Newbie nutrition help please

Itfcgadget

hi all, I am new to this community/app and I am so keen to finally make a difference to my obesity however I'm getting really confused.
I am struggling to get near the ratios for allowed carbs sugars etc and I can't see how I can ever reach my targets.
I do my 10-15000 steps and today so far have had a small bowl of Special K, 2 apples, a sandwich, now a healthy choice low fat ready meal with fresh veg. I still have 400 calories to go but I am double my sugar allowance. Just over carbs. Should I just stop now and don't worry about the 400 calories or eat the calories and blow the sugars and carbs.
I am sure you will read this and smile, but feel a little low as I'm trying hard to get this right.
Thanks in advance
J

debtay123

hi I have been on this site about a month. There will be days when you blow some portion of the macro or micro nutrients. Just do your BEST- Eat all of your calories from MFP- but do not eat all of your exercise calories- I think MFP estimates higher for exercise. Make sure that you eat in a deficit- If you eat below 1,000 cal - MFP will give you a sign that says that you have not eaten "enough today to get your recommended nutrients". So therefore remember you will not hit EVERY sugar or fat or protein or carb goal everyday- it is impossible. I TRY for what i call the big " three" which are my protein, carbs and fat- others are important but don't stress out on what you can not help. In other words- blow the sugar and carbs- but Keep exercising and keep trying to hit your main macros.

Itfcgadget

Thanks for that. I'm finding this far more complicated than I was expecting

TeaBea

Itfcgadget wrote: »

hi all, I am new to this community/app and I am so keen to finally make a difference to my obesity however I'm getting really confused.
I am struggling to get near the ratios for allowed carbs sugars etc and I can't see how I can ever reach my targets.
I do my 10-15000 steps and today so far have had a small bowl of Special K, 2 apples, a sandwich, now a healthy choice low fat ready meal with fresh veg. I still have 400 calories to go but I am double my sugar allowance. Just over carbs. Should I just stop now and don't worry about the 400 calories or eat the calories and blow the sugars and carbs.
I am sure you will read this and smile, but feel a little low as I'm trying hard to get this right.
Thanks in advance
J

(Barring medical issues) Your 2 most important macros are protein & fat.

Sugars are carbs (energy). I turned my sugar tracking off (I don't need to look at carbs twice)....and turned on tracking for fiber instead. Too many CALORIES (from any source) cause weight gain....not carbs.

Look for protein & fat sources for your meals....what's leftover is carbs. Protein, fat & fiber will keep you full longer too.

Special K (original has decent protein, but no fiber or fat)....with 2% milk (fat) and 1/2 a banana (fiber) it will keep me full awhile. Another option is a Greek yogurt "parfait." Greek yogurt with berries and Fiber One....a few nuts if your yogurt is fat free.

I like sandwiches too but I always add a veggie side. These give you more fiber. Then a piece of fruit.

Snacks that aren't carb heavy.....cheese sticks (wrap in a slice of turkey). Cottage cheese, hard boiled eggs, nuts, veggies & hummus.

lemurcat12

Get used to getting the calories right first.

As you do that, monitor your macros (protein, fat, carbs) and whatever else you feel like monitoring (I think fiber is important, you might want to watch sugar since you were surprised by how high it was). Also take note of how you feel--hungry, energetic, etc., on particular days.

At the end of each day or after a few days or a week, look back at how you are doing on the macros. Are they varying a lot from day to day but averaging at goal? Are you consistently over one and under another (they add up to 100%, so you can't be over or under all and hit your calorie goal)? Are you hitting fiber? Are you way over sugar? If over sugar, look at why that is -- lots of fruit, veggies, and dairy? Or sweet treats? Or neither, but foods you didn't even know sugar was in?

Then you get to decide what you need to change. One option, if you are feeling satisfied and not having trouble meeting your calories and think you are eating pretty well, is just not to worry about it for now. The macros are in part simply a way of helping you get a balanced diet, but there are a huge range of acceptable macro percentages and nothing magic about the ones MFP picked.

Another option, especially if you are hungry often and tend to be high on carbs and low on protein, is to try and adjust your diet. In particular, lots of people find that eating more protein is satiating and -- importantly -- can help maintain muscle mass as you lose, especially if you are also exercising.

Personally, I don't monitor my macros super carefully, but I do focus on reaching a particular level with protein and fiber. (I also focus on eating vegetables with all meals when possible.)

These are all tools for you to decide what to do with. For weight loss, though, the key is calories.

SueInAz

I agree with @lemurcat12. For right now, just worry about the calories. That's the most important thing for weight loss, not how many carbs or fats or proteins you're eating. MFP's ratio didn't work for me so I customized my goals and picked a macronutrient spread that works better for me... and still don't really worry about it most of the time. Protein is usually the one I watch at all because I'm lifting so need to make sure I'm getting a good amount.

Once you get more comfortable with the whole thing, then worry more about the finer details.

MKEgal

To get pointed in the right direction, see this calculator from the Baylor College of Medicine.
It will tell you not only your BMI, but how many servings of various foods to eat to maintain that weight.
If you enter your healthy goal weight, or play with the numbers so the BMI is in a healthy range, this will help you
plan your food intake.
https://www.bcm.edu/cnrc-apps/healthyeatingcalculator/eatingCal.html


Also read these, esp. sexypants.
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10012907/logging-accuracy-consistency-and-youre-probably-eating-more-than-you-think

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/819925/the-basics-dont-complicate-it/p1

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/872212/youre-probably-eating-more-than-you-think/p1

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/833026/important-posts-to-read/p1

MKEgal

Also realize that there's a range of healthy macro intake.
So don't stress about hitting exactly what MFP says you "should" be eating.
As long as you're in the healthy range, you're OK.
Tweak the percentages so you feel good, stay full as long as possible, and lose weight.

Here's a table which explains the healthy ranges, from the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition:
http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/88/1/1/T1.expansion.html

carbs, 45 - 65% of calories (4 cal per gram)
fat, 20 - 35% of calories (9 cal per gram)
protein, 10 - 35% of calories (4 cal per gram)

lemurcat12

MKEgal wrote: »

To get pointed in the right direction, see this calculator from the Baylor College of Medicine.
It will tell you not only your BMI, but how many servings of various foods to eat to maintain that weight.
If you enter your healthy goal weight, or play with the numbers so the BMI is in a healthy range, this will help you
plan your food intake.
https://www.bcm.edu/cnrc-apps/healthyeatingcalculator/eatingCal.html

As has been pointed out before, this calculator is intended as follows:

Find out how many calories to eat each day and how much of the different food groups are needed to provide those calories for a healthy diet for ages 2 to 20 years.

Perhaps that's why a sedentary person of my stats is recommended to eat 817 calories to maintain. (I am not sedentary, but I still know that's ridiculous.)

Strawblackcat

Fill your macros as you feel best. MFP sets broad outlines as a kind of "catch all", but different people feel better when eating at different carb/protein/fat ratios. For example, I never meet my carb and protein requirements. On the other hand, I always go way over on my fat and fiber requirements. I find that I feel best on a high fat diet, and I have to eat fewer carbs and protein to allow for the calories from the fatty portion of my diet. You don't have to meet the macros that MFP sets you -- you'll lose weight as long as you eat less than you burn, regardless of how you fill your macros. I never met them as MFP told me to and I still lost 100 pounds.

Personally, I don't pay that much attention to sugar. I track fiber instead. Furthermore, the sugar macro that MFP sets is to accont for added sugars, like you wold find in cookies and cakes and other processed foods. The macro itself is based on the WHO's reccomended daily limit on added sugars. If you're going over your sugar macro because you're eating a lot of fruit, you're fine. Really, it doesn't matter how much sugar you're eating so long as you aren't at risk of becoming diabetic and you're still under your TDEE, but too many empty calories from added sugars won't fill you up and really aren't that great for you.

Itfcgadget

Thanks so much much guys. My spirit is definitely lifted after reading these. Was getting a bit paranoid. I think I was getting hung up on eating fruit is bad according to the sugar entries. Only downside is I am now officially a label examiner on food packets. :smiley

Christine_72

It's an incredibly rare day when I hit my macros perfectly, and i never, ever stay at or under mfp's sugar goals, even though the majority of my sugar comes from fruit and dairy.

Calories first, until you get into the groove of things. Then take a look at your macros. Otherwise it will just get too overwhelming

jonnybhoy

Substitute unflavoured porridge for the special k, it will keep you fuller for longer, low fat diet food can be surprisingly high in added sugar

CasperNaegle

Don't let it overwhelm you. Just focus on calories in and calories out. There was a great study where a professor lost 30 pounds eating junk food. While not healthy and not recommended the weight came off. I would just try to get a decent balance. Carbs do not make you fat, too many calories do. Get your calories set where you have a deficit and you will lose weight. Good look and stay strong!