# Hitting macros 20/40/40

**URL:** <https://discourse.huel.com/t/hitting-macros-20-40-40/10544>\
**Category:** Nutrition\
**Created:** [April 8, 2021, 11:36pm UTC](https://discourse.huel.com/t/hitting-macros-20-40-40/10544 "2021-04-08T23:36:47Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Navyjim47](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/43a26b/32.png) [@Navyjim47](https://discourse.huel.com/u/Navyjim47)\
**Post date:** [April 8, 2021, 11:36pm UTC](https://discourse.huel.com/t/hitting-macros-20-40-40/10544/1 "2021-04-08T23:36:47Z")

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I’m on my second month of huel. Got black and white this month. Last month I ate only white, and didn’t really count my macros, but knew I wanted my fat intake to he higher. Before huel I was making my own meals(shakes) using vegan protein powder/meal replacement, maca, a super greens powder, peanut butter, oat milk, MCT, flax and chia seeds that I ground into a powder. I was hitting my ratio consistently. I knew last month that white alone wouldn’t hit that…I think it’s ~15/51/33. I consume six scoops at a time, so I did some math and 2 scoops of white and 4 scoops of black get basically the 20/40/40 I’m looking for. I don’t want to go below 20% of fat, and I’m trying to get at least 200g of protein a day, ideally ~225. I’m trying to gain weight, so also looking for roughly 3000-3200 calories a day. I’ve been eating only huel for a little over a month. Does anyone have any ideas on how to reach my macros within my ideal intake? I could tinker around with the math more, adding in some of the other ingredients I have, but I’d also like any feedback/tips from the community here. Thanks!

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**Author:** ![leyley123](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9f8e36/32.png) [@leyley123](https://discourse.huel.com/u/leyley123)\
**Post date:** [April 10, 2021, 3:32am UTC](https://discourse.huel.com/t/hitting-macros-20-40-40/10544/2 "2021-04-10T03:32:01Z")

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What macros are you aiming for exactly? You say 20/40/40 (I’m assuming 20% fat, 40% carbs, 40% protein), however, you also say that you want 225g protein, which is only ~28% protein if you’re eating 3200 calories total.

Also, I am not sure how you are doing your calculations, because two scoops of white and four scoops of black would give you 34% fat, 30% carbs, 36% protein. For reference, white is 28% fat, 43% carbs, and 29% protein. And black is 37% fat, 23% carbs, and 39% protein.

If you consuming 3200 calories of white you’d be getting 240g protein total, with a macro split of 28% fat, 43% carbs, and 29% protein. And black would be even higher in protein and fat. So if your goal is just to get \>225g protein and \>20% fat, any combination of white and black will work!

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**Author:** ![Navyjim47](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/43a26b/32.png) [@Navyjim47](https://discourse.huel.com/u/Navyjim47)\
**Post date:** [April 10, 2021, 12:58pm UTC](https://discourse.huel.com/t/hitting-macros-20-40-40/10544/3 "2021-04-10T12:58:53Z")

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@leyley123 Thanks for the response. I guess I’ve been doing the math all wrong! I’m new to trying to count my macros. I usually just counted my calories.

My goal is to get to 20% fat, 40%carbs and 40% protein. From what I’ve read, it seems that this aligns with what my other goals are, which are to add muscle, and maintain my weight, but adding 5 pounds would be fine. I’m 5’ 11" and weigh 175 and lift weights 4-5x a week and a day or 2 of cardio. I also do intermittent fasting.

Maybe I should look into adding some protein powder, and maybe lower my calorie intake to maybe 3000 calories. Honestly, I’m not sure, nutrition can be a bit overwhelming, but I’m working on it!

I appreciate you clearing up the ratios for me. I thought I was doing the math correctly, but I looked it up and think I got it now!

Thank you!

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**Author:** ![leyley123](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9f8e36/32.png) [@leyley123](https://discourse.huel.com/u/leyley123)\
**Post date:** [April 10, 2021, 5:58pm UTC](https://discourse.huel.com/t/hitting-macros-20-40-40/10544/4 "2021-04-10T17:58:04Z")

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You’re welcome!

And sorry actually I think my calculations were based on total carbs, not net carbs. So factoring that in, I think white would be about 31% fat, 38% carbs, 31% protein, and black would ​be about 41% fat, 18% carbs, 41% protein.

And regarding macros, I do not think that you need 40% protein. For a 3000 calorie diet, that would be 300g protein, which is excessive given your current weight. A common recommendation for protein is 1 g per lb bodyweight, and the highest protein intake that I’ve seen recommended is 1.6 g per lb lean body mass (not total body weight).