Flexible dieting/macros

PrincessVamp666
PrincessVamp666 Posts: 1,176 Member
edited November 26 in Health and Weight Loss
Ok - So I have set myself up with my calories and divided them into 40% protein 30% carbs and 30%fat, but I am struggling to plan my meals... just finding it near enough impossible to get everything in that I need.

I am currently aiming for 162g Protein, 122g Carbs, 54g Fat.

So what I guess I am asking for is like a recipe builder or something if anyone knows of something.

Replies

  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    Fixed macro percentages and trying to hit precise grams aren't really very flexible! :smile:

    You could set minimums for protein & fat and then regard the rest of your calorie allowance as being able to come from whichever macros suits you on the day. That might take away some of the struggle you are having.

    This explains the idea better....
    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/819055/setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets/p1
  • tennisdude2004
    tennisdude2004 Posts: 5,609 Member
    PrincessVamp666 wrote: »
    Ok - So I have set myself up with my calories and divided them into 40% protein 30% carbs and 30%fat, but I am struggling to plan my meals... just finding it near enough impossible to get everything in that I need.

    I am currently aiming for 162g Protein, 122g Carbs, 54g Fat.

    So what I guess I am asking for is like a recipe builder or something if anyone knows of something.

    There should be plenty of ideas for high protein meal plans on goggle.

    Some nice looking meals on this link.

    https://www.muscleandstrength.com/articles/43-easy-high-protein-recipes
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    why those macros?

    i aim for at least 100g of protein, which works out at 25% of my cals and then split the rest between carbs and fat. i get between 30-30% of my calories from fat as it helps keep me full, and the rest is carbs.

    i tend to pre log to hit my protein too.
  • PrincessVamp666
    PrincessVamp666 Posts: 1,176 Member
    Yeah Pre logging that's what I have been trying to do :)
  • DannyGonzo21
    DannyGonzo21 Posts: 6 Member
    They should be general guidelines that suit your goals. You can be a bit more lenient if you're bulking versus a strict cut, but they're like averages on a chart that display what sources the calories are coming from. With a caloric goal as well as the percentages set, there are many foods that you can choose from to acclimate.
  • dotren
    dotren Posts: 26 Member
    The Zone diet is 40/30/30 but the 40 is carbs, I think. Maybe some of their recipes would be easy to work into your plan. It's an older plan that's not "popular" any more but there are still plenty of recipes and meal plans out there for it :)
  • Davidsdottir
    Davidsdottir Posts: 1,285 Member
    I agree the protein seems a bit high. What do you actually end up hitting every day?
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    PrincessVamp666 wrote: »
    Yeah Pre logging that's what I have been trying to do :)

    why 162g of protein?
  • LiftHeavyThings27105
    LiftHeavyThings27105 Posts: 2,086 Member
    PrincessVamp666 wrote: »
    Ok - So I have set myself up with my calories and divided them into 40% protein 30% carbs and 30%fat, but I am struggling to plan my meals... just finding it near enough impossible to get everything in that I need.

    I am currently aiming for 162g Protein, 122g Carbs, 54g Fat.

    So what I guess I am asking for is like a recipe builder or something if anyone knows of something.

    Good morning, Princess! :-)

    So, seems like lots of people are questioning your macro break down. I would suggest the following guidelines for your macro breakdown - all things being equal:

    Protein - 1g/lb of body weight
    Fats - 0.35g/lb of body weight
    Carbs - everything else

    Looks like you - based on the macros that you stated - are consuming 1,622 Calories

    So, if you were 155lbs then a starting point would like this:
    155g of Protein
    54g of Fat
    Everything else is Carbs (so, 129g)

    Are you doing some heavy lifting? Or, are you super active in the gym (or some other form of exercise).

    So, not really addressing your question (how to reach my macros?) but hopefully somewhat helpful with the breakdown.

    What kind of foods do you enjoy eating?
  • PrincessVamp666
    PrincessVamp666 Posts: 1,176 Member
    FFS its a good job you guys know what you're talking about - I have been trying my hardest to get 168g of protein in, and it looks like it should be 40% Carbs :D hahaha!!!

    Right let me get this right then, so my TDEE is around 2300 cals, IIFYM is telling me to consume 2023 cals a day (128g Protein/185g Carbs and 86g Fat)…

    I think I would prefer to split it over around 1900cals maximum though... so I am just going to re-programme this into my MFP goals.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    PrincessVamp666 wrote: »
    FFS its a good job you guys know what you're talking about - I have been trying my hardest to get 168g of protein in, and it looks like it should be 40% Carbs :D hahaha!!!

    Right let me get this right then, so my TDEE is around 2300 cals, IIFYM is telling me to consume 2023 cals a day (128g Protein/185g Carbs and 86g Fat)…

    I think I would prefer to split it over around 1900cals maximum though... so I am just going to re-programme this into my MFP goals.

    those numbers sound better. 128g of protein out of 1900 cals is definitely doable.

    just build your meals round the protein.

    my evening meal has at least 200g meat or fish, i have protein enriched cereal for breakfast, i snack on reduced fat cheese. beans, mushrooms, broccoli are good veggie sources.
  • PrincessVamp666
    PrincessVamp666 Posts: 1,176 Member
    edited May 2018
    So my new stats are 1860cals a day (186g carbs/62g Fat/140g Protein).

    I have been having protein porridge for breakfast, then usually lean meat and veggies for lunch followed by whatever I can cram in for tea... I haven't really been as well behaved food wise as I could have been but I am still trying to get to grips with it all. Snacks tend to be cheese/protein shakes and nuts.

    I am so grateful for all of you as you've just made me realise how wrong I had these stats set.

    Hopefully I will start to see a bit of an improvement now :)



  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,238 Member
    Clarification, not knowing your current weight: Protein needs can be estimated on the basis of healthy goal weight (or lean body mass, LBM). We need protein to maintain our lean body mass; we don't need extra to maintain our fat mass.

    Different people prefer different protein goals. Someone suggested 1g/pound above; that's not crazy, as long as it's based on a healthy goal weight. Personally, I'd suggest 0.6-0.8g per pound of healthy goal weight daily for protein, which is a rough approximation for 0.8-1g per pound of lean body mass. Any of these suggestions are well above what USDA, WHO, etc., suggest as minimums for average people . . . but average people aren't losing weight, and many aren't active.

    People who are substantially overweight/obese don't need to calculate protein based on current body weight. It can make an already difficult situation very difficult, especially for women on low calorie goals but still at pretty high body weight.

    That said, extra protein won't hurt a healthy person, unless it drives other needed nutrition out of their eating.
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