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Sparkuvu

Thanks, Ann, for your reply, and ddsb1111! I found helpful stuff in there! I started in 2019 with just one really simple goal, and slowly (very) added to that. But, I get feeling 'off' like now, and while not going up like before, I'm still bouncing.
I'm 68, and my why for keeping on even when I'm moving in circles is almost identical to yours, Ann. Except I didnt have to look at friends, all I had to do was feel it coming on for myself, lol.
My why question, though, was why when my MFP-set macros are almost spot on, Ive ate horribly, my calories are ENORMOUS and just about every nutrition count is also way over? And when I eat well, and within calories, I'm not even close to macros? It seems to not make sense to me.
I'm already getting a glimmer though, I think....is it because I'm not planning out those little changes to purposely add macro numbers, like, the bread you suggested?

cmriverside

Sparkuvu wrote: »

Thanks, Ann, for your reply, and ddsb1111! I found helpful stuff in there! I started in 2019 with just one really simple goal, and slowly (very) added to that. But, I get feeling 'off' like now, and while not going up like before, I'm still bouncing.
I'm 68, and my why for keeping on even when I'm moving in circles is almost identical to yours, Ann. Except I didnt have to look at friends, all I had to do was feel it coming on for myself, lol.
My why question, though, was why when my MFP-set macros are almost spot on, Ive ate horribly, my calories are ENORMOUS and just about every nutrition count is also way over? And when I eat well, and within calories, I'm not even close to macros? It seems to not make sense to me.
I'm already getting a glimmer though, I think....is it because I'm not planning out those little changes to purposely add macro numbers, like, the bread you suggested?

Fat is 9 calories per gram
Protein is 4 calories per gram and
Carbs are 4 calories per gram
The calories and macros should match up at the bottom of your food diary.

If your calorie needs and your macro totals are not multiplying out correctly, then you are using incorrect database foods.

Many people don't even enter macros, or they enter them incorrectly when creating database food. If you don't check them against a reliable government database (Like USDA in the U.S.) then you will have all kinds of calculation errors.

Either pick correct ones, enter new ones yourself or just don't worry too much about it (not my decision, I've vetted every food I use.)

AnnPT77

Sparkuvu wrote: »

Thanks, Ann, for your reply, and ddsb1111! I found helpful stuff in there! I started in 2019 with just one really simple goal, and slowly (very) added to that. But, I get feeling 'off' like now, and while not going up like before, I'm still bouncing.
I'm 68, and my why for keeping on even when I'm moving in circles is almost identical to yours, Ann. Except I didnt have to look at friends, all I had to do was feel it coming on for myself, lol.
My why question, though, was why when my MFP-set macros are almost spot on, Ive ate horribly, my calories are ENORMOUS and just about every nutrition count is also way over? And when I eat well, and within calories, I'm not even close to macros? It seems to not make sense to me.
I'm already getting a glimmer though, I think....is it because I'm not planning out those little changes to purposely add macro numbers, like, the bread you suggested?

When we try to limit calories and get excellent nutrition (like well-rounded macros) at the same time, we're juggling two separate variables. That's inherently more difficult than working on one variable while ignoring the other, right?

It makes total sense that if your calories are huge, you can get adequate macros; but if your calories are limited, the macros are less optimized. In one case, you've optimized macros. In the other, you've optimized calories. It's harder to optimize both simultaneously.

Yes, I think that making small positive tweaks to nutrition gradually is a good way to go. At least, that helped me.

Most of us have routine eating patterns from day to day: Not exactly the same foods every day, of course, but some of the same things in rotation with moderate variations each time, perhaps. Maybe we tend to have eggs or oatmeal for breakfast, a sandwich (varying types) or salad (ditto) for lunch, a meat/fish main at dinner with some veggie/grain sides. (That's just an example. It doesn't matter what the foods are, could be Cap'n Crunch, Big Mac/fries/Coke (sugared), frozen dinner as meals.)

Once you have your calories going pretty OK most of the time, start looking for your personal patterns in your diary, kinds of meals you have on frequent repeat. Do that in context of where you're short on protein or fat a lot of the time, so your weekly average is noticeably under goal. Pick one of the two, protein or fats, to work on.

For most people, protein is the bigger problem one, so let's use that as an example. I'll use one of my real examples, a little simplified from reality.

One of the breakfasts I've eaten a long time is oatmeal, and coffee with skim milk (yes, I preferred skim even when overweight). I started out with something like 2 packets of the regular instant oats; honey, syrup, or brown sugar; a little milk on the oatmeal.

Over time, gradually, I switched to plain old-fashioned oats cooked in the microwave; used nonfat Greek yogurt instead of milk on the oatmeal for more protein; for sweetness, used a small amount of blackstrap molasses (more micronutrients) and Ceylon cinnamon plus berries (eventually frozen berries thawed in the microwave f or convenience); reduced the oats a little and added some broken-up walnut meats; started putting more skim milk in my coffee and heating it in the microwave first so the coffee would still be hot.

When I went to maintenance calories, I added a small amount of hemp hearts and milled flaxseed, and later some peanut butter powder.

I've found I need to allocate a good chunk of calories to breakfast for satiation, and I need to get a good bit of protein in it . . . now I have an oatmeal breakfast that I love, that fits in my overall daily calorie goal, that will keep me full for many hours, and that has 38 grams of protein, plus great micronutrients, some healthy fats, and 14 grams of fiber.

That's a result of looking at one of my common meals, and thinking about substitutions that would improve things a little to get a little more protein, and make other nutrition improvements I wanted. I didn't make those changes to all of everything at once, more like tried one or two substitutions, and saw how it went. Some other variations got rejected along the way as inconvenient, less tasty, less nutritious, or whatever.

This doesn't have to be a giant total project that a person focuses on constantly for weeks. Just pick one meal you commonly eat, and make some positive changes. Make the ones you like a habit. Later, when you have some more motivation/energy, pick another couple of changes in that meal or some other common meal and improve that one. Anytime you have the energy, analyze your diary (or just think about your patterns, if you're not logging) and make some changes, then practice them to make them your routine. Keep repeating that, and you'll make progress.

Fixing everything all at once is overwhelming. Just find one or two workable improvements, and make them a habit. You'll be surprised where it takes you, over a period of time.


Try one change for a few days, to give it a fair try. Is it OK from a taste, nutrition, calorie, convenience, etc. standpoint? If so, keep it. Then try something else. Keep going. Remodel.

Sparkuvu

Thanks, Ann. I think that cleared up the mystery of why eating terribly meets macros. And I think the light bulb lit, adjust your foods so that you get the good stuff you need to be your best and still meet your calorie plan.
I have done a tiny bit of adjusting, yogurt to Greek, Kashi to granola that has nuts in it, just a tiny amount into the yogurt, but I need to look at sugars and fat because both those are over almost daily while protein and fiber suffer. I did better on getting good info when I could scan. MFP took that away on the free plan. Thought about using a different tracker, but I know me---must avoid too many have to's or I tend to rebel.
I will look again to see how MFP came up with recommendations too.

judyfca

I weight 213.7lbs
how much protein should I aim for? I figured 20-30g every meal?

AnnPT77

judyfca wrote: »

I weight 213.7lbs
how much protein should I aim for? I figured 20-30g every meal?

Back in the first post on this thread, I suggested getting at least 0.6-0.8g protein per pound of healthy goal weight (approximately equivalent to 0.8-1g per pound of lean body mass for most people). But more is fine, within reason.

If you don't know a goal weight, use the middle of the BMI range for your height. (I know, I know, BMI is not popular . . . but it's plenty close enough to use for this purpose.)

Since you don't mention your height, that's as specific as I can get.

If you want a more goal-specific protein estimate, consider this:

https://examine.com/protein-intake-calculator/
https://examine.com/guides/protein-intake/

Put a goal weight into that calculator (as the linked guide suggests), assuming you have a fair amount of weight to lose.

Sure, spreading the protein total across all of your meals is a good thing, particularly if you're an aging person like me. Even for others, doing it that way may help with appetite management.

Best wishes!