Eating within your daily macros

lizzierutter

Hi everyone, just wondering if anyone has any tips or advice on how to hit daily macro targets? I suspect my metabolism is slowing down because I’m not eating sufficient carbs and so I’m not seeing any loss - I try everyday to hit my macro goals but never quite seem to achieve them all 😔 any tips out there?
Thanks xxx

TavistockToad

carbs don't affect your metabolism

try pre logging to hit your goals.

tinkerbellang83

Carbs have nothing to do with your metabolism or your loss.

Calories are for weight loss, macros are a personal preference for satiety/healthy nutrition.

The most important macros are Protein (helps maintain muscle) & Fat (helps you absorb vitamins) so long as you get the minimum recommended amounts of those you can let carbs fall as they may.

quiksylver296

lizzierutter wrote: »

Hi everyone, just wondering if anyone has any tips or advice on how to hit daily macro targets? Lots of trial and error.

I suspect my metabolism is slowing down because I’m not eating sufficient carbs - Um. No.

and so I’m not seeing any loss - You're not seeing any loss because you are eating too many calories. Do you use a food scale?

- I try everyday to hit my macro goals but never quite seem to achieve them all 😔 any tips out there? - Again, trial and error. I, personally, have to smash the protein at breakfast or I'll never hit it.
Thanks xxx

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10634517/you-dont-use-a-food-scale/p1

EmHorn4

The biggest tip I can give you is to plan ahead of time. For me, I pre-plan my entire day the night before or the morning of. I load in my proteins, then my carbs, and make sure I stay within my fats. If I have any extra after I am done distributing across my meals, I fill in with snacks or extras on my meals to hit the goals (for example if I need extra fats I will add some avocado to my lunch, or if I need extra carbs I will add veggies to my dinner or morning eggs). Then, I stick to the plan and I use a food scale to measure. I have successfully been following a macro plan for 9 months this way.

The hardest leap is making the decision to pre-plan everything, but it makes a world of a difference in setting you up for success and taking the guesswork and mental load off of your daily meal decisions. My personal experience has been that I am unable to (or find it mentally taxing) to stick to my macros when I do a free-form day. That being said, after you pre-plan for a month+, you start to understand what each "puzzle piece" (i.e. meals) start to look like for you, and you definitely gain the ability to go a little more free-form on days you have to (like an unexpected lunch or dinner out, or fitting in a cookie you'd like to have that someone brought to the office). But really try to pre-plan and use a food scale for at least a month. Give yourself a cheat day once a week but don't go crazy.

Another tip for you is making some things ahead of time. For me I have a big protein goal (155g) so I make up a family pack of chicken breast once a week to have for lunches and dinners. I switch it up by grilling it, throwing it in my instant pot with seasoning, or just some simple salt and olive oil and throw it in the oven. Then I have an easy go-to for reaching my protein goal or for filling in gaps. I also make up a big thing of rice, and try to have lots of veggies on hand, all for meeting/filling in gaps on carbs.

Good luck to you!!