How do you hit your macros?

revolucia78
revolucia78 Posts: 196 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hi everyone, I thought it would be fun and helpful to see what all of you do to hit your macros each day. :smile:

Replies

  • Bench_Bunny
    Bench_Bunny Posts: 67 Member
    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
    Jams009 Posts: 345 Member
    I also pre-log. I start with whatever I'm craving most, and then adjust everything else until my macros are hit.

  • Fit_Fox88
    Fit_Fox88 Posts: 410 Member
    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
    StealthHealth Posts: 2,417 Member
    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
    King_Spicy Posts: 821 Member
    Aim for protein goals first since that is my highest percentage and then fill in the blank space with carbs and calories.
  • StealthHealth
    StealthHealth Posts: 2,417 Member
    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
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    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
    revolucia78 Posts: 196 Member
    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
    revolucia78 Posts: 196 Member
    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
    StealthHealth Posts: 2,417 Member
    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
    AlphaCajun Posts: 290 Member
    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
    MImbriani83 Posts: 2 Member
    I eat my usual diet and hope for the best. I'm usually within a couple percentage points of all my targets.
  • Lisa_Ookoo
    Lisa_Ookoo Posts: 134 Member
    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
    rakowskidp Posts: 231 Member
    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
    sbl1881 Posts: 213 Member
    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
    chunky_pinup Posts: 758 Member
    Pre-logging, pre-planning meals.
  • LazyButHealthy
    LazyButHealthy Posts: 257 Member
    edited April 2016
    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
    peaceout_aly Posts: 2,018 Member
    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. :smile:

    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
    peaceout_aly Posts: 2,018 Member
    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
    cerise_noir Posts: 5,468 Member
    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
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    Ha! I very rarely hit all of my macros spot on, I'm always over or under something :grumble:
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    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
    rakowskidp Posts: 231 Member
    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:

    rhspmbyh0puw.png
  • jaga13
    jaga13 Posts: 1,149 Member
    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.

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