Vegan Macro Calculator For Weight Loss For Women

What Is a Vegan Macro Calculator for Weight Loss?

The vegan macro calculator is a digital nutrition tool designed to help plant-based female dieters determine their recommended daily intake of carbohydrates, protein, and fat. Meeting these daily requirements ensures a balanced diet, and unlike generic calculators, macronutrient balances nutritional adequacy, resulting in optimal health, and consistent weight loss.

Why Women Need a Vegan Macro Calculator for Fat Loss

Women over 40 encounter the unique challenge of losing fat on the vegan diet. During this period, they face menopause symptoms such as increased appetite, weight gain, and a decrease in muscle mass and bone mineral density.

Focusing on consuming nutrient-dense plant-based foods can help support these physiological changes, however, without accurate tracking, it's anyone’s guess whether nutritional needs are being met, which can lead to nutrient deficiencies.

Using the vegan macro calculator gives women full control of their nutrition, ensuring sufficient protein is consumed, which research shows can preserve muscle mass, improve satiety, and increase thermogenesis (burns energy to produce heat), improving fat loss. This provides scientific intervention that is proven to address symptoms and support fat loss.

How to Use the Vegan Macro Calculator for Weight Loss

• Select Metric Or Imperial Units — Choose between the units you will be using for your height and weight.
• Enter Your Height, Weight, And Age — Determines your basal metabolic rate which influences your macronutrient ratios for fat loss.
• Choose Your Goal: Weight Loss, Muscle Gain, Or Maintenance — Alters macro distribution based on your health and fitness goals. For example, weight loss and muscle gain will encourage higher protein intake, while seekers of weight maintenance will be prescribed a balance of eat macro.
• Set Your Activity Level And Whether You Do Strength Training — Influences the distribution of macros. For example, strength training requires additional carbohydrates for fuel and protein to build muscle and recovery.
• Click Calculate To See Your Personalized Vegan Macro Breakdown — Uses the information provided and displays your vegan macro ratios.

What Are Macros?

Macros or macronutrients refer to carbohydrates, proteins, and fats which are essential for our body’s physiological process with each designated specific biochemical role within the body. Below, we briefly discuss each macro and its role within the body, and for a more information read our article on what are macros.

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are a major energy source containing 4 calories (kcal) per gram, with studies showing they make up 45–65% of our total calorie intake for a standard diet. Additionally, research shows they raise blood glucose, stimulate insulin, and metabolize cholesterol, and triglycerides (fats in blood).

Protein

Protein is an important macronutrient that makes up roughly 10–35% of daily calorie intake, containing 4 kcal per gram, and provides structural support for cells and tissue. However, its most commonly known functions are building and preserving lean muscle mass which studies show happens when there is positive muscle protein balance. As mentioned, it also improves satiety and increases metabolism, meaning less hunger between meals, and increased energy expenditure, making it essential during fat loss.

Fats

Fat has several makes up 20–35% of the daily calorie intake, containing 9 kcal per gram. Used for nutrient absorption, organ protection, and hormone production, it is vital for optimal health.

There are several different types of fat which makes nutrition challenging. For example, trans fats and saturated fats are classified as unhealthy. Found in processed foods, research shows they are associated with coronary heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes.

While unsaturated fats (monounsaturated and polyunsaturated) have been shown to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, lower bad cholesterol, and support cell health and immune function.

Why Counting Macros Works

Counting macros nutrients provides greater control of your nutrition and the ability to adjust to it to meet your goals. Sure, nutrient-dense foods can be consumed, but without accurate tracking, you leave a lot to chance.

Counting macros on the other hand ensures that each food you choose leads to closer to your recommended daily intake of carbohydrates, protein, and fats. This improves the chances of achieving your health and fitness goals and balancing hormones. For a detailed look at macros counting read how to count macros for women.

Macros vs. Calories: What's the Difference?

Calories and macronutrients are essential in nutrition, however, they serve different purposes. Calories illustrate the total energy content of a food, while macronutrients show the composition of those calories as carbohydrates, protein, and fat.

Below we compare two different foods which have similar amounts of calories, but with very different macronutrient ratios, making them very different foods.

Lentils and tofu are both excellent nutrient-dense foods, however, they have very different macronutrient compositions.

While their calorie content is similar, tofu has almost twice as much protein, which makes it great for supporting muscle growth and satiety. It does, however, contain 9 grams of fat compared to the 0.4 grams found in lentils which must be considered when tracking macros.

Meanwhile, lentils are loaded with carbohydrates and dietary fiber, improving satiety. This comparison highlights both foods for their nutrient density while having different macronutrients. To grow and expand your knowledge, read counting macros vs calories

Best Foods for Macro Counting

Macro counting can be simplified when choosing the correct food. While nutrition apps provide a platform for tracking daily calorie and macronutrient intake, you still must consume a balance of nutrient-dense food sources to meet your daily requirements.

Below we list the best foods for easy macro counting, categorized into carbohydrate, protein, and fats, and providing calorie content, vitamins, and minerals.

Carbohydrates

Protein

Hitting daily protein targets on the vegan diet can be challenging, however, far from impossible as there are several excellent plant-based protein sources. The table above highlights protein-rich foods, but when consuming these sources we must be aware of fat content.

Foods listed at the top are incredible sources of protein, however, they have higher calorie content due to their high level of healthy fats which contain 9 kcal per gram. These should be consumed in smaller serving sizes.

Protein sources from tempeh and below on the other hand can all be consumed regularly as they contain fewer calories. We recommend experimenting and trying different combinations to increase protein intake while keeping calories low to maintain a calorie deficit for weight loss.

Fats

Best Macro Ratios by Goal

Manipulating your macronutrient ratio is a powerful way to dictate the outcome of our health and wellness plan.  Below we list the best macro ratios and calorie recommendations to help you achieve different goals on a vegan diet.

Fat Loss

• Calories: Calorie Deficit (consuming fewer calories than rou basal metabolic rate)
• Carbohydrates: 45% of daily calorie intake
• Protein: 35% of daily calorie intake
• Fats: 20% of daily calorie intake

Maintain Weight

• Calories: Maintenance Calories (equal to basal metabolic rate)
• Carbohydrates: 55–60% of daily calorie intake
• Protein: 25–30% of daily calorie intake
• Fats: 15–20% of daily calorie intake

Build Muscle

• Calories: Calorie Surplus (consuming more than your basal metabolic rate)
• Carbohydrates: 45–55% of daily calorie intake
• Protein: 25–30% of daily calorie intake
• Fats: 20–30% of daily calorie intake

As you can see, the macronutrient ratio varies depending on your health and wellness goals. For a better understanding of macronutrient ratios, read the following resources:

• Best Macros for Women’s Weight Loss
• Macros for Muscle Gain (Women)
• Best Macros for Maintaining Weight (Female)

Best Macro Ratios by Age

As your body and physiology change, so too do your macronutrient requirements. Research shows that resting energy expenditure declines by 1–2% per decade due to a decrease in fat-free mass including bone, muscle, brain, kidney, and liver.

For example, sources show that our brain makes up approximately 2% of our body mass, but consumes 20% of our metabolic energy. However, further studies reveal that brain mass gradually declines after 40, decreasing by 5% per decade, leading to a decline in energy requirements.

The decline of muscle and mass presents serious problems. Evidence reveals that after 30, muscle mass declines by 3–8%, negatively impacting strength, function, and quality of life. This has a flow-on on bone mineral density, as sources indicate that mechanical stimuli in the form of muscle contractions and gravity contribute significantly to bone density. The absence of this can lead to weakened bones, and loss of strength, function, and independence.

Fortunately, many of these can be addressed through adjusting our macronutrients and nutrition. These are just a few reasons macronutrients should be manipulated with age. To discover how age affects macros, check out the following resources:

• Macros for Women Over 40
• Macros for Women Over 50
• Macros for Women Over 60
• Macros for Women Over 70

Macros and Weight Loss During Menopause

Menopause presents a significant challenge for women. During the 40s, women experience a decline of estrogen which affects the way the body stores fat, while increasing appetite, making it difficult to lose weight.

During this time, menopause symptoms such as poor sleep, fatigue, and mood swings make it hard to implement healthy nutrition and exercise practices to lose weight. If this is you, we recommend reading the following articles:

• Macros for Perimenopause Weight Loss
• Macros for Menopause Weight Loss Guide

How to Track Your Macros

Monitoring and recording your macronutrient intake is a powerful tool for balancing your vegan diet, leading to better results. Tracking can be challenging, however, it is now easier thanks to nutrition apps that determine calorie and macronutrient intakes, and provide large food databases to streamline tracking. If you want to know all the benefits of macro tracking read our article on the 10 benefits of tracking macros

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