Trying to Hit Macros=pain in the bum!
Sarasmaintaining
Posts: 1,027 Member
Up until now I haven't paid much attention to macros, but I'm starting a new body-weight strength training program this week, and I decided it was time to focus on macros, in order to start fine tuning some things. Today was the first day I've tried hitting certain macros ratios and good grief, I suck at it lol 
Remaining at end of day:
Calories: 158 (ok)
Carbs: 19 (ok)
Fat: -29 (boo)
Protein: 57 (yikes)
Fiber: -6 (ok)
Iron: 37 (double yikes)
Surprised at how low my protein intake was. I also decided to track iron instead of sugar, and was surprised at how low that was too. Now I'm wondering about my other micros-think I need to start paying attention to those as well.
I am in awe of the IIFYM crowd- this macros thing is a lot more challenging than I thought it would be!
I'm assuming it does get easier the longer you do it?
Remaining at end of day:
Calories: 158 (ok)
Carbs: 19 (ok)
Fat: -29 (boo)
Protein: 57 (yikes)
Fiber: -6 (ok)
Iron: 37 (double yikes)
Surprised at how low my protein intake was. I also decided to track iron instead of sugar, and was surprised at how low that was too. Now I'm wondering about my other micros-think I need to start paying attention to those as well.
I am in awe of the IIFYM crowd- this macros thing is a lot more challenging than I thought it would be!
I'm assuming it does get easier the longer you do it?
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Yes, it's difficult at first. And it absolutely does get easier. You'll find foods you enjoy that can help you meet those goals and still fit in foods you love. Protein had always been my most difficult to hit, as I love carbs. Being able to track macros and micros has helped me tone it down and make sure I'm hitting all my required nutrients. And Talenti. Unrelated to post but Talenti.0
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What percentages are you aiming for, if you don't mind my asking?
And yeah, I've found it gets easier as you go.
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Phoenix_Down wrote: »Yes, it's difficult at first. And it absolutely does get easier. You'll find foods you enjoy that can help you meet those goals and still fit in foods you love. Protein had always been my most difficult to hit, as I love carbs. Being able to track macros and micros has helped me tone it down and make sure I'm hitting all my required nutrients. And Talenti. Unrelated to post but Talenti.
Ha, had to google Talenti
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ashdawg8790 wrote: »What percentages are you aiming for, if you don't mind my asking?
And yeah, I've found it gets easier as you go.
I used Scooby's calculator for 1-3 hours of light exercise a week/gain muscle, lose fat. It gave me a macros ratio of 25% protein, 55% carbs, 20% fat.
It also bumped my calories up to 1,832, which is going to take some getting used to. The macros percentage breaks down to 229g carbs, 51g fat and 115g protein (rounded numbers a bit to make it work for MFP's settings).
Dang, that is a lot of protein sigh.....
My maintenance range is 120-125lbs, I'm 36 yrs old and I'm 5 ft, 6in. Have a goal of adding muscle definition/possibly some small muscle gains? Don't know if the second part is possible without heavy lifting though (not ready for that at this point).
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Sarasmaintaining wrote: »Phoenix_Down wrote: »Yes, it's difficult at first. And it absolutely does get easier. You'll find foods you enjoy that can help you meet those goals and still fit in foods you love. Protein had always been my most difficult to hit, as I love carbs. Being able to track macros and micros has helped me tone it down and make sure I'm hitting all my required nutrients. And Talenti. Unrelated to post but Talenti.
Ha, had to google Talenti
Honestly, the greatest gelato I've had (and I'd never had gelato prior to MFP and adventures in fitness lol). There's not a single flavor I've tried and disliked. Hehe. Paying attention to what I was eating made me appreciate foods better. I've done more food experimentation controlling my intake than I did eating whatever0 -
I also do IIFYM but one thing i would make sure to do is at the end of the day make sure your numbers are making sense. Remember 4calories per gram of protein and carbs and 9 for fat. what ever your "remaining" carb/fat/protein is SHOULD add up to be your calories remaining. If not, you probably have an entry that isn't verified. I found i was off quite a bit because of my fruits/veggies. Those are not always verified on here.0
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JessNelson_ wrote: »I also do IIFYM but one thing i would make sure to do is at the end of the day make sure your numbers are making sense. Remember 4calories per gram of protein and carbs and 9 for fat. what ever your "remaining" carb/fat/protein is SHOULD add up to be your calories remaining. If not, you probably have an entry that isn't verified. I found i was off quite a bit because of my fruits/veggies. Those are not always verified on here.
Ah, good to know-thanks!0 -
It does get easier! I find pre planning definitely helps.
113g protein isn't that much (imo). If you struggle with that, start planning each meal around a protein source. Think about how many meals you want and try to hit a certain number of grams per meal.
I always add vegies/fruit/carbs next and then fat.
Make lists of your favourite sources of each and mix and match.
If there's a "treat" you want, that may skew your macros a bit (ie a slab of cake that may use up most of your carbs and fat), add that it first and work around it.0 -
Don't worry about iron, I'm sure most users don't even enter the iron values of food in the database. I track fiber instead, personally.
What helps is to preplan my day as much as I can, and make sure I have a good amount of protein at least for lunch and dinner (I'm happy with 10 for breakfast). Once the meals are in, I can plan my snacks around what I still need... Need fat? Nuts. Need protein? Greek yogurt. Need fiber? Some fruit or veggies or whole grain English muffin or wrap etc.0 -
livingleanlivingclean wrote: »It does get easier! I find pre planning definitely helps.
113g protein isn't that much (imo). If you struggle with that, start planning each meal around a protein source. Think about how many meals you want and try to hit a certain number of grams per meal.
I always add vegies/fruit/carbs next and then fat.
Make lists of your favourite sources of each and mix and match.
Good idea-I'll try and make protein the centerpiece of my meals and then work out from there I do 16:8IF and usually eat one large meal at 11ish, a smaller meal at 5ish and then somedays a mid-afternoon snack. I think I'll make the snack a daily thing for the time being, and make it a protein source (Greek yogurt, hard boiled eggs etc).
This is a brand new way of looking at food for me, so it's going to take some getting used to, but I start the new strength training program today and I'm excited to see how focusing on specific macros along with the program will turn out!0 -
Don't worry about iron, I'm sure most users don't even enter the iron values of food in the database. I track fiber instead, personally.
What helps is to preplan my day as much as I can, and make sure I have a good amount of protein at least for lunch and dinner (I'm happy with 10 for breakfast). Once the meals are in, I can plan my snacks around what I still need... Need fat? Nuts. Need protein? Greek yogurt. Need fiber? Some fruit or veggies or whole grain English muffin or wrap etc.
I'm a pre-planner, but up to now I've only focused on calories. Definitely see how pre-planning will be a huge help with macros. Yesterday I didn't do that, but today I'm going to for sure 0 -
It definitely gets easier as you go. These days I'm usually within 5g of all of my macros daily (I don't track iron, sugar, sodium, etc...just macros), but if you check out my diary a few months ago, I was all over the place. I used to think it was fine to go over in fat and protein as long as I stayed under in carbs, and it served me well if we're just talking weight, but now that I'm more committed to IIFYM, I make sure I try to hit each one and not be too much over or under.
Eventually you start learning what foods are more "macro friendly" according to your individual goals. Pre-logging is hugely helpful as opposed to just going through the day trying to fit things in as you go along. I never end up at the end of the day with no macros left for dinner. I know what I'm going to eat before the day even starts, and I make adjustments if necessary. I'm so obsessed with pre-logging that I have 90% of my food logged from now until early June. That won't work for everyone, of course, but it suits my lifestyle just fine.
(If you do look at my diary, keep in mind my weekend macro goals are different than my weekday goals and I memorize them, so what MFP says my goals are isn't entirely accurate. I go on weekly averages for the most part.)0 -
Wow, that seems quite low on fat. I would change that up to 25-30% fat and lower carbs to 45-50%Sarasmaintaining wrote: »ashdawg8790 wrote: »What percentages are you aiming for, if you don't mind my asking?
And yeah, I've found it gets easier as you go.
I used Scooby's calculator for 1-3 hours of light exercise a week/gain muscle, lose fat. It gave me a macros ratio of 25% protein, 55% carbs, 20% fat.
It also bumped my calories up to 1,832, which is going to take some getting used to. The macros percentage breaks down to 229g carbs, 51g fat and 115g protein (rounded numbers a bit to make it work for MFP's settings).
Dang, that is a lot of protein sigh.....
My maintenance range is 120-125lbs, I'm 36 yrs old and I'm 5 ft, 6in. Have a goal of adding muscle definition/possibly some small muscle gains? Don't know if the second part is possible without heavy lifting though (not ready for that at this point).0 -
Regarding pre-planning....it's also helpful if you know there's something you want later at night as a snack. I break my meals into Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner (of course) but then also have a Morning, Afternoon, and Late bucket for those in-between snacks/meals. If you know you're going to want something specific late (or dinner for that matter) plug it in as soon as you know and then fill in the gaps the rest of the day. That's how I work in a beer (or two) on weekends.
Also, over time you'll come up with some go-to foods that help fill in gaps in your macros. Protein shakes (I use ON Gold Whey) are an easy way to catch up on protein if you're short. Grilled chicken is another one of those easy protein fixes.0 -
It gets easier as you go! It took me a little while to learn about macro-friendly foods. When I first started, I remember buying things that ended up being so difficult to fit into my macros because I forgot to check fat content or something. @LyndseyLovesToLift has some bang on advice 0
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Sarasmaintaining wrote: »ashdawg8790 wrote: »What percentages are you aiming for, if you don't mind my asking?
And yeah, I've found it gets easier as you go.
I used Scooby's calculator for 1-3 hours of light exercise a week/gain muscle, lose fat. It gave me a macros ratio of 25% protein, 55% carbs, 20% fat.
It also bumped my calories up to 1,832, which is going to take some getting used to. The macros percentage breaks down to 229g carbs, 51g fat and 115g protein (rounded numbers a bit to make it work for MFP's settings).
Dang, that is a lot of protein sigh.....
My maintenance range is 120-125lbs, I'm 36 yrs old and I'm 5 ft, 6in. Have a goal of adding muscle definition/possibly some small muscle gains? Don't know if the second part is possible without heavy lifting though (not ready for that at this point).
You cant really lose fat and gain muscle at the same time, unless you're doing recomp? are you eating at a deficit or a surplus or maintenance?0 -
mizzlarabee wrote: »It gets easier as you go! It took me a little while to learn about macro-friendly foods. When I first started, I remember buying things that ended up being so difficult to fit into my macros because I forgot to check fat content or something. @LyndseyLovesToLift has some bang on advice
I made a big batch of taco meat for salads, etc. over the weekend. We don't eat beef all that much (prices are crazy compared to chicken) and I now remember why I never used 88% lean ground beef. There's too much fat per serving compared to the protein, so to get a good dose of protein, you're stuck with the large dose of fat. I'm used to eating chicken all the time, which has very little fat, so my "bad" purchase of the ground beef has thrown my normally easily planned daily macros into somewhat of a challenge.0 -
mizzlarabee wrote: »It gets easier as you go! It took me a little while to learn about macro-friendly foods. When I first started, I remember buying things that ended up being so difficult to fit into my macros because I forgot to check fat content or something. @LyndseyLovesToLift has some bang on advice
I made a big batch of taco meat for salads, etc. over the weekend. We don't eat beef all that much (prices are crazy compared to chicken) and I now remember why I never used 88% lean ground beef. There's too much fat per serving compared to the protein, so to get a good dose of protein, you're stuck with the large dose of fat. I'm used to eating chicken all the time, which has very little fat, so my "bad" purchase of the ground beef has thrown my normally easily planned daily macros into somewhat of a challenge.
Yup haha... I tried doing ground turkey a few times but I can't even handle the dryness. You could try doing a ground turkey and beef combo?0 -
mizzlarabee wrote: »mizzlarabee wrote: »It gets easier as you go! It took me a little while to learn about macro-friendly foods. When I first started, I remember buying things that ended up being so difficult to fit into my macros because I forgot to check fat content or something. @LyndseyLovesToLift has some bang on advice
I made a big batch of taco meat for salads, etc. over the weekend. We don't eat beef all that much (prices are crazy compared to chicken) and I now remember why I never used 88% lean ground beef. There's too much fat per serving compared to the protein, so to get a good dose of protein, you're stuck with the large dose of fat. I'm used to eating chicken all the time, which has very little fat, so my "bad" purchase of the ground beef has thrown my normally easily planned daily macros into somewhat of a challenge.
Yup haha... I tried doing ground turkey a few times but I can't even handle the dryness. You could try doing a ground turkey and beef combo?
Use 93% ground turkey. I can't stand the 99% stuff either, but the 93% one is good (although more calories than 95% ground beef, but cheaper).0 -
You wrote in your opener, "Remaining at the end of the day".
I'm curious, what were your original targets for those categories? 20% fat is likely too low, and I wouldn't go by %'s to calculate macro targets. Your body doesn't care what % intake you have. It works based on sufficient quantity per mass.0 -
Protein and fat are minimums (1g of protein per lb of lean body mass, 0.35g of fat per lb of total body weight) so it's ok to go over on fats as long as it doesn't keep you from hitting your protein minimum and you're still within your desired calorie range.
And yes, it does get easier. You don't have to be perfect right off the bat. Just slowly start making some swaps for macro-friendly foods.bit just takes practice and pre-planning.0 -
FoxyLifter wrote: »Protein and fat are minimums (1g of protein per lb of lean body mass, 0.35g of fat per lb of total body weight) so it's ok to go over on fats as long as it doesn't keep you from hitting your protein minimum and you're still within your desired calorie range.
According to the most recent research, the minimum ranges are as follows:
Protein: 0.60-0.82 g per 1 lb. bodyweight
Dietary fat: 0.40-0.45 g per 1 lb. bodyweight0 -
Yes basically you want to go over your protein and fat goals (my protein goal is 113g, fat 60g). Typically it means reducing carbs. It gets easier once you know your foods' macros better.
Bonus - foods higher in protein and fat keep you full longer. For me the key is meals and snacks well balanced in protein, fat, and fiber.0 -
TavistockToad wrote: »You cant really lose fat and gain muscle at the same time, unless you're doing recomp? are you eating at a deficit or a surplus or maintenance?
I used Scooby's calculator (saw it mentioned a few times here and it sounds like it's a pretty trusted one?), and there's an actual option for 'gain muscle, lose fat' when you chose your goal. When I chose that option, it changed the macros percentages to the ones I was going to try (protein 25%, fat 20%, carbs 55%). Since this is the first time I'm doing the macros thing, I don't really know if that's a good ratio, but like someone else mentioned-the fat does seem pretty low?
What I'm hoping to accomplish with this whole thing-I'm already at a decent bf% (around 22%), but I'd like to keep working on definition (that word is probably almost as bad as toning, sorry lol).. I recently finished up a push-ups challenge and at the end of that I had noticeable definition in my abs (profile picture was taken as I was wrapping up the challenge), shoulders and back. I want to keep going with that, especially in my arms and abs. I got the definition without focusing on anything besides eating my maintenance level calories and then the push-ups. I'm curious to see what might happen with a more structured body-weight strength training program, along with specific macros ratios.
Calorie wise-I've been in maintenance for a couple years now, and up to now I haven't adjusted my calories for the little bit of body-weight strength training that I've been doing on and off. Calorie wise I haven't been burning a lot of extra calories with what I've been doing. However, since I'm starting a more structured program, I did enter in '1-3 hours light exercise a week in the calculator. That bumped my calories up to a little over 1,800 a day. So I think I'd still be eating at maintenance level, but with exercise factored in? I've spent some time over at Nerd Fitness and he's a big advocate of eating a lot of calories, but I think that's more for heavy lifters and not so much those doing his body-strength training programs. I need to do some more reading though on that.
eta: here's the calculator I used http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/0 -
You wrote in your opener, "Remaining at the end of the day".
I'm curious, what were your original targets for those categories? 20% fat is likely too low, and I wouldn't go by %'s to calculate macro targets. Your body doesn't care what % intake you have. It works based on sufficient quantity per mass.
Had to do a bit of rounding to fit the numbers into MFP, but if I did it correctly the percentages that Scooby's calculator gives me breaks down to 229g carbs, 51g fat and 115g protein.
eta: thanks everyone for your input-when it comes to weight loss/maintenance I've got that figured out and feel like I can give advice to others about it. However, I am WAY out of my element when it comes to macros, fitness etc. I really do appreciate everyone's help 0 -
Sarasmaintaining wrote: »You wrote in your opener, "Remaining at the end of the day".
I'm curious, what were your original targets for those categories? 20% fat is likely too low, and I wouldn't go by %'s to calculate macro targets. Your body doesn't care what % intake you have. It works based on sufficient quantity per mass.
Had to do a bit of rounding to fit the numbers into MFP, but if I did it correctly the percentages that Scooby's calculator gives me breaks down to 229g carbs, 51g fat and 115g protein.
eta: thanks everyone for your input-when it comes to weight loss/maintenance I've got that figured out and feel like I can give advice to others about it. However, I am WAY out of my element when it comes to macros, fitness etc. I really do appreciate everyone's help
I don't use that calculator, but your dietary fat should be at least 0.40-0.45 g per 1 lb. bodyweight (bare minimum, preferably higher). Protein can be in the 0.60-0.82 g per 1 lb. bodyweight range or higher.0 -
Sarasmaintaining wrote: »You wrote in your opener, "Remaining at the end of the day".
I'm curious, what were your original targets for those categories? 20% fat is likely too low, and I wouldn't go by %'s to calculate macro targets. Your body doesn't care what % intake you have. It works based on sufficient quantity per mass.
Had to do a bit of rounding to fit the numbers into MFP, but if I did it correctly the percentages that Scooby's calculator gives me breaks down to 229g carbs, 51g fat and 115g protein.
eta: thanks everyone for your input-when it comes to weight loss/maintenance I've got that figured out and feel like I can give advice to others about it. However, I am WAY out of my element when it comes to macros, fitness etc. I really do appreciate everyone's help
I don't use that calculator, but your dietary fat should be at least 0.40-0.45 g per 1 lb. bodyweight (bare minimum, preferably higher). Protein can be in the 0.60-0.82 g per 1 lb. bodyweight range or higher.
Thank you! I'll re-run the numbers doing it this way and see how things look
eta: that would put fat at 55g (going by .45) and protein at 101g (going by .82). So a difference of +4g fat, -14g protein. My weight is down 2lbs today- 123lbs vs yesterday 125lbs (weekend bounce settling down). So that could be part of the reason the two formulas are a bit different. But they're not too far off from each other, especially on the fat. I'm still a bit surprised that I'm actually supposed to eat that low for fat.0 -
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Sarasmaintaining wrote: »Sarasmaintaining wrote: »You wrote in your opener, "Remaining at the end of the day".
I'm curious, what were your original targets for those categories? 20% fat is likely too low, and I wouldn't go by %'s to calculate macro targets. Your body doesn't care what % intake you have. It works based on sufficient quantity per mass.
Had to do a bit of rounding to fit the numbers into MFP, but if I did it correctly the percentages that Scooby's calculator gives me breaks down to 229g carbs, 51g fat and 115g protein.
eta: thanks everyone for your input-when it comes to weight loss/maintenance I've got that figured out and feel like I can give advice to others about it. However, I am WAY out of my element when it comes to macros, fitness etc. I really do appreciate everyone's help
I don't use that calculator, but your dietary fat should be at least 0.40-0.45 g per 1 lb. bodyweight (bare minimum, preferably higher). Protein can be in the 0.60-0.82 g per 1 lb. bodyweight range or higher.
Thank you! I'll re-run the numbers doing it this way and see how things look
eta: that would put fat at 55g (going by .45) and protein at 101g (going by .82). So a difference of +4g fat, -14g protein. My weight is down 2lbs today- 123lbs vs yesterday 125lbs (weekend bounce settling down). So that could be part of the reason the two formulas are a bit different. But they're not too far off from each other, especially on the fat. I'm still a bit surprised that I'm actually supposed to eat that low for fat.
Your macros will change slightly as your weight changes. It is best to rework them for every 5-7 lbs. lost or gained. Adequate dietary fat is hugely important for hormonal health, libido, reproductive health, and especially for pregnant women.0 -
The IIFYM calculator uses 1 gram of protein/lb of bodyweight, when protein requirements should be based on LEAN body mass (LBM), with 1 gram/lb of LBM being a good guideline. That seems to be an issue with quite a few of the popular macro/calorie calculators.
Using that guideline, you would need around 95 grams/day. Not that it's harmful to shoot for 120, but it's not necessary, and I wouldn't worry about trying to hit that high if you are having difficulty. There is evidence that higher amounts are beneficial when you are cutting (losing weight), but for maintaining, 1 gram/lb of LBM should be sufficient.0
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