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Once calories have been accounted for, macronutrient ratios are the next most important diet principle for adjusting body composition and enhancing performance. Macronutrients are made up of the three nutrients that provide most of the calories in a diet; because they are eaten in relatively large (macro) quantities, we refer to them as macronutrients. These macronutrients are protein, carbohydrate, and fat. Alcohol and sugar alcohols also have calories, but for health and performance they should constitute a very small minority of total calorie intake.

Generally, the macronutrients provide the calories that bodies need to function. While all macronutrients contain calories, each type has unique properties and effects. In selecting which and what quantities of macronutrients to eat, we must consider both the calorie demand of the dieter and the unique effects of each macronutrient on body composition and performance. The ratio of macronutrients used to fill a daily calorie total greatly impacts body composition change and athletic performance. Macronutrient ratios can play an important role in the percent of muscle gained during hypercaloric dieting, the amount of muscle retained during hypocaloric dieting, the amount of energy available during training and competition, and other factors such as baseline hormonal function and health.

Macronutrient considerations should still come only after calorie balance has been addressed. Perfect macronutrient ratios for muscle-loss prevention on a fat-loss diet become moot if there is no calorie deficit. In much the same way, although macronutrient ratios can modify the rates of muscle gained, muscle gain is primarily driven by calorie surpluses (as long as the right kind of training is being done).

If your diet uses appropriate calories and macronutrient ratios, you should get about 80% of the total possible diet effects on body composition and performance. In fact, adjusting only calories and macronutrients sums up the “if it fits your macros” (IIFYM) approach. IIFYM instructs that “if your calories and macronutrients are well established, you will get the majority of potential performance and physique benefits possible from diet.” This is a great place to start, especially for those newer to dieting.

Throughout this chapter, all macro recommendations will be given per pound of bodyweight and made with the assumption of a relatively lean individual (under 30% fat). The calculations given subsequently in this book are slightly more precise when done per pound of lean body mass (LBM) rather than pound of bodyweight. However, obtaining an exact LBM is difficult even with sophisticated equipment, so bodyweight can be used as a proxy as long as one is relatively lean. If a person has greater than 30% fat, using a value between bodyweight and estimated LBM might be a bit better.