How do you hit your macros?

revolucia78

Hi everyone, I thought it would be fun and helpful to see what all of you do to hit your macros each day.

Bench_Bunny

Good morning! I log before I eat to make sure I'm hitting my macros! Lots of trial and error for me but it works!

Jams009

I also pre-log. I start with whatever I'm craving most, and then adjust everything else until my macros are hit.

Fit_Fox88

Jams009 wrote: »

I also pre-log. I start with whatever I'm craving most, and then adjust everything else until my macros are hit.

This is a good idea. I usually plan all my meals a week ahead of time so I usually start with dinner when I log then I adjust my breakfast/snacks/lunch around that.

StealthHealth

I pre-log nearly every day.

I usually have my evening meal and lunch planned so I plug those in first.
Next I add in breakfast, usually with a focus on protein.
Once my protein is on target I usually take a look at fibre and tweak my snack carbs to hit that value.
By this point fat is usually OK but if it is low I usually add in nuts, full fat dairy, or avocado (although this soften means a quick trip to a shop so is a less frequent choice).

Something that I have found useful when on restricted calories and eating out in the evening - Since meals out are often high in carbs and fat I find that having a protein shake with skimmed milk and spinach will give me a decent chunk of protein, and fibre for a low(ish) calorie hit. I often use this after a day of fasting about an hour before I go out to blunt my hunger and balance the macros for the day.

King_Spicy

Aim for protein goals first since that is my highest percentage and then fill in the blank space with carbs and calories.

StealthHealth

Fit_Fox88 wrote: »

Jams009 wrote: »

I also pre-log. I start with whatever I'm craving most, and then adjust everything else until my macros are hit.

This is a good idea. I usually plan all my meals a week ahead of time so I usually start with dinner when I log then I adjust my breakfast/snacks/lunch around that.

Forgot so say: I also plan my food a week in advance (usually Saturday or Sunday I'll check what we have in the fridge and freezer and plan the meals from there. It helps that I buy my meat monthly through a mail order meat company.

Francl27

I prelog my meal when I know what I'm going to have, then base my snacks around what I need.

I also make sure to have a good source of protein with every meal/snack... I don't really care about carbs and fat.

revolucia78

StealthHealth wrote: »

Fit_Fox88 wrote: »

Jams009 wrote: »

I also pre-log. I start with whatever I'm craving most, and then adjust everything else until my macros are hit.

This is a good idea. I usually plan all my meals a week ahead of time so I usually start with dinner when I log then I adjust my breakfast/snacks/lunch around that.

Forgot so say: I also plan my food a week in advance (usually Saturday or Sunday I'll check what we have in the fridge and freezer and plan the meals from there. It helps that I buy my meat monthly through a mail order meat company.

Cool, I didn't know that was a thing - what meat mail order company do you order from?

revolucia78

xSPICYx wrote: »

Aim for protein goals first since that is my highest percentage and then fill in the blank space with carbs and calories.

Where do you typically get your protein sources from? I'm a creature of habit and tend towards chicken, tuna and salmon (if I can afford it).

StealthHealth

Musclefood

They are online. I'm not affiliated with them and this is not intended to be an advert for them but I've had good service from them and I like the quality of their stuff. There are other similar retailers (westin gourmet and stiltonbutchers to name a couple) but I don't have any experience with them.

AlphaCajun

Uh... I have a general idea of what my macros should be but umm.. yeah. That's about where it ends. As long as I get my protein, the rest is a wash.

MImbriani83

I eat my usual diet and hope for the best. I'm usually within a couple percentage points of all my targets.

Lisa_Ookoo

I check my macros after lunch, and use that to plan my dinner. If I'm low on protein, I'll make sure to have some chicken or greek yogurt. If I'm low on fat, I'll have some avocado.

rakowskidp

xSPICYx wrote: »

Aim for protein goals first since that is my highest percentage and then fill in the blank space with carbs and calories.

I aim for protein first, too, but for different reasons... I'm vegetarian and occasionally have a difficult time getting enough. After that, I pay close attention to micros, then fat, and couldn't care less about carbs.

sbl1881

I pre-log as well and adjust as needed. If I'm low on protein, I'll swap my morning banana for cottage cheese. I focus on protein first (trying to meet goal), then carbs (trying to stay at or below goal), then fat.

chunky_pinup

Pre-logging, pre-planning meals.

LazyButHealthy

How do you know what your percentages should be?

MFP put my carbs at 50%, protein at 30%, but my bf says I should be reducing the carbs and increasing the protein.
But to what proportions?

I'm at a plateau for a couple of weeks now. Almost always under goal at around 1300-1400 calories; walk 3-6 km every day (at high moderate speed), don't eat back exercise calories, and I'm feeling good, but need to give a boost somehow so perhaps adjusting macros could do it.

Help!

peaceout_aly

revolucia78 wrote: »

Hi everyone, I thought it would be fun and helpful to see what all of you do to hit your macros each day.

My biggest tip for hitting macros would be to pre-log. By pre-logging, you are able to play around with different foods and ensure that macros are met daily. Currently, I have my meals pre-logged until lunch on Friday, and when I get a better idea of what we are doing on the weekend, I will attempt to log those meals as well.

peaceout_aly

LazyButHealthy wrote: »

How do you know what your percentages should be?

MFP put my carbs at 50%, protein at 30%, but my bf says I should be reducing the carbs and increasing the protein.
But to what proportions?

I'm at a plateau for a couple of weeks now. Almost always under goal at around 1300-1400 calories; walk 3-6 km every day (at high moderate speed), don't eat back exercise calories, and I'm feeling good, but need to give a boost somehow so perhaps adjusting macros could do it.

Help!

MFP % doesn't work for everyone. I think if you are generally just trying to lose weight, cut calories, etc. it is convenient, but for those who work out they should really be consuming more protein. I had to go in and make my diary "custom" and even by doing that it threw the carbs off (which has my daily goal at 0% when in reality it's like 110 g x day). I just wanted my focus to be protein (110 g x day) and keeping sugar at a minimum (40 g max per day).

cerise_noir

With a bat. Hard.

Actually, I pre-log and I concentrate hitting the protien, then fats and fill in the rest with carb.

Christine_72

Ha! I very rarely hit all of my macros spot on, I'm always over or under something :grumble:

cwolfman13

I have a general idea of where I'm at and want to be, but it doesn't go beyond that. I think a lot of people do a lot of hand wringing over their macros for no good reason.

rakowskidp

cwolfman13 wrote: »

I have a general idea of where I'm at and want to be, but it doesn't go beyond that. I think a lot of people do a lot of hand wringing over their macros for no good reason.

This is where I ended up today, and I consider it a ringing success:

jaga13

I prelog every day and the three things I care about are:

Total calories (duh)
Protein
Fiber

I find when I concentrate on these 3, it Almost always ensures I automatically am eating the right amount of fat and carbs.

By the day, I don't give a **** about percentages. I only care that I'm hitting my setting's minimum goal for protein and fiber in grams.