How to balance macros

stoboxxx
stoboxxx Posts: 1 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hi I am new to MFP and I have meal planned and excited to getvstarted but how do I meal plan to suit my macro intake ie 30, 25, 25? Tia x

Answers

  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,266 Member
    Those numbers only work out to 80%. I'm in the camp where the fewer the carbs, mostly the processed kind, the better, with a focus on quality protein, which are animal sources predominantly and the natural fats of those protein, lots of veg and greens and some olive oil and butter.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,623 Member
    Welcome!

    Good news: you don't need to be exactly exact on your macros every single meal. You don't even need to be exactly exact every day. Close, on average over a few days, is just fine.

    Maybe start by logging the way you eat now see how it averages out? Then you can adjust your routine eating habits to get close - on average over a few days. That'll be fine.

    Best wishes!
  • nossmf
    nossmf Posts: 12,083 Member
    The wonderful thing about the app is you can plug in food in advance, just to see how it will work out. If reality is different, make changes as needed.

    For example, let's say I have planned to cook a certain dinner, say chili, on Saturday when the weather forecast calls for snow. I can log the chili in the future, which will tell me I have "used" this many calories, this much fat and protein, etc. If I eat the chili as planned on Saturday, I don't need to change anything. If I ate a second bowl, or we instead eat roast chicken, I can change the food logged for the day to match reality.

    How does this help in meal planning? Once I record the big meal of the day in advance, I can see how the meal fits into an overall plan for the day. If chili is high-fat for dinner, I can pick a lunch which is low-fat like a grilled chicken wrap. If my expected pizza is going to be light on protein, I can add a couple eggs to my breakfast omelet or add a protein shake for a snack.

    With practice, you can start to see where meals pair well together, and which meals should be eaten on different days.

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