If calorie deficit is the answer, then why does it matter how much carbs, protein, fat?

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  • artofbodybuilding
    artofbodybuilding Posts: 1 Member
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    As a bodybuilder, I keep track of my macros religiously. I love the process. I rarely eat for taste - instead I eat for energy. For someone with my build, i typically eat about 20% fat, 40% carbs and 40% protein to keep my lean muscle up while maintaining a shredded look. Macros matter when you start to get into the definition. If you have a ton of fat, then a simple caloric deficit will be enough until most of the fat is gone. After that, macros will start to matter more. At the same time, don't eat an unbalanced diet and go 100% carbs either - that is very unhealthy
  • ejbronte
    ejbronte Posts: 867 Member
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    I'm at maintenance now, and keep track of macros - I also did so when losing. I find it interesting and useful to learn how the nutrition of an item is partitioned. Also, I do need to keep track of sodium and fiber. Since balance between sodium and potassium seem to matter, I like to keep track of potassium too.

    And it's informative to log, say, a Panera salad into my diary and see what kind of nutrition I'm getting for my money.
  • HM2206
    HM2206 Posts: 174 Member
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    Calories matter at the end of the day.

    I basically look at three things with my macros - is the sodium or sugar alarmingly high, or is the protein very low. If the protein is low, it's also likely that I don't feel full.
  • Packerjohn
    Packerjohn Posts: 4,855 Member
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    Calories matter for weight loss. Macros matter if you care about your overall health. Look up the USDA guideline for the marcro ranges for health and experiment within those ranges to find where you feel the best.
  • size102b
    size102b Posts: 1,370 Member
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    I've done keto diets and very low carb you lose a lot water
    Had my fat loss measured on calorie counting and keto on keto I lose more scale weight but my fat loss is slower which is water and muscle loss
  • hookandy
    hookandy Posts: 278 Member
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    If calorie deficit is the answer, then why does it matter how much carbs, protein, fat? It depends on what question you are asking. For me CICO is the answer, but I am focused on losing weight, for others asking different questions then the macros and their balance will matter.
  • GoCleanGoLean
    GoCleanGoLean Posts: 71 Member
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    Satiety. For me, anyways. I find that if I gorge myself on all carbs, I'm hungry. At the same time, if I gorge myself on all protein, I'm hungry. I have to find the balance between carbs, protein, and fat. Plus, eating all fat is not very healthy. Neither is eating all carbs. Or all protein.

    I don't track my macros, per se, but I am aware of how much of each I am eating. I also like to keep an eye on my fiber and sugar intake. Fiber high, sugar low.
  • JohnnyPenso
    JohnnyPenso Posts: 412 Member
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    I lost my last 20 lbs fairly quickly, in the three months from September through November and I did it eating a high carb diet of mostly vegetables, fruit and whole grains. I did it because I wanted to eat a high volume of food to get that feeling of a full tummy that I wanted and that's about the only way to do it. I could easily plow through 1-2 lbs of food at a sitting and it would take a while to get through which also helped. I was at 1600-1700 calories a day at that time and the weight just fell off. Now that I'm on maintenance at 2000-2100 I've since changed my macro balance to about 40/35/25 carbs/fat/protein and I eat less vegetables, fruits and grains and more nuts, seeds, fats etc.

    The key is finding a way that works for you to lose the weight. I love all food and love vegetables, fruit and whole grains so eating a lot of them was satisfying for me. It may not be for you. I do think that, in the long run, everyone could benefit from a little research on maintaining a good nutrient balance and intake and maintaining the macros that will naturally flow from that, but in the short term, the weight loss can take a higher priority.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,692 Member
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    ugofatcat wrote: »
    People who cut carbohydrates lose weight quicker. But over the course of a year, the low fat/protein groups catch up and there is no difference in the weight loss between groups.
    That's because they don't retain water that gets absorbed into the cells when glycogen gets formed from carb breakdown. What I have noticed with my clients that do low carb is that they tend to gas out faster on HIIT. Don't think that's a coincidence.


    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
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    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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