Calories and macros not adding up. Help?

TenderBlender667

I decided to calculate the amount of calories I ate based on my macros to see how accurate MFP is. I did (total grams of carbs X 4) + (total grams of fat x 9) + (total grams of protein x 4) and the result did not match my calorie total for the day.

Example: I had 1,464 calories in total. My macros look like this -> Fat:61 Carbs: 192 Protein 54

Now using the formula where 1 gram of carbs = 4 cal, 1 gram of protein = 4 cal and 1 gram of fat = 9 cal, I end up with this (using the example above): Calories from Fats: 549 Calories from Carbs: 768 Calories from Protein: 216.
When I add it all up, it doesn't match the 1464 calories I had for today. -> 549 + 768 + 216 =1533 calories TOTAL

I double checked the nutrition labels and entries and they were accurate. I also measured every ingredient in homemade recipes and used what I assume are accurate entries. Now my question is, how many calories did I really eat today? 1464 or 1533? I'm so confused and would really appreciate some help.

earlnabby

TenderBlender667 wrote: »

I decided to calculate the amount of calories I ate based on my macros to see how accurate MFP is. I did (total grams of carbs X 4) + (total grams of fat x 9) + (total grams of protein x 4) and the result did not match my calorie total for the day.

Example: I had 1,464 calories in total. My macros look like this -> Fat:61 Carbs: 192 Protein 54

Now using the formula where 1 gram of carbs = 4 cal, 1 gram of protein = 4 cal and 1 gram of fat = 9 cal, I end up with this (using the example above): Calories from Fats: 549 Calories from Carbs: 768 Calories from Protein: 216.
When I add it all up, it doesn't match the 1464 calories I had for today. -> 549 + 768 + 216 =1533 calories TOTAL

I double checked the nutrition labels and entries and they were accurate. I also measured every ingredient in homemade recipes and used what I assume are accurate entries. Now my question is, how many calories did I really eat today? 1464 or 1533? I'm so confused and would really appreciate some help.

Probably somewhere in between. Each item you ate may have rounded the macros up or down to the nearest gram, same thing with calories.

There is no way to be exact. We are dealing with agricultural products and the variations among them happen all the time. A granny smith from one tree may have developed a little more sugar than a granny smith from a tree across the road, or maybe has a higher water content. The calories and carbs will be different per 100 grams between those two apples grown 100 feet from each other.

The best you can do is be as accurate in your weighing as possible and not sweat the small stuff. When logging grown individual food items (as opposed to manufactured food items) like fruits, veggies, meats, etc. you will get the most accurate approximation of calories and macros if you use database entries from the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture). They test hundreds of items from all growing conditions and get an average. When eating manufactured food items (like bread, crackers, pasta, sandwich meat, etc) you should be using the label information because that particular food item has been tested for nutrition label info as is.

Remember, your calories burned per day is also an approximation. Perfection in numbers is just not possible.

CyberTone

It is sometimes difficult to perform a check-sum on the calories contributed by macronutrients using the Atwater factors versus Total Calories reported.

The differences in Total Calories versus the calculation of Calories contributed by macronutrients is complicated. The reported values on Nutrition Facts labels are permitted to be rounded, the guidelines for calculating total Calories differ throughout the world, and there may be errors in any MFP Food Database record.

The majority of food items are crowd-sourced (i.e. user-entered) from the information on the Nutrition Facts label printed on the packaging or from websites. MFP users can make mistakes or do not enter complete nutrition information from the source, so there are food items in the public Food Database that do not contain accurate macronutrient and micronutrient information.

In addition, manufacturers in the US are required to include the total number of grams from Dietary Fiber in Total Carbohydrates, however, they have the option to either include the Calories from Dietary Fiber in the Total Calories or not. Most include the Calories from Dietary Fiber, however, many food items high in dietary fiber, such as beans, are a notable exception. Check the Nutrition Facts label on cans or packages of high fiber foods to determine if the Total Calories include the Calories from Dietary Fiber in the Total Calories.

For your specific day's example, since the total Calories are fewer than the check-sum from the Calories contributed from summing the macronutrients, I would assume that some of the food entries have the Dietary Fiber Calories subtracted from the Total Calories.