Any suggestions for a balanced macro plan?

3emags

Hi! I’ve been a member for 6 years. Lost 20 lbs and kept it off, then yo-yo’d and lost a little more. Now I’m back, more serious than before. A couple problems I’m having: increasing protein, decreasing carbs and fats. I’m T2D, elevated cholesterol and gluten intolerant. I want to lose another 15-20 pounds. I’m having difficultly balancing my macros, especially eating more protein, but cut back fats and carbs. I’m not a big red meat eater. Suggestions?

AnnPT77

If you haven't already run across it, consider this thread for protein food ideas:

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

I'm a vegetarian, ovo-lacto specifically, have been for 50+ years. There are some strategies that help veggies like me get enough protein that may also be helpful for omnivores who are reducing calories and having trouble getting the protein in.

Basically, the idea is to use diary review here on MFP. Look at your routine eating pattern over a few days. Notice foods that have relatively many calories, but relatively little or no protein. If those foods aren't important enough to you for other nutrition, satiety, or just happiness, consider reducing portions or frequency of those to free up calories. Use those calories to add some foods that have at least a bit of protein.

Also, as you notice foods you eat often that have little or no protein, think about other foods you enjoy eating that would be reasonably happy things to substitute for the low/no protein foods. For example, some people might decide to eat quinoa instead of rice. There are breads, grains, beverages, snacks, veggies, fruits that have more protein than other things in the same category. There are even flavoring ingredients with at least a little protein, such as miso, peanut butter powder or almond butter powder, nutritional yeast. Consider some of those swaps. Those small bits add up through the day.

Some of those sources will be lower-quality protein sources, either less complete in essential amino acid - EAA - terms, or less bioavailable. Varying sources through the day tends to compensate somewhat for the lower EAA completeness.

This is obviously a process, kind of remodeling your eating, not "a solution". The same general approach can be used for any nutrition-improvement goal, including protein. It's a process that's helped me, when I was reducing calories especially, to reach my nutrition goals. I was getting eighties to nineties grams of protein or more during weight loss, and easily getting over my hundred gram minimum in maintenance, which I figure is fine for my body size - it's over one gram per pound of estimated lean body mass, for example.

I hope that thought process may help.