How do I know what % of carb fat protein I should have?

LisaOrme2024

Hi. New. Not sure how I find out what % of fat carbs and protein I should be aiming for. 53. Weigh 166 pounds. 5’8 Woman. Play netball twice week and just started weights at gym.

lisakatz2

Macros don't matter as much as calories. What is your goal: are you trying to gain muscle or lose bodyfat?

tomcustombuilder

Don't figure macros as percentages, look at them in grams. Set protein at around .7 gram per lb of your target weight, fat around .35G and fill the rest of your calories with whatever you want.

AnnPT77

Generally I agree with Tom, but if you're just starting out, don't fret too much about it.

The MFP default percents are a reasonable starting point for most people. (The exception would be someone who tries to lose weight too aggressively fast for their current size. There's no getting adequate nutrition on too-few calories! A sensible loss rate would be 0.5-1% of current weight per week, maximum, IMO, with a bias toward the 0.5% unless severely obese and under close medical supervision for deficiencies or complications.)

If your goal is weight management, calories are the key variable, the only one with direct effect. (Nutrition matters for health, of course, and can indirectly affect weight through appetite or energy level.)

I'd say focus first on getting your calorie intake where you want it, while staying generally full and energetic, eating foods you enjoy. Log your food, and once the calorie/satiation side of things is falling into place, you'll have a logging track record that tells you how you're stacking up against the MFP defaults. That's a good point to start learning more about nutrition, and maybe tweaking your goals.

One note: For calories or macros, pretty close to goals on average over a few days is fine. There's no need to be exactly exact on anything (let alone everything!) every single day. Perfection is optional. Pretty good on average: That works.

Best wishes!

Hobartlemagne

Top priority is calorie total.