Intermittent fasting and macros

thaevilgenius

Hello, I have lost over 7kgs in a month while on IF. Problem is I cant seem to hit my recommended TDEE deficit as I go lower on protein all the time. Should my protein be higher than carbs when trying to lose fat?should I start taking protein supplements?I dont exercise so it's mostly my diet I wanna adjust

kommodevaran

Your calorie intake is not the same as meal timing and food choices. You lose fat when you lose weight, and you lose weight when you're in a calorie defcit, but 7 kg in a month sounds like a lot - what's your height and weight, and is this your first month in a calorie deficit? What do you mean you "can't" reach your recommended calorie target? If you need to lose weight, you know how to eat. Did you not get a suggestion for macro setup? Protein should not be higher than carbs, unless you're eating keto.

kimny72

thaevilgenius wrote: »

Hello, I have lost over 7kgs in a month while on IF. Problem is I cant seem to hit my recommended TDEE deficit as I go lower on protein all the time. Should my protein be higher than carbs when trying to lose fat?should I start taking protein supplements?I dont exercise so it's mostly my diet I wanna adjust

I'm not sure if I understand your question but... First and foremost, you want to hit your calorie goal, regardless of macros. Your body needs fuel, and under-eating leading to rapid weight loss is doing you no favors, unless perhaps you are under a doctor's care trying to avoid a medical crisis. Losing almost 2kgs per week is really aggressive, although it's possible a big chunk of that was water weight. If you are very obese, losing 1kg or maybe a little more per week is okay in the beginning, but if you aren't obese, you really want to slow that pace down.

As far as your macros, they are pretty much personal preference, and just a rough guideline at that. You want to find a macro balance that keeps you feeling satiated and energetic at an appropriate calorie level. There are no "universal" macros to lose weight. Different folks do better with different splits and some folks do fine not paying any attention to macros at all.

thaevilgenius

I'm 174cm and was 80kg now I'm 73kg. To lose another 2kg as my TDEE is 1900 I'm on a 500 calorie deficit so that's 1500 calorie a day. Problem is To do that without losing muscle I need to have a higher protein intake as in 30-40%

kimny72

thaevilgenius wrote: »

I'm 174cm and was 80kg now I'm 73kg. To lose another 2kg as my TDEE is 1900 I'm on a 500 calorie deficit so that's 1500 calorie a day. Problem is To do that without losing muscle I need to have a higher protein intake as in 30-40%

So you will always lose a bit of muscle when you lose fat, no matter what you do. Eating enough protein can help if you are doing some kind of strength training to encourage muscle repair. Regardless of either of those things, losing weight aggressively fast (and 2kg a week at your size IS aggressively fast) you are increasing the likelihood of muscle loss. The best way to avoid that is to slow down, not take a protein supplement, IMHO.

The typical recommendations I have seen are to get 0.6-0.8g of protein per lb of your goal weight. Having said all that, I'm not a pro, just going by my own research and what I've seen here!

thaevilgenius

kimny72 wrote: »

thaevilgenius wrote: »

I'm 174cm and was 80kg now I'm 73kg. To lose another 2kg as my TDEE is 1900 I'm on a 500 calorie deficit so that's 1500 calorie a day. Problem is To do that without losing muscle I need to have a higher protein intake as in 30-40%

So you will always lose a bit of muscle when you lose fat, no matter what you do. Eating enough protein can help if you are doing some kind of strength training to encourage muscle repair. Regardless of either of those things, losing weight aggressively fast (and 2kg a week at your size IS aggressively fast) you are increasing the likelihood of muscle loss. The best way to avoid that is to slow down, not take a protein supplement, IMHO.

The typical recommendations I have seen are to get 0.6-0.8g of protein per lb of your goal weight. Having said all that, I'm not a pro, just going by my own research and what I've seen here!

Yes I have slowed down as I'm eating more now but the problem is my macros are f20p40c40 and getting 40% from only 2 meals is very hard. Research says high protein intakes can help maintain muscle whole losing fat but others say higher carbs can do just that so I'm at loss here. Maybe IF and macro dont go well and I'll just have to focus on getting good calories rather than getting all the macros right

kimny72

thaevilgenius wrote: »

kimny72 wrote: »

thaevilgenius wrote: »

I'm 174cm and was 80kg now I'm 73kg. To lose another 2kg as my TDEE is 1900 I'm on a 500 calorie deficit so that's 1500 calorie a day. Problem is To do that without losing muscle I need to have a higher protein intake as in 30-40%

So you will always lose a bit of muscle when you lose fat, no matter what you do. Eating enough protein can help if you are doing some kind of strength training to encourage muscle repair. Regardless of either of those things, losing weight aggressively fast (and 2kg a week at your size IS aggressively fast) you are increasing the likelihood of muscle loss. The best way to avoid that is to slow down, not take a protein supplement, IMHO.

The typical recommendations I have seen are to get 0.6-0.8g of protein per lb of your goal weight. Having said all that, I'm not a pro, just going by my own research and what I've seen here!

Yes I have slowed down as I'm eating more now but the problem is my macros are f20p40c40 and getting 40% from only 2 meals is very hard. Research says high protein intakes can help maintain muscle whole losing fat but others say higher carbs can do just that so I'm at loss here. Maybe IF and macro dont go well and I'll just have to focus on getting good calories rather than getting all the macros right

What is your Goal Weight?

thaevilgenius

My goal weight is 70kgs I'm at 73 today

kimny72

thaevilgenius wrote: »

My goal weight is 70kgs I'm at 73 today

So I would think a good range for protein would be @ 92g to 123g. Honestly, if you are around there I wouldn't worry about it too much. I know some people drink a protein shake as there "late night snack" maybe that would work for you, just within your window? You kind of have to find the balance between the eating schedule that works best for you, and the macro/nutrition goals you want to reach.

AnvilHead

You may find this helpful:

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

thaevilgenius

AnvilHead wrote: »

You may find this helpful:

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

Yes I read that one and ended up with a totally balanced macro diet of 323632 I hope that isn't too much fat...