There is no need to be strict with a particular ratio, and the one you favour will be dependent on you. There is also no need to switch ratios when switching from cutting to bulking (although, you may wish to make changes for increased satiety when cutting, or decreased fullness when bulking). A macronutrient ratio gives you the percent of calories from each nutrient in your diet. Here are a few suggestions (again, no need to be strict):
50% carbs, 30% protein, and 20% fat
40% carbs, 30% protein, and 30% fat
33% carbs, 33% protein, and 33% fat
Recall that 1 gram of carbs has approximately 4 calories, 1 gram of fat, 9 calories, and 1 gram of protein, 4 calories. Additionally, 1 gram of alcohol has 7 calories. Fiber has typically between 0 and 2 calories per gram, and usually is not included when doing a rough macronutrient ratio calculation.
BMR Calculator: calories burned if all you did was sleep
- you should never ever eat less than this number while dieting. I recommend eating 200 to 300 calories above this number at minimum.
Maintenance Calculator: Calculator to approximate how many calories you burn in a day (this is a rough estimate based on your basal metabolic rate and activity level).
Advanced BMR formula: If you know your lean body mass, then you can use a different formula to calculate your resting metabolic rate (it will be more accurate).
Judging Progress
Judge your progress by taking measurements and not by the scale.
Muscle Gain
Suggested Dietary Maximums
for those not carb cycling, or doing extreme endurance training
Up to 3 grams of total carbs per lb bodyweight
Up to 2 grams protein per lb bodyweight (or per goal bodyweight)
Up to .5 grams fat per lb of bodyweight (or per goal bodyweight)
I recommend eating 200 to 300 calories over your maintenance level, in order to gain lean body mass and limit fat gains. You can use the maintenance calculator to get an estimate of this number. Remember that this is just an estimate, if you are not gaining at a rate of about 0.5 to 1 lb per week, increase your calories by 100 per week until you are gaining.
Recommended Dietary Minimums (When Not Carb Cycling)
100 grams net carbs (carbs - fiber)
grams fat = 0.35 grams * (bodyweight in lbs OR your goal in bodyweight if overweight)
grams protein = 1 gram * ( lb of bodyweight - if overweight, or underweight, take in 1 gram per lb of your goal bodyweight)
eat at least (10 * your bodyweight) in calories if you are 20 lbs or more overweight
eat at least (12 * your bodyweight) in calories if you are less than 20 lbs overweight
Usage of Minimums and BMR
Use these minimums as a base, and then add calories from whichever nutrient you would like, or based on your needs. For example, if you run a lot you would add in carbohydrates. This is preferred over using ranges as it accounts for individual needs, and ensures dietary minimums are met.
In addition, I recommend you eat 200 to 300 calories above your basal metabolic rate (calories burned at rest - ie. if you slept all day). This will allow calories for daily activities, and cause your calorie deficit to be through exercise (weight training and cardio).
You can estimate your basal metabolic rate by using the BMR Calculator.
If you are very active, this may not be enough calories for you. In this case, plug your information into the maintenance calculator and subtract 500 calories to estimate what you would eat to lose 1 lb of fat per week (each lb of fat contains 3500 calories). This can be increased to 2 lbs per week in very overweight individuals.
The Lifestyle Diet - Free Ebook by Derek Charlebois with Marc Lobliner and Chuck Rudolph, MEd, RD
Burn the Fat Feed the Muscle - Tom Venuto's Ebook. A very thorough guide to everything you need to know to reach your fat loss goals. I highly recommend getting it, it is a great investment. You can read my review here.
