Macronutrients
Candylicious2961
Posts: 12 Member
My question is…Do I really need to focus on my macronutrients in order to lose weight? I either go over on my carbs, or fat, and never eat all my protein amount. I stay at or under my daily calories but my macros are making me feel like a failure.
Thank you for any and all responses.
Candy
Thank you for any and all responses.
Candy
0
Answers
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No.
Being in a calorie deficit is the only true way to lose weight.
You can split them however you like as long as it works for you.
I don't actively track mine but they're supposed to primarily fat, secondarily focus on protein with zero carbs.
Carbs are the only macro you can live without.1 -
So I need to cut out carbs? I was told carbs is what give you energy? I do eat protein but not in the amount as indicated in my macros.0
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Assigning a ratio to macronutrients means virtually nothing as far as weight loss is concerned and is only relevant for overall health and wellbeing which will also be influenced quite a bit from the types of food chosen. For example the Standard American Diet, a vegan diet and a Mediterranean diet all have around the same basic macronutrient ratio's that will then deliver totally different health outcomes.
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Candylicious2961 wrote: »So I need to cut out carbs? I was told carbs is what give you energy? I do eat protein but not in the amount as indicated in my macros.
Eat however you like. Eat in a way that makes you happy and feel full. It does not matter at all for weightloss. But if you feel miserable with a certain macro split then it's unlikely you'll manage to lose weight. Your body does need enough protein for muscles and fats for many functions in your body, but the standard setup isn't too bad to start with. Eat this way, adjust to whatever you like or totally ignore it and go with how you feel.0 -
Candylicious2961 wrote: »So I need to cut out carbs? I was told carbs is what give you energy? I do eat protein but not in the amount as indicated in my macros.
No you don't need to cut out carbs but you do need to understand how carbs might effect someones overall well being. if someone is obese, has diabetes has a fatty liver, which is generally a given then it's more than likely that person could find benefit changing the type and amount of carbs in their diet simply because of how it effects their overall metabolic health.
Basically individual carb tolerances matter. If your concerned with your overall metabolic health including weight then an OGTT (oral glucose tolerance test) which is considered the gold standard for assessing your metabolic response to carbs might be a good idea. During this test, you drink a glucose solution, and your blood glucose levels are measured in the hours that follow. Clinicians use OGTT results to quantify someones diabetes risk. There's also the KRAFT test that measures not only glucose but insulin levels as well, this is next level stuff. Not sure if this applies to you but it should be considered by the vast majority of people in general. Basically reducing carbs to lower levels and even the RDI is 130g's and if a person that has many of the problems that are associated with metabolic syndrome that lower their carbs will result in improved metabolic health even in the absence of a calorie deficit.1 -
Candylicious2961 wrote: »So I need to cut out carbs? I was told carbs is what give you energy? I do eat protein but not in the amount as indicated in my macros.
I'm not saying you need to cut out carbs, I'm just stating that you can do without carbs.
Yes, carbs are a source of energy, a readily available one. The problem is they play with blood sugar levels. If you eat a bag of sugar you'll get a massive sugar rush, your body then tries to bring your sugar levels down with insulin and making you thirsty. Because it over compensates for the sheer volume of sugar your sugar levels go way low, you start to crash, you get tired, moody and hungry. Thing is your not hungry, your body is just trying to rebalance so you'll crave something sugary... then you end up in that "carb addict" cycle.
By all means if you enjoy carbs then include them, just be smart with them.
If you have zero carbs your body will adapt to using fat instead, ketosis.1 -
For someone without underlying health issues carbs are not the enemy of fatloss, too many calories are. Get in your protein and fat and carbs are a personal choice. You need fat however a fairly decent diet will usually cover that. Carbs, try to stick with non processed ones as much as possible.2
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Interesting thread. I've been told that it's useful to switch up macros to "confuse" your metabolism and help ensure a steady weight loss (keeping calorie counts the same).0
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tomcustombuilder wrote: »
I was skeptical. As far as I know it is CICO.
As I mentioned in another thread, I don't do well on keto or VLC diets, even when the fat/protein is pumped up.0 -
Candylicious2961 wrote: »So I need to cut out carbs? I was told carbs is what give you energy? I do eat protein but not in the amount as indicated in my macros.
No need to cut out carbs whatsoever. Keep in mind that this is a message board of interested amateurs, so take what might be useful for you to try and leave the rest.0 -
Most people don't either. There is no benefit to doing those diets unless your health markers designate it.tomcustombuilder wrote: »
I was skeptical. As far as I know it is CICO.
As I mentioned in another thread, I don't do well on keto or VLC diets, even when the fat/protein is pumped up.
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I concur that it's the calories that matter for weight loss. Nutrition is about health, energy level, appetite, and other things (some of which can affect weight loss indirectly).
But if you're persistently low on protein (compared to the MFP default goal), that's worth chipping away at improving.
Eating too little protein can risk losing more than the minimum of lean tissue (including muscle) alongside fat loss. Muscle is useful! (It also burns a tiny number of calories more at rest than the same weight of fat.) Also, protein requires a tiny number more calories to digest/metabolize than carbs or fats. That affects calorie needs. (Estimates are that it takes around 20% of protein's calories to digest/metabolize, vs. 5-10% for carbs, and as little as 0-3% for fats. There's some limited evidence that so-called whole foods also require more calories to metabolize, and most people find them more filling as well, plus they tend to be more nutrient-dense.)
You don't have to increase protein instantly. I'd suggest it'd be a good idea to chip away at improving your protein intake habits when you have the psychological bandwidth to devote to it, though.
Best wishes!0 -
Leo_King84 wrote: »
If you have zero carbs your body will adapt to using fat instead, ketosis.
I've heard that ketosis is not a healthy state for your body to maintain.
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Leo_King84 wrote: »
If you have zero carbs your body will adapt to using fat instead, ketosis.
I've heard that ketosis is not a healthy state for your body to maintain.
If it was unhealthy humans wouldn't have survived, full stop. The longest fast is around 380 days or there about and lost around 275 lbs and would've been in ketosis. Back in our H-G'er days it could have been days of actual running down prey without food and ketosis was the normal state of metabolism for the most part back then and for some modern H-g'ers as well, and of course me for the last decade on and off.1
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