Looking for advice on Nutrient Goald

Janice4945

I want to keep track of my nutrients for fat, protein and carbs. But have no idea the percentages I should set for my goals. I am on a weight loss plan, I am female and 72 years old and lightly active. Thanks for any help you can give me.

CBD92

The 2010 American Dietary Guidelines suggest the following:

Carbs: 45-60% of calories
Protein: 10-35% of calories
Fat: 20-35% of calories

To figure out what your calorie goal is, find out
Your BMR or Basal Metabolic Rate. Your BMR is the amount of calories your body burns at rest over a 24 hour period. So in other words, all the bodily functions that happen without us thinking about it (heart beating and pumping blood, lungs breathing and exchanging gases, metabolism running, stomach digesting, small intestines absorbing nutrients, hormone production etc) all burn calories to function! The number of calories your particular body burns (your BMR) will depend on your weight, height, age, and sex. You can use an online BMR calculator (type into google "BMR calculator" and tons will pop up, click any of them - careful not to confuse it with BMI calculator which stands for body mass index). Just input your info and it'll give you a number. For example, mine is 1676. This means that my body burns 1676 calories every single day just to function properly! So you should use this as your minimum intake of calories. If you're only lightly active, I wouldn't suggest eating much more than your BMR, but you certainly want to make sure you get at least that amount in the day just to keep the body running nicely! It will ensure you feel healthy and full of energy and your body will be running optimally! If you become more active, you'll probably want to increase that number, but if you're only lightly active your BMR would be a great place to start. Feel free to reply or private message with any other questions you have. I'm always happy to help!

kimny72

Janice4945 wrote: »

I want to keep track of my nutrients for fat, protein and carbs. But have no idea the percentages I should set for my goals. I am on a weight loss plan, I am female and 72 years old and lightly active. Thanks for any help you can give me.

The default settings on mfp are perfectly fine. If you find you are struggling to hit your calorie goal due to hunger, try taking a little off the carbs and add it to protein or fat if you'd like.