I'm reading about macros for weight loss
dkkkuehl
Posts: 8
And I'm finding recommendations for 10-20% carbs, 50-70% protein and the rest fat.
I have been doing the mfp default for the past week-- 50% carbs 20% protein and rest fat.
That's a huge difference! I want to lose 100+ lbs and I'm doing strength training too. However I'll focus on lean mass after fat loss.
But is 10-20% carbs and such high protein really realistic?? I'm stumped on how to get so much protein (I'm not vegan) without eating chicken and tuna fish with every meal. Anyone have some insight?
I have been doing the mfp default for the past week-- 50% carbs 20% protein and rest fat.
That's a huge difference! I want to lose 100+ lbs and I'm doing strength training too. However I'll focus on lean mass after fat loss.
But is 10-20% carbs and such high protein really realistic?? I'm stumped on how to get so much protein (I'm not vegan) without eating chicken and tuna fish with every meal. Anyone have some insight?
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Protein should be around .8g per lb of lean body mass. Start with that, it's the most important one you need to worry about. Beyond that, figure out what you want to lose, and how fast, use a calculator to see what your intake should be, and it's up to you how you divide what's left between carbs and fat. Some people prefer more carbs because they can have fruit and pasta and rice. Some people prefer more fat, because you don't get hungry between meals.
You can use any meat for protein, and you have to have some fat in your diet, otherwise you won't absorb minerals. Beef, pork, venison, any normal meat are all acceptable.
ETA: MFP's default macro settings are rarely right for anyone, use the advanced setting to put them where you really want them.0 -
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But is 10-20% carbs and such high protein really realistic?? I'm stumped on how to get so much protein (I'm not vegan) without eating chicken and tuna fish with every meal. Anyone have some insight?
No, that's a terribly high amount of protein for most people.
For an illustration, I eat 1650 calories and am 125 and figure my lean mass is at best 100. That means that even under the higher estimate of 1 gram per lb of lean body mass (usually recommended for those doing strength training and eating at a deficit and trying to retain muscle or eating at a surplus and trying to gain muscle), the most protein I need is 100 grams. I eat more for various reasons (30%-ish) but your 50% would give me over twice what I need and 70% significantly more than that even, by shortchanging fat and carbs.
10-20% carbs is fine for someone on a lower carb diet, but there's no reason to go to such a diet unless for other reasons you've concluded separately that it would work better for you. Carbs are a good source of energy, and low carb diets aren't better for weight loss. For some people, they help them maintain a calorie deficit, but I have not found that going low carb is needed for me (and I enjoy lots of carbs).
Also, if you do a low carb diet talk to people who actually do one, as the normal advice is to increase fat to substitute for the decrease in carbs. The macros you've found strike me as pretty unusual and probably not sustainable for most (and likely quite expensive given the high percentage of meat or supplements needed).
Macros are mostly a matter of personal preference. I'd start by focusing on calories and logging for a while and then look at your macros and see how they compare to MFP's. If you struggle with meeting your calories, that's also a good time to look at your macros and see if that might be why. I do better (feel fuller and happier) if I get protein and fat at every meal, so I tend to prefer about 40-30-30 or 35-35-30 macros, but like I said that's going to depend on the person.0 -
What on earth have you been reading to get 50-70% protein?!0
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That's a lot of protein! It depends on your activity level. If you work out a ton, like burning 800 calories a day, maybe you would need that much especially if you were doing low carb. If satiety is what you are after then you will get that from the fat. I just read about a study where one group was put on 90%carbs, one group 90%fat, and one group 90% protein. The 90% fat group lost the most weight! So I do think a fat, moderate protein, low carb diet works well for weight loss.0
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ok!http://sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0140673656916919
Post that study please.That's a lot of protein! It depends on your activity level. If you work out a ton, like burning 800 calories a day, maybe you would need that much especially if you were doing low carb. If satiety is what you are after then you will get that from the fat. I just read about a study where one group was put on 90%carbs, one group 90%fat, and one group 90% protein. The 90% fat group lost the most weight! So I do think a fat, moderate protein, low carb diet works well for weight loss.
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TavistockToad wrote: »What on earth have you been reading to get 50-70% protein?!
That was my question.0 -
ok!http://sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0140673656916919
Post that study please.That's a lot of protein! It depends on your activity level. If you work out a ton, like burning 800 calories a day, maybe you would need that much especially if you were doing low carb. If satiety is what you are after then you will get that from the fat. I just read about a study where one group was put on 90%carbs, one group 90%fat, and one group 90% protein. The 90% fat group lost the most weight! So I do think a fat, moderate protein, low carb diet works well for weight loss.
Seriously? That's from before I was born.
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S01406736569169190 -
Nobody needs 50%-70% protein.
Ain't nobody got time for that!0 -
Does that discredit it?Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »ok!http://sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0140673656916919
Post that study please.That's a lot of protein! It depends on your activity level. If you work out a ton, like burning 800 calories a day, maybe you would need that much especially if you were doing low carb. If satiety is what you are after then you will get that from the fat. I just read about a study where one group was put on 90%carbs, one group 90%fat, and one group 90% protein. The 90% fat group lost the most weight! So I do think a fat, moderate protein, low carb diet works well for weight loss.
Seriously? That's from before I was born.
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0140673656916919
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And I'm finding recommendations for 10-20% carbs, 50-70% protein and the rest fat.
I have been doing the mfp default for the past week-- 50% carbs 20% protein and rest fat.
That's a huge difference! I want to lose 100+ lbs and I'm doing strength training too. However I'll focus on lean mass after fat loss.
But is 10-20% carbs and such high protein really realistic?? I'm stumped on how to get so much protein (I'm not vegan) without eating chicken and tuna fish with every meal. Anyone have some insight?
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Go to this website it will tell you what you need to know about macros www.iifym.com0
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How many "planets" were there in 1956?
Does that discredit it?Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »ok!http://sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0140673656916919
Post that study please.That's a lot of protein! It depends on your activity level. If you work out a ton, like burning 800 calories a day, maybe you would need that much especially if you were doing low carb. If satiety is what you are after then you will get that from the fat. I just read about a study where one group was put on 90%carbs, one group 90%fat, and one group 90% protein. The 90% fat group lost the most weight! So I do think a fat, moderate protein, low carb diet works well for weight loss.
Seriously? That's from before I was born.
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0140673656916919
But seriously, this is what you "just read"?
Or did you just link something random?
Or did you just read Dr. Atkins first book? There's a LOT of new research out there! (much of which supports a low(er) carb lifestyle.
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Those are pretty dumb recommendations. Studies have shown time and time again that people don't need anywhere near the amount of protein that they think they do in order to maintain muscle mass. Elite endurance athletes have been able to maintain lean body mass on .8g protein/lb body weight (and elite bodybuilders even less, at 0.5g/lb).
Honestly at 100lbs overweight it'll just fly off if you're in a calorie deficit, regardless of your macro composition (I know because I've been there). If I was you I'd make it easy for myself - eat .5g/lb protein and then let the fats/carbs fall wherever they want. Just make sure you're in a calorie deficit at the end of the day.
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The assumption that diets high in fat lead to coronary heart disease and obesity has shaped the cornerstone of modern nutritional policy for over thirty years. Based off a hypothesis and poor science, conventional nutritional wisdom touts a low fat diet. Since the 80's we've seen an explosion of low fat foods lining super market shelves. These products are loaded with sugar to compensate for the loss of flavor from removing fat, which humans have been consuming for two million years. Obesity and diabetes rates have doubled since 1980 despite the move away from traditional diets high in saturated fat. Saturated fat is an essential nutrient which aids in proper hormonal function, energy production, skin and dental health, vascular, nervous system, and cognitive function. It's extremely high satiety factor makes it excellent for appetite control. The benefits of eating fat far, far out weigh the risks. In the Framingham Heart Study, which followed 15,000 participants over three generations, found that participants who ate the most cholesterol and saturated fat actually weighed the least and were the most physically active. This well respected study found no correlation between dietary cholesterol and blood cholesterol levels. Recent scientific studies like this one from 2010, continue to come out, which disproves our long held nutritional dogma that vilifies saturated fat and dietary cholesterol. http://m.ajcn.nutrition.org/content/early/2010/01/13/ajcn.2009.27725.abstract?papetoc0
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I've tried to increase my protein even by 5% over the MFP default and it is very, very hard. Carbs are handy sources of fast energy.0
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I've tried to increase my protein even by 5% over the MFP default and it is very, very hard. Carbs are handy sources of fast energy.
It really is. Is 50-70% protein realistic or palatable to you, OP? Then do it. But you're going to lose the weight no matter what your macro breakdown looks like. Good luck with your weight loss!0 -
OP, until you get a better feel for what you are doing and how to split you macros, just set it to 30.protein, 30 fat' and 40 carbs. Is that your ideal? Who knows, but it is a good place to start while you get more information.0
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70% protein. Let's see, on my calories, that'd be... 402g. A day. To give you an idea of what someone that consumes 400g of protein looks like... link to pic of professional wrestler who claims to get 400g a day.0
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Are you a cat??0
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Death by protein farts
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For me, the best way to stay in my calories and lose weight is listen to my body. If I need more protein I have legume or meat. If I need more carbs I have vegetables/fruit. If I need more fat I go for the avocado or nuts. ALWAYS drink plenty of water and ALWAYS check with your doctor0
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That is quite a bit of protein. However, I do recommend you eat a little bit of lean protein (i.e. chicken) with every meal. Good luck!0
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