Weight Loss Diet Estimation: Macronutrient Pairing and Simplified Methods

For the average person, 50%–60% of their daily energy intake comes from carbohydrates, 10%–30% from protein, and 20%–30% from fat. This energy intake is then evenly distributed across three meals.

Let's take a 6:2:2 ratio of carbohydrates, protein, and fat as an example. Using the same example, my daily energy intake during my weight loss period is 1704 kcal. Carbohydrates should account for approximately 1022 kcal (1704 x 60%), protein approximately 341 kcal (1704 x 20%), and fat approximately 341 kcal (1704 x 20%).

Therefore, I need to consume approximately 256 grams of carbohydrates, 85 grams of protein, and 38 grams of fat daily. Dividing this across three meals results in approximately 85 grams of carbohydrates, 28 grams of protein, and 13 grams of fat. If I eat four times a day, that's about 64 grams of carbohydrates, 21 grams of protein, and 10 grams of fat. Because I'm quite busy with work and don't like being interrupted, I usually eat three meals a day. Some people might have a snack if they get hungry in the afternoon.

Carbohydrates are essentially staple foods, such as corn, sweet potatoes, potatoes, rice, rice noodles, noodles, and bread. If possible, choose whole grains as your staple food.

Protein mainly comes from chicken, lean pork, beef, seafood, fish, milk, eggs, and beans.

Fat is already present in meat and oils, so I personally suggest not deliberately calculating fat intake or increasing it. Besides, we occasionally eat other things besides regular meals.

In addition, you can add green vegetables to your daily meals to increase satiety and provide nutrients.

I guess many people are wondering, now that the amounts of each nutrient are calculated, how do I plan my diet based on these three macronutrients? This requires using a food scale and a food calorie calculator.

Let me demonstrate. During my weight loss period, I need to consume 256 grams of carbohydrates, 85 grams of protein, and 38 grams of fat daily. I first search online for the calories of staple foods, such as brown rice. This shows that 100 grams of raw brown rice contains 76 grams of carbohydrates, 7.2 grams of protein, and 2.4 grams of fat (the data may vary slightly depending on the type of brown rice; the above data is for reference only).

To get the 256 grams of carbohydrates I need daily, I need to prepare 330 grams of brown rice. This is easy; I just need to weigh it with a food scale. This amount of brown rice also provides about 24 grams of protein and 8 grams of fat.

Then, to supplement the 85 grams of protein daily, I need to get about 60 grams from meat, dairy, and eggs. I search for the calories of meat, such as salmon. This shows that 100 grams of salmon contains 0 grams of carbohydrates, 5.9 grams of fat, and 21.6 grams of protein. Therefore, about 300 grams of salmon can provide more than 60 grams of protein and about 18 grams of fat.

So, my carbohydrate and protein intake has already met the requirements. I'm 12 grams short of the 38-gram fat requirement, but I use a little oil when cooking, so I don't need to calculate that.

This is just an example. The same calculation applies to other staple foods, meats, eggs, and dairy products. Search online first, then weigh the ingredients when preparing them. It doesn't need to be that precise; a rough estimate is fine, since you'll likely eat other things in between.

I'll teach you a more general and simple rule: 100 grams of raw rice or noodles can be roughly counted as 75 grams of carbohydrates, and 100 grams of lean meat can be roughly counted as 20 grams of protein. Don't calculate fat or protein, and don't calculate the calories in green vegetables either.

If calculating calories is still too troublesome, here's another method I invented for estimating food portions—"one fist, one palm." Eat a portion of carbohydrates the size of your fist (your main course), and a portion of protein (lean meat, seafood, eggs, or soy products) the size of your palm. Eat as many oil-free green vegetables as you like until you're full.