Macro's...Help!

sarahcoles1905

Hi everyone, i'm getting back to this after quite a break...went on holiday and lost my mojo but now the weight is creeping back on, my job is no longer active due to a health condition, i am hoping to get back to some strength training, I also do yoga, pilates, walking the mutt, general housework, sometime swimming and hoping to start step or spin classes when I have time.

I want to loose fat but not any muscle I may still have, MFP gives me a protein intake of 60g per day, i'm pretty confident I need to change this? should i use 0.8-1gram per 1lb of body weight?

Also when I change my protein is it my fats or carbs that I need to change to accommodate this?

hope someone understands this

quiksylver296

sarahcoles1905 wrote: »

Hi everyone, i'm getting back to this after quite a break...went on holiday and lost my mojo but now the weight is creeping back on, my job is no longer active due to a health condition, i am hoping to get back to some strength training, I also do yoga, pilates, walking the mutt, general housework, sometime swimming and hoping to start step or spin classes when I have time.

I want to loose fat but not any muscle I may still have, MFP gives me a protein intake of 60g per day, i'm pretty confident I need to change this? should i use 0.8-1gram per 1lb of body weight?

Also when I change my protein is it my fats or carbs that I need to change to accommodate this?

hope someone understands this

Bolded #1 - Yes, except 0.8 to 1 per pound of Lean Body Mass, not total body weight

Bolded #2 - Fats should be approximately 0.4 grams per pound of Lean Body Mass, then the rest are carbs

AnnPT77

I'd suggest using healthy goal body weight as the basis, if you don't know your lean body mass (LBM). We don't need extra protein to maintain our fat mass.

I used 0.6-0.8g per pound of healthy goal weight while losing, which is a rough approximation of 0.8-1g per pound of LBM.

Is someone is significantly overweight (you didn't really say), using current body weight as the basis can yield an unnecessarily high protein goal, one that can be very challenging to hit on a deep calorie deficit while still getting enough fat and veggies/fruits (for micros).

That said, extra protein shouldn't hurt a healthy person, as long as it doesn't drive out other nutrients needed for good nutrition.

sarahcoles1905

Bolded #1 - Yes, except 0.8 to 1 per pound of Lean Body Mass, not total body weight

Thank you for your reply, how do I find out my lean body mass?

quiksylver296

sarahcoles1905 wrote: »

Bolded #1 - Yes, except 0.8 to 1 per pound of Lean Body Mass, not total body weight

Thank you for your reply, how do I find out my lean body mass?

Total weightXBF%

AnnPT77

sarahcoles1905 wrote: »

Bolded #1 - Yes, except 0.8 to 1 per pound of Lean Body Mass, not total body weight

Thank you for your reply, how do I find out my lean body mass?

The accurate methods are expensive (often via a university sports or weight clinic service around here), and the inexpensive methods (like the scales or handheld devices, calculators based on measurements, etc.) aren't very accurate. That's why I suggest building an assumption into the estimate, and using healthy goal weight as the base. The numbers produced won't be vastly different, for most people.

MegaMooseEsq

Agreed with the comments above, although I’d note that once you reach your minimums for fats and protein, the remainder can really come from wherever you choose - there is absolutely no reason to be concerned with overeating any of the three macros so long as you remain within your calorie goals. Many people find protein to be more filling, which is good if you’re trying to lose weight, others (like me) are more satisfied with fats, although that usually means eating smaller portions. If you do a lot of exercise, carbs might be more important. Just play around with it and see what works for you.

jjpptt2

AnnPT77 wrote: »

sarahcoles1905 wrote: »

Bolded #1 - Yes, except 0.8 to 1 per pound of Lean Body Mass, not total body weight

Thank you for your reply, how do I find out my lean body mass?

The accurate methods are expensive (often via a university sports or weight clinic service around here), and the inexpensive methods (like the scales or handheld devices, calculators based on measurements, etc.) aren't very accurate. That's why I suggest building an assumption into the estimate, and using healthy goal weight as the base. The numbers produced won't be vastly different, for most people.

FWIW, I calculate off of goal weight as well.

Tacklewasher

sarahcoles1905 wrote: »

Bolded #1 - Yes, except 0.8 to 1 per pound of Lean Body Mass, not total body weight

Thank you for your reply, how do I find out my lean body mass?

If you know your approximate body fat %, you can easily calculate it out. Just weight * BF% is your fat. Weight - fat is your LBM.

If you don't have a decent means for this, then do like @annpt77 suggests and use .6-.8g of healthy goal weight. Maybe use the top end of the BMI range for your height.

Using me as an example, my scale has me ~25% BF. Weight is 200. so 50 lbs of fat and 150 of LBM (not-fat). Top of healthy BMI for me is 185. All numbers are approximate.

So I can use 150 * .9 = ~135 or .7 * 185 = ~130 (using the mid point)

quiksylver296

Tacklewasher wrote: »

sarahcoles1905 wrote: »

Bolded #1 - Yes, except 0.8 to 1 per pound of Lean Body Mass, not total body weight

Thank you for your reply, how do I find out my lean body mass?

If you know your approximate body fat %, you can easily calculate it out. Just weight * BF% is your fat. Weight - fat is your LBM.

If you don't have a decent means for this, then do like @annpt77 suggests and use .6-.8g of healthy goal weight. Maybe use the top end of the BMI range for your height.

Using me as an example, my scale has me ~25% BF. Weight is 200. so 50 lbs of fat and 150 of LBM (not-fat). Top of healthy BMI for me is 185. All numbers are approximate.

So I can use 150 * .9 = ~135 or .7 * 185 = ~130 (using the mid point)

Math this early... More coffee, please. :yawn:

sarahcoles1905

Thanks everyone, i'm so bad at this, I have scales that give me a body fat % although as you say it may not be accurate.

So my body fat is apparently 29.5%

My starting weight was 157lb so based on this my LM is 111.5lb?

So 111.5 x .8 - giving me about 89g protein

My goal weight is 133lb

Does that sound right?

quiksylver296

sarahcoles1905 wrote: »

Thanks everyone, i'm so bad at this, I have scales that give me a body fat % although as you say it may not be accurate.

So my body fat is apparently 29.5%

My starting weight was 157lb so based on this my LM is 111.5lb?

So 111.5 x .8 - giving me about 89g protein

My goal weight is 133lb

Does that sound right?

So, 0.8 of goal weight is 106 grams. So around 90 to 105 grams of protein...

sarahcoles1905

quiksylver296 wrote: »

sarahcoles1905 wrote: »

Thanks everyone, i'm so bad at this, I have scales that give me a body fat % although as you say it may not be accurate.

So my body fat is apparently 29.5%

My starting weight was 157lb so based on this my LM is 111.5lb?

So 111.5 x .8 - giving me about 89g protein

My goal weight is 133lb

Does that sound right?

So, 0.8 of goal weight is 106 grams. So around 90 to 105 grams of protein...

Thank you!!