Fat, protein, carbs

melanie_a_h

how do you figure out what percentage of each you should set your goals to for best results? I am 182lb and 5'7 after just having baby. Wanting to loose the baby weight and get down to 140 ultimately. Currently I have my settings at 1200 calories/day , t25 work out per day. Thanks!!!

TimothyFish

For weight loss, it doesn't matter. Eat what you want to eat, but stay within your calorie goals.

jacksonpt

Recommended macros will usually involve a range, somewhere between minimum and ideal based on your goals. It's not always as black and white as people, websites, formulas, etc. suggest.

Speaking very generally, people should be aiming for -

fat: .25-.5g per lb of total body weight
carbs: 1-3g per lb of total body weight
protein: .75-1.5g per lb of lean body mass

Where you fall within those ranges should be dictated by things like personal preference, sustainability, performance, and goals.

Ellaskat

i am not really knowledgeable about that stuff so I'm using MFP's suggestions. Working out well for me. I have started upping my protein amounts, which is making me less hungry whoo-hoo!

diannethegeek

I had good success using this post to set my macros and I know others have found it useful as well:
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/819055/setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets

Unknown

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galgenstrick

TimothyFish wrote: »

For weight loss, it doesn't matter. Eat what you want to eat, but stay within your calorie goals.

For "weight" loss this is correct, but for fat loss with limited lbm loss, OP will want to have a decent protein intake and resistance training plan.

RoxieDawn

Let MFP figure them out for you. If you are a "trainer" (exercise a lot) then protein, fat and carb balance is important. But not required to lose weight.

I am not training, but I do exercise 5 - 6 days a week and do increase fat and protein in my diet. So for this instance I do increase my macros for higher protein and fat and lower/moderate carbs.

terbusha

Calories are the most important thing for weight loss. What I do and what I recommend to people is to eat at a calorie level that allows you to make good progress towards your goal. If you are trying to lose weight, eat so you drop 1-2 lbs/week. This assumes an average calorie burn from you getting in all of your workouts. This will be different for everyone, so you'll have to do some trial and error to figure it out. I'd start ~1600 cal/day. Hit this goal, along with your macros and getting in your workouts, for 2 weeks. If you lose 1-2 lbs, you're good to go. If you lose too much, increase your intake and repeat. If you don't lose enough, reduce your intake a bit and repeat. After a few weeks, you'll figure out what works for you in your situation.

As for macros, here's what I do:
Protein: 0.8-1.2 g/lb of body weight
Fat: 20-25% of your daily calories
Carbs: the rest of your calories

melanie_a_h

Thank you!!!!!

melanie_a_h

Oh you mentioned a good program with weights. Do you recommend one for strength training?

Liftng4Lis

melanie_a_h wrote: »

Oh you mentioned a good program with weights. Do you recommend one for strength training?

Look into strong lifts 5x5.

shreddedtrooper

jacksonpt wrote: »

Recommended macros will usually involve a range, somewhere between minimum and ideal based on your goals. It's not always as black and white as people, websites, formulas, etc. suggest.

Speaking very generally, people should be aiming for -

fat: .25-.5g per lb of total body weight
carbs: 1-3g per lb of total body weight
protein: .75-1.5g per lb of lean body mass

Where you fall within those ranges should be dictated by things like personal preference, sustainability, performance, and goals.

This!! Nicely stated!

shreddedtrooper

Another program to look into is PHAT training.

5x5 is great as well. PHAT may be appealing as well, do proper research and stick to a path and obtain gains!
best of luck!

jessupbrady

diannethegeek wrote: »

I had good success using this post to set my macros and I know others have found it useful as well:
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/819055/setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets

This is a great reference! (As well as many of the other posts they put out)

melanie_a_h

Fantastic! Thanks for the help ☺️