How much do you stick to your macros?

alexhayg

Wondering how much of a negative effect on my weight loss/toning up going over my macros will be? Even if I am sticking to calories and eating healthy food? Do you all stick to macros religiously or as a rough guide line? Would be interesting to see how drastically results changed once sticking to macros.

FireOpalCO

I'm going to say this badly but I will try anyway. Technically your macros have nothing to do with your weight loss. If you consume 1,300 calories today and you burn 2,000, your body will burn 700 calories and you will lose that much weight.

However, finding the right macro ratio for you will determine if you can stick with your calorie deficit (do you feel full and energetic), how you look (getting those vitamins and nutrition for nice skin, hair, and no bags under your eyes), building/maintaining muscle, and how you perform (great run or barely slogging, can you increase your weight stack or still struggling).

I italicized "for you" because the correct ratio varies from person to person depending on personal preference and exercise/life goals.

MonkeyMel21

I'll be honest. I don't even look at my macros. Ever. I only pay attention to calories. I enjoy eating healthy and it helps that lower calorie meals are naturally healthier most of the time anyway. I keep a small deficit so don't have to worry about satiety as much as if I were at a larger deficit so it works really well for me.

zeejane03

I don't really pay attention to macros, calories are what I focus on for my weight management goals.

garystrickland357

@FireOpalCO Said it well. As far as weight loss - I don't worry over macros. I've lost 78 in a year. As stated though, macros can influence how satisfied you are. I try to keep my protein up because I'm 57 and worry a bit about preserving muscle mass. As far as carbs and fat - some days one is way up, some days the other. I due endurance activities like cycling and running. On days when I ride or run far I eat more carbs to stay fueled.

In short, don't stress over the macros. Just pay attention in hindsight to learn what keeps you satisfied and comfortable.

vartman71

Interesting question. I’ve seen the restrictive calorie diet work in the short term but that can be tough to maintain and I’ve read it can slow your metabolism. I’ve been loosely maintaining a set macro ratio and I’m loosing weight but also feel energetic and full from my food. It never hurts to speak with a nutritionist to better align your food with your goals. Best of luck.

kimny72

vartman71 wrote: »

Interesting question. I’ve seen the restrictive calorie diet work in the short term but that can be tough to maintain and I’ve read it can slow your metabolism. I’ve been loosely maintaining a set macro ratio and I’m loosing weight but also feel energetic and full from my food. It never hurts to speak with a nutritionist to better align your food with your goals. Best of luck.

Restricting calories doesn't slow your metabolism unless you aggressively restrict for a long period of time. Eating at a sensible deficit, with planned diet breaks a few times a year is sustainable. The lighter you are, the less calories you need. But I have actually found my TDEE is higher now in maintenance at my lower weight than it was before I lost weight, mostly because I have become more active (thanks to feeling better) and have focused on building muscle.

OP, macros are at most a rough guide. Plenty of people lose weight just fine not even paying attention to them. Getting them right for you personally can help with satiety, and you need a minimum of fat and protein for good health. Keep an eye on them tweak your diet to make it easier to hit them, but don't sweat it too much. Many of us look at protein and fat as a minimum to try to hit or exceed (I include fiber in that as well) and let carbs fall where they may.

lalalacroix

It's true that calories count for weight loss. However, for me, hitting my protein macro really helps me with satiety and calorie adherance. Additionally, when I've had a good eating day but am craving everything under the sun, it's usually because my fat macro is lowish for the day. So I'll usually have a high fat snack and that will stop the cravings.

You don't have to pay attention to macros, lots of people don't. But for some of us it can make this weight loss journey a bit more bearable.

cwolfman13

I am only vaguely aware of my macros...Mostly I just try to get in a good amount of protein and eat for the most part a nutritionally healthy diet with some indulgences thrown in there. There's nothing particularly "magical" about MFP's defaults...they're just the defaults...people customize their macros all the time to suite their needs...there's no singular ideal macro ratio. The ideal macro ratio for a marathon runner and a bodybuilder are going to be quite different...

alexhayg

My trainer gave me suggested macros and calories of 1450 a day (which takes into account my sedentary job). I have stuck to the calories no problem and eating healthy foods (well I think they are!! Lots of home cooked. I don't do ready meals and try to avoid to much processed food). As I don't have too much to lose I was wondering if the macros would be the key to losing body fat quicker and toning up. I am putting my faith in the calorie deficit for now and use the macros as a loose guide. Thanks guys!! Greatly appreciated 👍

callsitlikeiseeit

i go by calories. that is what matters for weight loss. Some people base their calories ON their macros, plenty of others barely ever look at them (like me)

its all about the calories.

mmapags

alexhayg wrote: »

My trainer gave me suggested macros and calories of 1450 a day (which takes into account my sedentary job). I have stuck to the calories no problem and eating healthy foods (well I think they are!! Lots of home cooked. I don't do ready meals and try to avoid to much processed food). As I don't have too much to lose I was wondering if the macros would be the key to losing body fat quicker and toning up. I am putting my faith in the calorie deficit for now and use the macros as a loose guide. Thanks guys!! Greatly appreciated 👍

No impact on speed of weight loss. Some impact on body composition and the effect on satiety is individual. Protein and minimum of fats is somewhat important. Let preference and energy determine carbs.

pierinifitness

I pay zero attention to my macros in planning my meals but do take note of the macro percentages at the end of a diary day. I focus on getting the biggest bank for my calorie allowance to make me satisfied and have sufficient fuel to perform my workouts according to my expectations. I think macros are over-rated to tell you the truth as is protein, unless you're a serious bodybuilder type trying to add serious muscle.

Leaving my comment here with something to share, I recently wrote an article for my blog and mentioned that for December 2018, thanks to MyFitnessPal, my macro percentages were 56 percent carbs, 15 percent protein, and 29 percent fat. Lot of my fat is monounsaturated fat.