Calories vs Macro focus

Iragen

Its been a while since I asked something here, but I just had a thought and figured I ask for community feedback.

My dietitian always leans towards "just be healthy, satiated and monitor portions" and the underlying idea is, from what I gathered, "I can't recommend anything to you to really optimize results of weight loss if you can't maintain stable eating habits as is" which I get, but I am curious about something. Do we look at "calories in/calories out" with steady exercise before trying to nitpick macros or would keeping an eye on both be the best approach?

Im trying to really make progress this year... like a few steps under drastic progress, so i figured let me try to monitor my calories but slowly work on getting more protein into my diet as opposed to all the carbs I usually slide into.

Thoughts?

MikePTY

For weight loss, it really is all about calories in vs. calories out. What macro you get those calories from is not important. A calorie is a calorie. Macro monitoring can be useful if eating more of a certain type of macro helps you feel full longer and stay within your goal, or for certain health/fitness goals. But if you are trying to lose weight, a lot of times it is better to keep things as simple as possible and just eat what you like to eat as long as you do so at a deficit.

estherdragonbat

When it comes to weight loss, calories are king. I was looking for an image like this that wasn't highlighting meal timing, but the pyramid is still valid:



Macros are important for satiety, energy, health, and certain fitness goals. Protein aids in muscle growth and retention. Fat helps you absorb certain vitamins. Carbs give you energy. (I'm over-simplifying.)

When I started losing weight, I first focused on calories. When I got that down, I decided to also try to hit my protein target. Got some bloodwork done that showed me on the low side of normal for iron levels. Not low enough to require supplementing, but low enough to concern me. So I started tracking iron. Recently, I also started paying attention to fiber.

I let fat and carbs fall where they fall, which is generally around 25% fat and maybe 55% carbs. It varies.

I've dropped over 108lbs this way.

kshama2001

Iragen wrote: »

Its been a while since I asked something here, but I just had a thought and figured I ask for community feedback.

My dietitian always leans towards "just be healthy, satiated and monitor portions" and the underlying idea is, from what I gathered, "I can't recommend anything to you to really optimize results of weight loss if you can't maintain stable eating habits as is" which I get, but I am curious about something. Do we look at "calories in/calories out" with steady exercise before trying to nitpick macros or would keeping an eye on both be the best approach?

Im trying to really make progress this year... like a few steps under drastic progress, so i figured let me try to monitor my calories but slowly work on getting more protein into my diet as opposed to all the carbs I usually slide into.

Thoughts?

For me "just be healthy, satiated and monitor portions" is doable if I meet or exceed my protein (and fiber) goal and don't get carried away with carbs. So I do pay attention to the protein macro, as well as calories.

Luciicul

Personally I wouldn’t be happy with that advice from a dietician; paying attention to calories and macros makes me more aware of what I am eating and how much I am eating and allows me to make better choices.

BUT it depends on how you like to work; lots of people are different from me and would rather be told to “eat a palm sized portion of meat” and “three handfuls of vegetables” etc rather than count calories and weigh portions. Lots of health professionals dumb things down because research has shown that it is easier for people to stick to a diet that is simplified this way.

I have also found through trial and error that what macros I eat DOES make a difference for me and it is hard for me to lose weight if I eat too many carbs, so reducing starchy carbs and high GI & GL carbs is important to me. Different people metabolise macros differently, so some people do well on high-carb, others (like me) do better on low-carb.

Also, it’s important to make sure you eat enough protein to protect muscle mass as you lose weight. There are calculators online to work out how much you should eat.

However, you don’t have to get everything “right” from day one, your knowledge and refinements will happen over time, so start with improvements that you can live with today.

kariadner

Iragen wrote: »

so i figured let me try to monitor my calories but slowly work on getting more protein into my diet as opposed to all the carbs I usually slide into.

I've only been at this weight loss thing for a couple of months, but here is what is working for me…

I focus on one or two things at a time.

I started my logging all my foods. Then I set calorie goals. Now, I'm noticing I don't eat as many veggies as I thought, so I'm making an effort to eat more.

Next, I want to set a protein goal and try to hit that. Then, because my sugar total seems a bit high, I plan to look at ways to cut that back.

For me, I feel my chances of long term success improve when I remember this maxim: "Perfection is the enemy of good."

Iragen wrote: »

Thoughts?

Listen to quality advice, and do what works for you.

Lillymoo01

Iragen wrote: »

Its been a while since I asked something here, but I just had a thought and figured I ask for community feedback.

My dietitian always leans towards "just be healthy, satiated and monitor portions" and the underlying idea is, from what I gathered, "I can't recommend anything to you to really optimize results of weight loss if you can't maintain stable eating habits as is" which I get, but I am curious about something. Do we look at "calories in/calories out" with steady exercise before trying to nitpick macros or would keeping an eye on both be the best approach?

Im trying to really make progress this year... like a few steps under drastic progress, so i figured let me try to monitor my calories but slowly work on getting more protein into my diet as opposed to all the carbs I usually slide into.

Thoughts?

While everyone is different in regards to what works best for them, this sounds like a very sensible and workable plan for me. It is similar to how I went about weight loss. As @kariadner said, focus on changing one thing at a time and once that is mastered, move onto another. Too many changes at once can become over restrictive and harder to stick to. Because of this you are more likely to give up.

Iragen

Thank you to everyone for their responses. Im the type that likes to collect all the data, know all the rules and recommendations (procrastinate while learning all this mind you) then slowly become overwhelmed and start to slack off so I think baby-stepping myself as suggested here is the right step.

Im trying to monitor my protein intake and Im getting a bit better. Im at 60-90g a day now and Im doing better with sticking close to my deficit but not OBSESSING over every calorie while also hitting the gym at least 3x a week and im more efficient with gym time. Instead of 2.5+hrs Im down to an hour of lifting and I save cardio for its own two days with swimming, light jogging or light hiking.

lorrpb

Calories for weight loss, macros for energy and satiety. If you're having trouble sticking to your calories, you can try tweaking your macros to see if that helps manager your hunger. Usually that mean more protein and less carbs. Just try adjust by 5-10% and see how that goes for a few weeks.
Also make sure you're weighing and logging food per MFP recommendations.

fitoverfortymom

I track calories very closely and macroa very loosely. I have a protein goal and aim to meet that every day and let my fats and carbs fall wherever within my calorie target.

My most satisfying days usually see a close split between all macros. Then it's close to TOM, it gets very carb heavy, and my carbs are also way higher on long run days.