Calories vs Carbs/Fat/Protein

mandikaye

How important is it to really pay attention to carbs/fat/protein in your diet when you're starting out? I've been doing hardcore calorie counting (I need 2500 to maintain my weight, I typically eat 1500 but some days it's around 1800). Is this sufficient?

I'm also working out 3x a week, and I don't usually eat those calories back either.

But I keep hearing from people that food quality is going to make me lose weight faster (ie more fresh veggies, less pre-packaged). But mathmatically, shouldn't the calories really dictate what's going on? If I"m consistently burning more calories than are going in, I should drop weight, right?

Do I really need to focus on all of that other stuff on top of counting the calories? I thought I was making great strides in changing my lifestyle when I started working out and changing the food I put in my mouth and eating less. But i'm starting to feel like that's not good enough.

sjd2010

I'm definitely no expert, but I have changed my lifestyle (I don't call it a diet). I try to control my calories more than worry about carbs and protein. But I will always pick non-processed foods (i.e., fresh fruit, veggies) over packaged stuff. I have limited my meat to 3 oz per meal. I started (March 2010) out weighing 225 and now I'm down to 193 (today). I think a combination of healthy foods and exercise will get you the desired results.:happy:

cgebhart

Hi my name is Connie. I quite smoking in Sept. 2007 and told myself if I hit 180 pounds I would start smoking again. Well I didn't start smoking again I cut out a lot of foods I was eating and started walking or eliptical and some weight lifting and started some 8 minute abe tapes 5 days a week for almost 3 years now. I can't seem to lose any weight I bounce back and forth the lowest was 176 lbs. and my highest has been 184 lbs. I still don't eat very healthy I'm a very picky eater. My point is I don't think just watching calories is good enough, I get frustrated sometimes because I can't lose weight but I keep telling myself I'm not gaining weight. Good luck , Connie

4lafz

I am a bit confused if you are eating to maintain or eating to lose. I will assum by your ticker you still want to lose. Calories are the main indicator - and to lose you should net what it tells you but not less than 1200. The other measurements are important for other health reasons - and can tell you a story abut your eating style. They may tell you why you are not losing as fast as you want to. You can play around with these indicators on Settings to see what you are too high in - as not all the areas fit on your food page. For example, I added Cholesterol and Sugar, because those are areas I want to watch. Usually, Protein high is OK - but Fat, Sodium and Sugar may not be!

Holton

Not being as expert, but starting out counting calories alone should render results, but if you are in this for a healthier lifestyle and NOT a diet, it is definitely important to be more aware of the type foods that you are eating. I always encourage people to eat the perimeter of the grocery store = fresh foods like vegetables and fruits and avoid all the processed packed foods. Your body will respond quicker if you eliminate white flour and white sugar from your diet. Change is hard, so just try making 1 change a week as you progress in an effort to not only count calories, but really be aware of what type of foods you are putting into your body. Protein builds muscle, carbs help fuel your exercise, and fat is just fat (though your body does need it - shoot for the healthy choices such as olive oil in small doses). I wish you luck on your journey!

aippolito1

Yes, mathematically-speaking, you should lose weight by eating less than you're burning... BUT... there are certain chemicals and fake ingredients (processed foods) in foods that will slow down or stall your weight loss. Without a doubt, if you follow everything correctly with healthy foods and try to stay away from processed foods (I say try because sometimes it's hard to cut it out completely and I'm a complete testament to that), you WILL lose weight. With the other, you MAY lose weight.

I noticed a big difference in how I felt when I was just counting calories and eating more processed food than I needed versus when I went to eating more fruits and vegetables for snacks and eating less processed foods.

jaj06760

RATIO! When I first started I never paid much attention to ratio and worked out every weekday. I lost like half a pound in a month! Not very hopeful. My boyfriend is getting his masters in Kinesiology ( the study of how the body moves) and takes many nutrition classes. He told me to keep my carbs under 40 and eat as much healthy protien and veggies as I wanted, not worriny about calories for three weeks. I started doing this tuesday of this week and cheated one night (lady's night at the bar lol) and have NOT had the chance to work out this week besides walking like a half mile to work. I have since tuesday lost THREE pounds! Your protien will go over your daily allowance but don't worry about it. Over time your suppose to up your carbs intake but always keep your protein higher, for example after the first three weeks I will start experimenting with how many carbs I can eat and still lose weight. I strongly recommend this. My boyfriend has been doing this for two weeks and goes running everyday, like two miles, and has lost fifteen Lbs! I hope to catch up! Good Luck!

TabiHerbalifeCoach

Watching calories will help, but the key word in your sentence is eating healthier food will help you loose weight FASTER, Your body needs certain things to work, if your calories come more from junk food, then it isn't the best thing in the world. I don't always worry about the exact number of carb/protien/ etc etc I consume but making healthier choice in general for my snacks and meals. Like Kellogg fiber bars (dark choc. and almond) replaced my candy bars, no kidding i have to had them from my 3 year old they are so good. For my dessert I get skinny cow ice cream or edys natural fruit bars or popsciles

Ge0rgiana

I'm not an expert either, but I have been studying nutrition for the last few years. I'm chronically ill. I've had to. Putting quality food in your body is one of the 3 best things you can do for it (along with exercising and sleeping).

Your body's chemistry is very complex, and different people have different metabolism types and different reactions to food. Some people can handle lots of grains, but others can't. Like me. Some people's bodies can't process a lot of fat, but other people function well off of fairly large amounts. Like me.

Then there's different sensitivities. Some folks are lactose intolerant, others are gluten intolerant, etc. The gluten intolerant people will tell you REALLY fast that wheat hinders all of their weight loss efforts (along with messing up their bellies). I can't handle a lot of sodium in my diet because I have edema. I have found that processed foods in general aggravate it as well. Processed carbs or processed meats. Even if they don't send me over on sodium for the day.

You have to pay attention to your body and what it likes in terms of energy and hunger levels. If eating meat makes you feel sluggish, pay attention to that. You may want to get a higher percentage of your calories from carbs. If eating a bowl of cereal in the morning leaves you ravenous an hour later, you may want to consider switching to a couple of boiled eggs with some veggie juice and whole grain toast instead. Just about everyone functions well eating lots of fresh veggies and maybe some fresh fruit every day no matter what their other dietary needs are.

So, yes, I would say that macronutrients and the quality of your food matter just like calories do. I think we all need to pay attention not just to how many calories we're consuming, but also to the quality of those calories.

yaya11

I agree with the others your calorie intake is MOST important but I try to use the Macros (carbs/protein/fats) sort of like a guideline. For example you REALLY wouldn't want your fat intake to be too high, but also it doesn't have to be exactly at the goal everyday because it nearly impossible to do. Good luck on your journey!

lotusfromthemud

The macros make more and more of a difference the more active you are, and the closer to your goal you are.

Here's an article on the idea of ratio/macro balance vs. the "calories in, calories out":

http://www.johnberardi.com/articles/nutrition/new_view.htm

For me, unless I'm watching the balance of my food, I do not lose fat, even with serious exercise. For my body, it's all about ratios and timing.

mandikaye

Thanks for all the advice!

Let me be a bit clearer - I'm not asking so I can eat unhealthy junk food within my alotted caloric intake. I've cut soda out almost completely (I have maybe 2-3 per WEEK when I used to have 3-4 per DAY) in exchange for mostly water, my fast food intake has gone drastically down (I used to eat it on a near daily basis), and I've been working hard to eat healthier. I do eat a lot of packaged food (lean cuisine or smart ones), but I try to eat a salad or some form of fresh veggie every day. I've also added fruit and yogurt to my diet as a means for snacking.

These are the things that I feel like aren't good enough.

Ge0rgiana

Thanks for all the advice!

Let me be a bit clearer - I'm not asking so I can eat unhealthy junk food within my alotted caloric intake. I've cut soda out almost completely (I have maybe 2-3 per WEEK when I used to have 3-4 per DAY) in exchange for mostly water, my fast food intake has gone drastically down (I used to eat it on a near daily basis), and I've been working hard to eat healthier. I do eat a lot of packaged food (lean cuisine or smart ones), but I try to eat a salad or some form of fresh veggie every day. I've also added fruit and yogurt to my diet as a means for snacking.

These are the things that I feel like aren't good enough.

Cutting down on soda is fantastic! Congrats. You don't feel the packaged food is good enough because it's NOT. Even the "light" stuff can be loaded with salt, sugar, preservatives, etc. The WW meals often use refined flour. Not good. If you MUST do something frozen, go for Kashi or Amy's Light in Sodium line. Still watch your labels, though. (Kashi has an Asian-inspired dinner that's heavy on sugar, for instance.) However, I think you'd be better off cooking your own meat, pasta, rice, veggies, etc. That way you know exactly what's going in your food. Oh, and FYI... CNN did a news story recently on how the numbers on those meals are often way off. I think it's ok keeping a Kashi Chicken Florentine or maybe some Amy's LIS Black Bean Enchiladas in the freezer for emergencies, but sticking to home cooked is always better!

lotusfromthemud

I took a look at your food diary, and yes, there is a lot of processed food there.

I would encourage you to start tracking your sugar and your sodium, as even "healthy" processed food can be very, very high in these two things. In my opinion, anything processed is not the optimal choice. Your body will feel better on home-prepared, non-factory made food.

It sounds like you're making a lot of positive changes, but (as I think you stated in your post) there is almost always room for improvement.

The best improvement you could make in your diet would be to try to concentrate more on whole, unprocessed foods. My short advice here is the less ingredients on the list, the better the food is for you.

HTH.:flowerforyou: