Macros help!

latyciamoya

I am 5'4 160lbs 26 years old.
female
new to macros
I read an article that (if I'm determining my body type properly), said to have the least amount of carbs. but the my fitness pal app seems to be recommending I have 50% carbs...unless this is a default setting but I would think it would be based on the info I have imputed. I don't want to start eating that many carbs as I've lost 45lbs with trying to somewhat limit carbs..although still eating them and no idea how much really just sure it's not 50%..... help please?!

amusedmonkey

I personally try to hit my protein goal, then let the rest fall wherever. Playing with macros is mostly meant to aid you get the important nutrients in (namely protein) and help you figure out a distribution that makes dieting easier for you. My carbs actually hover between 40% and 70% depending on my calorie allowance and I have lost 100 pounds so far without having to overcomplicate things.

Dieting for body type is not a real thing, so don't worry about that article's recommendations. Eat the way you are comfortable eating, and as long as you are within your calorie budget your weight loss should be fine. Note if you decide to eat more carbs you may see some water weight gain. This is not a real gain and will only cause a temporary stall before you continue losing. Don't panic if this happens.

Sued0nim

latyciamoya wrote: »

I am 5'4 160lbs 26 years old.
female
new to macros
I read an article that (if I'm determining my body type properly), said to have the least amount of carbs. but the my fitness pal app seems to be recommending I have 50% carbs...unless this is a default setting but I would think it would be based on the info I have imputed. I don't want to start eating that many carbs as I've lost 45lbs with trying to somewhat limit carbs..although still eating them and no idea how much really just sure it's not 50%..... help please?!

Ignore article ...body types are made up..so are blood types etc

If low carb suits you then fine. You can adjust the preset percentages on MFP to suit your diet best...they are generic

Personally I aim for minimum 60g fat and 100g protein daily my carbs fall where they will...generally 50-60% of my diet is carbs (I've been at goal for nearly 2 years)

terbusha

Saying that everyone should do carbs as the least macro is not right. Everyone has a different metabolism. It's going to depend more on how many calories you need to maintain weight. Here is the general breakdown of what I use (for someone that is not really overweight)
Protein: 0.8-1.2 g/lb of bodyweight
Fat: ~20-30% of daily calories
Carbs: the rest of your calories

Naturally, if you're at a low calorie intake, then the carbs will be less. I'm sitting at 2417 cal/day goal with a goal of 268 g of carbs/day (~45%). My friend Dave maintains weight at 3400 cal/day and probably is in the ~60% range for carbs. It's more complicated than what that article makes it sound like.

I think that you should do something that you can sustain and make progress on. I also think that you should eat as many calories as possible while making progress towards your goal. If you're at a weight you're happy with, then I would suggest you SLOWLY get your calories up over time with a reverse diet. This sets you up for better long-term success

terbusha

Here, this will help. Hit me up if you have more questions
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4T05SZ5JcwA

ahoy_m8

I don't know what "body types" you were reading about, but in most cases, they don't relate to diet/macros unless:
> diabetic "type" - tends to do better LCHF
> endurance athlete "type" - tends to prefer HCLF

There are rule of thumb minimums for protein (varies depending on goal/activity) and for fat. It's smart to track fiber and get a minimum of that, too. It's more meaningful to hit your macro/micronutrient minimums in grams than to worry over percentages.

louise5779

I've been trying to hit my macros now too. After 12 steady weeks I feel like I'm in a good food and exercise routine and to start focusing on the macros. I find it really easy to hit protein and fat but always fall short on the carbs.

ahoy_m8

terbusha wrote: »

Protein: 0.8-1.2 g/lb of bodyweight
Fat: ~20-30% of daily calories
Carbs: the rest of your calories

Protein is variable. I usually see:
0.8-1.2 g/lb LBM, not total body weight for muscle sparing in a deficit
Eating in a surplus, muscle sparing isn't an issue, so much less protein is ok . I often see 1g/kg bodyweight.
Bulking is surplus eating, but slightly more protein can help.
It depends on goals and activities.

Also for fat, I generally see 0.35g/lb body weight.
For fiber, 20-25g for women & 25-30g for men.

sarahkw04

I've been focusing on hitting macros instead of worrying about calories in vs. calories out over the last 6 weeks. It's been a game changer, once I got over seeing higher calorie numbers. I too focus on hitting my protein macros which is 120g and work to keep my fat macro within a couple digits of the 66g I'm given. I worry less about the carb macro - most of my carbs come from fruits and veggies for one, but I've learned I don't have to be afraid of carbs - they're fueling my body and helping me keep my energy level up for all the heavy lifting and fitness classes I'm taking and teaching.

Macros really depend on personal goals, but I'm such a fan. My scale hasn't really changed in 6 weeks, but I just did a body scan on Saturday and I've lost 4lbs of fat and gained 2lbs of muscle in 6 weeks - losing 2% of body fat and seeing my body recomposing? I'll take it and keep eating all the things!

courtneyfabulous

Sounds like you were told you're an endomorph - me too! While controversial, I do think there's something to the body types thing actually. There has to be some explanation for why certain people are thin no matter what or how much they eat and then there's us who just look at food and gain weight!

The way you should calculate your macros is to set your protein first- base this on your height, weight, activity level, and wether or not you lift weights. Then determine your calories, calorie deficit, then fats, then whatever is left is your carbs.

MFP gives automatically set macros, I think only the calories are determined by the info you input. I'd suggest using a different source to calculate your macros and then manually set them in MFP (you can do this from the "goals" menu).

Macros are important, but if it's too confusing then just make sure you hit your protein goal and your calorie goal and you should be fine.

courtneyfabulous

FYI my macros are set to 30% protein, 30% fat, and 40% carbs.

That doesn't mean that's necessarily the correct percentages for you though, it really needs to be calculated to fit your specific stats & goals.

latyciamoya

thank you all. this is definitely getting a bit confusing but I'm seeing that I should focus on hitting my protein and fat and let the carbs fall where they fall which is fine I just need to figure out how much protein and fat I should have...I can try and work in grams but I've always found percentages easier for myself for some reason. and yes the article was talking about endomorph and whatever the other ones were called... I would say that my natural body is fairly "strong" I do have nice "broad" shoulders and used to be very lean as a teenager and younger. just got soft as I got older and had kids/ate poorly. I believe mfp was set to 50% carbs
30% fat
20% protein.. so maybe it was custom? I'll try googling more about how much I should have.

angelaypolite

I have mine set to 30% carbs, 35% protein & fat. I just need to keep my carbs around 100-125g a day. If I have too many carbs, I feel bad carb cravings. But you should do what's best for you.

latyciamoya

I had a hard time with googling and using macros calculators I suppose I'll just try this out and see how it goes..I hope I don't gain fat.

Anvil_Head

latyciamoya wrote: »

thank you all. this is definitely getting a bit confusing but I'm seeing that I should focus on hitting my protein and fat and let the carbs fall where they fall which is fine I just need to figure out how much protein and fat I should have...I can try and work in grams but I've always found percentages easier for myself for some reason. and yes the article was talking about endomorph and whatever the other ones were called... I would say that my natural body is fairly "strong" I do have nice "broad" shoulders and used to be very lean as a teenager and younger. just got soft as I got older and had kids/ate poorly. I believe mfp was set to 50% carbs
30% fat
20% protein.. so maybe it was custom? I'll try googling more about how much I should have.

Nobody's linked it yet? Great explanation here: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/819055/setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets/p1

latyciamoya

thank you. so according to that link, MFP has obviously determined the macros I should consume based on my stats and activity level I imputed. if I'm understanding correctly. so I think I will definitely try and follow it, as it is, and see how it goes!

latyciamoya

gah day 1 is a bust. over on EVERYTHING except protein. I thought I was doing good but I guess not! this is harder than I thought but I'm determined to figure it out..

angelaypolite

Don't feel bad. I was over on carbs and calories yesterday.

latyciamoya

it's tough I felt so tired and hungry yesterday evening I was out of it. I had some tea which helped but then had a couple vodka sodas lol

angelaypolite

LOL, gotta cut the vodka, you won't get results how you like. Been there, done that

latyciamoya

hey its better than beer right

latyciamoya

ok I'm finding it impossible to eat the amount of protein. does this mean I should change my ratios? there's like no way I can eat that much protein and stay under my calories and fat...

sarahkw04

latyciamoya wrote: »

ok I'm finding it impossible to eat the amount of protein. does this mean I should change my ratios? there's like no way I can eat that much protein and stay under my calories and fat...

What's your protein macro? Mine is 120 and I struggled at first, but this week marks the first week I've managed to hit it consistently. It's definitely a challenge. I come in around 2100 calories most days. I've been eating Kodiak cakes or Lil Buff Cakes for breakfast, a salad topped with a protein like ground turkey or chicken for lunch, and this week, dinner has been pulled chicken chili which has black beans and kidney beans to add protein. I don't use cheese or sour cream.

Snacks turned out to be my saving grace. I eat an apple with peanut butter or a Luna protein or RX bar. Protein shakes come into the mix when I need that last boost!

ahoy_m8

Agreed, vodka better than beer, depending on qty of course.

OP, it helps me to think of my macros as MINIMUMS and calories as a maximum. So I TRY to be over on fat, fiber, & protein. Re: how much protein you are trying to get, is it based on total body weight? or LBM? Just wondering if you can do well with less.

latyciamoya

I don't really know what it's based on I went with the MFP settings that must have been based on my stats and goals and then changed it a bit based on what someone recommended.

carbs 160g 50%
protein 100g 30%
fats 30g 20%

latyciamoya

and my calories are 1,330

SusanMFindlay

latyciamoya wrote: »

I don't really know what it's based on I went with the MFP settings that must have been based on my stats and goals and then changed it a bit based on what someone recommended.

carbs 160g 50%
protein 100g 30%
fats 30g 20%

Odd. MFP usually gives 50% carbs, 20% protein, 30% fats. You could try that.

kimny72

OP, don't stress too much about macros, they are guidelines and different people fare better with different macro %s.

What are your goals? If your primary goal is weight loss, then your primary focus should be your calories. Macros can help you with satiety and fitness goals. Protein has helped me a lot with feeling full on less calories, but fiber and fat can help with that as well. You kind of have to play around with it until you find what works for you! My protein goal is @ 100g on 1600 calories. I very rarely make it to be honest, but I'm getting closer - chicken, eggs, greek yogurt, lentils, and protein shakes help. But I don't sweat it.

Most importantly - don't get so stressed out about the macro stuff that you just give up altogether! Plenty of people here have lost their weight while never giving a second glance to their macros. If it ends up just frustrating you, just push it aside and focus on hitting your calorie goal while eating a varied diet. Good luck :drinker:

latyciamoya

yes I believe those percentages were what I was first given but the carbs scared me..
well my main goal is more to lower my body fat percentage; I don't really care how many lbs I weigh. and to tone my tummy. all my weight is in my tummy.. my body fat is 33% but I've lost 45lbs since January just by eating healthier and smaller portions.. and working out obviously. if using macros is supposed to help you feel satiated then I've definitely got it wrong because I've been getting pretty hungry in the afternoon feeling weak and tired. trying to keep the calories low is what is making this hard...I don't see how I can eat more carbs without going over my calories? I'll switch back to the original percentages and see how tomorrow goes.

SusanMFindlay

If you don't want to eat more carbs, don't. 40% carbs, 30% fat, 30% protein was what worked for me when I was lifting seriously. The LCHF crowd goes even lower carb than that, boosting fat to compensate. I don't know their exact macros, but I'd guess something like 10% carbs, 20-30% protein, 60-70% fat. I'm sure someone on that plan can correct those numbers.

Figure out what works for you as long as you're getting enough protein (0.8-1 gram per pound of lean body mass) and a reasonable amount of fat (0.4 g per pound) and don't go too overboard with the protein.

AnvilHead

latyciamoya wrote: »

thank you. so according to that link, MFP has obviously determined the macros I should consume based on my stats and activity level I imputed. if I'm understanding correctly. so I think I will definitely try and follow it, as it is, and see how it goes!

MFP's default macros are the same for everybody - your stats and activity level don't change their recommendations. You can easily go in and change them to whatever suits you best. I have mine set to 40c/30f/30p because it's on point for my protein and fat targets (as calculated in grams) and also provides me with good satiety. I also find that it almost perfectly fits my normal eating habits - I usually come reasonably close to 40/30/30 without even consciously tailoring my eating toward hitting them (and I don't make an effort to hit them right on the nose - anywhere in the ballpark is close enough.)