Setting macros

shanna24t

How do I know where my macros should actually be set? What would work best for me for weight loss? I'm not going to the gym or running.

mtaratoot

Focus on calories mostly, but also prioritize protein. Eat 0.8 to 1.2 grams of protein per pound of lean body mass (not pound of body weight). Don't worry about the others, at least not at first.

westrich20940

As mtaratoot said...you don't have to worry so much about your macros right now. Prioritize getting enough protein - but other than that, try to listen to your body as you go through this process and that can help you figure out what macros are best for you to feel most satiated.

I give this example all the time but there are two main breakfast meals I make for myself on weekends (for reference, I usually eat two larger meals per day). One has more protein and one has more carbs...but they both have roughly the same amount of calories. I find that the one with more protein keeps me full for ~2 more hours than the higher carb/less protein one. So, if you find that you don't feel *satiated* and then tend to eat more bc of that (thereby decreasing your deficit or eating in excess to your daily calorie needs) then it might be an issue but this is something that you will figure out as you go.

cwolfman13

shanna24t wrote: »

How do I know where my macros should actually be set? What would work best for me for weight loss? I'm not going to the gym or running.

Calories are for weight loss. Your macros really don't have anything to do with it...the defaults are fine. They have more to do with the balance or your macro nutrition, satiety, and physical performance. There isn't any one universally optimal macro ratio...what is optimal for one person may be irrelevant to another. A bodybuilder for example is going to have a different optimal macro ratio to an endurance athlete like a marathon runner.

tomcustombuilder

As mentioned, protein is the macro to be aware of. Carbs and fats are personal preference, for men it’s a little more important to get minimum fats in though. Decent protein and the satiety is better along with assisting with muscle maintenance.

AnnPT77

tomcustombuilder wrote: »

As mentioned, protein is the macro to be aware of. Carbs and fats are personal preference, for men it’s a little more important to get minimum fats in though. Decent protein and the satiety is better along with assisting with muscle maintenance.

Fats are important for women, too - needed for hormone balance, as well as the non-gendered reasons like digestive throughput, as a building block of cell walls, to absorb the fat soluble vitamins (A, D, E, K), and more. Personally, for a minimum, I'd go with something in the range of 0.35-0.45g fat daily per pound of body weight (goal weight if significantly overweight/obese), for either sex.

A lot of people here say they're more likely to go over their fat goal than fail to meet it, which I think is part of what's behind the protein emphasis in a lot of posts. Unlike what seems to be the average, I can tend to under-eat fats - to my detriment - if I don't pay attention.

Both protein and fats (well, really certain amino acid and fatty acid subcomponents) are essential nutrients, though, in the sense that our body can't manufacture them out of any other nutrient. Makes sense to me to be aware of both, if wanting to dial in good nutrition. (Also other things. 😆)

Rockmama1111

The percentage settings annoy me a tiny bit (I have free MFP) because my goal is a minimum of 70 grams of protein, but if I set a percentage, the goal changes based on my calorie intake. As a result, I never mess with them. As long as my calorie intake is less than maintenance and I hit my protein and fiber goals (which keeps me full), the non-fiber carbs and fat grams don’t matter to me.

tomcustombuilder

AnnPT77 wrote: »

tomcustombuilder wrote: »

As mentioned, protein is the macro to be aware of. Carbs and fats are personal preference, for men it’s a little more important to get minimum fats in though. Decent protein and the satiety is better along with assisting with muscle maintenance.

Fats are important for women, too - needed for hormone balance, as well as the non-gendered reasons like digestive throughput, as a building block of cell walls, to absorb the fat soluble vitamins (A, D, E, K), and more. Personally, for a minimum, I'd go with something in the range of 0.35-0.45g fat daily per pound of body weight (goal weight if significantly overweight/obese), for either sex.

A lot of people here say they're more likely to go over their fat goal than fail to meet it, which I think is part of what's behind the protein emphasis in a lot of posts. Unlike what seems to be the average, I can tend to under-eat fats - to my detriment - if I don't pay attention.

Both protein and fats (well, really certain amino acid and fatty acid subcomponents) are essential nutrients, though, in the sense that our body can't manufacture them out of any other nutrient. Makes sense to me to be aware of both, if wanting to dial in good nutrition. (Also other things. 😆)

As an aside regarding protein, as we age MPS (muscle protein synthesis) starts dropping and protein becomes even more important in order to maintain muscle, regardless of how much you carry. We lose muscle as we age so it’s important to mitigate the loss. Protein and some sort of strength training are key.

kshama2001

The MFP macro defaults are fine for me, with the exercise/protein disclaimer below.

For me to feel full, it's important for me to hit my fiber micro as well, so in order to accomplish that, I make sure enough of my carbs also contain fiber. I like a fair amount of volume, and fruits and non starchy vegetables help with that, as well as to achieve my fiber goal.

Here's a reputable protein calculator:

https://examine.com/nutrition/protein-intake-calculator/

I shoot for 500 calories of exercise per day, and when I achieve that, using the MFP default of 20% protein aligns with the protein recommendation from examine. If I were completely sedentary, I'd need to bump it up to 30%.