Default goals

kermitch
kermitch Posts: 53 Member
in Getting Started
How do you work out what is healthy here? I’m not sure what these should be. rxjhf6b07xe7.png

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  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,989 Member
    What's your BMR? How much are you overweight? Do you exercise and how much?

    These are things I cover with clients to help them set a reasonable weight loss calorie deficit.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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  • springlering62
    springlering62 Posts: 8,458 Member
    Re: the macros, tbh I wouldn’t worry about those when just starting. I find that I naturally eat low fat and higher protein.

    You’re beginning an experiment to find out what your body likes. Protein keeps me fuller, longer.

    My macros yo-yo daily, but when I like at them over a longer period, they average out pretty close to where I wanted them.

    If, like me, you ate poorly in the past, any dietary change you make is probably going to be better than it was before, and your body will respond happily to it.

    Focus on CICO (calories in/calories out) to begin with and you can deal with the minutiae later.

  • kermitch
    kermitch Posts: 53 Member
    springlering62 wrote: »
    What is your current weight and height? Are you male or female? Goal weight?

    1200 is the minimum MFP will allow for a woman of any size, for safety reasons. Anything below that is generally unsafe, unless under a physician’s orders. The minimum for men is 1500. However, most people need more than that.

    The temptation when setting up your account is to shoot for the highest, fastest weight loss possible of 2lbs per week, which is how a lot of people end up thinking they should eat 1200 calories per day to lose weight.

    We get it. You’re new. You’re super enthusiastic to get this show in the road. But setting your calories too low can lead to binge eating when you can’t take it any more. Binge, guilt, I’ll do better, binge, guilt til you throw up your hands screaming “this isn’t working!”

    Depending on how much you have to lose, be kinder to yourself and set a lower goal per week. It’s still going to come off, but it won’t be such an ordeal, and you’ll learn habits you can use to maintain in the future.

    Sorry to mislead, but you haven’t described me. I’ll have to check that calculation, it I was more curious about getting the balance of carbs/protein etc. won’t be starving myself in any way.
  • kermitch
    kermitch Posts: 53 Member
    Hi all’ thanks for responses, sorry I didn’t clarify too well as I’m on the iPad. It was the balance of carbs/protein etc that I would like to work out. I thought 50% carbs seemed rather high.
  • lemurcat2
    lemurcat2 Posts: 7,885 Member
    50% carbs is normal and healthy (even higher than that can be if one is getting sufficient protein and healthy fats). It's more significant if you are choosing fats and carbs that contribute what your body needs (for carbs, like fiber, the micros from fruits and veg and, yes, even foods like potatoes that are often weirdly slammed), vs low nutrient combos of fat and carbs like cookies and cakes (which are fine in moderation, but shouldn't crowd out what you need).

    I'm not saying you would eat a poor diet, but just showing why the current demonization or paranoia about carbs is misplaced -- macros don't tell us if someone has a healthful or nonhealthful diet most of the time.

    Some people find it easier to cut cals with lower carbs or prefer to eat lower carb (I do currently), but that's not because 50% carbs is unhealthy or inherently too high.

    Macros are largely about what you find sustainable and satiating, while ideally also allowing you to include sufficient nutrients in your diet. There's nothing wrong with MFP's macros as a starting (or even permanent) point. I personally think that for most people having a min protein goal and letting fats and carbs fall where they may works fine, though.

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