why you might rethink your generic macro calculator

Emily Field 00:00:00  Welcome to episode 36 of the Macros Made Easy podcast. Today we’re diving into an important topic that could be a game changer in your nutrition journey. While getting a custom macro calculation from a registered dietitian is superior to using a free generic macro calculator you might find online. If you’ve ever used one of those calculators, you might have noticed that something just doesn’t feel right. Maybe the numbers seem off. You’re not getting the results you hoped for, or you feel frustrated trying to hit those targets day after day. Well, that’s because the calculator takes a one size fits all approach, and we’re here to tell you why that’s the problem. In this episode, we’re breaking down eight key reasons why generic calculators miss the mark, and more importantly, how a custom calculation from a professional can set you up for success. From considering medical conditions to adjusting for your body composition, fitness goals, and even hormonal changes, we’ll show you why personalization is key to making macros work for you. Welcome to Macros Made Easy, the podcast that takes the confusion out of tracking macros.

Emily Field 00:01:00  I’m your host, Emily Field, a registered dietitian that specializes in a macros approach. In each episode, I help you learn how to eat in a way that supports your health, body composition, and athletic performance goals. We’ll cover the basics of macronutrients how to track for various goals, the role of macros in your health, and how to make sustainable changes to your habits. I’ve helped hundreds of people experience more food freedom and flexibility while navigating their nutrition. So whether you’ve tried macros and it just didn’t stick or you just heard the word macros yesterday, I can’t wait to help you too. The first reason why generic macro calculators might miss the mark is that they’re overly simplified. They’re overly simplified in their calculations. Generic macro calculators often operate on a limited set of data points, primarily focusing on basic factors like weight, height, age, and activity level. And while these elements provide a foundational understanding of a person’s caloric needs, they fail to capture the full complexity of individual physiology and lifestyle, leading to several key issues.

Emily Field 00:02:02  I’ll share three examples. The first being metabolic rate variability. Each individual’s metabolic rate can vary significantly based on several factors beyond just activity level, including genetics, hormonal status, and metabolic adaptations from previous dieting efforts. For example, someone who has previously lost weight may experience a slower metabolism as a result of decreased muscle mass and energy expenditure. Generic calculators typically use static equations that don’t adjust for these changes over time, resulting in macro targets that are not aligned with the person’s current metabolic status. Imagine a situation where you could share a little bit more detail. You could share that you have been on a weight loss journey, that you’ve lost weight previously with different dieting attempts, but now you’ve stalled. Maybe you’ve been in a trend of gain recently. Being allowed the space to share those details is really important, and it could make the difference with a macro prescription that really works for you, and one that totally doesn’t. Another example here is lack of contextual information. So besides physical attributes and activity levels, other factors such as lifestyle, eating habits, stress levels, and sleep quality also play a significant role in your individual nutrition needs.

Emily Field 00:03:16  Generic calculators do not consider these contextual elements, which can greatly affect energy levels, appetite regulation, and overall well-being. This oversimplification can lead to an incomplete understanding of one’s nutritional requirements and an inability to make informed dietary choices. Let’s just say you’ve been on a weight loss and fat loss journey, but now you’re feeling like you’re eating. Habits are leaning really heavily into the process. Packaged, refined foods in order to make those macros work for you. Maybe you’re been under a lot of stress at work lately. Maybe your sleep has been off for you. That macro prescription needs to make you feel full and satisfied. You need to have the energy to tackle that stress that’s in your life. You’ve got a lot on your plate right now and you’ve got a lot to deliver in this last quarter of the year. It doesn’t make sense for us to ignore that information and set macros in order for you to continue to see weight loss and fat loss, maybe we need to gently bring them up slightly so that you can feel more energized and satisfied from your food.

Emily Field 00:04:17  Your sleep can get better, and you can feel like you’re bringing your A game to work. The oversimplified calculation that generic macro calculators offer might mean that there are some inaccurate tracking of progress, because generic calculators don’t account for individual changes over time, like shifts in metabolism or body composition, users may find that macro targets they initially receive become irrelevant as they progress. So, for example, someone may lose weight and therefore require a recalibration of their macros to continue making progress, but a generic calculator will not adjust these figures unless they manually input that new information. That new data in a custom macro calculation, especially one offered by my team and I, we might be able to share what typical progress looks like and how to adjust for different goals like coming back to maintenance after a deficit, how to reverse out of a deficit, or how to keep a deficit progressing if you reach a plateau. The next key reason why those generic macro calculators don’t compare to a custom macro calculation is that there’s no consideration for medical conditions.

Emily Field 00:05:21  If you have a medical issue like insulin resistance or PCOS, a generic calculator won’t account for how these conditions affect your metabolism or nutrient needs, potentially hindering progress. Here are some examples. For those with insulin resistance, the body does not respond well to insulin, leading to elevated blood sugar levels and difficulties in managing and losing weight. A generic calculator may suggest macro ratios that do not account for the need to limit carbohydrates, or focus on the timing of carbohydrates around a workout. Individuals with insulin resistance often require tailored macronutrient distributions, such as a higher protein and healthy fat intake, to manage blood sugar levels effectively and support weight loss. Without this specific guidance, progress may stall and blood sugar levels may remain unregulated. Another example here is polycystic ovarian syndrome, or PCOS. PCOS is a hormonal disorder that can affect metabolism, insulin sensitivity, and weight management. Women with PCOS may find it challenging to lose weight due to hormonal imbalances, and generic calculators do not take this into account with the specific dietary needs that can help manage the condition, such as prioritizing protein intake and distributing carbohydrates more evenly throughout the day.

Emily Field 00:06:35  A one size fits all approach to macro calculations can leave these individuals feeling frustrated and unsupported in their weight management efforts. And lastly, if you’re somebody that has increased nutritional needs, some medical conditions such as chronic inflammation or recovery from surgery or illness can increase nutritional requirements. So, for example, individuals recovering from surgery may need higher protein intake to support healing and muscle repair. Generic calculators do not account for this unique circumstance, and that can hinder recovery and overall health. The third key reason why generic macro calculators really fall short is that most calculators are based on total body weight, not your body fat percentage or muscle mass percentage. This can result in a skewed macro ratio that doesn’t support muscle gain or fat loss. Effectively, muscle mass is a crucial factor that influences metabolism and calorie needs. Muscle tissue burns more calories at rest compared to fat tissue, meaning that two people who weigh the same might have vastly different metabolic rates based on their body composition. A generic calculator won’t take this into account. How much of that weight is muscle versus fat? Potentially underestimating or overestimating the necessary caloric intake for someone with a higher muscle percentage.

Emily Field 00:07:51  This can lead to an inadequate protein target for muscle maintenance or growth. In a custom macro calculation, you might have the opportunity to share that information. your training age, how long you’ve been lifting or strength training, the ability to provide pictures so that we can actually see your muscle mass and your fat mass distribution. These are all going to be great details when tailoring a macro calculation for you. Here’s another way to look at it. Different individuals with the same body weight can have vastly different body compositions. So for example, two people weighing £150 could have a body fat percentage of 10% and 30%, respectively. Their macronutrient needs would be different due to their body composition. A generic calculator does not adjust for these differences, potentially leading to inadequate protein intake for the individual with a higher percent body fat, which may hinder fat loss efforts and muscle preservation. And lastly, the goal for many individuals may not just be to lose weight, but to lose fat while preserving or building muscle. A generic calculator that uses total body weight may not be able to provide the right balance of macros to achieve this.

Emily Field 00:08:58  So, for instance, if somebody is focused on fat loss, they might need higher protein intake to preserve muscle during that calorie deficit. If their macro recommendations do not reflect their body composition, they’re going to struggle to achieve those desired results, and that will lead to frustration and disappointment. When comparing a generic macro calculator to a custom macro calculation, there’s going to be no flexibility in dietary preferences. There are rarely going to be questions that ask you what you prefer to eat, or what your preferred eating pattern really looks like. So if you’re following a specific diet like let’s say vegan or vegetarian or keto, a generic calculator won’t adjust the macros to make it easier for you to hit your targets while honoring those preferences. Typically, in a custom macro calculation, we’re asking you about the foods that you like to eat. Which macro do you prefer in your diet? Maybe you have a heavy preference for fat for specific reasons. Maybe you have a heavy preference for carbohydrates for specific reasons. Again, maybe you engage in a plant based diet, vegan or vegetarian, and we would want to tailor the macro targets to reflect that.

Emily Field 00:10:03  We want the macro prescription to fit you. We don’t want to have you fit your macro prescription within reason. Typically, somebody who says that they prefer a plant based diet is going to get more percentage of calories coming from carbohydrates, maybe a little less percentage of calories coming from protein. Not because you need less protein for your goals, but because the plant based protein foods that you’re going to go for because you prefer that eating pattern, are also going to be high in carbohydrates. Typically, what we see is a generic macro calculator spit out macro ratios for every single person, regardless of their dietary preferences, which can make it really difficult. You’re going to be leaning on refined, processed, and packaged foods, really frankensteins your meals together in order to hit those targets out of foods that you actually like. So I’d rather make it easier for you. Enjoy more whole, real nutrient rich foods and legumes, nuts, grains, things like that that are going to be higher in protein while minimizing the animal based proteins in your diet, because that’s what you prefer.

Emily Field 00:11:06  And having a macro prescription that is fit around that just makes sense. The fifth reason why the generic macro calculator may not match what a custom macro calculation could really do for you is that it lacks adaptation to fitness levels. So whether you’re an endurance athlete or primarily lifting weights, your macro needs will differ. A generic macro calculator won’t consider the specific demands of your workout routine, which could affect performance and recovery. Typically, a generic macro calculator will ask about the time you spent exercising each week or the number of workouts you participate in, but no nod to what type, duration, or intensity you bring to those workouts. So the energy requirements of an endurance athlete differs significantly from those of someone who strength training. Endurance athletes, such as marathon runners or cyclists, typically need a higher carbohydrate intake to fuel their prolonged high intensity activities. Carbohydrates serve as a primary energy source for sustained aerobic exercise, and failure to consume enough can lead to fatigue, poor performance, and inability to complete workouts effectively. In contrast, someone focusing on strength training may require a higher protein intake that supports muscle repair and growth.

Emily Field 00:12:19  As protein plays a crucial role in recovering from heavy lifting sessions. A generic calculator may not provide the right macronutrient balance for either athlete, hindering their performance and recovery. The volume and intensity of workouts can change from day to day, and a generic calculator fails to account for these variations. For example, an athlete preparing for a competition might increase their training load, necessitating higher caloric and carbohydrate intake on training days to sustain those energy levels. When less active or on rest days, their needs might decrease, requiring a more balanced approach to avoid excess calorie intake. A registered dietitian can adapt macro calculations based on current training cycles, ensuring that nutrition aligns with activity levels, and the specific type of training regimen can also dictate macro needs. So, for instance, athletes engaged in high intensity interval training may require different carbohydrate to protein ratios compared to those solely focusing on powerlifting or cross training. Hit requires more immediate fuel sources and can benefit from slightly higher carbohydrate intake to sustain short bursts of intense activity. Meanwhile, powerlifters might prioritize protein for muscle building and repair more than endurance or hit athletes.

Emily Field 00:13:31  Generic calculators with their limited parameters fail to distinguish between these training types, leading to insufficient or inappropriate nutrition. The sixth reason why generic macro calculators really fall short here is that they often ignore macronutrient balance. So generic macro calculators, they’re all going to be a little bit different. But often they give you a fixed calorie number and they ask you to aim for a specific macro ratio. But they often don’t explain why the balance of protein, fats, and carbs is important. This can lead to misunderstandings like overconsuming, carbs and under consuming protein and fat, even if your calorie count is technically correct. So in a custom macro calculation, we’re able to provide specific protein, fat, and carbohydrate grams, not ratios. Here’s an example. So let’s just say a calculator spits out a ratio of 25% protein, 30% fat, and 45% carbohydrates, and your calorie goal is 1600 calories. Now, if you are thinking about macros, you’re probably going to eat and track to those percentages. But maybe your calorie goal fluctuates a lot.

Emily Field 00:14:44  Maybe some days you’re hitting 1450s, some days you’re hitting 1800, some days you’re eating 2000 calories, and while you’re nailing the ratio or getting close to the ratio, those percentages of calories coming from protein, fat, and carb, those calories are drastically different, so you may not see weight loss or fat loss results. You may have some poor recovery from your workouts because while you’re nailing the percentages, maybe you’re under consuming or over consuming the gram goal that you need for your body weight and body composition. In a custom macro calculation, we’re going to provide you with exact gram targets. So in this example, maybe it’s 100g of protein, 53 55g of fat, maybe 180g of carbohydrate. Now, if you’re aiming for those targets and getting close to those targets, you’re probably going to land somewhere in the realm of 5 or 10% off from that 1600 calorie goal. And that narrower range, that smaller variation in your calorie goal is what’s going to move the needle forward on your goals, whether that’s weight loss, fat loss, lean muscle gain, something like that.

Emily Field 00:15:51  We have much less variability when we aim for targets versus when we aim for percentage of calories or ratios of macros. The seventh area where macro calculators typically fall short is that there’s no consideration for satiety and fullness. A calorie only approach can leave you feeling hungry and unsatisfied, especially if your macros aren’t optimized. So, for example, if your prescription is fairly low on protein or fat, it can leave you feeling hungry despite staying within your calorie limit. There is such a difference between an 1800 calorie diet and maybe 20% of those calories coming from protein, versus maybe 30% of those calories coming from protein. The difference is massive from a hunger and satiety standpoint, especially if 1800 calories represents a deficit for you. That deficit is going to feel drastically different. And I want you to understand that when you’re trying to lose fat, when you’re trying to lose weight, one of the most important factors that we control for is your fullness and satiety. You are going to be able to stay in that deficit longer if you’re feeling full and satisfied.

Emily Field 00:17:03  And so some of that really comes down to how much protein and how much fat you’re getting in your macro prescription, how much you’re getting on a regular basis. The last reason I want to talk about today is that generic macro calculations typically don’t account for hormonal changes. A custom macro calculation can, however, so for women, a generic calculator can’t adjust for natural hormonal fluctuations related to pregnancy or menopause, which both can affect metabolism and nutrient needs. As women enter menopause, declining estrogen levels can lead to metabolic changes, weight gain, and increased body fat percentage. Hormonal fluctuations during this time can affect how a woman processes carbohydrates and fats, which influences their macro needs. A generic calculator solely focused on weight and activity level is unlikely to provide the necessary adjustments for those changes. So as a registered dietitian, I can often help women navigate this transition, adjusting the macro targets to better support weight management, energy levels and overall health. And typically that just means making slight adjustments to their protein intake and slight adjustments to their carbohydrate intake.

Emily Field 00:18:11  Protein might be a little higher and carbohydrates might be a little lower. For women that are going through menopause during pregnancy, a woman’s nutritional needs change significantly to support fetal growth and development. Caloric intake increases, and there is a heightened demand for specific nutrients such as folate, iron, calcium, and protein. A generic calculator may provide a one size fits all recommendation that doesn’t account for those increased needs, potentially risking the health of both the mother and the developing baby. As a registered dietitian, I can tailor those macro recommendations to ensure both maternal and fetal nutritional requirements are met and maybe make some considerations for as that person progresses through the pregnancy needs being different in the first trimester versus the third trimester. For example, after giving birth, women experience a range of hormonal shifts that can affect appetite, metabolism and energy levels. For instance, some women may find it challenging to lose weight due to hormonal imbalances that persist postpartum. I love to work with women postpartum because a lot of them are in such a vulnerable place where they want to lose weight, they want to lose fat probably fairly quickly, and get back to their postpartum figure.

Emily Field 00:19:22  They want to feel at home in their body. You know, they want to feel comfortable in general. But if we take things too quickly, if we put in a generic macro calculator that we want to lose weight as fast as possible, our weight, height, age and activity level, we might get spit out a macro calculation that is totally inappropriate to address the hormonal shifts that are happening postpartum, and further pregnancy and delivery is really tough on the woman’s body. There is a high energy and nutrient demand happening there. We need to spend some time depleting vitamins and minerals that may have been depleted while growing a baby inside them. So again, there’s a fine balance between wanting to help women lose weight and lose fat in a sustainable way, while also making sure their nutrient needs are met. And that fine balance can come down to the fact that this is a slight to moderate deficit, with a nod to enough protein and enough carbohydrates, enough fat versus a very drastic deficit where we’re trying to lose weight as quickly as possible with no regard to nutrient needs postpartum.

Emily Field 00:20:32  And that wraps up today’s quick episode on why a custom macro calculation, specifically from a registered dietitian, beats out any free online calculator, hands down. We’ve gone over how those generic tools oversimplify things, ignoring critical factors like muscle mass, medical conditions, and even the balance between your macros. Plus, they often put way too much emphasis on just calories, leaving you frustrated and hungry or worse, stuck in a plateau. The bottom line is this every body is different. Your macros need to reflect your unique goals, lifestyle, and health considerations. When you work with a dietitian, you’re not only getting numbers, you’re getting a full picture of how your nutrition can support your health, performance, and long term success. If you’re ready to ditch the guesswork and get personalized macro targets that are right for you, check out the link in the show notes to learn more about how to get your own custom macro calculation. Trust me, you’ll wonder why you didn’t do this sooner. Thank you so much for listening to the Macros Made Easy podcast.

Emily Field 00:21:33  If you enjoyed this episode, take a screenshot of the one you’re listening to right now to share it on your Instagram Stories, and tag me at Emily Fields so that more people can find this podcast and learn how to use a macros approach in a stress free way. If you love the podcast, head over to iTunes and leave me a rating and a review. Remember, you can always find more free health and nutrition content on Instagram and on my website at Emily field.com. Thanks for listening and I’ll catch you on the next episode.