How Do You Meet Your Macros?

arabianhorselover

First of all, I admit that I don't know much about figuring out what my macros should be even though I do know a lot about eating healthy. That doesn't mean I've done it, though!

Just wondering how you all go about meeting them each day once you have figured out what they should be? How do you plan what to eat to make it work? I realize it would be difficult to get it to work out perfectly, of course.

diannethegeek

For me, a lot of it was making tweaks and changes from day to day until I got into a routine that worked. It helps that I'm not trying to hit my macros perfectly. Just hitting the minimum fat & protein numbers lets me fill in the rest of my calories with whatever I want. So some days I'm heavier on fat and other days I'll be higher on carbs. It all evens out at the end of the week, usually.

stevesample76

What Dianne said. It is going to take some time and gaining knowledge of foods and their macros to get it to all work out. I am a calories first, macros second kind of guy but there are days when I hit my macros dead on.

jgnatca

I include all macros in every meal, every snack. I use the plating method taught to me in my diabetic classes. Protein about the size of a deck of cards. Fats about a tablespoon. Half the plate taken up by salad/veggies. That sort of thing.

jacksonpt

I start with the idea that recommended macros involve a range. It's rarely a hard and fast number spit out by some equation. I go by these guidlines -

fats: .25-.5g per lb of overall body weight.
carbs: 1.5-3g per lb of overall body weight.
protein: .75-1.5g per lb of lean body mass.

Where I fall within those ranges at any give time is determined by my goals at the time, my own preferences, etc etc.


As for how I meet my macros...
I generally eat what enjoy eating. I do a lot of pre-logging to figure out what combinations of foods work to hit my cals/macros for the day. Once I get it set, I have a plan for how to eat throughout the day. It works well for me. Beyond that, it's just a matter of having the will power to stick to the plan.

cwolfman13

i use them as a general guideline for eating a reasonably well balanced diet...other than that, I don't worry about them too much and I think people stress themselves out over their macros for very little in return.

I just try to eat a highly nutritious and balanced diet and things seem to fall into place for the most part.

arabianhorselover

diannethegeek wrote: »

For me, a lot of it was making tweaks and changes from day to day until I got into a routine that worked. It helps that I'm not trying to hit my macros perfectly. Just hitting the minimum fat & protein numbers lets me fill in the rest of my calories with whatever I want. So some days I'm heavier on fat and other days I'll be higher on carbs. It all evens out at the end of the week, usually.

I never have trouble getting enough fat! Not necessarily the right kind, though! I have basically been trying to get enough protein and fiber, since I'm always low on those. Really need to cut the sodium, though.

PeachyPlum

For me, I just focus on getting adequate protein and fiber. The stuff that makes my protein palatable and delicious pretty much covers my fat and carb requirements.

At the end of the day, I take a look at my macros and pick an after-dinner snack that best aligns with my goal.

lemurcat12

diannethegeek wrote: »

For me, a lot of it was making tweaks and changes from day to day until I got into a routine that worked. It helps that I'm not trying to hit my macros perfectly. Just hitting the minimum fat & protein numbers lets me fill in the rest of my calories with whatever I want. So some days I'm heavier on fat and other days I'll be higher on carbs. It all evens out at the end of the week, usually.

Yeah, this.

Really, I simply ate according to my own plan for a while, looked at where my macros were and thought about how I was feeling and decided if I needed to adjust them. I consciously did decide to get my protein higher and carbs lower at first, and so increased the serving size of the protein portion of the meals or added it to meals that tended to be low in it (my old breakfast). At the same time I reduced the starchy carbs I was eating by finding alternatives to sandwiches at lunch (this was easy for me because I don't care much about bread, it was just convenient) and being careful with portion size.

Part of figuring out the right macros for you, though, is seeing how you are eating now and whether you are energetic and not hungry. If you aren't feeling satisfied, that would be a reason for a change. There is good reason to get enough protein and fat too.

Once I'd been watching the macros for a bit I found it really quite easy to meet them (as I do, which is not especially rigorously--I've been playing around with more fat the last few days to see how I feel). I'm another who likes balancing my meals which makes it pretty easy to have the day turn out balanced.

Sarah4fitness

Tricks to meet my macros when they're low: Egg whites or whey isolate - protein supplementation, fruit or, (gasp) fat free candy! - carb bump, and coconut oil - fat bump.

rainbowbow

I am a calorie goal and protein goal tracker. I let my carbs and fat fall into place where i feel satiated and energetic. It takes time and making a little tweak here and there, but for me it's easier to focus on cals/protein without becoming obsessive about every little macro.

Figure out what's best for you and go for it.

arabianhorselover

PeachyPlum wrote: »

For me, I just focus on getting adequate protein and fiber. The stuff that makes my protein palatable and delicious pretty much covers my fat and carb requirements.

At the end of the day, I take a look at my macros and pick an after-dinner snack that best aligns with my goal.

That sounds like a good plan.

farfromthetree

rainbowbow wrote: »

I am a calorie goal and protein goal tracker. I let my carbs and fat fall into place where i feel satiated and energetic. It takes time and making a little tweak here and there, but for me it's easier to focus on cals/protein without becoming obsessive about every little macro.

Figure out what's best for you and go for it.

^ this is exactly what I do...