Weight Loss Macro Help

raziak528
raziak528 Posts: 14 Member
edited November 20 in Health and Weight Loss
Hi All! A bit about me: I need to lose 40 lbs preferably in the next 6-7 months however I am having a surgery in a month so I will not be able to exercise for about a month afterward so I may have to re-adjust my cals at that time.

I log everything every single thing that goes in my mouth every day. I work out 3x a week doing HIIT/cardio. MFP gave me a 1200 cal a day but I haven't been losing (for the past month) anything so I just moved my cals to 1400 today (BMR is 1700). Is that a safe assumption? Also I set my macros as such: 31 grams of fat, 123 grams of protein, 158 grams of carbohydrates, would I need to hit all of those macros to see results? Aka should I be getting 123 grams of protein every day or will I still see results if I only get to 95 grams etc for all categories? Any and all advice welcome!
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Replies

  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    edited July 2017
    Macros are mostly important for satiety. However, at 10%, your fat is quite low. Fat doesn't make you fat - it's excess calories that cause weight gain.

    The MFP default macros: 50% from carbohydrates, 20% from protein and 30% from fat were a little low on protein and a little high on carbs for me.

    There's no need to hit all three macros exactly. Protein is the hardest for me so I focus on that. Fat comes along for the ride and the carbs fall where they may.

    How tall are you?
  • raziak528
    raziak528 Posts: 14 Member
    I'm 5'9. I felt like my mfp default macros were off for me as well. I also am not sure how many cals I should be doing because I read that some may not be eating enough. I naturally have a slow metabolism and have a hard time meeting the 1200 calories even some days.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    There are mistakes that people commonly make that cause them to not lose weight that we might be able to spot if you change your Diary Sharing settings to Public: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/account/diary_settings
  • raziak528
    raziak528 Posts: 14 Member
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    There are mistakes that people commonly make that cause them to not lose weight that we might be able to spot if you change your Diary Sharing settings to Public: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/account/diary_settings

    Just switched it to public.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    I can see you are not weighing some things. Others I can't tell as they list both cups and weights. I suggest you weigh everything, and use system entries for whole foods. Your bananas and clementines are user-created entries.

    Unfortunately, the green check marks are used for both user-created entries and system entries. To find system entries for whole foods, I get the syntax from the USDA database and plug that into MFP.

    For packaged foods, I verify the label against what I find in MFP.

    Before I started weighing, I was wildly off on calorie dense foods like peanut butter. It makes less of a difference in foods like bananas, but lots of little discrepancies can lead you to be eating more than you think you are. Also, it's just a PITA to use spoons for foods like PB and butter.
  • raziak528
    raziak528 Posts: 14 Member
    fjmartini wrote: »
    Just go to the keto subreddit and you'll be able to get all the info you'd want in the wiki. It's by FAR the best diet you can do if you're unable to work out.

    I just worry it's not a long term solution aka once I leave the diet, will I be able to maintain the weight loss when I want to introduce myself back to carbs?
  • fjmartini
    fjmartini Posts: 1,149 Member
    raziak528 wrote: »
    fjmartini wrote: »
    Just go to the keto subreddit and you'll be able to get all the info you'd want in the wiki. It's by FAR the best diet you can do if you're unable to work out.

    I just worry it's not a long term solution aka once I leave the diet, will I be able to maintain the weight loss when I want to introduce myself back to carbs?

    I go on and off it all the time. I wouldn't suggest making it a lifelong choice. The one thing it did for me is drop my urge for them. At this point, even if I'm not following it I keep my carbs relatively low.
  • fjmartini
    fjmartini Posts: 1,149 Member
    I also don't do strict keto. I do carb nite colution. You can find the free PDF online.
  • CharlieBeansmomTracey
    CharlieBeansmomTracey Posts: 7,682 Member
    raziak528 wrote: »
    I'm 5'9. I felt like my mfp default macros were off for me as well. I also am not sure how many cals I should be doing because I read that some may not be eating enough. I naturally have a slow metabolism and have a hard time meeting the 1200 calories even some days.

    if your metabolism was slow your BMR wouldnt be 1700(thats higher than a lot of women). bmr is what your body burns just to function and stay alive.input your info into mfp and how much you want to lose and eat to that calorie goal. macros dont mean much when it comes to weight loss all thats needed is a deficit of calories.
  • Lillymoo01
    Lillymoo01 Posts: 2,865 Member
    fjmartini wrote: »
    kimny72 wrote: »
    Keto can work great for people who are easily satiated by fat. For others (like me) who do not feel full after eating fatty foods, it is not a good fit.

    I agree that it's not the only diet to use but she mentioned that she'd be sidelined from a surgery. Keto or carb nite solution is the only diet I know of that a person wouldn't have to overly restrict their calories while still losing weight. It was just a suggestion that works for me.

    It is not the only diet that will work in her situation. Unless she eats less than she burns she will not lose weight, regardless of her macros are. Keto is a means for some to keep within their calorie restrictions because it works best to keep them satiated. There is nothing magic about it. It is just one of many tools for weight loss.
  • CharlieBeansmomTracey
    CharlieBeansmomTracey Posts: 7,682 Member
    fjmartini wrote: »
    AnvilHead wrote: »
    fjmartini wrote: »
    kimny72 wrote: »
    Keto can work great for people who are easily satiated by fat. For others (like me) who do not feel full after eating fatty foods, it is not a good fit.

    I agree that it's not the only diet to use but she mentioned that she'd be sidelined from a surgery. Keto or carb nite solution is the only diet I know of that a person wouldn't have to overly restrict their calories while still losing weight. It was just a suggestion that works for me.

    You have to restrict your calories on a keto diet just like you do on any other diet. Keto does not magically defy the laws of energy balance. It all comes down to CICO regardless of how you choose to divide up your macros or what time you choose to eat them.

    The reason why I do keto is so I don't have to think about calories. I eat two 8 oz cheeseburgers with egg and bacon twice a week at least for dinner. Up to 8-10 whole eggs nearly daily and as long as I keep my net carbs between 20-30 grams I'm satisfied. My body fat drops from about 18% to 10% in the shortest time I ever experienced and I was a ephedrine degenerate. I'm going to assume she has a 6-7 month parameter for her weight loss goal because she has an event she's planning for. I can't think of another diet that will help her to continue to lose weight while in recovery from her surgery that will transform her body at the same time like keto or an adjusted form of it. Her response to me was she was concerned about transitioning off of it. I just responded that it's easier than she might think.

    any diet she does will help her to continue to lose weight. it doesnt matter what way of eating she does. Im high carb(more than 200 A DAY.most days) low fat due to health issues and lost weight the 2-3 months I couldnt exercise due to an injury. I was in a deficit and lost a lot of fat as well over time. if you are losing a lot of fat its possible its due to a high caloric deficit or it could be lean mass loss if you arent eating enough calories.keto also doesnt transform your body losing fat can but again that can be done with any diet. keto also is not for everyone .
  • fjmartini
    fjmartini Posts: 1,149 Member
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    fjmartini wrote: »
    kimny72 wrote: »
    Keto can work great for people who are easily satiated by fat. For others (like me) who do not feel full after eating fatty foods, it is not a good fit.

    I agree that it's not the only diet to use but she mentioned that she'd be sidelined from a surgery. Keto or carb nite solution is the only diet I know of that a person wouldn't have to overly restrict their calories while still losing weight. It was just a suggestion that works for me.

    10057.jpg

    Didn't say I didn't create a natural calorie deficiency. What I said was I do it so I don't have to worry about portion size or calorie deficiency. But thanks for the diet table.
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,011 Member
    fjmartini wrote: »
    AnvilHead wrote: »
    fjmartini wrote: »
    kimny72 wrote: »
    Keto can work great for people who are easily satiated by fat. For others (like me) who do not feel full after eating fatty foods, it is not a good fit.

    I agree that it's not the only diet to use but she mentioned that she'd be sidelined from a surgery. Keto or carb nite solution is the only diet I know of that a person wouldn't have to overly restrict their calories while still losing weight. It was just a suggestion that works for me.

    You have to restrict your calories on a keto diet just like you do on any other diet. Keto does not magically defy the laws of energy balance. It all comes down to CICO regardless of how you choose to divide up your macros or what time you choose to eat them.

    The reason why I do keto is so I don't have to think about calories. I eat two 8 oz cheeseburgers with egg and bacon twice a week at least for dinner. Up to 8-10 whole eggs nearly daily and as long as I keep my net carbs between 20-30 grams I'm satisfied. My body fat drops from about 18% to 10% in the shortest time I ever experienced and I was a ephedrine degenerate. I'm going to assume she has a 6-7 month parameter for her weight loss goal because she has an event she's planning for. I can't think of another diet that will help her to continue to lose weight while in recovery from her surgery that will transform her body at the same time like keto or an adjusted form of it. Her response to me was she was concerned about transitioning off of it. I just responded that it's easier than she might think.

    Whether she does keto or not, she will need to eat the same amount of calories one way or the other. Keto works for you because the foods fill you up easily and you don't have to try to limit portions, it just happens naturally. And that's great. But that doesn't work for everyone. OP didn't say she was having trouble eating the right amount of calories, just that she thinks she is eating the right calories, but isn't losing weight.

    The point of the diet chart is that macros and meal timing don't directly affect weight loss. They can affect satiety, with different macros and meal schedules working for different people, but weight loss will be the same.

    I'd also say that just my opinion, but I don't think a month before surgery is a good time to go and completely change your WOE, especially not knowing what type of surgery it is.
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,011 Member
    OP, sorry your thread got sidetracked! Regardless of what you decide to eat, tighten up your logging and take good care of yourself pre and post op.
  • eisterunicorn
    eisterunicorn Posts: 158 Member
    sizdepsk wrote: »
    I agree with keto... the entire reason I do keto is because I have 2 kids and work full time so I'd rather spend my free time with them instead of working out. I don't feel like it's about calorie deficit AT ALL, couldn't be further from the truth. It's about your body's response (perhaps the metabolic damage you may have) and hormones (especially insulin). Do your own research and figure out what will work best for you. Food is far more than just calories.

    Genuinely curious, why does eating high fat make it okay to not exercise? I thought exercise was good for your body no matter what diet you're on. :confounded:
  • 2DUNNY
    2DUNNY Posts: 101 Member
    fjmartini wrote: »
    . I do carb nite colution. You can find the free PDF online.

    i hope i don't sound like too big of an idiot, but i have read 3 or 4 articles on carb nite and i still have no idea what it is. LOL
  • fjmartini
    fjmartini Posts: 1,149 Member
    eisterunicorn wrote: »
    sizdepsk wrote: »
    I agree with keto... the entire reason I do keto is because I have 2 kids and work full time so I'd rather spend my free time with them instead of working out. I don't feel like it's about calorie deficit AT ALL, couldn't be further from the truth. It's about your body's response (perhaps the metabolic damage you may have) and hormones (especially insulin). Do your own research and figure out what will work best for you. Food is far more than just calories.

    Genuinely curious, why does eating high fat make it okay to not exercise? I thought exercise was good for your body no matter what diet you're on. :confounded:

    It is good to exercise but OP is having surgery and won't be able to for a little while. When you eat mostly fat your body transfers from burning glucose to ketones, which is fat. All the fatvstores in your body get used as fuel once carbs are restricted.
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