Fitness Goal Adjustment

After daily calorie needs calculation has been made, consider the following goals:

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To gain weight we want to ingest more calories. The number of calories needed may vary depending on activity levels and the timeframe that the weight is wanted to be gained. However, for safe weight gain (about 1-2 pounds per week) we can estimate to add approximately 500-1,000 calories per day.

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To lose weight we want to ingest less calories. The number of calories needed may vary depending on activity levels and the timeframe that the weight is wanted to be lost. However, for safe weight loss (about 1-2 pounds per week) we can subtract approximately 500-1,000 calories per day

 

To maintain weight consume what has been calculated. Do not add or subtract calories. 

 

Macronutrients

Macronutrients are the major subcomponents of nutritional needs. Simply put macronutrients are fats, proteins, and carbohydrates. There are many different beliefs on what macronutrient split a person can have and any good nutrition specialist will tell you that to say any split is a definitive answer for everyone would be naïve. Truth is, each person has a different chemical composition and dietary needs and may benefit from other considerations. At Train Like a Ranger we highly encourage each individual to track their meals and experiment with what is working and what isn't. We encourage people to do their own research and make adjustments accordingly. Fad diets typically demonize carbohydrates; however, healthy sources of carbohydrates provide much needed fuel for muscle growth and performance (primarily glycogen). You will notice that we suggest a diet with a good dose of healthy carbohydrates, moderate protein intake, and lower in fat for healthy athletes. Additionally, we typically promote a diet for healthy athletes as being low in saturated fats, sugar, refined carbs, and within the recommended daily intake of sodium. 

 

Overall, macronutrient beliefs and splits may vary. We find that a split of approximately 40%-60% Carbs, 20-30% fats, and 10%-30% proteins fit for most people with their athletic goals. Below is an examples of a macronutrient belief for differing athletes. We find that these percentages can vary quite a bit per different concepts and beliefs. What is most important at the end of the day, is that the food sources consumed are healthy and whole food sources.

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Anaerobic Athletes

(purely powerlifting, sprinting, etc.)

15% fats

30% proteins

55% carbohydrates

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Anaerobic Glycolytic-Oxidative Glycolytic Athletes 

(Most advised for Train Like a Ranger Athletes)

20% fats

25% proteins

55% carbohydrates

 

 

Oxidative Sports

(Endurance athletes, cross-country, marathon runners, etc.)

25% fats

15% proteins

60% carbohydrates

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Calculating Calories for Each Macro

By now you should have your daily calorie needs but now we need to calculate how many calories go into each macronutrient category. We will show you how to calculate for this based off of the recommended macronutrient split for Train Like a Ranger athletes using a 2,000 calorie diet.

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Macronutrient Calories= Daily Calorie Needs x (Macronutrient Percentage/100)

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Using 20% fats, 25% proteins, and 55% carbohydrates we can calculate the following

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Fats= 2,000 calories x (20/100)= 400 calories

Proteins= 2,000 calories x (25/100)= 500 calories

Carbs= 2,000 calories x (55/100)= 1,100 calories

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Converting Calories to Grams

When reading a nutrition label, the measurements do not read in calories, they read in grams. To find what you need you must convert calories to grams for each macronutrient.

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1 gram of fat= 9 calories

1 gram of protein= 4 calories

1 gram of carbohydrates= 4 calories

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Continuing the example from above we can convert the following

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Fats= 400 calories/9 calories per gram= 44 grams

Proteins=500 calories/4 calories per gram= 125 grams

Carbs= 1,100 calories/4 calories per gram=275 grams

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Reading a Nutrition Label

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