Best macro ratio to lose fat that is not low carb!

romina1982

Hi I lost 14 lbs in the last 2 months with an eating plan a trainer provided, I am breastfeeding so I added still more cals to his plan and thankfully my milk wasn’t affected while I still saw results.
My problem is that in that plan I was losing too much weight and I feel my muscle mass was getting affected. I only have like 2 to 4 pounds to go (I dont really care about weight right now but so you have an idea) and I want to calculate my own macros so I know Im getting energy, controlling cravings, putting on muscle and keeping milk supply so no low carb.

I just want to know what RATIO of macros is the best to decrease the last bit of extra body fat I have (mostly in belly), while toning, building and not losing muscle. Im eating 1580 cal (38 years old- 5”7, training 6 times a week 45 min, some days heavy lifting, some days mixing lighter lifting and hiit). I also walk every morning 45 min light pace with toddler.

Im so confused if it needs to be 40% c 30% p 30% f or 30%c 40%p 30%f or anything in between... any guide would be greatly appreciated. Im new at this and my future goal is having lean muscle mass (think Linda Hamilton on terminator 2 but a less thin 😂)

Thank you!!!

sardelsa

There is no one ratio that will get rid of stubborn fat. It will come down to losing fat over time and having enough muscle base to show and support your leaner body. It can be done with a deficit or eating at maintenance (recomp).

I would say aim for minimum 0.8-1g protein per lb, 0.4g fat per lb minimum and fill the rest with carbs. Keep in mind the first two are minimums so you can adjust to a ratio that works best for you in terms of adherence, satiety and workout performance.

Make sure you are following a proper lifting program and not just winging it for best results.

How tall are you? I am also 5'7" and breastfeeding (a 10 month old) but I am eating myself out of house and home just to maintain lol. I was eating at maintenance for 6 months to recomp and saw a huge improvement in my stomach, so maybe something to consider depending on your weight.

sardelsa

And woah 1580 cals is ultra low I hope that isn't before exercise. If breastfeeding is important to you then I would make sure to fuel properly otherwise you risk tanking your supply and negative health effects.

Since you are not concerned with weight and only have a few lbs to go I would eat to maintain your weight and recomp. Here is a great thread

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10177803/recomposition-maintaining-weight-while-losing-fat/p1

romina1982

sardelsa wrote: »

And woah 1580 cals is ultra low I hope that isn't before exercise. If breastfeeding is important to you then I would make sure to fuel properly otherwise you risk tanking your supply and negative health effects.

Since you are not concerned with weight and only have a few lbs to go I would eat to maintain your weight and recomp. Here is a great thread

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10177803/recomposition-maintaining-weight-while-losing-fat/p1

Is it low? I have no idea! Everywhere I calculate tells me 1560 to 1630 no more than that to lose about 0.5 kg a week. Im so new at counting honestly. I am breastfeeding a 15 month old so her nursing needs are not as constant as when she was less than a year but its super important to me to maintain supply.

I will read about recomp, never heard that before. Before I got pregnant I used to go more towards low carb higher fat. So sometimes if macros say 170 g for example Im like, isnt that a lot of carbs. So thats my confusion since Ive never counted macros to reach a fitness goal like right now.

Thanks for your insight!!! I appreciate it!

romina1982

sardelsa wrote: »

There is no one ratio that will get rid of stubborn fat. It will come down to losing fat over time and having enough muscle base to show and support your leaner body. It can be done with a deficit or eating at maintenance (recomp).

I would say aim for minimum 0.8-1g protein per lb, 0.4g fat per lb minimum and fill the rest with carbs. Keep in mind the first two are minimums so you can adjust to a ratio that works best for you in terms of adherence, satiety and workout performance.

Make sure you are following a proper lifting program and not just winging it for best results.

How tall are you? I am also 5'7" and breastfeeding (a 10 month old) but I am eating myself out of house and home just to maintain lol. I was eating at maintenance for 6 months to recomp and saw a huge improvement in my stomach, so maybe something to consider depending on your weight.

So you are basically eating maintenance and recomp? Will check that out. The fat its confusing since I feel satiated when eating healthy fats so, I put in my macros 134g of protein (my weight in lbs), but then no idea how much fat 20%, 25%? I dont want to be ultra low fat but I know if you have higher carbs you should lower fat. Maybe Im overthinking it. I just would like a good percentage base and the. i can teak over time I guess?

Thank you for your help! Love to see a fellow nursing mama around here ❤️

sardelsa

Keep in mind recomp is slow. I have photos of myself before and after and you can barely see a change but I can feel it plus I lost 1" of my waist and my legs and glutes got a bit bigger too.

You don't have to go ultra low fat go with what makes you feel best, I do best at 75-95g. You can definitely tweak as you go.