Can't seem to be able to balance my nutrients/macros

diogomello12

Hello guys,
I'm new here. Just created an account recently in order to start living a much healthier life than I had before, since I had to change countries recently and now I'm on my own (which means I now need to cook my own food).

Besides, I also want to define some muscles on my body. I've been doing these "No Equipment" workout exercises apps that are on Play Store which let me know how many calories I burned alone. That alone is good because from there, I can track exactly how much food I need to eat per day to compensate those exercises.

I started to pay attention to only the basic macros (Protein, Fat and Carbs) for a week, but after that I decided to take a peek at my nutrients and I realized how unbalanced it all was (even though I was hitting my Carbs, Protein and Calories needed). I realized how much Vitamin A and C I was ingesting (I was actually -392mg on Vitamin C plus) and the amount of excessive Cholesterol I was having per day (because I was boiling 3 eggs per day). I also had little to no Potassium or Iron on my body. So, because of that, I decided to suspend my regime for a bit while I come up with another plan.

My goal is simple: Become healthy (in order to prevent some diseases in the future), gain some muscles along with these exercises while having a vegetarian diet. My questions are... How much is too much? How can I be able to hit the Potassium and Iron levels my body needs per day without exceeding the other parameters? Also, how mandatory is it to reach 100% of everything. And last but not least, if I want to gain some muscles, how safe is it to hit my Carbs, Calories and Protein levels BUT NOT my Fat ones?

I'm a newcomer not only to this website but also to controlling my own diet plan, so I suppose that some of my questions here might seem ignorant at some point, so forgive me for that. I just want to finish the day knowing that I actually gave my body the necessary nutrients that it needs to function correctly, and didn't exceed by far on anything.

I hope I made myself clear and also, thank you for spending some time to read this

Have a nice day.

zeejane4

Take the micros recorded here with some skepticism-many of the data base entries don't have the correct information, or are missing information.

If you're curious to see where you're coming in at for micros I'd recommend tracking over on cronometer. Their data base is much more regulated by the site owners and the entries have a lot more accurate information. They also have a really detailed breakdown of micros listed.

MikePTY

diogomello12 wrote: »

Hello guys,
I'm new here. Just created an account recently in order to start living a much healthier life than I had before, since I had to change countries recently and now I'm on my own (which means I now need to cook my own food).

Besides, I also want to define some muscles on my body. I've been doing these "No Equipment" workout exercises apps that are on Play Store which let me know how many calories I burned alone. That alone is good because from there, I can track exactly how much food I need to eat per day to compensate those exercises.

I started to pay attention to only the basic macros (Protein, Fat and Carbs) for a week, but after that I decided to take a peek at my nutrients and I realized how unbalanced it all was (even though I was hitting my Carbs, Protein and Calories needed). I realized how much Vitamin A and C I was ingesting (I was actually -392mg on Vitamin C plus) and the amount of excessive Cholesterol I was having per day (because I was boiling 3 eggs per day). I also had little to no Potassium or Iron on my body. So, because of that, I decided to suspend my regime for a bit while I come up with another plan.

My goal is simple: Become healthy (in order to prevent some diseases in the future), gain some muscles along with these exercises while having a vegetarian diet. My questions are... How much is too much? How can I be able to hit the Potassium and Iron levels my body needs per day without exceeding the other parameters? Also, how mandatory is it to reach 100% of everything. And last but not least, if I want to gain some muscles, how safe is it to hit my Carbs, Calories and Protein levels BUT NOT my Fat ones?

I'm a newcomer not only to this website but also to controlling my own diet plan, so I suppose that some of my questions here might seem ignorant at some point, so forgive me for that. I just want to finish the day knowing that I actually gave my body the necessary nutrients that it needs to function correctly, and didn't exceed by far on anything.

I hope I made myself clear and also, thank you for spending some time to read this

Have a nice day.

You're wayyy overthinking things. Nobody hits exactly 100% of their macros and micros. Nobody. They are there as general guidelines. Some important point for you to know.

Many micros are not considered "maximums", but rather recommended minimums. It is perfectly acceptable and even in some cases beneficial to get more than the maximum amount. You can't get too much Vitamin A (from produce) or Vitamin C. You body will just get rid of what you don't use. If you are eating a lot of produce, you are likely getting a good amount of potassium, as most fruits and vegetables are good sources of potassium. Not all foods have their correct potassium levels here, as it was only recently a requirement of food manufacturers to include it on labels.

Newer research has indicated that dietary cholesterol is not a cause of higher blood cholesterol. So it's not really that important to monitor, especially if you haven't been advised to do so by a doctor. You can still have your eggs.

For muscle building, protein is the main macro so if you are hitting that you are getting the food related benefits for it. You are always likely to be over at least one macro and under another. That is fine. Fat is important, so if you are very low on it, you may want to look at adding some more to your diet. But being somewhat under the macro is fine.

Being low on iron on a vegetarian diet is definitely possible, so that may be one area you want to look at an adjustment.

Two foods that may help you with some of your goals are avocados and beans. Avocados are high in "healthy" fats such as monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats that help with heart health. It is also a good source of potassium. Beans are a good source of both iron and potassium.

It is admirable that you are looking to make changes towards a more nutritious diet, but overthinking things can have its drawbacks. You are never going to be perfect at every day. Eat a varied diet you enjoy with an eye towards your macros and micros and you will be fine.