Calorie counting vs macros

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hayleydonkersley
hayleydonkersley Posts: 13 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi all. Please can someone explain how to count macros instead of calories. I have been calorie counting and lost 6lb so far but it has got to the point now that I am so worried about what I eat and how many calories everything contains that I am hardly eating. I am finding I am way below the 1200 per day intake (900-1000 anything above I start to feel guilty) but I know this isn't healthy. It is taking over my life and I've not even allowed myself to enjoy any chocolate this Easter !! Please help! Xx

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  • cathipa
    cathipa Posts: 2,991 Member
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    If you think you would be less worried about what you eat counting macros - think again. Stick to a reasonable calorie deficit. Don't be afraid of food.
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
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    Determine your protein and fat goals. .8 grams per pound of protein and .4 grams per pound of fat are good starting points (note that different people use different calculations for these, this is what I use as a base.) Example for a 150 lb person:

    150 x .8 = 120 grams of protein (480 calories from protein)
    150 x .4 = 60 grams of fat (540 calories from fat)

    If the overall calorie goal is 1500 per day (total, not net):

    1500-480-540= 480 calories left that could be used on carbs or more fat or more protein.

    Summary:

    120+ grams protein
    60+ grams fat
    <=120 grams carb
    1500 calories total

  • sarahkw04
    sarahkw04 Posts: 87 Member
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    I personally prefer macro counting, but it's basically Calorie counting at the end of the day. For me, macros are like a game of Tetris. I've pre-logged everything I'm going to eat today and I'm left with 20c/7p/6f, so now I have to figure out what to eat to hit those (I've even already added dessert for the day!)

    I agree with what the poster said above, however. If counting calories is stressful, macros may drive you completely insane. It's a lot of measuring and thinking ahead about what you're going to eat.
  • Silentpadna
    Silentpadna Posts: 1,306 Member
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    malibu927 wrote: »
    Counting macros is essentially counting calories in a different way. I would speak with someone about your guilt before it gets out of control.

    2 extremely valuable points. Don't neglect the second one. The guilt is conditioning and it's false!
  • WinoGelato
    WinoGelato Posts: 13,454 Member
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    Macro counting is just another way of assigning numerical values to the foods you eat in order to help you achieve your goals. It won't necessarily help you with those feelings of guilt and anxiety - which are not healthy....

    Remember, the MFP goal is one you are supposed to HIT, not be under. And if you are exercising, and burning calories through that, then you should be eating those back as well.

    How quickly did you lose the 6 lbs? How much weight total are you trying to lose? What rate of loss did you select when you set up your profile?
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    IMO, you'd just make matters worse by tracking macros...you'd exponentially upping more things to obsess about. If it's this big of an issue, I'd say calorie counting probably isn't for you...you should also probably do some research on what a calorie actually is and why calories are necessary...

    Also, your macros are what make up your calories...so if you're counting macros, you're also counting calories. 4 calories per gram of carb or protein...9 calories per gram of fat...that's what your calories are derived from.
  • hayleydonkersley
    hayleydonkersley Posts: 13 Member
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    Thanks all. I've lost the 6lbs in 3 weeks and set it to lose 2lb a week I need to lose another 8 lbs to get me to 9st with a BMI of 22.
  • cathipa
    cathipa Posts: 2,991 Member
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    2 pounds a week is a fairly aggressive goal being that you are already a healthy BMI. Why not change to 0.5-1 pound a week?
  • WinoGelato
    WinoGelato Posts: 13,454 Member
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    hayleydonkersley wrote: »
    Thanks all. I've lost the 6lbs in 3 weeks and set it to lose 2lb a week I need to lose another 8 lbs to get me to 9st with a BMI of 22.

    With less than 20 lbs to lose, in fact, less than 10 lbs to lose - you should be aiming for a rate of loss of 0.5 lb/week. 2 lbs/week is far too aggressive for you.

    Regardless - this is not going to help you overcome your issues with eating the amount of calories MFP is suggesting for you. Have you had issues with disordered eating in the past by chance?
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
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    hayleydonkersley wrote: »
    Thanks all. I've lost the 6lbs in 3 weeks and set it to lose 2lb a week I need to lose another 8 lbs to get me to 9st with a BMI of 22.

    That's too fast with so little to lose.
    You are going to find the switch to eating at maintenance extremely hard unless you start to taper off that aggressive deficit.

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