How do you know what your macro goals shoud be?

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jessicamcc712
jessicamcc712 Posts: 15 Member
in Food and Nutrition
How do you know what your macro goals shoud be? This app has been great to help me keep track of what I eat so I can watch my caloric intake. But I want to step it up a notch. My goal is to lose weight but I also want to build some lean muscle.

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  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,565 Member
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    Play around to see what ratio works for you. The only thing is, except under special circumstances, you can't lose weight and gain muscle at the same time.
  • KittensMaster
    KittensMaster Posts: 748 Member
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    Do lots of reading on what your body comp goals are, and recommendations for how to eat.

    Experiment a bit and mind your calories

    You will find a good mix.

    MusclefitnessHer

    Website for women by Muscle Fitness magazine

  • jessicamcc712
    jessicamcc712 Posts: 15 Member
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    Thanks!
  • jessicamcc712
    jessicamcc712 Posts: 15 Member
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    Overall I want to lose weight, I realize that if I gain some lean muscle that will not lower my weight. Lol but the fat needs to go! :)
  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,626 Member
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    The best 30-60 minutes you can spend on your diet will be with a dietitian. You will get real information that is tailored just to you. It's the smartest thing to do and isn't all that expensive even if your insurance won't pay for it. Most insurance will.

    I strongly urge you to call the doctor and get a referral.
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
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    Protein - 0.8 gram/lb of lean body mass
    Fat - 0.3 gram/lb of lean body mass

    Rest of the calories - anything you like.
  • pmm3437
    pmm3437 Posts: 529 Member
    edited August 2015
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    USDA RDA macros

    Protein - 0.8g/kg minimum. Sufficient for 95%+ of the population. Benefits to eating more up to 1.5g/kg for muscle sparing while on a deficit.

    Fat - 25-30g/day minimum for essential fats to support hormone production.

    Fiber - 25g/day for female 20-40 ( iirc, range might be off )

    All the rest is personal preference, while trying to reach macro and micro nutrient recommendations from food intake.

    The typical American diet ( TAD ) is ~ 15% protein, 35% fat, 50% carbs.

    A normal day for me is closer to 20 / 50 / 30, but I am low carbing, in anticipation of transitioning to a Keto plan.
  • sixxpoint
    sixxpoint Posts: 3,529 Member
    edited August 2015
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    ^^ @pmm3437... that advice is for sedentary individuals or the obese who do not exercise at all. Also, it is not wise to recommend ratios and percentages. They are useless when it comes to giving good nutritional advice. There is no typical American diet macro ratio that works for everyone.


    Here is the correct macro info for active individuals or the average weight (or slightly overweight) active person:

    Protein: ~0.60 to ~0.80 grams per pound of bodyweight -- the highest amount justified by research.

    Fat: ~0.40-0.45 grams per pound of bodyweight -- the lowest amount implied by clinical observation.

    Remaining caloric budget: whatever mix of macronutrients you prefer -- as implied by research.



    Ideally, ensure macronutrient sufficiency predominantly or, ideally, entirely from whole and minimally processed foods.
  • oddjohn
    oddjohn Posts: 1 Member
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    jessicamcc712 wrote: »
    How do you know what your macro goals shoud be? This app has been great to help me keep track of what I eat so I can watch my caloric intake. But I want to step it up a notch. My goal is to lose weight but I also want to build some lean muscle.

    Jessie check this article. It explains really well and gives examples

    http://www.healthylivingheavylifting.com/how-to-calculate-macros-for-cutting/
  • BeefieSmalls
    BeefieSmalls Posts: 2 Member
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    Over at reddit.com/r/keto we all love the following calculator! It's detailed and gives you a great start to the Keto life! KCKO

    http://keto-calculator.ankerl.com/
  • mom2kpr
    mom2kpr Posts: 348 Member
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    pmm3437 wrote: »
    USDA RDA macros

    Protein - 0.8g/kg minimum. Sufficient for 95%+ of the population. Benefits to eating more up to 1.5g/kg for muscle sparing while on a deficit.

    Fat - 25-30g/day minimum for essential fats to support hormone production.

    Fiber - 25g/day for female 20-40 ( iirc, range might be off )

    All the rest is personal preference, while trying to reach macro and micro nutrient recommendations from food intake.

    The typical American diet ( TAD ) is ~ 15% protein, 35% fat, 50% carbs.

    A normal day for me is closer to 20 / 50 / 30, but I am low carbing, in anticipation of transitioning to a Keto plan.

    This. If you are going to be strength training or endurance exercise you can increase protein up to 1.6g/kg of bodyweight.
  • Jesssamesssa
    Jesssamesssa Posts: 116 Member
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    I eat roughly 40P, 30F, 30C.
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
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    BeefieSmalls wrote: »
    Over at reddit.com/r/keto we all love the following calculator! It's detailed and gives you a great start to the Keto life! KCKO

    http://keto-calculator.ankerl.com/

    That calculator may work well for people who are lean, but it is considerably over-estimating burns for those who have a lot to lose. And it doesn't separate daily activity from exercise, which is a problem.
  • DvlDwnInGA
    DvlDwnInGA Posts: 368 Member
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    http://iifym.com/iifym-calculator/

    Try this.
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,293 Member
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    Mr_Knight wrote: »
    Protein - 0.8 gram/lb of lean body mass
    Fat - 0.3 gram/lb of lean body mass

    Rest of the calories - anything you like.

    That is much much too low for fat. most guidelines are for 0.35to 0.45 grams per lb of body weight. If you go by lbm I would suggest the 0.45 grams/lb

    Fat is essential for health, especially vitamin and mineral absorption, but also for healthy digestive tract, skin, nails, hair, etc.

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