Nutritional Help

chelllsea124

I recently started this lifestyle change of eating healthy and exercising to lose weight. I've noticed over the past couple months that even if I stay under my 1200 calorie a day plan, I am still exceeding other things within my diet. I've either had too many carbs, or too much sugar, for example. I didn't even realize so many foods had sugar in them until today. Should I be adjusting my goals? I don't know how to balance carbs, protein, sodium, etc, with the amount of calories i'm consuming.

I figured that if I stayed under 1200 calories a day, my levels of everything else would be similar. Also, my macros are set to be around 50% carbs, 30% fat, and 20% Protein.

kellyfeb78

I often go over my sugar due to the amount of fruit I eat and am still losing so I think its just a guideline not something u have to accurately follow

T0M_K

well, if weight loss is your goal, staying in your calorie limit is most important. naturally your macros are a reflection of what you are eating. If you eat 5 donuts, you won't get protein but a ton of carbs and sugar. If you eat all lean protein you won't get much in terms of carbs or sugars.

You should approach this, firstly with total calorie in mind. then "my" recommendation is to get 1 gram of protein per pound you weigh or perhaps .8 grams. either way, higher protein will help some with preserving lean muscle mass as well as help to keep you satiated. fill in with veggies and perhaps lower starchy carbs and you should be fine.

This issue is what you are eating if your macros are out of wack.

T0M_K

if make your diary public, we could provide some analysis and help.

cmriverside

It's a learning process. Calories are all that matter for weight loss, but balancing macros leads to better nutrition and satiety which makes adherence to a reduced calorie plan more sustainable and less stressful for your body. You'll figure it out in time, try to hit your protein and fats first and let carbs fall where they fall. Protein and fat goals are goals, minimums.

As far as sugars in fruit, vegetables and dairy, don't worry about them at all. Just keep it going.

chelllsea124

Tomk652015 wrote: »

well, if weight loss is your goal, staying in your calorie limit is most important. naturally your macros are a reflection of what you are eating. If you eat 5 donuts, you won't get protein but a ton of carbs and sugar. If you eat all lean protein you won't get much in terms of carbs or sugars.

You should approach this, firstly with total calorie in mind. then "my" recommendation is to get 1 gram of protein per pound you weigh or perhaps .8 grams. either way, higher protein will help some with preserving lean muscle mass as well as help to keep you satiated. fill in with veggies and perhaps lower starchy carbs and you should be fine.

This issue is what you are eating if your macros are out of wack.

Weight loss is my number one goal. I read somewhere that macros should be 50/30/20 so that's where I'm keeping them.

Thank you for the advice in regards to protein. That helps a lot!

Ready2Rock206

First, you shouldn't be under 1200 calories.

Second, do you have a medical reason you're avoiding sugar? Sugar doesn't make you gain weight - too many calories will.

For now I would work on getting your calories up to the minimum and not worry about your macros too much unless you have a medical reason to be monitoring them. Logging accuracy is always a good thing to work on in the beginning too.

chelllsea124

Tomk652015 wrote: »

if make your diary public, we could provide some analysis and help.

I don't know if I'm ready for that yet!!! LOL!

StaciMarie1974

Calories matter for weight loss.

Macros are relevant for helping you feel satiated, and the right balance will vary from person to person. For example I could eat all carbs, and hit my calorie goal, but being too carb-heavy would mean foods that don't keep me feeling full very long so I'd be miserable or need to eat more. Keeping a balance of protein/fat/carbs, to some extent, will help with being able to feel satisfied/satiated and not feel like you are always hungry.

Sugar and sodium: may not be concerns unless you have health matters that make them important. Diabetes? You may need to pay more attention to sugar, carbs. High blood pressure? You'll want to keep sodium down. For sodium, keep in mind that store bought/processed foods will tend to be high in sodium. Making more of your own meals will help control it.

chelllsea124

Thank you all for your help. This is all really helpful information. This probably seems like common sense to you all, but I was raised eating noodles, frozen meals, and fast food, so this is an incredible lifestyle change for me.

Paying attention to macros is important to me because it helps me focus on foods that keep me full longer. I have learned that. So I try to stick with calories and macros (i pay attention to those two the most).