Macros??

maleficentmom

Hi. My name is Andrea. I was wondering if anybody out there used macros for their style of eating? Tips? Experiences?

losergood2011

no ones responded? Hmmmm Macros are interesting. I use them to make sure I hit my protein goal which is hard for me. If I eat within my macros then I lose. If I get to many carbs I gain water weight. I was advised to start with a 30 carb 30 fat and 40 protein split. MFP macros are to high on carbs for me.

slaite1

Their are tons of threads on here regarding macros, and even a very recent one where users share their current macro splits. Lots of people on here track macros as well as calories. Take a look around

vivmom2014

I'm almost always over on fat & sugar. Protein is harder for me to reach, but I've made great progress. I watch calories most of all. The bottom line is the scale is going in the right direction... so... there's that!

cwolfman13

I personally think a lot of people obsess about them far too much for no good reason.

DaddieCat

Macros are really goal dependent. Do you want to lose weight? Calories in over calories out.. obviously that's an oversimplification, but the gist.

For those trying to lift and gain mass, macros are very important. For those trying to lose weight, less so, but can be helpful for lots of reasons. Protein is filling and long lasting, so higher protein macros makes it easier to stay fuller longer, also essential in the repair of muscle tissue damaged during workout.

For me, it's meet protein macro, then fat, then fill in the rest with carbs. Note that I don't eat that way, I don't only eat protein until my macro is met, I do mix foods... but I do try to make sure that my protein macro is always met, fat if I can help it, and carbs are less important unless it's a training day, in which case carbs are very important.

It's easy to get caught up in numbers, but the usefulness of said numbers really relies on your goals.

Mr_Knight

There are like 8 billion posts on this. Tons of people here use IIFYM.

clairempfit

I track macros and count calories. It has been very beneficial to me considering that I've lost 11 lbs in just the past 2 weeks. The best advice I can give is to just find what works for you! Start researching ratios and try them out. For example: a macro ratio might look like this... Protein 50%, Carbs 30%, and Fat 20%. That is the standard for my fitness pal I believe. If you want to lose weight, eat more protein and fewer carbs... BUT NEVER count any macronutrient out of your diet. (example: no carb diets- NOT HEALTHY)

maleficentmom

Thanks to everyone who replied. I appreciate the shared ideas and input. I've read a lot about macros, but I'm an info junky and I enjoy the perspective of others. I'm not sure what iifym is, but I'll research it!