How does the percentage being calculated?

Fat_rabbit2024

Hi all

I am new to Fitness Pal but i have been using this app to track my calories for my diet plan. I noticed the percentage calculated is different from what i had expected.

Does anyone know this is calculated mistakenly by the app or am i missing something?

i was so lost at the beginning wondering how could i take it so much fat and after drinking soy protein the % didnt get better

Lietchi

I'm not sure what I'm looking at in your screenshots and what your problem is. But based on experience with previous posters, perhaps this info will help you: MFP's macro percentages are based on % of calories. Because fat has more calories per gram (9kcal) than carbs and protein (4kcal), it won't be same as the percentages of the grams.

AnnPT77

What Lietchi and COGypsy said.

In your second group of columns, 308 is the total of the macro grams: 188+42+78=308.

When I calculate the percent of grams of each macro, rounded to whole numbers:

188 / 308 = 61
42 / 308 = 14
78 / 308 = 25

Those match your percents. But that's not how macro percents are calculated for nutritional assessment purposes. You want percentage of calories from each macro, not percentage of the total grams of all macros.

It should be:

188 grams of carbs times 4 calories per gram of carbs = 752 calories from carbs|
42 grams of fats times 9 calories per gram of fats = 378 calories from fats
78 calories from protein time 4 calories per gram of protein = 312 calories from protein

That totals to 752 + 378 + 312 = 1442 calories from all macros, as calculated from macro grams

That may not be the total number of calories you ate, because there's some rounding of macro numbers even in accurate food database entries, and there are also quite a few plain inaccurate entries, so it could be further off than just rounding errors if you picked some of the erroneous ones.

Anyway, using the numbers I've got:

752 calories from carbs / 1442 total calories = 52% of calories from carbs
378 calories from fats / 1442 total calories = 26% of calories from fats
312 calories from protein / 1442 total calories = 22% of calories from protein.

Which appears to be what MFP said.

As an aside, your macro percents aren't the MFP default values. That's fine, mostly. I do feel a bit of curiosity about why a 40% protein goal (which would be around 144g protein) if you're a sufficiently petite person that 1442 is a reasonable - not excessively low - number of calories to eat. I'm a believer in high protein, but many/most people who would need to eat as low as 1442 for sensibly moderate, healthful weight loss probably wouldn't need as much as 144g protein.

However, if you do need that much protein, and are consistently eating only amounts like 72 and 68 grams, I'd be way more concerned about eating too little protein than about the arithmetic. Maybe that's just me, though. Sorry. Not my business.

But the above seems to be what's wrong with the arithmetic.

COGypsy

What formula are you using in your calculator? How was that derived?

durden

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/comment/48707770#Comment_48707770

This is almost certainly it, and is almost always the point of confusion when we're asked about percentages.

Fat_rabbit2024

Thanks AnnPT77 & Durden for the clear answer! It makes sense to me now how it is calculated.

The only thing that confuses me is why MFP printed the calories whilst they are asking to put % of nutrition rather than gram? That could be better off using calories or gram altogether in my opinion to have more consistency.

Yes thanks for the input on the protein intakes. I have been trying to increase my protein a bit with the increment of calories. After 2 months upping my protein in some days it could go up to 108g and therefore the calories become 1700 which is way beyond my 1000 limitations. I noticed my body seems expanded! Double chin, puffy face, shoulder, arms , thighs grew rounder and I can't fit into my dress or T-shirt! Weight and waist/buttock circumference seem not charging too much (i.e. 1-2kg fluctuating which happens to me very frequently based on what I ate that day) which is strange for me! As such I intentionally reduce protein intake to see if I can lose a bit more weight. Not sure I will get back my bony feature anymore. Still needs a lot of adjustments to the calories and protein intake

AnnPT77

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/comment/48708326#Comment_48708326

Protein is super important as we are losing weight. It helps us avoid losing unnecessarily much muscle alongside weight loss, among other things.

You mention two problems with getting more protein: Going over your calorie goal, and bloating.

There's a thread here that can help you identify calorie-efficient protein sources. Perhaps something on its linked spreadsheet will give you ideas of things to it - it's sorted by most protein for fewest calories.

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

In addition, it's OK to use protein powder or other protein supplements while you're working on increasing protein in your food.

Besides getting at least one big protein source in each meal, consider whether sides, beverages, etc. can be adjusted using foods you enjoy that are still calorie-efficient but also have at least a little more protein. There are types of pasta or breads with more protein, veggies with some protein, even some fruits with a little protein, grains with more protein.

I'm still concerned that your calorie goal is too aggressively low. That's not a personal attack: There are too many source on the internet claiming ultra-low calories are universally necessary for weight loss, but they aren't. It's not impossible, but it's rare for an adult to need to eat as few as 1000 calories in order to achieve a sensible, health-promoting weight loss rate. I know MFP will not give you a goal as low as 1000 calories daily. It's lowest possible calorie goal is 1200, and that's for women. The minimum for men is 1500.

How tall are you, how old are you, and what's your current weight? I'm concerned about you, worried that you're trying to achieve something too extreme.

Faster weight loss is not better weight loss. For most of us, too-fast weight loss is not just harder, it's also damaging to health.

There are rare cases where someone might be able to eat below 1200 and sustain health. Quite universally, those people are female, fairly old, very petite, not very heavy even if overweight, and with an inactive daily life and no exercise. Even among people who meet those criteria, many should eat more for best balance of health and weight loss. (I meet most of those criteria, and 1200 was too low for me - had bad health consequences - even after I added exercise calories.)

About the bloating from protein and weight fluctuations, starting with the fluctuations:

Maybe it hasn't been the case for you in the past, but for many people scale weight fluctuations are common, and they can be 1 or even 2 kg from one day to the next. That's especially true when changing the types of foods eaten, amounts of foods eaten, timing of eating, or exercise habits. My weight routinely varies up and down by a kg, even now that I'm around 59kg.

Puffiness, bloating or that sort of thing are not necessarily normal. It suggests water retention, and that usually wouldn't be protein-related. It can be allergy related, though. I'd suggest varying the types of protein you add, and watching what happens. You could have allergy or sensitivity to dairy, eggs, soy, or other items. Some people even have allergic reactions to mammal meat (from alpha gal syndrome, AGS), though the symptoms in AGS are not usually puffiness. There are other possible food-related triggers of water retention, too. Most of them aren't dangerous, and don't last long. If they're major or last long, see your doctor.

I'd love to see you reach your goals, and would like to support you in that . . . as long as they're healthy goals. Right now, I'm concerned about you - sincerely, though I'm a total stranger. Yes, it's none of my business. Concerned old internet auntie that I am, I can't shake the concern, though.

Wishing you well in all ways!

Fat_rabbit2024

@AnnPT77 Thanks for your concern! Love to hear from your experience how to get toned but not overly muscular and be able to wear my bikini in pride, which i cant do at the moment.

Sorry for the late reply it was busy this couple days.

Yes 1000 calories is really low and i hardly maintaining it unless i am eating salad everyday which i dont. i am not comfortable explosing my age but i can tell i am 5"2 and weight 119lbs. Probably hitting perimenopause could be the main factor not reducing weight no matter how hard i work out and reduce food intake.

There are accummulated fat on typical abdomen and thighs. I had been working out on HIIT/Yoga/Pilattes over the course of 1 year and the weight and body circumferences dont change. Desperately, I tried to be on low calorie diet it wont work as i enjoy food and enjoy eating out that's where it barely meets the calories count. I cant blame on my actions but it is depressing to see body getting pump up. I dont believe it is due to water retention nor AGS as i can see every week my shoulder, arms and face getting round up. I do tend to believe perhaps the rise in cortisol when I have been hitting hard on HIIT and less than 7 hour sleep due to hormonal change could be the main reason.

If you have any suggestions please let me know.

Regards

AnnPT77

"Toned but not overly muscular" is subjective. The meaning will be different for everyone.

Advice: Work on building muscle by doing challenging, progressive strength exercise. Even the fastest imaginable muscle gain is slow. Keep progressing - lifting heavier, more reps/sets, whatever combination of increasing challenge - until you look as muscular as you personally like. At that point, switch to a maintenance routine to keep yourself there. If some parts of your body reach the desired look before others, switch the exercises for those parts earlier than the exercises for the other parts. Nothing's going to happen so fast that you can't make those kinds of decisions.

I can't think how to be more specific than that.

Strength training will pay off better if you eat a reasonable amount of protein, among other nutrients. I'd be shooting for at least 87g protein at your size, up to 119g if you can fit it in.

As far as being able to wear a bikini with pride . . . that's psychological, right? Some people can be proud of their bodies at any weight/shape, while other people will never be proud of their bodies because something in their self-image makes them feel they fall short every single time, no matter how much other people might compliment them and no matter how closely they match societal ideals. If you're closer to the latter group than the former, working on self-confidence is more important than working on the body.

At your current size, you're already well within a healthy weight range. Strength training at constant weight is more likely to give you a much bigger payoff in appearance improvement than trying to lose weight. If you gain muscle at constant weight, you will lose some fat, by definition.

By the way, perimenopause doesn't prevent weight loss if at the right calorie level, and that level for someone in perimenopause isn't significantly different from others of similar age. I'm not sure why you're shy about revealing your age. Since you're talking perimenopause, I'm betting you're much younger than I am (I'm 69). Even at my age, someone your size who's exercising would be expected to lose weight gradually at 1200 or more calories. At 119 pounds, gradually is the only sensible way to lose, too . . . especially if physical appearance is important to a person, as it sounds like it may be to you. But losing may not be necessary, like I said.

If you suspect cortisol-related water weight gain, moderate your exercise load. For sure, don't be doing HIIT every day, choose less stressful exercise instead. Work on improving your sleep. Use other stress-reduction techniques.