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From 2 videos

Should I put my goal weight or my current weight into a macro calculator?

Answered by Nikkiey Stott · Updated

The short answer

Use your current weight. Nikkiey Stott explains that your macros need to feed the body you have right now, and that is what puts you in the appropriate deficit. If you enter your goal weight, you will be eating too little food. Once the numbers are working, she says not to recalculate until you hit a plateau.

Hear it answered

Tap play to start right where it's answered. It keeps playing while you browse.

  1. Nikkiey on why your goal weight leaves you eating too little

    Plays from 15:33 · Video: How to Lose Back Fat and Handle Food Triggers After 40

  2. Nikkiey on why you don't recalculate macros as you lose weight

    Plays from 24:57 · Video: Cheat Meals, Refeeds and Macro Questions for Women Over 40

  3. Nikkiey on where to find the WarriorBabe macro calculator

    Plays from 22:32 · Video: Cheat Meals, Refeeds and Macro Questions for Women Over 40

The full answer

It is tempting to think that entering your goal weight gets you there faster. Nikkiey's answer to a listener named Patty is simple: that is not the weight you are starting at. You have to feed your body what it needs right now, and that is what creates the right deficit for where you are today. Enter the weight you want to be, and you end up eating too little food. As she puts it, why would you do that? If you have tried eating less and less and it stopped working, this is often the reason. The problem was the plan, not you.

The second question usually follows. Do you redo the calculation every time the scale drops? On a separate Q&A, Nikkiey says no. If your macros are getting you results, keep using them. Her reasoning is that your body recognizes what is working. If you keep lowering your numbers to match your weight loss, she warns, you can end up at a plateau anyway. Her rule:

  • Keep the same macros while you are still seeing results.
  • Don't change anything until you actually hit a plateau.

If you are not sure your macros are right in the first place, Nikkiey points WarriorBabe members to the calculator in the app. Log in, go to the retrain area, and open the WB calculator. She says her calculation is specific to you and is not a cookie-cutter formula you will find online. That is how you work out how much food you should be eating. Start with the weight you are now, let the numbers do their job, and only adjust when progress stalls.

From WarriorBabe's coaches (how we write our answers). For education, not medical advice: talk to your doctor about your own health.

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Macros & Macro Tracking →

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    How do I figure out my macros for weight loss as a woman?

    Start by finding out what you actually eat. Nikkiey Stott recommends tracking every meal in MyFitnessPal for one week and averaging your daily calories. From there, WarriorBabe brings calories up gradually toward maintenance, then sets macros by body type and activity level, not with generic online calculators.

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  • Macros & Macro Tracking

    Do I have to track macros forever?

    No. Nikkiey is clear that you don't have to track macros for the rest of your life. Tracking and weighing your food is a temporary, educational phase that teaches you what real portions of protein, carbs and fat look like. Do it consistently for a couple of years and it becomes second nature.

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  • Macros & Macro Tracking

    How do I make tracking macros less overwhelming?

    Make the job smaller at first. The women on the show who stuck with it started small: tracking only protein, planning one day and repeating it, or picking a few meals from a sample plan. Nikkiey says week one might take half an hour a day, but by week three or four it takes five to ten minutes.

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