Question

viorelha

Hi guys , i have a question ! In caloric deficit i need to eat exactly the amount of fat, calories ? I mean i can still lose weight if i don’t reach that numbers and im staying under that numbers ?

yirara

Things like fat, protein or carbohydrates don't matter for weightloss. They do matter for how full and happy you feel. However, how much you need of which is totally individual and it's something you need to figure out for yourself. You can just totally ignore this for now and just log your food truthfully.

However, calories matter for weightloss and you should hit the number given to you. Not eat under, try not to be too much over. Just try to get there.

AnnPT77

The calorie estimate is essentially the average for people demographically similar to you. Eat close to that, like maybe +/- 50 calories, for 4-6 weeks. Compare your weight loss rate goal to your actual average weight loss over that time period, and adjust calorie intake if needed. (Women who have menstrual cycles should compare body weight at the same relative point in at least 2 different cycles to estimate average weekly loss).

Macros (fat, protein, carbs) don't directly affect fat gain/loss. Their primary importance is things like health, energy level, appetite management, and body composition (fat vs. lean tissue). Nutrition can indirectly affect fat gain/loss through energy level or appetite, but the direct mechanism is still calories.

The MFP default nutrition goals aren't a bad place to start for most people. (If they try to lose too fast for their current size, it may be impossible to get adequate nutrition on those too-low calories, though.) If you care about nutrition, try to come close to the macronutrient goals on average over a day or few - it doesn't have to be exactly exact. It also doesn't have to be perfect from day one: You can gradually change your eating habits in a more positive direction.

As you learn more about nutrition, and about how your individual body responds to that nutrient mix, you can adjust your MFP nutrition goals as needed. The defaults should be fine to start.

Best wishes!

cwolfman13

weight management (lose, maintain, gain) are about energy (calorie) balance or lack thereof. It has nothing to do specifically with your macros. MFP's default macros are just that...a rather generic default (I forget the %s). There has to be something there because macros are what comprise your calories...ie 4 calories per gram of carbohydrates, 4 calories per gram of protein, and 9 calories per gram of dietary fat.

Macros are largely individual preference rather than there being some magical, optimal macro ratio. People often customize their macro targets in order to better align with eating preferences...ie a vegetarian or vegan will most likely have a higher consumption of carbohydrates from being plant based vs say keto where the individual would have a very low carb target and very high fat target. Macros can also impact physical performance...a bodybuilder is likely to have a much different optimal macro ratio vs a marathon runner or other endurance athlete. To some extent, macros can also affect body composition and overall aesthetics at the same weight and height.

If you're new to all of this, I wouldn't put much effort into your macros right now and just worry about calories. There's nothing magical about MFP's defaults, but there's nothing particularly wrong with them either. As you get more into things you can start playing with macros if you want to and see how they impact other areas of your health and fitness besides your weight.