Question about macros at high body fat

scribblefrog
scribblefrog Posts: 16 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hello!! I've just had a peruse of the "just getting started" popular posts (incredibly useful, thanks guys!!) and I'm interested in keeping an eye on my macros, but I've got no idea where to start.

I've had a try at the calculations, but seeing as I'm 311lbs at 5'7, I'm pretty morbidly obese, and I know there are some modifications I should be making to protein and fat percentages because of that, but I'm not sure what those are.

At the moment I've got 25% fat, 25% protein, and 50% carbs, which sounds... sensible enough? Just wondered if anyone knew in more detail what I should be aiming for.

Replies

  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,419 Member
    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/819055/setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets/p1

    This is in the stickies...don't know if you already saw it.

    Your setting is fine. It's not something you have to get perfect. Just try to hit that protein goal every day.

    Welcome to the forums. :)
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,463 Member
    Why are you sure that the MFP macros are wrong for you??
  • CSARdiver
    CSARdiver Posts: 6,252 Member
    Welcome aboard!

    There's a matter of priorities - first comes calories. At the point you're at macros are meaningless. The only point you want to focus on is satiation, so take careful time to identify the foods that really satiate you and which do not.

    ge9qp4by7pfa.png
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    If you are setting macro goals in grams rather than percentages then working from your goal weight rather than current weight could be sensible. (You don't need a load of protein for your fat mass.)

    But by far the most important priority is adherence to a suitable calorie goal over the long term. If tweaking macros helps you then go for it, the blend that suits best you can be very personal.
  • Tacklewasher
    Tacklewasher Posts: 7,122 Member
    kimny72 wrote: »
    The MFP defaults are fine. Get calories straight first. The link in @cmriverside post does have a good beginning guideline several paragraphs down. You can tweak macros as you go as you learn from your food diary. If certain foods fill you up, and other foods leave you hungry, check out the macros and see if there's a pattern. Welcome and good luck!

    ^^This. At this point it will be more about what keeps you full on less calories then you are used to and will take some playing around. But the calories are #1 priority.
  • concordancia
    concordancia Posts: 5,320 Member
    Barring specific medical reasons, the only real reason to mess with macros is to help you feel full. If you find yourself struggling to stay within your calorie goals with the suggested macros, try eating fewer carbs and more fat and protein.
  • scribblefrog
    scribblefrog Posts: 16 Member
    cmriverside wrote: »
    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/819055/setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets/p1

    This is in the stickies...don't know if you already saw it.

    Your setting is fine. It's not something you have to get perfect. Just try to hit that protein goal every day.

    Welcome to the forums. :)

    Yup, read it thoroughly!! It was this paragraph that made me think I should come and ask for more detail:
    "Also, at a high BF%, the fats recommendation can be decreased. If you have specific questions about this, please feel free to ask us for our input."

    It made me think that maybe I should be decreasing my fat requirement a whole bunch, and I'd never heard anything about that before.

    Thanks for the welcome! :)
  • scribblefrog
    scribblefrog Posts: 16 Member
    kimny72 wrote: »
    The MFP defaults are fine. Get calories straight first. The link in @cmriverside post does have a good beginning guideline several paragraphs down. You can tweak macros as you go as you learn from your food diary. If certain foods fill you up, and other foods leave you hungry, check out the macros and see if there's a pattern. Welcome and good luck!

    Yeah, I figured the calories out first, and I'll be keeping an eye on how they work for me over the next six weeks or so. I'm an old hand at calories, though, and I've never really tracked macros before! You're right, though, I can tweak it as I go. No need to be perfect right away :) Thanks!!
  • scribblefrog
    scribblefrog Posts: 16 Member
    CSARdiver wrote: »
    Welcome aboard!

    There's a matter of priorities - first comes calories. At the point you're at macros are meaningless. The only point you want to focus on is satiation, so take careful time to identify the foods that really satiate you and which do not.

    ge9qp4by7pfa.png

    Thanks!! Great diagram. Yeah, calories are my main focus by far, but I'm intrigued by macros as I never paid much attention to them before!
  • scribblefrog
    scribblefrog Posts: 16 Member
    sijomial wrote: »
    If you are setting macro goals in grams rather than percentages then working from your goal weight rather than current weight could be sensible. (You don't need a load of protein for your fat mass.)

    But by far the most important priority is adherence to a suitable calorie goal over the long term. If tweaking macros helps you then go for it, the blend that suits best you can be very personal.

    Thanks for the reply! Yeah, makes sense!
  • emmamcgarity
    emmamcgarity Posts: 1,594 Member
    I also like to look at the weekly view of macros instead of the day. Events etc can affect my daily macros but not have a huge impact to my weekly macros
  • nowine4me
    nowine4me Posts: 3,985 Member
    @scribblefrog if tracking macros works for you, do it. You clearly understand calories are king. But Here’s my 2cents....
    1. Find foods that satisfy you and that provide good nutritional bang for the buck, then build your meals around them. My faves are black beans, sweet potatoes and fruit
    2. Eat the rainbow
    3. Study the calorie density of foods, then load up on the low ones and use the higher ones for flavor/accent/garnish
    4. Do what feels best to your body, don’t feel boxed into any one plan
  • CSARdiver
    CSARdiver Posts: 6,252 Member
    scribblefrog wrote: »
    CSARdiver wrote: »
    Welcome aboard!

    There's a matter of priorities - first comes calories. At the point you're at macros are meaningless. The only point you want to focus on is satiation, so take careful time to identify the foods that really satiate you and which do not.

    ge9qp4by7pfa.png

    Thanks!! Great diagram. Yeah, calories are my main focus by far, but I'm intrigued by macros as I never paid much attention to them before!

    Re-evaluate at you move through this process. Much of the confusion about weight management originates from not understanding what your starting point is. The concern of a pro body builder with sub 20% bodyfat is going to be much different that someone just starting out with >30% bodyfat. Focus on what matters now :smile:
  • GDowning2Fit
    GDowning2Fit Posts: 26 Member
    concordancia wrote: »
    Barring specific medical reasons, the only real reason to mess with macros is to help you feel full. If you find yourself struggling to stay within your calorie goals with the suggested macros, try eating fewer carbs and more fat and protein.

    .

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