can't stick to the macronutrients ratio but everything is ok

sabrekism

hi guys

my normal dieting is eating whatever i want as long as its healthy and under my targeted daily consumed calories and as a result everything seems perfect... even at the gym im energized and nice,

i dont eat any junk foods whatsoever all pure healthy foods.

but my problem is i dont stick to any macronutrients ratios that people recommend and i just eat whatever my mind come up with as long as its real healthy food.....and this approach actually stopped all my binges and cravings.

is calculating and following macro ratios a must? specially that im morbidly obese with 303 lbs 5'6

thx alot for reading

Ainar

If you want to gain muscle mass then you have to ate minimum 1g of protein per pound of body weight. How much carbs you ate is not important and how much fat you ate is also not important, as far as it is not exteremely low or no fat at all what is unhealthy. % doesn't matter either. That's for those guys and girls wanna build muscle mass and look lean and toned - calories and protein.

For weight loss it doesn't matter at all... whatsoever. It's all and only about calories. You can follow your macros, you can count protein and carbs, and fat but it will make no difference if your goal is weight loss. So no... macros and precentages/ratios in a matter of weight loss are completelly pointless. And precentages/ratios are generally completelly pointless also for those who wanna gain muscle not just lose weight - ratios and precentages never matter, it's calories and protein.

By the way, I just noticed... you're from Rigga... I'm from Riga. It's kinda funny!

sabrekism

u have no idea how much u made up my day..

god bless u very much....god bless u

BeachIron

You don't need to follow ratios. Those are only rules of thumb. What you do need is a certain amount of protein and fats in terms of grams.

If you are concerned with preserving muscle mass, then you should target 1 gram of protein per pound of lean body mass. Honestly, from what I've seen on MFP, pretty much everyone seriously overestimates their lean body mass because no one wants to admit to themselves their honest BF%. No, that's not a dig on anyone as I was that way for a very long time. The point is, you need a good amount of protein but you probably don't need more than around 100 grams a day, maybe less, but it depends on you. This doesn't work if you're not strength training though.

As for fats, it's generally recommended that you get 0.35 grams per pound of overall body weight. Fats are essential for vitamin absorption and other body functions so definitely try to hit this one.

All of that said, no one gets it perfect in the beginning. No one. Okay, maybe someone has, but I haven't met them and it certainly wasn't me. Do the best you can right now, create good habits, and strive to improve slowly as you get better at it. You are definitely moving in the right direction and that is what really matters.

Good luck!

Alehmer

Macros ARE important, very important, but not always in exactly the way everyone thinks. I seriously leaned out going on a low-carb diet, and my wife is loosing on average of 2 pounds a week on the same calories by going low carb as well.

Your body doesn't tally up all your calories on a spreadsheet once a day. It's a continuous process, and how much it decides it needs to burn fat or build muscle is dependent on what's in the bloodstream. Blood sugar above BMR and exercise-released hormones present, muscle building is a go. Energy deficit, then it's time to pull energy out of storage (fat). Excess energy above all biological needs, then release insulin and turn the excess sugar into fat.

The different macros convert into energy at different rates. Carbs convert the fastest with simple sugars converting in minutes, with fats and proteins taking one or more hours. I will follow with a basic list of digestion times for example.

But, lets say you have 200 calories of Gatorade vs 200 calories of Steak and your body's BMR needs 100 calories an hour. Within 20 minutes, the ENTIRETY of the Gatorade is in your bloodstream. Excessive blood-sugar levels are sensed, insulin is released by the body, and the vast majority of the calories are converted to fat.

Over 4-5 hours the steak digests, giving a fairly slow and even release of energy that the body. It fits fairly closely to the body's energy needs and very little if any is converted to fat.

This is why nutrition experts advise things like not skipping breakfast, eating several meals, and low-carb diets are often so effective.

Alehmer

Sample digestion rates
As protein and fat levels rise, digestion rate drops dramatically.
Also notice the effect Fiber has on slowing carb digestion.

DIGESTION TIME OF VARIOUS FOODS
(approx. time spent in stomach before emptying). ........
Water
when stomach is empty, leaves immediately and goes into intestines,
Juices
Fruit vegetables, vegetable broth - 15 to 20 minutes.
Semi-liquid
(blended salad, vegetables or fruits) - 20 to 30 min.

Fruits

Watermelon - 20 min.digestion time.
Other melons - Canteloupe, Cranshaw, Honeydew etc. - 30 min.
Oranges, grapefruit, grapes - 30 min.
Apples, pears, peaches, cherries etc. - digest in 40 min.

Vegetables

Raw tossed salad vegetables - tomato, lettuces, cucumber, celery, red or green pepper, other succulent vegetables - 30 to 40 min. digestion. -
Steamed or cooked vegetables
Leafy vegetables - escarole, spinach, kale, collards etc. - 40 min. - Zucchini, broccoli, cauliflower, string beans, yellow squash, corn on cob - all 45 min. digestion time
Root vegetables - carrots, beets, parsnips, turnips etc. - 50 min.
Semi-Concentrated Carbohydrates - Starches
Jerusalem artichokes & leafy, acorn & butternut squashes, corn, potatoes, sweet potatoes, yam, chestnuts - all 60 min. digestion.

Concentrated Carbohydrates - Grains

Brown rice, millet, buckwheat, cornmeal, oats (first 3 vegetables best) - 90 min.
Legumes & Beans - (Concentrated Carbohydrate & Protein)
Lentils, limas, chick peas, peas, pigeon peas, kidney beans, etc. - 90 min. digestion time
soy beans -120 min. digestion time
Seeds & Nuts
Seeds - Sunflower, pumpkin, pepita, sesame - Digestive time approx. 2 hours.
Nuts - Almonds, filberts, peanuts (raw), cashews, brazil, walnuts, pecans etc. - 2 1/2 to 3 hours to digest.

Dairy

Skim milk, cottage or low fat pot cheese or ricotta - approx. 90 min. digestion time
whole milk cottage cheese - 120 min. digestion
whole milk hard cheese - 4 to 5 hours digestion time

Animal proteins

Egg yolk - 30 min. digestion time
Whole egg - 45 min.
Fish - cod, scrod, flounder, sole seafood - 30 min. digestion time
Fish - salmon, salmon trout, herring, (more fatty fish) - 45 min. to 60 digestion time
Chicken - 11/2 to 2 hours digestion time (without skin)
Turkey - 2 to 2 1/4 hours digestion time (without skin)
Beef, lamb - 3 to 4 hours digestion time
Pork - 41/2 to 5 hours digestion time

cmriverside

If you want to gain muscle mass then you have to ate minimum 1g of protein per pound of body weight. How much carbs you ate is not important and how much fat you ate is also not important, as far as it is not exteremely low or no fat at all what is unhealthy. % doesn't matter either. That's for those guys and girls wanna build muscle mass and look lean and toned - calories and protein.

No. The recommendation is 1g per kilo of body weight - or 1g per pound of Lean Body Mass.

Fat is also important. Carbs can fill in whatever is left.

He will lose weight now no matter his macros. I think as you get more into this you will find that you want to tune in your macros - it helps with satiety and with nutrition, which helps with weight loss. It is a learning process, and no one gets it "right" at first. Just use the Food Diary and study the nutrients. Learn as you go - like we all did.

Here are some great threads to read - the last one on the list specifically addresses your question:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/952996-level-obstacles-lose-weight-target-fat-easy
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/186814-some-mfp-basics
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/61706-guide-to-calorie-deficits
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/819055-setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets