I'm new to MFP. Should I focus on just calories or also focus on my sodium, fat grams, etc.?

DearNeptune

Because I'm under on my calorie intake but I'm over on my sodium intake for the day.

rosebarnalice

Different people use the tracking tools in different ways. I started really focusing on calories, then when that started being more routine, I paid more attention to the macros.

MikeAV8s

You will get many different opinions on this. In the beginning it was much easier for mr to focus on calories. Once I got a handle on that, I started fine tuning.

Janehds0284

MikeAV8s wrote: »

You will get many different opinions on this. In the beginning it was much easier for mr to focus on calories. Once I got a handle on that, I started fine tuning.

I agreed with this. I started to focus on calories first but then look at my tracking each day and make sure I still keep it healthy. If I think I have too much fat or carb then start to adjust and do exercise more. But that just me

lorrpb

I suggest you start by focusing on calories. Then begin tweaking macros and micros as you feel comfortable and based on health needs.

KateTii

Unless you have a diagnosed medical condition that requires you to limit sodium, don't stress about it.

I found that focusing on my calories eventually led into a good balance of macros for me. I found myself unintentionally changing what I ate to make myself feel both satisfied & full. I try to stay aware of my macros but I use calories as my rule - it's just easier that way.

pstegman888

I agree with above posters, if it's too overwhelming or labor intensive to keep everything balanced at once, just concentrate on your calorie goal at first, until that becomes second nature. Then start to balance out your macros (protein, carb & fat percentages). It may be easier to do that on a weekly basis instead of daily (you can change from Daily to Weekly view on the Nutrition tab), so that if you do have a carb-heavy day, you can just balance it out the next day with more protein, thus hitting your weekly stats without the tedium of making sure each day is exactly balanced. Then start to tweak your micronutrients if you desire. Unless, of course, you have a medical condition that requires keeping closer tabs on some particular issue like sugar for diabetes or potassium for kidney disease, etc.

Orphia

KateTii wrote: »

Unless you have a diagnosed medical condition that requires you to limit sodium, don't stress about it.

I found that focusing on my calories eventually led into a good balance of macros for me. I found myself unintentionally changing what I ate to make myself feel both satisfied & full. I try to stay aware of my macros but I use calories as my rule - it's just easier that way.

^Good post.