Track macro or calorie intake?

kiki_anitoni

Hello, so I am pretty much a newbie at this whole tracking what I eat and I try to stay within the MFP default macro, but sometimes my carbs are much higher which will cause me to have a hard time finding an alternative food with less carbs. My question is: should this really matter and stick to watching my macros or not worth as long as I'm with in my calories?

Also, I have no diet restrictions or anything special.
Thank you in advance!

herebekoi

I used this website to lose 40 lbs a few years ago and decided to try it again now that I'm ready to get back to healthy. Count calories but use the macros as a way to balance your eating during the day. It's a marathon, not a sprint, so you don't need to be balanced every day just over the course of a week. I try to up my carbs nights before morning runs for the energy (but not empty carbs) and higher protein on days I run/workout.

Also, if you have a planned dinner or lunch log it early (if I know I'm eating a roast for dinner I will log it at breakfast) so you can plan the variables around it. Hope some of this helps

kiki_anitoni

Herebekoi, thank you for your insight! I will try to do good most of the week as far as macros go and also plan meals in advance and tweak it if need be.

Sued0nim

kiki_anitoni wrote: »

Hello, so I am pretty much a newbie at this whole tracking what I eat and I try to stay within the MFP default macro, but sometimes my carbs are much higher which will cause me to have a hard time finding an alternative food with less carbs. My question is: should this really matter and stick to watching my macros or not worth as long as I'm with in my calories?

Also, I have no diet restrictions or anything special.
Thank you in advance!

Just focus on your calories and eating a healthy balanced nutritious diet

Don't worry about carbs

Try to hit your protein and fat as minimums though and eat lots of vegetables

faji2015

I never care about my macros and still have lost 18 pounds.

abatonfan

Calories are key for weight loss, while balancing and meeting your macros helps with nutrition and satiety (even then, MFP's default macro percentages might not fit your needs, and you may need to adjust them down the road). If you eat 3500 calories in excess of your maintenance calories, regardless of if it is 3500 calories in Jelly beans or 3500 calories in grilled salmon and kale, you will gain weight.