Dynamic Macro Nutrient Targets don't add up

Brian Doherty

Hi,
I’m using dynamic macro nutrient targets for a high fat / keto diet with a strictness of “custom.” My calories summary shows 1507 kcal, which seems accurate based on my profile settings. However, the targets for macro nutrients do not add up to 1507 kcal…

Protein: 126.0 g
Carbs: 25.0 g
Fat: 134.2 g

The total calories for those macro nutrient targets is 1812, not 1507.
These numbers come from me selecting an activity level of “lightly active.” If I set my activity level to “none” then my dynamic fat target remains at 134.2 and still doesn’t add up. The only time the numbers make sense is if I set my activity level to “moderate” or higher.

Thanks!

Brian Doherty

If you’re multiplying total carbs by 4, it will be way off because of the fibre content of the carbs. Even with that into account, using the 4/4/9 estimate is a very crude estimation technique — the actual values vary significantly depending on the exact forms of carbs, proteins, and fat in the food. We use more accurate values for estimating calories from the macros, when the data is provided from the underlying nutrition database.

Best regards

Frank

Brian Doherty

Thanks for the reply. I don’t think fiber content of the carbs is the issue, since I get the same numbers regardless of whether I specify net or total carbs. Also, these numbers are the targets, before I input any actual food. I heard back via email from Aaron and he explained that the macro nutrient targets provided in the calorie summary enforce a strict 2:1 ratio of fat to non-fat calories, rather than enforcing your calorie goal. I was looking for macro nutrient targets based on: protein based on lean body mass, carbs based on fixed input (20-30), and fat based on the amount I’d need to consume to reach my calorie goal. Since the 2:1 enforcement blows my calorie goal out of the water, I’ve abandoned the dynamic nutrient count completely. I just calculate my macros elsewhere and plug those numbers in myself.

Thanks again!