What macro balance for losing weight?

MazLB

Morning all
I am new to MFP, and new to the idea of even thinking about macro balance.
I am enjoying working to it and can get to my percentage targets within one or 2%. Usually under on fat over on protein and carbs, but mainly protein.
Pre-MFP I would’ve had a lot more carb and a lot a lot less fat and it’s taken a bit of adjusting to get to the targets. Plan the night before and play around with it till it matches, being a bit of a numbers geek and a bit ocd enjoying the challenge
Now for the but, working through a plan and read the article on fats. Having spent years of avoiding them this is really foreign to me. I am working on 55% carb, 20% fat and 25% protein.
Desk job, working day in office get around 5000 steps in. Working day at home half that. Weekends only at the moment get out to play golf anywhere from 10,000 steps to 15,000 steps depending how many holes we manage to get in and how many times I slice it the wrong way🤦‍♀️
Should I change the split? Should I aim for a different split on the days I get to play golf?

AnnPT77

First, for weight loss, what matters is calories. Macros are about things like satiation, health, energy level, body composition, and the like. Some of those matter indirectly for weight management (being energetic, sticking to calorie goal), but that part tends to be individual.

Within 2% is plenty, plenty close enough - maybe closer than vital. IMO, close on average over a small number of days is also fine, with a small-ish variation within a day.

You can figure out the individual part of it by experimenting and observing: What works best to avoid/manage hunger or cravings? What keeps you feeling higher energy? Etc.

From a nutrition perspective, it would probably be good to get around a minimum of 0.6-0.8g of protein daily per pound of healthy goal weight. (More is fine, and can have added benefits.) I don't know whether your current percent split accomplishes that or not. (It probably does if your calorie goal isn't overly aggressive.) Similarly, I personally think fats in the range of 0.35-0.45g per pound is a good thing, too. You're right: Fats are not the devil. In fact, they're an essential nutrient, and a healthy body will do better if we don't cut them to an absolute minimum.

You're on the right track here, IMO. Keep going. Trust yourself.

Wishing you success!

nossmf

Within 1-2% of targets on all 3 macros? Shoot, I feel good if I get within 10% most days! lol

Individual days matter less than long-term averages, IMHO. Some days simply cannot fit...when I fix a pot of chili, my fat is double normal for the day. I'm not giving up my monthly pot of chili, so I just make sure the surrounding days are a little lighter on fat (lean meats, no ice cream, etc). This way my total for the week is reasonably close to "ideal."

Strict adherence to a single day's targets can paralyze you into refusing social engagements for fear of breaking calories/macros for the day. Unless a doctor specifically tells you that you HAVE to meet certain standards EVERY DAY, you're good to be flexible some days and tighter others to compensate.

MazLB

Thank you both for your input, really helpful.
Happy I am in the right ball park from the figures you quote Ann 👍😊
Totally with you nossmf, I won’t be passing on a night out but will work to offset across a few days

nsk1951

Don't confuse macros with calories or what they do for the body. (to be clear, calories mark the energy your consumed for the fueling of your body while macros count the nutritional components of it.) ... I once read a book called "The Zone" (1995) which broke foods away from calories and put them into 'blocks' ... you had to have 3 'blocks' of food per meal if you are female and 4 if male ... but it was so complicated to do that I gave up on it pretty fast.

I think that book is still in print if you are interested. It was written by Dr Barry Sears and you can probably get a lot of info about it via an internet search.

MazLB

Not confusing macros and calories. Not sure quite how that would be possible 🤷‍♀️

herblovinmom

My macros are split to 30% carb, %30 protein %40 fat. I think since it’s a percentage of your calories if you eat some exercise calories back on the days you golf them the macros wouldn’t need adjusting as MFP does that math for you. I typically eat more calories in general on days I exercise as I get hungrier. If that’s not the case for you then I wouldn’t worry about it much. People have different macro goals to meet different nutritional goals. Losing weight is mostly about calorie deficit. Along the way we can change our macros to accommodate our weight loss goals, for example, if fatigued, you could try adding more carbs, if hungry hungry, re adjust your protein, if never satisfied eat more fat,.. All within your calorie range of course if weight loss is the goal.

MazLB

Thank you - I like the idea of keeping in the calories but adjusting the macro depending on the circumstances. Nice tip👍😊

Retroguy2000

If it works for you, sure.

I just track my daily protein in grams (not a %), and daily calories. Simple.

JaysFan82

Haven't looked at them once. I only track calories.