Nutrition Frustration

AspenDan

Breakdown is I'm 6"1', 320 lbs, and I'm trying to lose weight by eating better and some cardio (you can view my food diary and such correct?) I've lost about 15lbs in a month or so, but kinda stalled recently. My big issue is that I don't know what amounts of each macro I should be getting, and online is a hotmess of advice, as is the comments here, frankly. Some say I should get 50% of my calories from carbs, some say 20% from carbs so...I guess this is basically just for me to vent, but feel free to comment if ya like.

callsitlikeiseeit

it doesn't matter at the point you are at. A reduction in calories will result in weight loss. I don't pay attention to any of my macros and eat what i want as long as i can fit it in my calorie goals.

just make sure you weigh (with a scale, not cups) your food.

and.... weight loss is not linear. there will be weeks (sometimes several in a row) where you lose nothing, or even gain slightly. its the overall trend you want to pay attention to.

bpetrosky

First things first, do you have your food logging down tight? Do you use a food scale for almost everything? How many calories are you eating, and what is your setting for pounds to lose per week in MFP? Your diary wasn't open when I checked.

Also, weight loss is not a linear thing, so there are times you'll stall or hold water weight.

Macros are a secondary concern. You do want to be sure you're getting sufficient protein and fat, but that won't greatly affect your weight loss as long you are in a deficit.

@lemonlionheart created the flowchart below which is a very good start to debugging your routine.

RodaRose

danieltsmoke wrote: »

Breakdown is I'm 6"1', 320 lbs, and I'm trying to lose weight by eating better and some cardio (you can view my food diary and such correct?) I've lost about 15lbs in a month or so, but kinda stalled recently. My big issue is that I don't know what amounts of each macro I should be getting, and online is a hotmess of advice, as is the comments here, frankly. Some say I should get 50% of my calories from carbs, some say 20% from carbs so...I guess this is basically just for me to vent, but feel free to comment if ya like.

There will be stalls. Be patient. Keep the focus whether you are getting good news from the scale or not. You could look at the macros this way:
Protein -- always get the the amount MFP gave you. Going over is o.k.
Fat - try to get the MFP number. Going over is o.k.
Carbs - Ignore MFP. Go by your own preferences.

Liftng4Lis

A good starting point is 35/35/30. Still right now, the only thing you should be worrying about is the caloric deficit.

bpetrosky

@Liftng4Lis You might want to make it more clear for the OP which is which in the 35/35/30 mix. Most new folks don't grok the shorthand.

Liftng4Lis

bpetrosky wrote: »

@Liftng4Lis You might want to make it more clear for the OP which is which in the 35/35/30 mix. Most new folks don't grok the shorthand.

c/p/f

xX_PhoenixRising_Xx

danieltsmoke wrote: »

Breakdown is I'm 6"1', 320 lbs, and I'm trying to lose weight by eating better and some cardio (you can view my food diary and such correct?) I've lost about 15lbs in a month or so, but kinda stalled recently. My big issue is that I don't know what amounts of each macro I should be getting, and online is a hotmess of advice, as is the comments here, frankly. Some say I should get 50% of my calories from carbs, some say 20% from carbs so...I guess this is basically just for me to vent, but feel free to comment if ya like.

Honestly - you're new to this and significantly overweight. It's easy to get bogged down in a whole heap of conflicting advice. Start with the basics - create a calorie deficit. Stick to what MFP sets for you by default. Track everything that passes your lips, use a food scale and make sure that you weigh and log everything. Once you get into the swing of that, then worry about macros if you need to. Don't make it more complicated than it needs to be!

As you go along you'll no doubt learn what works for you, and then you can adjust. Trial and error was far better than random info off the internet in my case. Oh, and weight loss definitely isn't linear. I started at 329lbs. The most I lost in one week was 8lbs, other weeks I lost a few lbs, others I lost nothing, and then back to 3 or 4 lbs just by doing the same thing each week. Overall it averaged out to a reasonable weight loss of just around 2lbs/week for the first 120lbs or so that I lost.

slaite1

xX_PhoenixRising_Xx wrote: »

danieltsmoke wrote: »

Breakdown is I'm 6"1', 320 lbs, and I'm trying to lose weight by eating better and some cardio (you can view my food diary and such correct?) I've lost about 15lbs in a month or so, but kinda stalled recently. My big issue is that I don't know what amounts of each macro I should be getting, and online is a hotmess of advice, as is the comments here, frankly. Some say I should get 50% of my calories from carbs, some say 20% from carbs so...I guess this is basically just for me to vent, but feel free to comment if ya like.

Honestly - you're new to this and significantly overweight. It's easy to get bogged down in a whole heap of conflicting advice. Start with the basics - create a calorie deficit. Stick to what MFP sets for you by default. Track everything that passes your lips, use a food scale and make sure that you weigh and log everything. Once you get into the swing of that, then worry about macros if you need to. Don't make it more complicated than it needs to be!

As you go along you'll no doubt learn what works for you, and then you can adjust. Trial and error was far better than random info off the internet in my case. Oh, and weight loss definitely isn't linear. I started at 329lbs. The most I lost in one week was 8lbs, other weeks I lost a few lbs, others I lost nothing, and then back to 3 or 4 lbs just by doing the same thing each week. Overall it averaged out to a reasonable weight loss of just around 2lbs/week for the first 120lbs or so that I lost.

This is great advice. Between the Internet and this forum it can really be information overload.

You will start to notice, though, that their are some people who post often-and their advice is always sound. They speak from experience and actually encourage keeping it simple. A few of those people are on this thread. Form your own opinions :-)