Macros, Calories, or Both? Here’s What to Track Based on Your Goals

Wondering whether to track macros, calories, or both? Learn how to choose the best approach based on your health and fitness goals.

The post Macros, Calories, or Both? Here’s What to Track Based on Your Goals appeared first on MyFitnessPal Blog.

Imagine this: You’ve been diligently logging your meals, keeping an eye on your calories, and hitting that magic number every day. But the scale hasn’t budged, your energy feels off, and you’re wondering, what gives? Then you hear someone at the gym talking about “macros,” and suddenly, you’re in a rabbit hole of protein-to-carb ratios … and maybe even more confused than when you started.

If you’ve ever felt stuck choosing between counting calories or tracking macros, you’re not alone. It’s a common dilemma, especially for people who are just getting serious about their nutrition. Calories seem simple enough: eat less to lose weight, right? But then someone mentions protein and muscle, or that carbs are “bad” (spoiler: they’re not), and it starts to feel like a math class no one signed up for.

The good news is you don’t need a degree in nutrition science to figure this out. In this article, we’ll break down what calories and macros actually are, when it makes sense to focus on one or both, and how to choose the best approach based on your goals, whether that’s losing weight, gaining muscle, or just eating more balanced meals. 

What’s the Difference Between Macros and Calories?

Think of calories as the money your body spends to keep you alive and moving, whether you’re hitting the gym, walking the dog, or just binge-watching Netflix. Macronutrients (or “macros” for short) are like the sources of money.They’re the main building blocks of your diet and include protein, carbohydrates, and fat.

Here’s how they’re connected:

• Calories are the total amount of energy in your food, kind of like the overall budget for your body each day.
• Macros (short for macronutrients) are where those calories come from, like the categories in your budget: rent, groceries, and fun money.

In other words, macros are the “ingredients” that make up your daily calorie total. And not all macros are equal when it comes to how many calories they contain (2):

• Protein = 4 calories per gram
• Carbohydrates = 4 calories per gram
• Fat = 9 calories per gram

So, let’s say you eat a snack that has 10 grams of protein, 20 grams of carbs, and 10 grams of fat. That means:

• 10g protein x 4 = 40 calories
• 20g carbs x 4 = 80 calories
• 10g fat x 9 = 90 calories

That’s a total of 210 calories, made up of different macros that serve different purposes in your body.

Understanding this connection helps you go from simply counting calories to making more strategic food choices. Because it’s not just about how much you eat, it’s also about what those calories are made of.

Want to see where your own calories are coming from? Tap into the Nutrients tab in MyFitnessPal to see your daily macro breakdown at a glance. 

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When to Focus on Calories

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