Is this formula right or is it me

huggiesbear78

Hello all,
I am new to macro and when I think I understand it, I seen to get lost again.

I have read a very good post in this group and it was very informative, so thank you. I want to understand macros first so can you help point me in the right direction?

a bit about me

I am 39 years old
Male
183cm
130kg / 287lbs (goal weight 105kg)
Do an office job and attend the gym 4-5 days a week
Loss weight

So from the initial post it runs a formula to work out your protein and fats, which leave you your carbs. I have done this and it looks a bit wrong

Protein: 1 x 287 x 0.8 (LBM) = 229.6g x 4 calories = 918.4 calories divided by 2,164 (calorie target) = 42%

Fat: 0.35 x 287 = 100.45g x 9 calories = 904.05 calories divided by 2,164 = 41%

Carbs: balance of 17%

1. Are these right? Fat side looks off the charts lol
2. How do I find my LBM?
3. Should I base this on the goal weight I want to reach or my current weight?
4. For my weight and to lose, do the calories look like a good starting point?

Sorry for the questions and any help will be appreciated

Rhys

cmriverside

Is there a reason why you don't just use the macros generated by Myfitnesspal, which would be easier, and are just about right for almost everyone? Set your weight loss goal and then just look at your food page for the macros.

Keep it simple...

JellyRollJimi

You don’t need as much protein as you have listed at your current weight...229 grams isn’t needed. Feel free to get that much if you want, however, you could eat quite a bit less, say 170 grams, which would allow for more carbs if you’d like.

cmriverside

When you enter your stats into Myfitnesspal it takes your goal weight and figures the macros for you.

Just do that - stop over-thinking this. Where are you getting the idea that you need to figure your fat and protein based on your current weight?

The .8g-1g for protein and the .35g for fat is based on your (calculated) Lean Mass (LBM). Those are minimum goals to hit.

nndarden

Just use the myfitnesspal web site and up date your numbers as you lose weight.

My doctor would recommend something else. ( Target Wt in lbs x 12 = calories / day or about 2700 cals per day) But, that's just a rule of thumb. Just a rough guess. But it looks as if you need to intake about 3400 calories a day to maintain your current weight, so 2700 calories would allow you to lose about 1 pound a week. The closer you get to target, the more you might want to reduce calorie intake to maintain the rate of wt loss.

Best of luck.

I am a little shorter than you are and I was a little heavier. And, I have a lower target than you. All I can say is that the first 50 lbs, are the hardest.

lynn_glenmont

What makes you think you body mass is 80% lean (i.e., the number you used in calculating your protein needs)? Have you had a reliable test done to figure that out (not electrical-impedance based, or calipers unless used by someone very experienced)?

I find it unlikely at your height and weight that you only have 20% body fat, unless you've been working long and hard at building muscle, in which case I would think you would have long since dealt with the questions you're asking.

As for your specific questions

1. Are these right? Fat side looks off the charts lol

The fat side looks fine. Fat doesn't make you fat. Too many calories make you fat. And your body needs fat for all kinds of things, including being able to make use of fat-soluble vitamins. It's the protein that looks excessive (in the sense of being more than you probably require). But if you want to eat that much protein, it's not likely to hurt you, barring some undisclosed medical condition.

2. How do I find my LBM?

This confuses me, as your calculations include the assumption that your LBM is 80% of your current body weight.

However, the answer is, it's not easy to get an accurate sense of your LBM. You can get an expensive lab test that uses a body scan or submersion (water displacement) to calculate your LBM. You can try to find somebody who knows what they're doing with calipers (if they don't take multiple measurements on different parts of your body, that's a big clue they don't know what they're doing). You can look at photo galleries online of people at your height and weight with different body fat percentages to get a sense of the range you might fall into.

3. Should I base this on the goal weight I want to reach or my current weight?

The formula you've cited assumes current weight.

4. For my weight and to lose, do the calories look like a good starting point?

It looks like a pretty aggressive (low) calorie goal to me. However, at your height and weight, assuming you have at least 20% body fat, you can probably afford to be a bit aggressive if you want. You could certainly lose weight eating more than that -- say, 2500 kcal. If it were me, I'd start with the 2500 kcal, unless my doctor had indicated that there were health concerns that outweighed the risks of rapid weight loss. You can always adjust as you go along.

I'm curious -- where did you get the 2164 kcal goal? If it was a formula or online calculator, what weekly weight loss goal was assumed? Did it account for your activity level?

I agree with @cmriverside that you're probably over-complicating this. To start, get a reasonable calorie goal (the one MFP gives you, even if you say you want to lose 2 lbs a week, should be fine, but remember that MFP doesn't give you calories to fuel your workouts -- you need to enter your workouts as a cardio exercise and then MFP will adjust your calorie goal for the day). Don't worry too much about your macros at first, but if you want to focus on getting ample protein -- say, 160 g, or more if you'd like, that's probably a good place to start.