How many carbs to protein to fat....

clohara
clohara Posts: 21 Member
edited January 2020 in Getting Started
I am back on the band wagon but don’t know how to determine how many carbs,fats and proteins to lose weight. I am 180 and wanting to get back to 150. I am starting at gym again x 4 times a week. Any help would be appreciated.

Replies

  • NovusDies
    NovusDies Posts: 8,940 Member
    clohara wrote: »
    I am back on the band wagon but don’t know how to determine how many carbs,fats and proteins to lose weight. I am 180 and wanting to get back to 150. I am starting at gym again x 4 times a week. Any help would be appreciated.

    Calories alone determine weight loss. Macros may help control hunger. You do need sufficient protein and fat for basic nutrition. You may want more protein if you are strength training at the gym.
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,011 Member
    clohara wrote: »
    I am back on the band wagon but don’t know how to determine how many carbs,fats and proteins to lose weight. I am 180 and wanting to get back to 150. I am starting at gym again x 4 times a week. Any help would be appreciated.

    Macros are personal preference, with minimums required for good health for protein and fat.

    I just started using the MFP defaults, looking at protein and fat (and fiber) as minimums to exceed and letting carbs fall where they may. After some time logging, I realized I was less hungry on days where my protein and fiber were higher, so I took 5% off of carbs and put it on protein.
  • clohara
    clohara Posts: 21 Member
    But how do I determine what my percents should be for protein, fats and carbs?
  • Danp
    Danp Posts: 1,561 Member
    clohara wrote: »
    But how do I determine what my percents should be for protein, fats and carbs?

    There is no 'should' other than to get a minimum of protein each day. There's no correct or right answer as it's purely down to personal preference.

    I have never barely even glanced at my macros because my goal is to lose weight and macros don't matter for that goal, only calories so that's what I track and I let my macros fall where they may.

    The correct macro split is the one that suits you. The one that makes it easier for you to stick to your calorie target or the one that helps you achieve a specific health or performance goal.

    Weight loss is a very simple and straight forward process. Eat more calories than you use you'll gain, eat fewer calories than you use and you'll lose. It's as simple as that and really doesn't need to be needlessly complicated.
  • clohara
    clohara Posts: 21 Member
    Thank you. So don’t worry about anything but my calories. I should be taking in 1350 a day. If I exercise I burn so do I eat those calories to or no?
  • anubis609
    anubis609 Posts: 3,966 Member
    In order of importance you follow calories > protein > fat/carbs for fat loss. Exercise is just a bonus and calorie burns are going to be estimates, at best. What counts more is what you do when you're not voluntarily exercising.
  • Danp
    Danp Posts: 1,561 Member
    Yeah, MFP is designed for you to eat exercise calories back however the number of calories from exercise is less than reliable.

    With this in mind many people find that a good starting place is to eat back 50% of the extra calories. Then after a month or so you can check your progress. If you're on track then keep going at 50% If however your losing faster than expected you can up your percentage a little to better satisfy your hunger and fuel yourself. If you're losing slower than expected you can reign the percentage in a little.

    Do this for a few months and you'll zero in on the right number for you.
  • clohara
    clohara Posts: 21 Member
    I just trying to calculate for my intake if I should have 35% fat and 35% protein and 30% carbs or should it be different. Please advise anyone who knows.
  • NatalieHitoun
    NatalieHitoun Posts: 2 Member
    There is an article called "Ask the Dietitian: What’s the Best Carb, Protein and Fat Breakdown for Weight Loss?
    Elle Penner, MPH, RD BY ELLE PENNER, MPH, RD " on the site which answers all your questions in detail. It's in the My FitnessPal Blog. Good luck.
  • lemurcat2
    lemurcat2 Posts: 7,885 Member
    edited January 2020
    clohara wrote: »
    I just trying to calculate for my intake if I should have 35% fat and 35% protein and 30% carbs or should it be different. Please advise anyone who knows.

    For weight loss it doesn't matter. For satiety and nutrition/health it might, but satiety tends to be individual and health allows for a broad range of different macros (including the MFP default).

    MFP has built-in goals, so there's no reason not to start with those, as a default.

    If I were to adjust it, I'd bump protein up a bit -- at 1350 the default 20% is about 67 g, and for me 25% would be preferable (I'd make it 45% carb, 25% protein, 30% fat). That gives you a minimum of 84 grams of protein.

    I also tend to treat protein as a minimum and don't worry about carbs vs. fat (if you tend to undereat fat or aren't feeling satisfied, you could adjust macros, but to start with it's not something to worry about).
  • Danp
    Danp Posts: 1,561 Member
    clohara wrote: »
    I just trying to calculate for my intake if I should have 35% fat and 35% protein and 30% carbs or should it be different. Please advise anyone who knows.

    Since you're determined to get an answer and since it absolutely doesn't matter...

    You should have 40% fat, 35% protein and 25% carbs

    There ya go. There's an answer for you. Good luck.
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 14,260 Member
    edited January 2020
    You are following MFP's guided setup, right?

    And using something reasonable like aiming for 1lb a week of weight loss, right? I mean 2lbs a week is often suitable for people well in the 200 range, don't get me wrong. But it is not a suitable goal for EVERYBODY.

    Well, guided setup does spit back some default macro percentages. Which you can double check against recommendations.

    @lemurcat2 sort of went over it, and unless her abacus is broken her percentages sound as good as anything in terms of starting with something semi reasonable!

    Adjust based on satiation past that... and on having a minimum protein level of 0.6g per lb of goal weight within the normal weight range, having a basic level of healthy fat intake equal to at least 0.35g per lb of goal weight within the normal weight range, and consuming at least 27g of fiber a day and meeting all other nutritional recommendations such as eating a good 440g of vegetables and fruits a day, while keeping in mind that NONE of this, OTHER than calories, matters in terms of achieving weight loss! (of course eating a healthy diet matters for other reasons, including making weight loss easier or harder on you... but your weight loss over the long term will be mediated by your energy balance of calories absorbed vs calories expended... and that's about it, other than the small detail of implementing the grand plan!)
  • Gisel2015
    Gisel2015 Posts: 4,188 Member
    When I started several years ago I used the MFP defaults, and I found that the carbs were way to high and the protein way to low for me, specially when doing strength training. So I did a lot of reading and I analyzed my body's response to those macros, and adjusted accordingly.

    We are all different. Some people do very well with high carbs % because they claim to get more energy. It doesn't work for me. High amount of carbs make me sleepy, bloated, and sluggish. It doesn't not give me satiety either.

    For me, 35% carbs and protein and 30% fat gives me balance and energy. I don't reach those % all the time, but I try to be close to it. Just as @pumansky said, see how you feel with what ever % you choose and adjust accordingly to your hunger level, energy and performance at the gym.

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