Are the circles a target or just the maximum?

euan5489

Im viewing the Macros pie charts on my home page, and it indicates Carbs, Fat and Protein. Are these targets or recommended maximums?

AnnPT77

Many of us treat protein and fats as minimums. Those macros contain essential nutrients (in the technical sense that our bodies can't manufacture those nutrients out of any other intake). Carbs aren't essential in that same sense, so levels are more flexible.

It's never essential to be exactly exact on macros. Pretty close on average over a few days to a week should be fine. A little high one day, a little low another, averaging out: Fine. If persistently low on protein or fats or both, that's worth working on routine eating patterns to improve that, IMO.

If the key goal is about bodyweight, gain/lose/maintain, that's directly about calories. Nutrition is important for health, but at most only has an indirect effect on body fat levels. Sub-ideal nutrition can cause fatigue that lowers our energy level so we drag through the day, moving less so burning fewer calories than anticipated. Under-nutrition may also spike appetite, not necessarily for the foods that would remedy the deficiency, making it hard to stick with calorie goal. The direct impact on body fat is still via calories.

yirara

They are starting points, recommended by some US institute (I'm not in the US). Macros play a role in health, especially fats and protein. But they also play a role in satiety and in feeling happy. And those two are sooo individual. If someone told me to go on keto I would chew the wallpapers off the wall and I would be so unhappy. If a someone told a person naturally eating a diet high in fats to reduce them massively they might be super hungry or unhappy. You can have a look at the macros and see how you feel, adjust them, or just completely ignore them (getting a minimum of protein and fats though).