Tell me about your Macros

erjones11

I have been doing low carb for a long time now. I also count calories and am losing at the rate I want to. I do wonder about macros though. I personally only really track calories, carbs, sugar, fiber and net carbs (carbs - fiber). I do track everything I eat.

I would like to hear from others about what macros they measure and why. What is their goal in maintaining macros. What else have they tried. and what works for them.

To the few out there that love to tell others how wrong they or how they should do something different and never share what they actually do or if it works please comment elsewhere.

I want to hear from "nice" people that are actually on a program where they are tracking macros and what the benefits is they get from it.

serindipte

The only macros I pay attention to are protein and fat. Not to limit them, but to try and meet the minimum. The only thing I try to avoid is trans fat.

RoxieDawn

I track protein and dietary fat, I have minimums I need to meet daily. I let carbs fall they may, but I still track calories.

I run and strength train, currently working on fat loss (.5/week rate of loss) with goal to maintain muscle mass.

rj0150684

I’ve found that when I’m eating in a way where I’m at or below my calorie goal and I feel good, with plenty of energy and no hunger, it usually means I’m getting at least 25-30% protein and around 40-50% fat. If I’m eating a lot of carbs, I need to eat more to not feel hungry and/or run down, so I just try to add some high protein snacks (beef jerky, sardines, etc). The fat usually takes care of itself. That said, if I have a lot of activity calories to burn, I’m usually not hungry so I’ll snack on some carbs later in the evening to make sure my deficit isn’t too large (and they don’t make me feel full)

sardelsa

When I do track macros I focus on hitting my protein, getting adequate fats and letting carbs fill in the rest.

Right now I really only track protein somedays to make sure I am hitting my goal, since my goal is muscle retention as I lose.

sijomial

When I started out I didn't pay a lot of attention to macros but replaced tracking sugar (a sub-set of carbs) with tracking fibre as that was more useful/informative for me.
Then changed approach to set minimums for protein (for muscle retention in a deficit and to support my exercise) and fat (general and hormonal health) - rest of calorie allowance came from any of the three macros.
Soon realised that fat minimum really looked after itself naturally so hitting my calories and a sensible protein goal became the only imperatives for tracking.
Having dietary flexibility was very important to me for adherence so fixed ratios, grams or percentages would have been counterproductive.

On very big exercise days then I would activity look for a very high carb allowance to fuel my long cycle rides, Personally I've never had a reason to limit carbs - YMMV.

erjones11

Thank you all so much for your responses thus far. I still find myself wondering why you track what you track. Such as what Sijomial said Big Bike Rides means he needs Big Carbs to provide energy.

sijomial

This is a really good read (not just about macros) - it changed my perspective.

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/819055/setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets/p1

emmamcgarity

I just look at the pie chart for the daily and the weekly to see if I am in range if the macro percentages. I find when my macros are in balance I am less hungry and less likely to binge eat.

LiftHeavyThings27105

erjones11 wrote: »

I have been doing low carb for a long time now. I also count calories and am losing at the rate I want to. I do wonder about macros though. I personally only really track calories, carbs, sugar, fiber and net carbs (carbs - fiber). I do track everything I eat.

I would like to hear from others about what macros they measure and why. What is their goal in maintaining macros. What else have they tried. and what works for them.

To the few out there that love to tell others how wrong they or how they should do something different and never share what they actually do or if it works please comment elsewhere.

I want to hear from "nice" people that are actually on a program where they are tracking macros and what the benefits is they get from it.

I track both Calories In as well as all four macros (yes - I said "four"....I count fiber as a macro).

However, what I find that works well for a lot of people when they first start is to simply count calories, as that is - and a very very very general statement is about to follow - what most counts (for most, but not all).

Once they get used to tracking (or, counting calories) and get better at it and more comfortable with it then they get excited about counting macros. Until they start doing it, that is! They find that they have a challenging time reaching the macros. Planing is then introduced and it becomes a lot easier for them. Step by step...

Now, I do the Ketogenic Lifestyle so Fats are my primary focus. I was also doing powerlifting (not a fantastic combination, if I might add...) but injured myself (again....this *kitten* is getting old) so am taking a break from that. Anyway, I digress. I was also watching protein. Not a lot in the way of carbs for me to watch! LOL!

I think that someone else has already stated this.....so, I will second it - make sure of appropriate protein intake (general guideline is between 0.8g/lb and 1.2g/lb) and fat intake (general guideline is between 0.3g/lb and 0.45g/lb) and let carbs fill in the rest.

It is really going to vary for everyone depending on his/her situation, but I think that most would agree with my "very general guidelines" - all things being equal.

zyxst

Not sure if I count as a "nice" people that are actually on a program where they are tracking macros and what the benefits is they get from it.. I track calories, carbs, fat, protein, iron, and fibre. Iron is for a medical reason that will hopefully be done with in another 3 months. The fibre because what else to track. I used to track sodium and potassium since I have high blood pressure. Do I get benefits from this? Well, I can tell my GP I'm getting at least 100% RDA of iron every day and my #2s are getting better from the fibre.

cwolfman13

I tracked them for awhile and really couldn't see what all of the fuss was about...but then again, the way I just naturally eat results in adequate protein and fat which are the only two that are of particular importance from a nutrition standpoint. I suppose I could see it being more important if I was someone who didn't naturally eat a diet that has a substantial protein source at every meal or if I gravitated naturally to low fat...which I don't.

I think for the vast majority of people, it's not particularly important and certainly not to the point of trying to be bang on macros. Perhaps it's more important for someone with advanced fitness and physique goals...but even then, I know some high level pro athletes, and they typically eat pretty healthfully for the most part...but they just eat...I don't know of any of them actually tracking anything.

kimny72

I track protein and fiber because over years of logging I found that when I struggled with hunger those two numbers were usually low.

I track fat because I naturally eat low fat without even realizing it and want to make sure I'm getting enough.

I don't obsess over the stuff I track; I just keep an eye on it to make sure I don't habitually come up short.

I don't pay attention to carbs because I naturally eat a higher carb diet and that works best for me. Plus as long as my protein, fat, and fiber are in line carbs don't matter to me - I've never noticed much difference between higher carb or lower carb days, if protein and fiber have been met.

I don't pay attention to sugar because again, I feel like if everything else is in line, sugar will be fine. When I do look at my sugar numbers, they are usually fine anyway except for special occasions or summer days I go way overboard with fruit. Or ice cream. But usually fruit.

nickssweetheart

I have my targets set to 15% protein, 50% carbs, and 35% fat. I also track fiber and calcium. I never pay attention to the fiber target as I generally double it, but I do keep an eye on calcium and protein as if I'm low it will tend to be there. I was at 20% protein (mfp default) but adjusted it down when I decided to bump up my calories.

sgt1372

I have tracked all of my macros for 2 years since I started my current weight loss and maintenance effort.

My macro targets have varied from 40P/40C/20F at the start to 35P/35C/30F now and the actual average macro intake has been 32P/40C/28F.

Thre only macros that I actually monitor are P & F (C takes care of itself) and will adjust my meal planning on the fly to increase P (if i'm not getting enough) or lower F (if I'm getting too much).

My daily protein goal is 1g/# BW/day which at 155# is equal to 155g but can be as low as 125 or as high as 225 on any given day

I do not have any specific limit on F but if I see the F% rise past 30% during the day, I will increase P &/or C intake during the day to reduce the F%.

This has resulted in a very balanced diet that I believe has benefited me nutritionally, contributed to my weight loss effort and has helped to preserve and maintain my lean body mass.

tbright1965

I was assigned a 2250 calorie/day target by my dietician/diabetes coach. Not more than 60g carbs/meal 45g/day available as snacks for a total of 225g.

After having lost 10 percent of my starting body weight, I adjusted all my values down 5 percent.

I split the 60 percent of my calorie allowance remaining between fat and protein.

Doing this, my A1C has dropped from 7.3 to 5.4 in just over three months.

AnnPT77

I personally target 0.8g protein daily per pound of goal weight, which is roughly equivalent to 1g per pound of lean body mass. Now that I'm in maintenance, I just try to exceed 100g every day, which is a tiny bit over .8g/lb, because it's an easy number.

My reasons for this are having read studies suggesting that more than the USDA/WHO protein minimums can have benefits for people who are losing weight, active/athletic, aging, or getting significant amount of their protein from plant sources (the latter because many plant sources don't have a balanced set of essential amino acids). Even in maintenance, I'm sometimes running a calorie deficit, I'm quite active, I'm 62, and I'm vegetarian, so all of those categories apply. Since there seems to be no evidence that extra protein, within reason, is bad for a healthy person, I set a moderate high protein target.

As a practical matter, I was willing to accept a slightly lower protein target (0.6-0.8g per pound of goal weight) when in a steeper calorie deficit; it's a balancing act. I'd get more when I could fit it in.

I believe in 0.35-0.45g fat per pound of goal weight (as much of it as practical from healthy sources like avocados, olive oil, nuts, etc.) My reading suggests we need it for cell health, digestive throughput, hormone balance, and good absorption of fat-soluble vitamins. When limiting calories, I'm at most risk of undereating fat, just based on my food preferences, so I do need to watch it, especially with a history of IBS/C.

I target a minimum of 25g fiber daily, for general health reasons, but also because of the IBS/C history. I usually significantly exceed it.

I don't pay much attention to carbs, because they're the one macro that doesn't seem to have a minimum intake requirement for overall health. Some people find them important for satiation (either needing some minimum, or not exceeding some maximum), but I personally don't. Some people find they need some daily minimum to have an optimal energy level, but i haven't found that I do (I have found that eating them in certain situations helps with short-term energy, but that's different from a daily goal). In a daily goal sense, I ignore them.

It's not a macro, but I also strive to get a bare minimum of 5, and preferably 10 or more, servings of varied, colorful fruit and vegetables every day. (I count 80g as a serving.) For me, this is a shorthand way to try to get well-rounded micronutrients and other beneficial phytochemicals without tracking them all at a detailed level.

Also not a macro, but I also try to include some probiotic foods every day, usually one or more of yogurt, kefir, raw sauerkraut, raw kim chi, raw fermented pickles, miso, tempeh or raw vinegar. This is because recent research is suggesting that a diverse got microbiome can be beneficial to health, even though details are not fully scientifically confirmed yet. (It helps that I also find these foods yummy.)

In general, I prefer foods to supplements for nutrition, because I figure I can't go too far wrong eating evolution-tested foods that large numbers of people have eaten for centuries or millennia and thrived, and because I suspect science will continue to discover "new" essential nutrients that are not yet in supplements, but have been in food all along. (That's been the scientific record over my lifespan so far, anyway.)

JeromeBarry1

On my food diary I display carbs, fat, protein, fiber, and potassium. On my pc I've downloaded and use the net carbs widget. That makes the display of fiber superfluous when on my home pc, but when accessing mfp on other devices I want to see the fiber value. I use the potassium display to inform my needs for coffee or more veg.
I use the protein display to inform my need for more protein. I use the fat display for amusement.

CaffeinatedConfectionist

sijomial wrote: »

This is a really good read (not just about macros) - it changed my perspective.

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/819055/setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets/p1

Just seconding this. I found the post to be incredibly helpful when I was getting started using TDEE and had no idea what macros were or why they mattered.