Hard to meet targets for carb protein fat

Clarewho

I find it difficult to meet the targets for carbs, protein and fat. I've cut out most bread, pasta, rice and am eating veg instead. This is easy so far and I haven been too hungry. Also my sugar is usually too high but my feeling is that because it's mostly fruit sugar I shouldn't be too worried?? I think I'd only manage to meet the sugar target if I cut out most fruit.

But I am a bit concerned about the big 3 I mentioned earlier. Should I worry about that or just the overall calories?

stevesample76

Calories first and then worry about the macros. What are your macro goals set at?

Clarewho

What are macro goals? I'm going for 2lb loss pw. Excuse my ignorance I'm new here

stevesample76

Sorry...macronutrients are your protein, carbs and fat.

Unknown

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Clarewho

Ah ok. Thank you. My targets are fat 60g, carb 150, protein 60g. I'm doing ok for Cals and I suppose as time passes I'll get better at knowing what to eat?! It's an eye opener what is actually in the foods we think we know isn't it.

stevesample76

There is a learning curve involved.

I tend to lean toward going more balanced with carbs and protein so I set my goals to 40% carbs and 40% protein and 20% fat.

Clarewho

Thank you. I worry mostly when I exceed the fat %. As that's the one thing I definitely need less of! I don't know about lowering my carb % as I'm already going over every day somehow! I am just going to worry about Cals then hope I learn enough to meet other goals in time. Thanks

lemurcat12

Why do you worry about exceeding the fat %? From my quick look at your diary, it seemed like you were low, if anything. Fat doesn't make you fat, and getting enough fat is important and for some makes it easier to feel satisfied.

One thing to realize is that the recommended grams of the macros (fat, carbs, and protein) add up to your total calories. You can't be low in everything as a percentage--since they add up to 100%, if you are low on one you'll be high on another.

Also, what the best macros are vary by person. MFP has a standard recommendation, but many people alter them to reflect how they like to eat or what makes them more satisfied. I tend to make mine a bit higher in protein and fat and lower in carbs (40-30-30, with carbs at 40%), because that works for me at my current calorie level.

What is important is to get your calories down and then look back and see where you were on the macros. When looking back, I'd think about a few things: (1) is your protein too low (MFP's recommendation is already pretty low if your calories tend to be low, as your are); (2) are you cutting too low on fat (some people do this when dieting); and (3) did you generally feel satisfied and if not were there particular days when you were more or less satisfied (many of us don't have any issues with this at the beginning of a dietary change, because the change itself is motivating and exciting, but it's something to watch for and can often be addressed by adjusting macros).

I would NOT eat below your calories to avoid going over a macro limit, as those aren't maximums unless you decide to use them as such (and even then it would usually only be for a specific one, like carbs). It seemed to me that you were eating well below your calorie goal on some day, and that's one reason you are often low on the macros.

Clarewho

Thanks some very useful points there. You're right my calories are a bit low some days. I don't feel right eating extra calories just to get my calories up so i probably need to eat more earlier in the day. I appreciate your advice I'm not really getting that hungry yet but as you say it's very early days and I need to make it sustainable over the longer term. I'll keep an eye on my percentages and once I've been at it longer I probably will adjust to tie on more with me as an individual. Thank you x

Francl27

First you're eating way too little... although you don't seem to log properly. Stop using generic entries... make your own entries.
Second, more veggies, less fruit, meat, Greek yogurt, beans, cheese are your friends.

Clarewho

Hi I'm being pretty careful to log absurdly everything. I'm weighing on my digital scales. If it's a brand name I use the exact thing I've had. And if it's home made I select home made. What do you mean by generic entries as I'm not sure what I've done wrong? Thanks x

lemurcat12

Do you create your own entry for homemade?

The hardest thing about logging at first is choosing the right entries. There's a good thread on how to log--does anyone know the link? It taught me a lot when I started.

Edit: This one is pretty good, but I'm thinking of the one that SezxyStef wrote:

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1296011/calorie-counting-101

Clarewho

Thank you. I will keep it up and see what happens