I was wondering if any MFP users would give me some help.

jemmadock123

I would like to understand a bit more about the nutrition aspect of healthy eating.

Most of my days my protein is about 30g above my required amount but I am still staying within my daily calorie allowance. There is always not enough fat and too much protein. I was wondering if this will effect my weight loss a great deal? I find it difficult to get it bang on for all my nutrition goals.

Any help would be great thank you!!

xx

usmcmp

The default setting for MyFitnessPal does not fit everyone's needs or way of eating. As you are starting out it's a good idea to focus mostly on the calorie part. Over time you will find what macros (protein, fat, and carbs) or way of eating works to keep you full and make you feel good. Being over the protein goal is fine.

Spliner1969

All that matters for weight loss is the calories. Stay under or at your goal calories and you'll lose weight. As far as protein, I agree with @usmcmp, MFP's default setting is pretty low. I, personally, try to keep my protein at between .8g to 1.1g per lb of my lean body mass. I am at around 10% to 11% body fat at the moment and weigh 180. 10% of that is 18, which means my lean body mass is around 162 lbs, so I try to keep around 162g of protein, and usually go over that but I stay under my calorie goal. If I followed MFP it would probably set me around 40-50g/day which, for me, would be way too low. Hope that helps. Try some other calculators around the web, my favorite is iifym.com.

trigden1991

Spliner1969 wrote: »

All that matters for weight loss is the calories. Stay under or at your goal calories and you'll lose weight. As far as protein, I agree with @usmcmp, MFP's default setting is pretty low. I, personally, try to keep my protein at between .8g to 1.1g per lb of my lean body mass. I am at around 10% to 11% body fat at the moment and weigh 180. 10% of that is 18, which means my lean body mass is around 162 lbs, so I try to keep around 162g of protein, and usually go over that but I stay under my calorie goal. If I followed MFP it would probably set me around 40-50g/day which, for me, would be way too low. Hope that helps. Try some other calculators around the web, my favorite is iifym.com.

A real 10% is extremely lean, how did you measure that?

Spliner1969

trigden1991 wrote: »

A real 10% is extremely lean, how did you measure that?

I measure with calipers, usually with a 3-point measurement (because I am doing it myself). That's why I say 10-11%, the measurement reads anywhere from 9% to 10% I add a percent just because I figure they aren't that accurate, and it's hard to measure some points (like stomach area - which is always my largest measurement even though there isn't a lot of fat left there) from leftover loose skin. So it's not a scan, and likely isn't a true 10% but it's pretty close. I also notice the numbers change based on water retained, for instance after a couple of high sodium days I'll see the scale jump 2-4lbs and those measurements will also jump. It took about six months to go from 12-13% to 10-11%.

These are the calipers I use, they are spring loaded so you can't modify the readings by squeezing too hard, you simply let the calipers spring do its job:

jemmadock123

Thanks for the replies guys! Feel better now, I'll just stick to my calorie goal and see what results I get x

ssmetter

Best way I"ve found is to watch the fat grams.
Fat grams are twice the calories of protein and carbs. So by watching Fat grams you will automatically be lowering calories. For most women staying around 34-35 fat grams a day is a Good goal.
So food low in fat you can eat more!

billglitch

I have similar problem. I started drinking small amounts (1/4 cup) of heavy cream. Also look into using coconut oil. Also look at 100% cacao. Low carbs, higher fats and moderate proteins

usmcmp

ssmetter wrote: »

Best way I"ve found is to watch the fat grams.
Fat grams are twice the calories of protein and carbs. So by watching Fat grams you will automatically be lowering calories. For most women staying around 34-35 fat grams a day is a Good goal.
So food low in fat you can eat more!

billglitch wrote: »

I have similar problem. I started drinking small amounts (1/4 cup) of heavy cream. Also look into using coconut oil. Also look at 100% cacao. Low carbs, higher fats and moderate proteins

See, here are two people who found that restricting different macros works better for them as far as staying on track with calories.

jemmadock123

Great advice guys I'm new to my fitness pal, it's actually great support. x

Spliner1969

jemmadock123 wrote: »

Great advice guys I'm new to my fitness pal, it's actually great support. x

Yup, the one thing you'll find is true... everyone is different. What works for one, won't necessarily work for another. Best you can do is listen to everyone's advice and try what feels right for you. If you've done it one way for a couple months without results, try something else, but remember calories are paramount no matter how you roll your macros. You really need to know your TDEE with and without exercise to make good decisions.