WEIGHT LOSS - low cal? low fat? high protein?

msima1002

When trying to lose weight (50lbs total eventually), should I focus on eating lots of protein or low cal, low fat or low carbs? I do not know what to focus on .. I do exercise 4-5x a week

janjunie

Focus on eating less calories then you do now. Worrying about macros is too overwhelming for most people at the beginning of their weight loss journey. All you need for counting calories is a digital food scale and accurate daily logging. Good luck!

rileysowner

Get your calorie goal from MFP for losing 1 pound per week, eat that in whatever way helps you best to comply with that calorie goal.

Rebecca0224

Weight loss happens when you maintain a calorie deficit. Eat the amount of calories MFP gives you and log your exercise and eat a portion of those back. Macros(fat, protein, and carbs) are a personal choice and it can take time for you to decide what works best for you but make sure you are eating enough protein.

jemhh

I agree with the others. Focus on eating fewer calories. A moderate deficit - - 500 calories less than you burn a day or 20% off of TDEE are both what I consider moderate--will do it. For health reasons, I'd say eat a nutritionally well rounded diet that you can maintain.

dragon_girl26

The calorie deficit is what is going to give you the weight loss. Low carb, low fat, etc...are generally just strategies for achieving that calorie deficit. Protein is the one macro you should keep an eye on, though, to ensure you are getting enough during the weight loss phase.

kimny72

Focus on appropriate calories. Set your goal to 1 lb per week and eat those calories. Different macro %s can help with satiety, but will not directly affect weight loss.

Theo166

melaniesimard wrote: »

When trying to lose weight (50lbs total eventually), should I focus on eating lots of protein or low cal, low fat or low carbs? I do not know what to focus on .. I do exercise 4-5x a week

Focus on tracking everything you eat and maintaining a calorie deficit. The beginning is all about discovery of what gives you satiety. You'll figure out what foods, fat, and protein work for you and allow you to hit your goals.

I wouldn't focus on exercise for the first 1-2 weeks, phase it in after you have a rhythm of tracking and meal planning.

This is a very long race, not a sprint. Losing 50 lbs will take most 6-12 months. You must change your food lifestyle if you want to lose weight and then keep it off permanently.

Luna3386

Slight deficit. Weigh everything. Find a balance of macros you can stick with. I find this the easiest way to stick to my weight loss goals.

Blitzia

As everyone else said, if all you care about is losing weight, don't worry about the ratio of fats, proteins, and carbs. Your macros have zero effect on your weight loss and only affect how hungry you are, so go with whatever ratio makes you feel full or suits your cravings.

When it comes to nutrition though, a good rule of thumb is that when you use MFP's recommendations, think of the protein and fat numbers as minimums. If you go over, that's totally fine and sometimes (especially for protein) really good. Carbs will be whatever is left and fits your calories. The reason for this is that protein is really important for maintaining your muscles while you're losing weight. Fats are important for helping your body absorb vitamins. (And if you're eating less than you normally eat, you're probably consuming fewer vitamins than usual, so fat becomes even more important.)

Another tip is that fat is the most calorie-dense of the three macros (one gram of fat has more calories than one gram of protein or one gram of carbs.) So while getting enough fat is really important, going very far over your fat goal can make it harder to reach your calorie goal. So for me, I try to mostly focus on foods extremely high in protein and then have one little something with a good amount of fat every day and it usually gives me a good macro balance.

(But yeah, long story short, for weight loss you only have to worry about calories. The rest is just for health.)

mcmasters06

I'm new to all this my dr and this app say 1800 cal a day. I usually only get about 1500 at most, good or bad? That just seems like so much food, plus this adds cal when I do my daily steps.

kimny72

mcmasters06 wrote: »

I'm new to all this my dr and this app say 1800 cal a day. I usually only get about 1500 at most, good or bad? That just seems like so much food, plus this adds cal when I do my daily steps.

When you first start out, sometimes doing something new helps you to not feel as hungry as you should but this will most likely wear off.

Eating below your calorie goal every once and awhile is fine, doing it all the time is noy. Your body needs fuel to do all the things that keep you alive and healthy every day.

How are you determining portion sizes. 1500 calories is not "so much food". If you aren't using a food scale, you are prob eating more than you think - it's really common. Make sure you are logging everything, double check the entries you are using in the database are accurate, and use a food scale for as much as you can.

The short answer is, it's okay for a short time here in the beginning, but not something you want to do long term. :drinker:

Theo166

mcmasters06 wrote: »

I'm new to all this my dr and this app say 1800 cal a day. I usually only get about 1500 at most, good or bad? That just seems like so much food, plus this adds cal when I do my daily steps.

@mcmasters06 If you want advice, start another thread and provide your stats and what you are doing.
Asking for help in someone else's thread will either hijack their discussion or your question is passed over/missed.

Without knowing your details, I expect you are eating more than 1500/day if you feel like it's too much food. You should hit your target calories most days and then calibrate whether it's giving you the expected weight loss, that's how you figure out whether your food and exercise tracking is accurate.

janjunie

mcmasters06 wrote: »

I'm new to all this my dr and this app say 1800 cal a day. I usually only get about 1500 at most, good or bad? That just seems like so much food, plus this adds cal when I do my daily steps.

I'm sure you were eating way more than 1800 calories before you started MFP, so it's really not a lot. If you are weighing your food, eating back half your step calories and are honest with your daily activity level setting then you really should be eating 1800 calories a day. As you get closer and closer to your goal weight you're going to have to adjust your daily calories anyways, so might as well start with 1800 and adjust down slowly. There is a saying here that loosely goes; she who eats more and still loses is the real winner.

Lizarking

Protein is muscle sparing, filling, so get plenty of it. And whatever fat/carbs you like.

Sunna_W

As everyone says, it's Calories In / Calories Out that causes the weight loss.

I would also submit for argument that every "body" processes calories differently and while some people can reduce what they eat without an effect and not experience the "hangrys", I am not one of those people.

When I first started this journey back in November, I really tried to keep eating the same way, and just reduce calories and I was not at all happy. I was pissed off and ravenous.

I am also a maximize the reward with the least amount of pain kind of girl. The way of eating that does this for me is Paleo / Keto which restricts sugar and carbs while relying heavily on fats and protein for satiety.

See this website for a list: http://paleoiq.com/best-paleo-diet-blogs/

I am more or less able to keep to my 1400 calories (recommended for my height, weight and weight loss goal) in 3 meals a day with 1 snack on 45% protein, 40% fat and 15% carbs / sugar. I am compliant within 150 calories almost all of the time and at / below 1400 calories the rest of the time.

Fiber (all kinds) are my friends (I try to get as much as 30 grams of fiber every day) and I use it a lot in smoothies and drinks to keep me feeling full without stopping me up. Somethings to note:

• Konjac /Glucomannan makes a great low carb noodle and also fills you up very nicely -- I can go all day on a smoothie -- and reduces bowel motility. (Trust me!)
• Psyllium seed husk kind of fills you up and increases bowel motility.
• Brown rice bran definitely fills you up and increases bowel motility.

Learn to add fiber to enhance your food experience and ensure that you are regular.

Good luck in figuring all of this out - it can be kind of fun once you get the hang of it.

TeaBea

melaniesimard wrote: »

When trying to lose weight (50lbs total eventually), should I focus on eating lots of protein or low cal, low fat or low carbs? I do not know what to focus on .. I do exercise 4-5x a week

As everyone else has already said....focus on calories for weight loss.

BUT use this time to learn about your current eating habits, because weight loss is just the first step. My method for losing weight is all things in moderation. A moderate deficit doesn't leave me hungry. Elimination diets always backfired for me.....I always regained the weight I lost. Now I'm learning portion control for ALL foods....not just diet ones.

msima1002

Thanks everyone! Ill focus on simply staying under my calory goal, then ill make some changes in my macros to minimize the starving feeling

mcmasters06

Sorry didn't mean to steal the post. It just kinda seemed like same question. Hope I didn't upset anyone that's not what I was trying to do.

kshama2001

msima1002 wrote: »

Thanks everyone! Ill focus on simply staying under my calory goal, then ill make some changes in my macros to minimize the starving feeling

Ya, I stay fuller longer by raising protein and fiber and reducing carbs. (My fat stayed the same - lots of it.) However, I have vegan friends who do great on way more carbs and less protein than I do.

Also, some people try to lose too fast - what's your weekly weight loss goal? With 50 pounds to lose, 2 pounds per week would be too aggressive and 1.5 would be pushing it.