Proper hydration lets your body regulate core temperature and operate at its best, which touches everything from sleep and digestion to brain function and muscle repair.
Avoid Gatorade, Powerade, coconut water, and similar drinks. They're too dense with carbs, which triggers a digestion response from your gut rather than a hydration response. Carbonated water, seltzer, or plain water with a tiny pinch of sea salt will actually hydrate you better than tap or bottled water with no sodium in it.
Beyond the Numbers: Habits That Make Macro Tracking Stick
Quit Watching the Scale
People have become obsessed with the number on the scale, and that obsession is often counterproductive. The number may not move as fast or as far as you expect, which gets frustrating. Focus instead on how your clothes fit. If even a small change lets you slide into clothes that used to be snug, you're making progress.
Avoid Fad Diets
Not all diets are created equal, and some work better than others, but mostly it's a numbers game. Burn more calories than you take in, make sure the calories you do eat are high quality, and you'll lose weight. That's the whole thing.
Once you know how to track your macros, you don't need the latest fad. You need consistency, and ideally, someone in your corner. A good nutrition coach can put things in perspective and suggest realistic changes, and having someone who's both rooting for you and holding you accountable is a real morale boost.
Want Help Putting It Together?
Nutrition is one piece of a bigger performance and recovery picture. At Southeast Physical Therapy, we work one-on-one with clients across Roswell, East Cobb, Marietta, and Alpharetta to connect the dots between how you move, train, recover, and fuel. If you'd like guidance built around your goals, call or text us at 678-640-4606.
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