Macros vs Calories: What You Need to Know

00:00Calories do matter. 100% calories matter. Energy balance, the real relationship between the energy that you take in and the energy that you burn is a real documented foundational principle of fat loss. Period. If you are consistently eating more than your body burns, you will gain weight. If you are consistently eating less, you will lose. That is not up for debate. Science, point blank. It's like nutrition 101 knowledge. But here's where calorie counting alone falls short. And this is the part that I think changes everything for women specifically.

00:37What's going on, everyone? Hey, you guys. Welcome back to another episode of The WarriorBabe Show. Or if this is one of your first episodes, welcome to the show, my friends. On these episodes, we talk about mindset, methodologies, and tactics that will help you lose body fat, build muscle, be strong, and feel insanely confident. I am your host, Nikkie Stott. And welcome to today's episode, episode number 351. As I keep creeping up in these episode numbers, it gets hard to keep track of.

01:10Every single time that I go and record an episode, I have to look back at the last number that went live. And since I'm a few out now, I have to like then count. And it just gets harder and harder. Anyway, rant. So today's episode is an episode that came out in January of 2023. And it has been one of the most listened to, most shared, most talked about episodes that we've ever put out. Which tells me that there's really something important in this episode that we're going to talk about today.

01:44And it's the question between macros or calories. Like which one actually works? Which one actually matters? And that's the one that women keep coming back to. So, and I think it's because the industry just keeps giving confusing, conflicting, contradictory answers and information. And, you know, that's just welcome to the space of the fitness industry. That is what it does so well. Confusing people thinking that one way is this way. And then your friend's doing this. And there's just so much information out there.

02:15And what I hope of this episode and what I hope that we bring to worry baby is we just kind of cut through that noise. And we're able to give you guys some clarity. So here's what we're doing today. Coming back to this episode that we talked about three years ago. I'm coming back with like more data. I'm coming back with more client results. I'm coming back with more industry context. I'm coming, the right industry context. Like the ones that cut through the BS. And honestly, like in my opinion, I feel like a more refined approach, perspective, than maybe when I first recorded this episode.

02:48So whether you guys listen to this, to this episode back in the day or you're brand new here. Again, like I said, welcome. I hope this episode gives you everything that you guys need to understand which approach is right for your body and your goals. All right. So let's get into it. Before we do actually get into the to which approach wins, let's make sure that we're talking about like the same things here. Because I think that there's a lot of confusion in this conversation comes from people comparing apples to oranges. Calorie counting is exactly what it sounds like.

03:19You set a daily calorie target. You track the total number of calories that you eat and you try to stay within that number. Logic is simple. Eat less than you burn, you lose weight at the end. Macro tracking gets that layer deeper. Instead of just tracking total calories, you track the specific breakdown of protein, carbohydrates, and fat that make up those calories. I think I did an episode a couple actually like a week or so ago talking about like macros 101.

03:53Like and we talked about all of this, right? You have individual targets for each of those macros that you are and you're working to hit all three of them, not just an overall calorie number. And when you do focus on macro tracking, like the goal is to be plus or minus five in each one of those categories. So if your protein target is 150, you can be 145 or 155 on the day, plus or minus five. If your carbs are 230, you can be 225 or 235, plus or minus five, right?

04:25Same goes for fats. Here's the important technical clarification to make. Macro tracking always includes calorie tracking. Because when you know your macros, then interchangeably, you know your calories. They're calculated from the same exact data. So macro tracking is not, it's not the alternative to calorie tracking. It's just, think about it like this. It's just the more complete version of it.

04:57So then as we dive deeper, it's like, what's the real question is, okay, it's not, the real question isn't macros versus calories. The real question is, is total calorie intake enough information to get you the results that you want? Or do you need more information to get you the results that you want? And that's where, that's where we can get a little bit interesting here. And that's where everything gets interesting. Not where it can get interesting. It's where everything does get interesting from that, from that frame of reference.

05:29Think about it. Let me just ask you that again. The question is, is total calorie intake enough information? Because there's some babes listening to this, some women listening to this, that just solely track calories and just look at menus that record calories and they work toward a total calorie number. Has that gotten you to where you want to be? You probably lost weight from it. But has it gotten you to the real results that you want to get to, which a lot of majority listeners want to be more defined, more lean, more toned, more fit looking, right?

06:02So is that, is total calorie intake enough information to get to the results you want? Or do you need more? So let me just attack the calorie counting argument first, because it does have merit and I want to be fair about it. Calories do matter. 100% calories matter. Energy balance, the real relationship between the energy that you take in, the energy that you burn is a real documented foundational principle of fat loss. Period. If you are consistently eating more than your body burns, you will gain weight.

06:32If you are consistently eating less, you will lose. That is not up for debate. Science. Point blank. It's like nutrition 101 knowledge. And for some people, simply becoming aware of their calorie intake is generally transformative. It helps in so many ways. If you've never tried anything before and you start paying attention to your total calorie intake, you will probably learn things about your eating habits that will surprise you. And will bring total, tons of more awareness. And awareness alone can produce incredible results. So I'm not here to tell you that calories don't matter.

07:04They do. But here's where calorie counting alone falls short. And this is the part that I think changes everything for women specifically. Two women, same calories. Completely different results. I've said this numerous times. And the reason why I say this numerous times is because maybe the last time I said this, it didn't resonate with you 110%. Maybe today it's going to land differently. Women A eat 1600 calories a day.

07:36Mostly processed carbs, minimal protein, moderate fat. She's in a deficit. By calorie math, she should be losing fat. Women B eat 1600 calories a day. High protein, moderate carbs, moderate fat. Also in a deficit. Over 12 weeks, woman B loses significantly more body fat. That person retains way more muscle. Has better energy. Sleeping better. Stronger workouts. Recovering better. Her body actually looks different. It's more toned. It's more defined.

08:06Same calories. Completely different body composition outcomes. Because the composition of those calories, where they come from, what the body was able to do with them, was entirely different. So calorie counting has no way to capture that difference. It sees 1600 calories and calls it a day. Macro tracking sees what those 1600 calories are actually made up of. And that's the information that changes the results.

08:39So just to like kind of bring this, this is the whole heart of the whole argument. And it's the thing that I wish I had explained even more maybe clearly back in early episodes. Protein is a single macronutrient that most dramatically changed what fat loss looks like. Not just whether you lose weight, but what the weight loss is actually composed of. And this distinction is literally everything. You guys have heard me say over and over and over again how important protein it is.

09:11It is the macronutrient king of the other two macronutrients of carbs and fats. When you lose weight without adequate protein, your body doesn't just burn fat. It burns muscle too. And losing muscle is the worst outcome in a fat loss phase because muscle is what gives your body the shape that you are all after. It's what gives its body the definition. The toned look that almost every single woman that I have a conversation with tells me that she wants.

09:43On top of that, muscle is also what keeps your metabolism elevated long term. Muscle is metabolically active tissue. Think about it as like a parallel mechanism controller of your metabolism. Your metabolism doesn't shut off. Your metabolism keeps going. It keeps revving. It keeps, it's a 24-7 engine. That is the same thing with your muscle tissue.

10:13Muscle tissue is metabolically active. It is constantly needing energy and fuel and things like that. It burns calories even while I'm sitting here. While I'm sleeping, while I'm sitting on the couch. I'm constantly burning calories. Alone, I should be like, I want more muscle because I want to burn calories. I'm just sitting watching TV, right? So when you restrict calories without tracking your protein, you might see that scale go down, but you're likely losing a mixture of fat and a mixture of muscle.

10:45And that result then just becomes a smaller version of the same body shape. That skinny fat, not a transformed one, not one that has muscle, not one that has tone. It just has less of everything. And that's what every single diet out there does. Ladies, are you feeling frustrated with body changes you're experiencing during menopause? It's time to take control. If you're between 45 and 65 years old and tired of struggling with body fat and muscle loss,

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11:53That's warriorbabe.com forward slash apply. All right, let's get back to the show. Unless you are following a strictly and this this is where we get crazy, y'all. Just on a side rant here. I think I talked about this in an episode. I can't remember if it was just me having these conversations with people every day. Our pastor a couple weeks ago brought up a topic about one of the most like

12:23commonly used words in the marketing on food nowadays and that's protein. So much so to the point now that Pop-Tarts have protein Pop-Tarts on them. For those of you guys that aren't watching on audio right now, I'm covering my head, my eyes. And I'm like, like, this is just a depressing moment. Protein Pop-Tarts. So someone who is naive and ignorant to this type of knowledge or doesn't know it well enough

12:56and just sees protein, they're like, oh my god, protein, amazing, incredible. That means I'm going to get more protein in my diet if I have protein Pop-Tarts. There is nothing healthy about that. And when you actually look at the grams of protein, I think it's 10 grams between the two or 10 grams to one. That's not protein. Okay? So like, and rant. That just drives me nuts. Like, it's about the composition of what I'm just roping it back to the composition of

13:28what the foods are made up of. The whole foods, not processed foods, are going to get you the results that you want in more healthy, meaner. Anyway, so hey, while you're listening, if you're getting value from this episode, take a moment to tap that review button or share this podcast with a friend. It's a small gesture that goes a long way in helping more women find their way to feeling stronger and more confident in their skin. I appreciate you so much for taking the time to support this show. Going back to the skinny fat talk, if you are restricting your calories and you're not

14:00tracking your protein, then yes, you're going to see the scale go down, but you're going to lose a little bit of everything. You're going to lose fat and muscle and you're going to look like a skinny fatter version of yourself. That's not necessarily more of what you wanted, right? And that's like what I deemed the skinny fat. The look doesn't change the way that you hoped it did. The energy is low. Your metabolism is slow before. And you have no idea why, because you were in a quote unquote deficit the whole time. So macro tracking, specifically setting a high protein target with good quality foods will

14:34protect that muscle. Think of just protein and muscle. They simultaneously work hand in hand together. They're a team. When you are in a deficit, that protein is going to protect that muscle while you lose the fat. This is a fundamental difference between losing weight and actually changing your body composition. And you cannot guarantee that outcome by just tracking calories alone because calorie tracking gives you no visibility into whether you're eating enough protein.

15:06So the single most important number is obviously, what do you guys think I'm going to say? And I've said this before in episodes, whether I'm directly talking about macro tracking and calorie tracking, I'm talking about the importance of protein. The single most important number that in your tracking is your daily protein target, not your total calories, not your carbs, not your fat, your protein. If you can get that in religiously and consistently and everything, then everything else just becomes way more manageable. If you are just setting out on your journey and you are stepping in to the world of tracking,

15:40this is the only macronutrient that I want you to pay attention to. And I'm literally saying this, if you just pay attention to that, you will see some type of change in a matter of weeks. And so for those of you guys that don't know, okay, how much protein do I need? Typically, anyone that's in like a fat loss phase, that looks somewhere between like 0.8 to one gram of protein per pound of body weight per day. That number is your foundation.

16:10Everything else gets built around that. So if you weigh 150 pounds, you're eating 150 pounds of protein. Now, I always say this, if you're eating two, if you're weighing 250 pounds, I don't tell you to eat 250 pounds, 250 grams of protein. I would say, what's your goal weight that you're working towards? And let's eat that. So it probably is 180 is a good starting point. 180 grams of protein in a day, even if you weigh 250. So I want to talk about the real life side of this too, as well, because the best approach is always the one you can actually sustain and actually start implementing.

16:41Because I hear this a lot. I hear, quote unquote, macro tracking is so complicated. It sounds so complicated. Calorie tracking is just so much more simple. Can I just do that? Can I just count my calories? And I just, to be honest with you guys, because I think this objection deserves a real answer rather than just like no do macros. Yes, calorie counting is simpler to start. There's one number. You stand under it, done. But here's what I've seen happen with calorie only tracking over and over and over again.

17:16Women hit a wall. They lose some weight initially, and then it stops working. Then their hunger becomes unmanageable. Then their energy tanks. Their workouts start to suffer. They start feeling like they're just like pushing through every single day just to stay in their deficit. And because they don't have protein data to look at, they don't know why. So they just assume that they need to eat even less.

17:46This spiral is so brutal. And it's almost always, I've joked about this in episodes before. It is all, not joked actually, it's real. It's almost always a protein problem. There's a protein epidemic in the fitness space. Women are not eating enough protein. Macro tracking has a slightly higher learning curve. Yes. I will be the one to tell you honestly, just directly.

18:19Macro tracking is not easy up front. It has a high, a very high learning curve up front. You have three numbers instead of one. You need to think about your meals a little bit more intentionally. But here's what happens when women do it consistently for even just a few weeks. They're fuller. Their energy becomes more stable. Their cravings become more manageable. Their workouts start to feel so much better. They're recovering faster. They're sleeping soundly through the night and effectively through the night.

18:54They start to see actual body composition changes. Not just the number moving on the scale. The short-term simplicity of calorie counting tends to produce short-term results. The slightly higher investment that you are putting into macro tracking tends to produce the results that actually last. That is why you guys have, I have just been, like I will, until there's different science that comes out, I will speak this till I'm blue in the face and maybe on my dying deathbed.

19:28That macronutrients are the way to get to where you need to be with your results with your body. And then, for what it's worth, macro tracking becomes a habit very, very, very, very quickly. Most women who've been doing it for a couple of months tell me that it becomes just second nature. And for me, being 10 years into a dude, it's just like a part of my, it's just like, it takes three minutes or even less, sometimes a minute to track my day. And then now, because I'm so confident with what food is and what it looks like and portion sizes,

20:01sometimes I don't even need to track. I just can pay attention to the first half of my day and balanced meals. And then dinner can just be high protein and whatever carbs and fats. A lot of women that do this and become second nature, they're not obsessing over it. They're just building their meals around their protein target and they're filling in the rest. It stops feeling like a, like a math problem and actually starts feeling like a strategy at some point. So yeah, there's going to be a learning curve. I'll tell you point blank, but do you want to stay where you are right now for the rest of your life

20:32and not try and figure out something that's actually sustainable and works long term? Then if you do want to figure out something that works long term, you're going to have to change something. You're going to have to get invested in something. You're going to have to understand there's a learning curve. It's like anything in life. It's like learning a new job, becoming a mom, soccer practice and working that into your schedule. Same thing. There's learning curves in life. If you want to take this seriously and take your health seriously and take your overall, like the results you want to see with your body seriously, this is the answer. So for those of you, like maybe there's a balance here because there are situations where starting with calories makes sense

21:06and I don't want to dismiss that. If you have ever tracked, if you've never tracked anything before and the idea of macros feel completely overwhelming, starting with calories is a totally valid first step. Getting comfortable with logging your food, understanding your portion sizes, building the tracking habit. Yes, 1000%. That foundation matters. And then you can layer in macro awareness once a habit is established. If you're in like a maintenance phase and your primary goal is to simply not gain weight rather than actively like changing your body composition,

21:39the calorie awareness also has a great, this is a great implementation that you may just all you need on a day-to-day basis. And if you've been tracking macros for a long time and you've developed a strong intuitive sense of your food, stepping back from that detail tracking and using just a rough calorie awareness, also a great check-in tool that can work well for a lot of women that I see that have been doing this for years. And they can step back and they've earned that right. People that just say they've intuitively tracked and they're like two years into their journey,

22:14I'm like, what does that even mean? You can't earn the right to intuitively track until you've done this for years and you've developed this tracking habit down first. The intuitive eating and I eat healthy and you're not walking around with a rocking body, I don't buy what you're saying. You're not intuitively eating successfully. And you can't, you don't earn that right until you've done this for a couple of years. Anyway, just to be direct and lean into that. So if you came to me and you said,

22:47Nikki, I want to change my body composition, where do I start? Here's exactly what I would tell you. Start with protein. Before you worry about your total calories, before you stress about your carb to fat ratio, before you do anything else, figure out your daily protein target and start building your meals around hitting that daily protein target. Then, and this is going to take time. You ain't going to do this overnight. You need to develop that habit. This is where I want to get real with you guys. Some of you guys want results that happened yesterday.

23:17Implementing this step is something that takes a week, three weeks to hit that target consistently. Then once you hit it consistently, and once that protein is consistent, and I mean genuinely consistent, not just on Monday through Thursday, then you can start paying attention to your overall calorie intake and where your carbs and your fats are landing. That's right. But then this is where I would say, don't try to be perfect from day one. Like just track what you're actually, be honest with yourself. Track what you're actually eating first. See where you're at.

23:48And then adjust from there. Using an app. Weighing your food when you can. Logging your everything. Being consistent. Not just on the weekdays. The women who get the best results of macro tracking are the ones who track, who are not the ones who track perfectly. They're the ones who track honestly and consistently enough that their data actually reflects their reality. That's what gives them something to actually work with. All right? So with this episode,

24:20there's a lot of information that I hope maybe you've either heard me say in previous episodes or maybe that have been updated since the last time that I did this. This is a 2026 version of macro tracking versus calorie tracking conversation. And if I had to summarize the whole thing in just one sentence, calories tell you how much, macros tell you what. And for body composition, what matters so much more?

24:51Okay, my friends. If this episode was helpful and you want to keep, you know, diving in on this stuff, nutrition training, mindset, all of it, come join us inside the Warrior Bay free community. It's completely, it's a free Facebook group. We got weekly calls that are free, weekly challenges that are free that you win stuff. And a full room of women who are in the same exact season of life as you are, asking the same questions, doing the same work and showing up for each other. That link is in the show notes below.

25:23Come join us. Come on into the crew. And if you have a friend that's been maybe going back and forth on this calorie versus macros question and they're wondering the same things that you were wondering that you learned this episode, share this episode, send this to her. Maybe this is exactly the type of conversation she needs to hear and have. All right, my friends, I love you all and I will see you in the next episode. Peace out. Real quick, if this episode resonated with you or gave you the push that you needed, I'd love for you to pay it forward. Drop a quick rating and review,

25:55share the podcast with someone who might need it and help me keep spreading the word. Your feedback not only helps the show grow, but it might just be the nudge someone else needs to kickstart their transformation. Thank you so, so, so much for your support.

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