Paleo Macro Calculator For Weight Loss For Women
This calculator is designed specifically for women following a Paleo diet, providing a personalized macro breakdown to support healthy weight loss. By entering a few key details, you'll receive the ideal daily intake of protein, fats, and carbs to burn fat, balance hormones, and boost energy—without compromising nutrition or wellbeing.
Paleo Macro Calculator For Weight Loss For Women
Do you want to begin a paleo diet to lose weight but are unsure where to start? Then you must try out the paleo macro calculator.
The paleo diet is a low-carb diet, focusing on protein and fats, which means careful consideration is required when selecting foods to ensure you aren’t exceeding your daily carbohydrate intake.
The paleo macronutrient calculator helps modify your diet to prioritize protein and fat, while keeping carbs low, to help build muscle and burn fat.
In this article, we introduce the paleo macronutrient calculator for weight loss for women. We cover what macros are, how to use the calculator, the best paleo foods for macro tracking, optimal macro ratios by age, and more.
What Is a Paleo Macro Calculator for Women?
The paleo calculator for women is designed to help paleo diet female dieters determine their protein, fats, and carbohydrate intake. Unlike a standard macronutrient calculator, the paleo macro calculator places a bias on protein and fats, while limiting carbohydrates to provide a low-carb, nutrient-dense diet for weight loss and optimal health.
Why Use a Paleo Macro Calculator for Weight Loss?
Maintaining a paleo diet requires prioritization of protein and fat to preserve muscle, improve satiety, and fuel the body. Classified as a low-carb diet, some carbs are allowed, however, these should be kept to a minimum to ensure fat is the primary fuel source. Using the paleo macro calculator not only ensures your daily macronutrient requirements are met for effective weight loss but also helps you consume a balanced diet for optimal health and well-being.
How to Use the Paleo Macro Calculator for Weight Loss
- Select Metric Or Imperial Units: Select the units you will be using for your height and weight.
- Enter Your Height, Weight, And Age: These influence your basal metabolic rate, altering the percentage of protein, fats, and carbohydrates. ****
- Choose Your Goal: Choose between weight loss, muscle gain, or maintenance. This will determine and alter the percentage of each macronutrient. For example, gaining muscle and weight loss will place greater importance on protein, while weight maintenance will prioritize a balance of macros with a bias toward protein and fats.
- Set Your Activity Level And Strength Training Habits: Influences the distribution of macronutrients. For example, women who exercise frequently or do strength training will be recommended a higher fat intake to meet the demands of intense training sessions. ****
- Click Calculate: Once you have completed all the fields above, this will calculate your ideal paleo macro breakdown
What Are Macros?
Macronutrients or macros refer to proteins, fats, and carbohydrates that are vital for the body to function, with each fulfilling a different purpose. Below, we discuss what are macros, and what their roles are in the body.
Fats
Fats make up 28–58% of the daily calorie intake and contain 9 calories (kcal) per gram, making them a more dense energy source than protein and carbohydrates. Used for absorbing vital nutrients, fuel, and hormone production, they are vital for optimal health.
However, as one might suspect, not all fats are suitable for the paleo diet. Unhealthy fats such as trans fats and saturated fats should be avoided as sources show they are associated with coronary heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes.
Healthy fats such as unsaturated fat (monosaturated and polyunsaturated) should be prioritized to meet daily targets. Research shows these can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, lower bad cholesterol, and support cell health, and immune function.
Protein
Protein makes up 19–35% of the daily calorie intake and contains 4 kcal per gram. Studies show it is commonly found in building blocks, cell support structures, hormones, and enzymes.
However, it is most well-known for building and preserving muscle and maintaining a positive balance which sources indicate happens when there is a positive protein balance.
Protein is also shown to increase fullness and thermogenesis, which is when the body burns energy to digest food. This leads to fewer calories consumed between meals and increases resting energy expenditure, which is highly effective for fat loss.
Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates make up 22–40% of daily calorie intake and contain 4 kcal per gram. Research shows carbohydrates are a major fuel source and help control blood sugar and metabolize insulin, cholesterol, and triglycerides.
However, during the paleo diet, carbohydrates such as grains, legumes, and refined sugars are removed, only allowing fruits, vegetables, and nuts. This is where fats become the primary fuel source. Research shows that carbohydrates increase insulin requirements, and reducing them can improve glycemic control, while the reduction in carbs can result in rapid weight loss due to loss of water weight
Meanwhile, additional studies highlighted paleo diet benefits such as lower all-cause mortality (death from any cause), cancer, and cardiovascular mortality while reducing inflammation and oxidative stress.
Why Counting Macros Works
Macronutrient counting works because it allows for greater control of your nutrition, ensuring each food you select meets your recommended daily intake of fat and protein for a paleo diet. For more information, read how to count macros for women.
Macros vs. Calories: What's the Difference?
Calories and macronutrients are both components of nutrition, however, they serve different roles. Calories show the total energy content of food, while macronutrients are used to show the food composition of fat, protein, and carbohydrates.
Below we compare chicken breast (skin on) and salmon, two common paleo foods with a similar amount of calories which have very different amounts of fat, protein, and carbohydrates.
Chicken breast (skin on) and salmon are both excellent sources of protein and fat. While the total amount of calories are similar, salmon contains 4.4 grams more fat and contains 8 grams less protein.
These small differences may not appear to be a major difference, however, like a puzzle piece, it can help you hit your daily macro targets to ensure you are as close as possible to hitting your macro targets without exceeding them.
To expand your understanding, read counting macros vs calories.
Best Paleo Foods for Macro Tracking
The process of counting macronutrients during the paleo diet can feel complicated as we try to meet the correct balance of fats, protein, and carbohydrates. Selecting the correct foods can not only help reduce the challenge.
Below we list the best foods for easy macro counting on the paleo diet based on fats, protein, and carbohydrates to streamline the tracking process and ensure you are meeting your daily requirements.
Fat
Protein
Carbohydrate
Best Macro Ratios by Goal
Adjusting your macronutrient ratio can help you achieve deficient goals. Below, we list the best macronutrient ratios and calorie recommendations based on different training and wellness goals on a paleo diet.
Fat Loss
- Calories: Calorie Deficit (Consuming fewer calories than your basal metabolic rate)
- Fat: 50% of total daily calories
- Protein: 30% of total daily calories
- Carbohydrates: 20% of total daily calories
Maintain Weight
- Calories: Maintenance Calorie (Equal to basal metabolic rate)
- Fat: 35–40% of total daily calories
- Protein: 30–35% of total daily calories
- Carbohydrate: 20–30% of total daily calories
Build Muscle
- Calories: Calorie Surplus (Consuming more than your basal metabolic rate)
- Fat: 35–40%
- Protein: 20–30%
- Carbohydrates: 30–35%
To discover more about how macronutrients can be adjusted to meet different goals read these incredible resources: Best Macros for Women’s Weight Loss
Best Macro Ratios by Age
As macros can be adjusted to meet different fitness and wellness goals, they can be adapted to meet the needs of different age ranges.
Age brings several physiological changes that signify the decline of our health. For example, studies indicate that resting energy expenditure declines by 1–2% per decade after 20. Meanwhile, sources reveal muscle mass declines by 3–8% per decade after 30, leading to loss of strength and function.
Sadly, this can also affect bone mineral density. Research shows mechanical stimuli from muscle contractions and gravity contribute to bone remodeling and regeneration. When this stimulus is absent, bones can weaken.
For women 40 and over, these are just the beginning. During the fourth decade, the decline of estrogen and the onset of menopause can exacerbate the following symptoms and increase appetite and weight gain. Sources show that there is an increased risk of chronic illness, such as cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, stroke, and cancer.
The paleo diet and adjusting macronutrient ratios can address these symptoms. As mentioned, the paleo diet’s focus on fat and reduction in carbohydrates can lead to weight loss and reduce insulin resistance which can lead to remission of type 2 diabetes.
Menawhile, higher levels of protein can preserve skeletal muscle mass, with sources highlighted can lead to bone mineral density and lower the risk of fractures.
For more information on how to effectively adjust your macronutrients by age, check out these fantastic resources:
Macros and Menopausal Weight Loss on Paleo
Menopause presents major challenges for women over 40. As mentioned, the decline of estrogen can lead to increased appetite and weight gain, even altering the way the body stores fat, making it challenging to lose weight.
Furthermore, this also brings on symptoms such as hot flashes, night sweats, mood swings, and muscle aches, which can negatively impact quality of life. If you believe you are beginning to experience these estrogen fluctuations, or you are currently in menopause, read the following resources. These contain great advice on how adjusting your macros can help with menopause.
How to Track Your Macros
Monitoring your macronutrient intake is an incredible way to enhance the paleo diet. Fortunately, many nutrition apps offer calorie and macronutrient tracking, which is often paired with a food database streamlining the entire process. For more insights on monitoring macros, read 10 benefits of tracking macros.
Sources:
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- Liu, A.G., Ford, N.A., Hu, F.B., Zelman, K.M., Mozaffarian, D. and Kris-Etherton, P.M., 2017. A healthy approach to dietary fats: understanding the science and taking action to reduce consumer confusion. Nutrition Journal, 16, p.53. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12937-017-0271-4. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5577766/
- de Souza, R.J., Mente, A., Maroleanu, A., Cozma, A.I., Ha, V., Kishibe, T., Uleryk, E., Budylowski, P., Schünemann, H., Beyene, J. and Anand, S.S., 2015. Intake of saturated and trans unsaturated fatty acids and risk of all cause mortality, cardiovascular disease, and type 2 diabetes: systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies. BMJ, 351, p.h3978. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.h3978. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4532752/
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FAQs
What is a macro calculator?
How accurate is this macro calculator for women over 40?
Why are macros important during menopause?
How often should I recalculate my macros?
Can macros help me lose weight after 40?
Do I need to track calories if I track macros?
Should I prioritize protein in my macros after age 40?
Is this macro calculator suitable if I'm not very active?
How do I start using the macro calculator results in my daily life?
Are the macro recommendations safe long-term for women over 40?
