How many grams should macros be daily?

MzPix

Hi there. I am trying to learn more about macro- and micro- nutrients. MFP has me tracking with percentages, but I would like to understand in cardinal numbers instead. I have browsed around the internet and find conflicting information.

So specifically, how many GRAMS of carbs/fat/protein should I be striving for each day?
I’m also interested in knowing how many grams/milligrams I should be having daily of fiber, cholesterol and potassium.

In case these things matter: I am a 39 year old female, currently 217 pounds. I try to keep net calories between 1200 and 1800 a day. Thanks for any input.

tonynguyen75

CFP:
Fat - 0.4g per lb of body weight, You should aim for ~80g
protein - 0.8-1g per lb of body weight, you can a bit lower than this if you want. You should aim for about 150g
Carbs - You can fill in the rest of your calories from carbs. As long as you're getting enough to fuel your workouts, you should be feeling energetic. If you feel down, try upping your carbs a bit.

As far as micros, I'm not that far yet. If you're getting a varied diet, you shouldn't need to worry about micros. but if you're worried, you can take a look at your micros over a week on your existing diet and see what you're lacking and make adjustments there.

Adw7677

CFP:
Fat - 0.4g per lb of body weight, You should aim for ~80g
protein - 0.8-1g per lb of body weight, you can a bit lower than this if you want. You should aim for about 150g
Carbs - You can fill in the rest of your calories from carbs. As long as you're getting enough to fuel your workouts, you should be feeling energetic. If you feel down, try upping your carbs a bit.

As far as micros, I'm not that far yet. If you're getting a varied diet, you shouldn't need to worry about micros. but if you're worried, you can take a look at your micros over a week on your existing diet and see what you're lacking and make adjustments there.

I agree. I like the mention of 150g of protein. Trying to do 1g per lb is too much for me. I feel great when I hit 150.

I, too, have done hours and hours of research. I'm learning that everything is a starting suggestion and then you need to personalize it from there, depending on how your body feels.

Adw7677

Also - THIS IS JUST MY OPINION, I COULD BE WRONG - I don't think you need to watch cholesterol. As long as you're eating healthy or whole foods or a lot of produce, you should be okay. I eat 3 eggs almost every day (6 days a week, at least). That's probably a lot of cholesterol, but my personal cholesterol has dropped 35 points. I'm well within the normal range.

And I'm not sure, but I think the cholesterol numbers for a food item would include the good cholesterol. No need to cut down on good cholesterol.

agdyl

I agree. I also eat a ton of eggs, but cutting processed food and vegetable oils is what improved my cholesterol levels. I eat loads of coconut oil, eggs, some avocado, nuts, olive oil, whatever is in the meat that I eat... and my LDL cholesterol dropped 34 points in 3 months and the numbers are now perfect. So as far as I can tell, there is no need to worry about how much cholesterol you eat if it's coming from good sources. And that doesn't show up in the tracking numbers on MFP so I just don't bother looking at cholesterol intake.