Are macros really that important?
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The macro that concerned me the most was protein. All the literature that I read insists that protein goals have to be met, or your body will start chewing through your lbm as well as fat. But, honestly, if my goal weight is in the 130's, eating 1 gram per pound (or 130 grams a day) means that I have to eat a good portion of meats to reach that goal. I have lost 40lb so far, and I am really having trouble with meat. I liked it in the beginning, but now it is pretty off putting. I was just wondering if it is really that important? I will note that I am not a sissy pants girl. My last employment was heaving 70lb totes all day, every day in a semi. My job before that was for a local septic company where I delivered portable toilets, and picked them up. They weighed 250lb, to 500lb each. I have always been very strong, so perhaps losing some lbm wouldn't hurt my body all that bad? And...how much of my weight loss would consist of muscle if I wasn't getting my protein goals in? 30%, 40%? Why does this have to be such a dang headache.....0
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If losing muscle mass doesn't bother you then don't worry about the protein intake.0
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I am not a vegetarian, but I have always disliked meat. Sure, the occasional burger is alright, but steaks, chicken, etc.. is eww to me. I will give the shakes a go, and maybe some more Greek yogurt. My doc has me on a prenatal vitamin to cover folic acid, and I take 3 iron pills and a b12 every day for anemia, so I think I am good on that. Potassium is a good question....I think I could do a banana a day, or just grab a supplement. Honestly, about a month into this calorie regimen, food became nothing more than fuel. I eat to keep the hunger pains away, and I get the 1200 calories because it's the minimum amount. The last 2 weeks or so, I just haven't been into eating. Funny how that's working I guess. A lifetime of using food as a crutch, and when I started to separate food from emotions, it became no different than drinking water or using the bathroom. Just another body function that has to be taken care of. Thanks for the replies everyone. Vitamins, choking down the protein, and getting the 1200 calories. Got it.
I have known plenty of healthy vegans; getting protein from non-meat sources just takes a little more effort. (These people weren't dealing with anemia, however.)
Do get your iron levels tested regularly - two forms of iron my doctor gave me were completely useless for treating my anemia and my hair started falling out in alarming amounts.
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I think they are important to be generally aware of in RE to nutrition and balancing your diet and nutrition. personally, i'd rather get my nutrtion through food than supplements and multi vitamins, etc...I think learning proper nutrition is important...IMO, supplements and vitamins should basically be treated like an insurance policy.0
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What exactly is reasonable? It's all relative. My macros are 80%carbs, 15% protein and 5% fat. I meet ALL my micronutrient needs from my foods and only supplement B12 and D. I also match my needs to my activity level.Packerjohn wrote: »Traveler120 wrote: »So, I am chugging along at 1200 calories, but I hate meat. I just hate it, and I am done with it. Honestly, I eat whatever appeals to me up to 1200 calories. I take a doc prescribed multivitamin, so shouldn't that take care of missing nutrients? Other than protein, I am thinking that I should be good to go.
You don't have to eat meat if you don't like it. What about a whole foods plant-based diet? I started developing a distaste for meat and chicken a while back and now don't eat any. With the exception of B12 and perhaps Vitamin D, you should be able to meet all your essential vitamins and minerals from whole plant foods. Relying on a multivitamin for nutrition instead of food, is kind of ridiculous and absurd.
If you're worried about protein, eat lentils and beans and a variety of other plant based foods - whole grains, potatoes, fruits and veggies etc. You don't need meat and protein shakes. Use whfoods.com if you want to see what foods are rich in various vitamins and minerals.
Macros are not important because people can meet their nutritional needs on any macros. Calories are important for weight loss and also energy to fuel your activities. Just eat a variety of real food and you'll be fine.
This is incorrect, you need a reasonable split of macros for good health.
To some, that macro split is completely unreasonable but it works perfectly well for me as my blood tests show. That doesn't make make my macro split better or worse than someone else's. People can still meet all essential nutrients with a different set of macros. It's all relative to activity and preference.0 -
Traveler120 wrote: »
What exactly is reasonable? It's all relative. My macros are 80%carbs, 15% protein and 5% fat. I meet ALL my micronutrient needs from my foods and only supplement B12 and D. I also match my needs to my activity level.Packerjohn wrote: »Traveler120 wrote: »So, I am chugging along at 1200 calories, but I hate meat. I just hate it, and I am done with it. Honestly, I eat whatever appeals to me up to 1200 calories. I take a doc prescribed multivitamin, so shouldn't that take care of missing nutrients? Other than protein, I am thinking that I should be good to go.
You don't have to eat meat if you don't like it. What about a whole foods plant-based diet? I started developing a distaste for meat and chicken a while back and now don't eat any. With the exception of B12 and perhaps Vitamin D, you should be able to meet all your essential vitamins and minerals from whole plant foods. Relying on a multivitamin for nutrition instead of food, is kind of ridiculous and absurd.
If you're worried about protein, eat lentils and beans and a variety of other plant based foods - whole grains, potatoes, fruits and veggies etc. You don't need meat and protein shakes. Use whfoods.com if you want to see what foods are rich in various vitamins and minerals.
Macros are not important because people can meet their nutritional needs on any macros. Calories are important for weight loss and also energy to fuel your activities. Just eat a variety of real food and you'll be fine.
This is incorrect, you need a reasonable split of macros for good health.
To some, that macro split is completely unreasonable but it works perfectly well for me as my blood tests show. That doesn't make make my macro split better or worse than someone else's. People can still meet all essential nutrients with a different set of macros. It's all relative to activity and preference.
9 grams of fat for 1700 calories is unreasonable. Much of your micros aren't going to do you much good without fat.
And you talk as if macros aren't essential nutrients, and aren't the most important essential nutrients at that. You're all worried about b12 and vitamin D, but scoff at macro nutrients? Way to miss the forest for the trees.0 -
Yes, I have a hematologist that I see every 6 months. I have pernicious anemia, so I have to take massive doses of b12 with the iron. Apparently, my immune system destroys the b12, and the idea is that if I take huge doses, then it won't be able to destroy all of it. Before I was diagnosed, my hair was falling out, I was super tired, and I bruised over anything. I still bruise easy, but my hair is fine now, and I can sleep 7-8 hours without being exhausted. I have a follow up in January, so hopefully it's all good. I feel a lot better.0
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I think it's pretty much covered by everyone now but to emphasise, for weight loss, you just have to eat less than you need to move. The more you move, the more you can eat. I move quite a bit these days, participating in competitive sport for 1-2 hours almost everyday. I don't count calories these days and eat what I want, when I want. I also do strength work (barbells, dumbbells, strength-based bodyweight stuff) in addition to the sports I play.
So, I appear to be outrunning a bad diet.
I'd like to build more muscle but I enjoy sports far too much and want to develop my skill, technique and cardiovascular fitness which means I am wasting calories on moving unnecessarily.
The downside to sporting a six pack without really trying is that my legs always ache. Every single day.
(I say "without really trying" because I am actually having so much fun. Not fake fun like the fun they try to tell you you're having when they're shouting at you in boot camp and you wish it was over after 10 minutes but the fun you have that involves laughing and cheering and makes you want to keep going after you've been playing for 90 minutes.)0 -
Macros are important, but keep in mind a wide range of macros is considered within what's acceptable for good health, so if you find that counting them complicates things for you, you could probably do away with that. An average person could probably find a way to fall into that range with very minor tweaks without putting too much effort into it. If later down the line you feel like you want to pursue minor tweaks to maximize your results you could shift your attention in that direction. Ultimately, whatever keeps you going is what you should be doing.0
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But, honestly, if my goal weight is in the 130's, eating 1 gram per pound (or 130 grams a day) means that I have to eat a good portion of meats to reach that goal.
To preserve muscle it's more like .6-.8g/lb of body weight (goal weight if lots to lose). So at least 78 grams -- a lot less.
And this assumes you are doing some resistance-based or strength-training exercise to help preserve muscle mass (but it sounds like you are, so that's great). I think it's important, but you may not, and that's fine.
I think simply eating a nutritious diet is more significant than macro split, as there are a huge variety of reasonably, healthy macro splits, as others have said. Getting enough fat is important, but most people do that without thinking about it, and getting enough protein -- which for me means maximizing my ability to preserve muscle (so at least the range indicated above), but the RDA is actually much less and not hard to get.
Anyway, it's completely possible to get enough without meat. Meat just makes it easier (and to me tastes good).0 -
Protein also helps prevent muscle loss when you are at such an extreme deficit. It is probably the most important macro to hit. Look into protein shakes, beans and nuts as an alternative to meat. I assuming all seafood is out as well?
^This. I don't like meat either. It's one of the reasons I'm an ovo-lacto vegetarian. But I get plenty of protein. It's satiating for me, and I like retaining muscle mass to support my wonky joints.
There are plenty of vegetarian sources of protein out there, and if you eat dairy and eggs, they can be pretty low calorie and contain all of the essential amino acids. Cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, and eggs are all fantastically rich in protein.
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Traveler120 wrote: »
What exactly is reasonable? It's all relative. My macros are 80%carbs, 15% protein and 5% fat. I meet ALL my micronutrient needs from my foods and only supplement B12 and D. I also match my needs to my activity level.Packerjohn wrote: »Traveler120 wrote: »So, I am chugging along at 1200 calories, but I hate meat. I just hate it, and I am done with it. Honestly, I eat whatever appeals to me up to 1200 calories. I take a doc prescribed multivitamin, so shouldn't that take care of missing nutrients? Other than protein, I am thinking that I should be good to go.
You don't have to eat meat if you don't like it. What about a whole foods plant-based diet? I started developing a distaste for meat and chicken a while back and now don't eat any. With the exception of B12 and perhaps Vitamin D, you should be able to meet all your essential vitamins and minerals from whole plant foods. Relying on a multivitamin for nutrition instead of food, is kind of ridiculous and absurd.
If you're worried about protein, eat lentils and beans and a variety of other plant based foods - whole grains, potatoes, fruits and veggies etc. You don't need meat and protein shakes. Use whfoods.com if you want to see what foods are rich in various vitamins and minerals.
Macros are not important because people can meet their nutritional needs on any macros. Calories are important for weight loss and also energy to fuel your activities. Just eat a variety of real food and you'll be fine.
This is incorrect, you need a reasonable split of macros for good health.
To some, that macro split is completely unreasonable but it works perfectly well for me as my blood tests show. That doesn't make make my macro split better or worse than someone else's. People can still meet all essential nutrients with a different set of macros. It's all relative to activity and preference.
I would say most nutrition experts would consider this is a reasonable place to start for most people:
From the US government: http://health.gov/dietaryguidelines/dga2010/dietaryguidelines2010.pdf
Protein 10-30% of calories
Carbs 45-65 % of calories
Fat 25-35% of calories
Obviously those with specific medical conditions may have reason to vary from these guidelines.0 -
I think that macros become more important for folks who are not eating very much to begin with.0
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For me macros matter because they're the best balance for keeping me full.0
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I am not a vegetarian, but I have always disliked meat. Sure, the occasional burger is alright, but steaks, chicken, etc.. is eww to me. I will give the shakes a go, and maybe some more Greek yogurt. My doc has me on a prenatal vitamin to cover folic acid, and I take 3 iron pills and a b12 every day for anemia, so I think I am good on that. Potassium is a good question....I think I could do a banana a day, or just grab a supplement. Honestly, about a month into this calorie regimen, food became nothing more than fuel. I eat to keep the hunger pains away, and I get the 1200 calories because it's the minimum amount. The last 2 weeks or so, I just haven't been into eating. Funny how that's working I guess. A lifetime of using food as a crutch, and when I started to separate food from emotions, it became no different than drinking water or using the bathroom. Just another body function that has to be taken care of. Thanks for the replies everyone. Vitamins, choking down the protein, and getting the 1200 calories. Got it.
It sounds like your doctor has an eye on your micronutrient needs. Plus, you mention "more" Greek yogurt, as though you already consume some-- if you eat dairy and/or eggs, that should cover most of the same micronutrient bases as meat. That's why lacto-ovo-vegetarians don't have the same nutrient and supplement concerns as vegans.
Potassium is not a special concern for non-meat-eaters. In fact, the best sources are fruits and vegetables. You're not going to be able to tell if you're getting enough from MFP logging unless you only eat whole foods using entries drawn from the USDA database, which include potassium values, and the few entries based on the relatively small number of food package labels that include potassium. Labels in the U.S. are not currently required to show potassium. If you add potassium to what you're tracking, you'll probably a lot of entries that say they have 0 potassium, but they really do have potassium. Even a cup of coffee has more than 100 mg of potassium.
Over-the-counter supplements in the U.S. are not allowed to contain more than 100 mg of potassium, because it can damage your digestive organs in concentrated amounts, so it's hard to get 3500 mg from OTC supplements. Presumably your doctor has been doing blood work to have decided your needed the supplements you're currently on, so you might check with him or her if you're really concerned before you start trying supplements.
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Lourdesong wrote: »9 grams of fat for 1700 calories is unreasonable. Much of your micros aren't going to do you much good without fat.
And you talk as if macros aren't essential nutrients, and aren't the most important essential nutrients at that. You're all worried about b12 and vitamin D, but scoff at macro nutrients? Way to miss the forest for the trees.
If there were such a thing a perfect macro split for all humans(and there is not), it would still be possible to NOT get all essential vitamins and minerals. That's what I focus on and buy a variety of plant foods to ensure I'm getting all my macronutrients, micronutrients and phytonutrients. That to me is what a nutritious diet is. And it can be achieved with a wide variety of different macros because we all have different tastes, come from different cultures and traditions around the world with different staple foods which result in different macros.
Personally, I don't set out to target a specific macro split. I just go buy real plant foods(coz that's what I like) - potatoes, whole grains, legumes, fruits and veggies and when I plug them into my tracker, those are the macros that come up. I limit oils when cooking. Incidentally, I like using Fitday instead of MFP because Fitday tracker shows like 22 different vitamins and minerals whereas mfp shows only 5 or 6 for the basic free versions.
Yes, my fat is low, mostly because these foods naturally have little fat. Some days I eat nuts and seeds which boosts fat content but it's not every day. I'm also working on the last stubborn 10 lbs and it seems to be working wonderfully. When I'm done, I'll eat more nuts and seeds and my fat macro will go upto a whopping 10%. Because my diet is new, I'm getting my blood tests more often. NO deficiencies. Cholesterol is normal for the first time in 5 years when I was eating a fattier, meatier diet. Plant-based rocks...for me.
Also, when I lose the last ten and increase fat to 10%, my diet will become similar to what I had growing up before I jacked it up when I moved to the US. My folks, who don't live in the US, still eat that way and they're healthy, NO chronic western diseases like heart disease, diabetes, cancers etc. NO weight problems. My parents are in their 70s and my grandparents lived to their 90s in good condition. And they ate/still eat a high carb, low fat plant based diet, which is the traditional diet in their corner of the world. Worked for them and it's working for me. Maybe it's just genetics. You gotta do what works for you.
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