This article explains how macronutrients contribute to your total calorie intake, why your calorie budget can change over time, and why your macronutrient goals do not automatically adjust when your calorie budget changes.
Macro Calculator Formulas
Lose It! uses the standard macronutrient calorie values used throughout nutrition science to calculate your calorie intake. Each gram of protein, carbohydrate, and fat contributes a specific number of calories. Because fat is more energy-dense than carbohydrates or protein, the same number of grams of fat contributes more than twice as many calories.
You can calculate your nutrient calories using these standard formulas:
- Carbohydrate Calories = Carbs (g) × 4.0
- Protein Calories = Protein (g) × 4.0
- Fat Calories = Fat (g) × 9.0
Example Calculation
Consider a food item containing 25.9g of fat, 27.3g of carbs, and 10g of protein:
- Fat: 25.9g × 9.0 = 233.1 calories (61% of total calories)
- Carbohydrates: 27.3g × 4.0 = 109.2 calories (28.6% of total calories)
- Protein: 10g × 4.0 = 40 calories (10.5% of total calories)
Calorie Budgets vs. Macro Goals
When using a standard weight plan, your overall calorie budget automatically updates and scales with your weight.
Your specific macronutrient goals DO NOT automatically update when your weight shifts.
In Lose It!, macro targets are treated as independent goals. If your calorie budget changes, you must manually adjust your macro targets to keep them aligned with your new calorie budget.