GLP1 recommended macros

Dewmara65

I started tirzepatide 2.5 today and need to know how to set my macros. What calories, protein, fats, carbs? It seems too early but I wasn't very hungry today. Does it start working that fast?

AnnPT77

In general, the macros that work for anyone else will work with the drugs. People will tell you to prioritize protein and fiber, which is reasonable advice, but true for most everyone on reduced calories. A person doesn't want to cut fat out or too far, because it's essential to eat some nutritionally speaking.

People will also recommend low carb, which may be helpful with appetite for some, and certainly managing carbs is important if diabetic or insulin resistant. Also, many people find that carbs are easy to cut, and they don't have that "essential nutrient" characteristic that protein and fats have, so they're reasonable to reduce without having a nutritional downside. (Some people find that cutting them super far tanks energy level, but that's kind of individual, and a thing you can notice if it applies to you. )

In general, the MFP default macros are a good starting point for most people, except for those who cut calories too far for their current size to shoot for aggressively fast weight loss. There's no way to get adequate nutrition on too low calories, because we need certain minimums of some things in grams terms.

If you start there, you can make adjustments as desired when you notice how you're feeling, learn more about nutrition, etc.

It's never essential to be exactly exact on macros every single day. Pretty close on average will be fine. It's the calorie level that directly triggers fat gain/loss. Macros are about nutrition, which is important for health, of course. Also, macros can indirectly affect weight loss success because they can affect appetite (possibly making it hard to stick with calorie goal) or energy level (with fatigue possibly making us move less so burn fewer calories than expected). The direct effect on weight is still the calories, though.

It's encouraging to hear you're feeling full right away. Best wishes for continuing success!

Dewmara65

Thank you so much for your answer, Ann. I appreciate your detailed explanation. I've tracked before but it's not something I like doing. I need to get my calories under control before worrying about anything else. Feeling good so far. I have been looking up food lists to get ideas for how to add more protein. Thanks again!!

AnnPT77

dewmara6145 wrote: »

Thank you so much for your answer, Ann. I appreciate your detailed explanation. I've tracked before but it's not something I like doing. I need to get my calories under control before worrying about anything else. Feeling good so far. I have been looking up food lists to get ideas for how to add more protein. Thanks again!!

That sounds like a good plan! I used a similar calories-first "remodel my eating" approach when starting weight loss. In case it would help you, there's a thread about that approach here:

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10636388/free-customized-personal-weight-loss-eating-plan-not-spam-or-mlm/p1

No one approach works universally for everyone, but that worked well for me, so is maybe an option to consider.

On the protein front, in case you haven't already seen it, I found the spreadsheet linked in this thread extremely helpful:

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10247171/carbs-and-fats-are-cheap-heres-a-guide-to-getting-your-proteins-worth-fiber-also

The spreadsheet lists many, many foods in order by most protein for fewest calories.

As maybe reassurance (?), I found logging/tracking time-consuming and somewhat difficult as first, but as I learned all the tricks for doing it efficiently, it became a matter of routine. Now, I still log most of the time - almost 9 years of maintenance now, after a year of loss! - and it's a rare day that takes more than single-digits extra minutes. For me, that's a small price to pay for the major quality of life and health improvements that come from reaching and remaining at a healthy weight.

Best wishes!

totameafox

The first time I lost weight 42lbs (my biggest loss so far) I did it by calorie count alone. I didn't cook. All my food was processed. I survived. I think I felt better because the weight was no longer stressing my body.

But the second time I tried losing weight (about 30 lbs) I cooked. I focused on protein and fiber. I didn't care about carbs or sugar (I wasn't diabetic at that time). The difference in how I felt eating better and controlling calories at the same time was like night and day. I had more energy and felt happier.

Now I follow the second method but since I have diabetes, I just look for lower sugar options. I still don't care about carbs. I focus on protein and fiber. I have energy and I'm happy. So if you can prepare your own meals. I would suggest that route