Im new to the community

bucksrockers

Good morning everyone Im a neewbie here and wanted to say Hi and reach out to members for info and advice on a few things - Diet, Macros, and workouts. 1. Im 72 in pretty good heath, but obese according to my BMI at 32%. Ive been going to the GYM now three times a week doing mainly strengthening work on equipments and a short floor exercise regime - its definitley made a difference already - but not to my weight loss. I use Myfitnesspal app to measure my Macros and calories etc and ive stuck to a deficit in Cals of between 450-500 a day, but in the 12 weeks of my plan ive only lost 5lb. So im thinking that my Macros are set wrong to put it simply im eating good amounts of protein daily my macro ratios are 40% P 35-40% Carb remainder 20-25% fat. is this a decent ratio ??

AnnPT77

Macros have only an indirect effect on weight loss. Weight loss is directly about calories.

The calorie goal given us by MFP (or any other calculator, even fitness tracker) is just the average for people similar to us with respect to the data items the calculator knows about us. Individuals can differ from average. Most people are close, but a few can be surprisingly fat off, high or lower than average. (MFP's estimate of my calorie needs is off by a whopping 25-30%, compared with results from calorie counting for almost 9 years now. That's rare, but it can happen.)

To know our actual calorie needs, in the context of our eating/logging/activity reality, we can follow the goal from MFP or another source for 4-6 weeks (whole menstrual periods for those who have them, but I'm guessing you don't ). At that point, our average weekly weight loss gives us the best possible estimate of our actual calorie deficit.

If you've been at a reasonably consistent eating/activity routine for 12 weeks and lost 5 pounds, you actual calorie deficit is likely to be roughly 208 calories daily. There's nothing terrible about losing 5 pounds in 12 weeks, but if you want to lose faster, the implication is that you'd need to cut calories a bit further, or move enough more to burn more calories.

If your health is good, and you're feeling mostly full/satisfied, plus your energy level and strength aren't heading in a bad direction, your macros are fine. Personally, I like setting my macro goals in grams. There are more technical ways to estimate, but rough rule of thumb I like is minimum 0.6-0.8g protein daily per pound of healthy goal weight, 0.35-0.45g fats per pound (men might get away with a bit less), and carbs to balance calories. I'm maintaining a healthy weight now post-weight-loss, lower 130s pounds (at 5'5", F, age 68), eating minimum 100g protein, 50g fats, and large amounts of veggies/fruits. Usually I exceed the protein goal, often hitting around 120g. But that's just me. Different macro ratios can be fine. Carbs in particular are very flexible, because they aren't technically an "essential nutrient". (Our bodies can manufacture its own carb-equivalents. It can't manufacture the essential amino acids or fatty acids that we get from consuming protein and fats.)

Best wishes!