What % Are Your Macros?

asochable

Hi! I am interested in following a macro based diet. I know MFP has a preset ratio of 50/30/20 carbs/fat/protein. My exercise is mainly running and CrossFit so I want my macros to be appropriate for losing some weight and increasing performance. I have seen different percents for cutting weight with a high percent of protein and low carbs (for body builders) and endurance runners with a very high percent of carbs and I think I should be somewhere in the middle. So what macro distribution works best for you?

sijomial

Macros by percentage or ratio is hopeless for endurance athletes - your protein and fat needs don't treble on a big exercise day. I don't want to eat a whole cow on an all day ride.

Macros by percentage can also be needlessly restrictive for no good reason which is one reason you will find a lot of people set their minimum needs for protein (and to a lesser extent fat) and regarding the remainder of their calorie allowance as being flexible.

My choice when losing was 1g protein per lb of estimated LBM, fat nominally at 0.4g per lb of bodyweight (but it really didn't need monitoring for me as my normal diet covered it) as minimum goals and most of the rest came from carbs.

estherdragonbat

We've got different goals, so I'm not sure if this will help you. My primary goal is weight-loss. I never adjusted MFP's default macro settings. Along the way, I realized I needed to do a couple of things to minimize muscle loss, such as strength training and adequate protein intake. So I focus on getting adequate protein (and iron; I switched out my sugar tracking for iron tracking on the diary page) and let the rest fall where it falls. And where it falls for me tends to be slightly higher than 50% carbs and slightly lower than 30% fat.

For weight loss, calories are king. Macros matter for a number of other reasons including nutrition and satiety. I personally feel fullest when I get more protein and fiber in my diet. And I'm a kosher ovo-lacto vegetarian—which basically means I have enough restrictions in my life without trying to reduce my carb intake. I mean, most of my protein staples have carbs in them. I don't find that fat satiates me very much.

I've lost 108.6lbs this way, and gone from lifting 3-8lb dumbbells to 20-30lb dumbbells for most of my exercises. My main cardio is walking, but I ran my first 5K this past summer (in 28:17 at the ripe old age of 46). For my goals, the way I eat has been working out great.

sardelsa

It is much easier to work in grams, since % really means nothing since it varies so greatly based on intake. I typically aim for minimum protein and fat, and let carbs fall where they fall. I do cycle them and have them higher on workout days. For example I do 130-160g protein, 75-95g fat and 100-350g carbs.

As long as you are getting minimum 0.8-1g protein per lb goalweight/lean body mass, 0.4g fat per lb bodyweight, you can play around with your carb levels. You don't need to go low carb to cut or anything. Some people find it easier but others find it diminishes workout performance, especially with CrossFit I would not cut carbs too low. You have to experiment and find your sweet spot.

deannalfisher

Fixed 135g protein a day (abt 25%); carbs are typically in the 50-60% range (right now a cut so low of 179g and ugh of 279g) and round it out with fats

missiontofitness

My goals are 50% carbs, 30% fat, 20% protein. I adjust as necessary, and don't stick to my goals if I need more or less of something per day. I just like to use it as a guideline, since it's the default macros MFP gave me.

Per day, this comes out to up to 178g of carbs, 47g of fat, and 71g of protein.

asochable

Thanks all who replied so far!

I only want to lose 10 lbs and really just focus on eating healthier and better fueling my body for performance. I plan to follow MFP’s calorie recommendations. I already have my Garmin set up to adjust calories based on my activity level. I was thinking I might adjust the MFP ratio so that it’s 45% carbs, 30% fat, and 25% protein OR just aim for 100g protein each day and let the rest fall where it falls. I do like hearing other people’s strategies and success!

kami3006

asochable wrote: »

Thanks all who replied so far!

I only want to lose 10 lbs and really just focus on eating healthier and better fueling my body for performance. I plan to follow MFP’s calorie recommendations. I already have my Garmin set up to adjust calories based on my activity level. I was thinking I might adjust the MFP ratio so that it’s 45% carbs, 30% fat, and 25% protein OR just aim for 100g protein each day and let the rest fall where it falls. I do like hearing other people’s strategies and success!

I hit my protein minimum and let the rest fall wherever. Usually fat takes care of itself and I have never concerned myself with carbs. Works well for me both losing and maintaining.

rockeri21

Most will probably destroy me for saying this, but I follow a lot of nutrition professors and read different studies and they contradict that protein is king. They reveal that it’s a marketing tactic for the dairy and meat companies. There are actually studies that show a direct positive correlation between protein intake and cancer cells. Diet for a new America is a very interesting book that talks a lot about this topic. I aim for 10-12% of my calories to come from protein per day. Just to provide another opinion!

deannalfisher

rockeri21 wrote: »

Most will probably destroy me for saying this, but I follow a lot of nutrition professors and read different studies and they contradict that protein is king. They reveal that it’s a marketing tactic for the dairy and meat companies. There are actually studies that show a direct positive correlation between protein intake and cancer cells. Diet for a new America is a very interesting book that talks a lot about this topic. I aim for 10-12% of my calories to come from protein per day. Just to provide another opinion!

Links to said studies? Because every academic journal I have read ties increased protein to maintaining lean muscle in weight loss and increases recovery in heavy workouts

nowine4me

deannalfisher wrote: »

rockeri21 wrote: »

Most will probably destroy me for saying this, but I follow a lot of nutrition professors and read different studies and they contradict that protein is king. They reveal that it’s a marketing tactic for the dairy and meat companies. There are actually studies that show a direct positive correlation between protein intake and cancer cells. Diet for a new America is a very interesting book that talks a lot about this topic. I aim for 10-12% of my calories to come from protein per day. Just to provide another opinions ion!

Links to said studies? Because every academic journal I have read ties increased protein to maintaining lean muscle in weight loss and increases recovery in heavy workouts

Real life study here.....I was WFPB with 10% protein in 2018, also, very low fat. Went great for the first 9 months, started to fade in September and could hardly get out of bed by December. I’m switching to 25/50/25 this year.

lemurcat2

I am another who basically just focuses on grams of protein -- about .8 g per lb at a healthy body weight (similar to 1g per lb of LBM, but no need to know your lean mass). If one were overweight I'd adjust to .8 g per lb of goal weight. Beyond that I look at nutrition and largely let carbs and fat fall where they will. I did experiment with higher carbs to see if it made a difference to my training (I tend to naturally prefer a bit lower or moderate carb), and didn't find that it did, but it's worth seeing if you feel better at different fat to carb ratios.

Anti protein thing sounds like China Study and the related T. Colin Campbell work.

TavistockToad

sijomial wrote: »

Macros by percentage or ratio is hopeless for endurance athletes - your protein and fat needs don't treble on a big exercise day. I don't want to eat a whole cow on an all day ride.

Macros by percentage can also be needlessly restrictive for no good reason which is one reason you will find a lot of people set their minimum needs for protein (and to a lesser extent fat) and regarding the remainder of their calorie allowance as being flexible.

My choice when losing was 1g protein per lb of estimated LBM, fat nominally at 0.4g per lb of bodyweight (but it really didn't need monitoring for me as my normal diet covered it) as minimum goals and most of the rest came from carbs.

My fat needs don't treble on long run days?? You've shattered my dreams Si :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

TavistockToad

asochable wrote: »

Thanks all who replied so far!

I only want to lose 10 lbs and really just focus on eating healthier and better fueling my body for performance. I plan to follow MFP’s calorie recommendations. I already have my Garmin set up to adjust calories based on my activity level. I was thinking I might adjust the MFP ratio so that it’s 45% carbs, 30% fat, and 25% protein OR just aim for 100g protein each day and let the rest fall where it falls. I do like hearing other people’s strategies and success!

Im a runner and i aim for 100g of protein and adequate fat (I easily hit 35% of my cals) and I am good to go.