Reading the stats!

Gadgetfreak2000

OK, on the bottom of the food diary is all the fancy stats about carbs and protiens and fats and sodium, etc, etc.
As someone who is trying to gain weight how do I read these? Does exceeding these matter, should this be something I'm aiming for? Obviously sodium bad, but everything else? Are these more there for the weight loss crowd or since the app knows I'm gaining weight they're there as targets?

Sorry if this has been asked before, wasn't sure what to search for really.

Wheelhouse15

Gadgetfreak2000 wrote: »

OK, on the bottom of the food diary is all the fancy stats about carbs and protiens and fats and sodium, etc, etc.
As someone who is trying to gain weight how do I read these? Does exceeding these matter, should this be something I'm aiming for? Obviously sodium bad, but everything else? Are these more there for the weight loss crowd or since the app knows I'm gaining weight they're there as targets?

Sorry if this has been asked before, wasn't sure what to search for really.

Mostly, it's calories but many like to have a certain macro breakdown they aim for when they are training or on a particular diet like low fat, low carb, high protein etc or if you want to get a certain amount of fiber. If you aren't interested in macros you don't need to worry about them. If you want to restrict sodium or ensure you are hitting certain other micro levels such as C, D or calcium you can use those.

Gadgetfreak2000

Wheelhouse15 wrote: »

If you want to restrict sodium or ensure you are hitting certain other micro levels such as C, D or calcium you can use those.

Ohhh, I do also need to increase my Vit D too! Didn't see that. Tinkering with one's hormones is rough on the D count when I have my blood tests.

psuLemon

Wheelhouse15 wrote: »

Gadgetfreak2000 wrote: »

OK, on the bottom of the food diary is all the fancy stats about carbs and protiens and fats and sodium, etc, etc.
As someone who is trying to gain weight how do I read these? Does exceeding these matter, should this be something I'm aiming for? Obviously sodium bad, but everything else? Are these more there for the weight loss crowd or since the app knows I'm gaining weight they're there as targets?

Sorry if this has been asked before, wasn't sure what to search for really.

Mostly, it's calories but many like to have a certain macro breakdown they aim for when they are training or on a particular diet like low fat, low carb, high protein etc or if you want to get a certain amount of fiber. If you aren't interested in macros you don't need to worry about them. If you want to restrict sodium or ensure you are hitting certain other micro levels such as C, D or calcium you can use those.

I wouldn't really concentrate on the vitamins numbers as most of the database isnt correct with those.

If there is interest in specific vitamins, just aim to incorporate a variety of foods containing those elements. For example, my wife needs foods high in potassium, magnesium and sodium due to medical condition, so she aims to get dark leafy greens, bananas, kiwis and adds salt to everything.

tillerstouch

It depends, if you are trying to gain mostly muscle and less fat it is important to watch your macros (carbs, protien, fat intake). So yes and no. Calories are most important but you should be mindful of what your calories are coming from.

Gadgetfreak2000

tillerstouch wrote: »

It depends, if you are trying to gain mostly muscle and less fat it is important to watch your macros (carbs, protien, fat intake). So yes and no. Calories are most important but you should be mindful of what your calories are coming from.

It's not so much muscle I'm trying to gain, as I'm just trying to gain weight in general! Ideally boob and butt would be nice though!

psuLemon

Gadgetfreak2000 wrote: »

tillerstouch wrote: »

It depends, if you are trying to gain mostly muscle and less fat it is important to watch your macros (carbs, protien, fat intake). So yes and no. Calories are most important but you should be mindful of what your calories are coming from.

It's not so much muscle I'm trying to gain, as I'm just trying to gain weight in general! Ideally boob and butt would be nice though!

Well hope genetics is on your side. Doing a structured program, especially one focused on lower body (like strong curves) can help provide some gains in particular areas like booty...

Wheelhouse15

psulemon wrote: »

Wheelhouse15 wrote: »

Gadgetfreak2000 wrote: »

OK, on the bottom of the food diary is all the fancy stats about carbs and protiens and fats and sodium, etc, etc.
As someone who is trying to gain weight how do I read these? Does exceeding these matter, should this be something I'm aiming for? Obviously sodium bad, but everything else? Are these more there for the weight loss crowd or since the app knows I'm gaining weight they're there as targets?

Sorry if this has been asked before, wasn't sure what to search for really.

Mostly, it's calories but many like to have a certain macro breakdown they aim for when they are training or on a particular diet like low fat, low carb, high protein etc or if you want to get a certain amount of fiber. If you aren't interested in macros you don't need to worry about them. If you want to restrict sodium or ensure you are hitting certain other micro levels such as C, D or calcium you can use those.

I wouldn't really concentrate on the vitamins numbers as most of the database isnt correct with those.

If there is interest in specific vitamins, just aim to incorporate a variety of foods containing those elements. For example, my wife needs foods high in potassium, magnesium and sodium due to medical condition, so she aims to get dark leafy greens, bananas, kiwis and adds salt to everything.

True, it's GIGO for the database since it's multi-sourced and mostly user provided data. Most people don't enter the micros or only the major nutrients like sodium. If I was dealing with a medical condition I wouldn't rely on MFP's data, that's for sure.