Gluten free and having trouble with the settings.

Artmouse

Hello all. I'm very new to this site and hoping to loss weight. I am gluten free for health reason and have been for years. I don't buy much GF product because it's just expensive. I am also dairy intolerant (aged cheddar, goat cheese, and yogurt are still ok). Here's the problem: while I know we can change the setting, I don't know what to change them to. I have been consistently over on protein (20+), fat (5-10) and sugars (5+), but way under on carbs. In trying to stay under on sugars, I'm way below on calories. I've stopped my usual exercise to try and bring the net calorie count up. Any suggestion on how to allow for the fact that I don't do lots of starches or dairy but do lots of fruits, veggies, and protein?

snazzyjazzy21

If you head over to Home < Goals < Change goals < Custom, you should be able to adjust your macros (fat, protein and carbs) to your liking. You could try low carb by setting them at 10% carbs, 25% protein and 65% fat? Carbs are your bodies main source of fuel, because it's the easiest to use, but low carb won't hurt. But if you are worried, fruits are a great place to start with carbs, as well as rice/quinoa.

Sugar wise, I wouldn't worry too much unless your Dr wants you to watch it. MFP doesn't differentiate between fruit sugars and processed sugars, so two apples could throw you over your limit.

knittnponder

You might want to make your diary public since it helps people know what to suggest for you. I am gluten free, grain free and regular potato free right now. Gluten and potatoes hate me so those will just be avoided forever. Grain I cut out to see if I can figure out some other health issues and after awhile I'll try grains one at a time and see how I react.

I tell you this so you know I understand the difficulty getting enough carbs in! I have found sweet potatoes to be my life saver in this regard. You can also eat fruit because most of it is a little higher in carbs. Vegetables for the most part aren't as high but still tasty. Rutabaga, turnips and jicama have some but not a whole lot but you can hide them in soups and your family never knows they're there.

Non gluten grains are good sources of carbs too; rice of any kind, buckwheat, corn, gluten free oats, sorghum... just to name a few. You don't have to buy pre-made, processed stuff, we cook mostly from scratch and there are lots of options for the gluten free cook.

bajoyba

I wouldn't worry too much about your sugar unless you need to track it for medical reasons. If most of your sugar is coming from fruit, you should be fine. I don't track my sugar at all and track fiber instead.
You also shouldn't worry about going over on protein. Unless you have kidney problems or another medical issue that requires you to keep your protein intake on the low side, it's really pretty difficult to get too much protein. Many people (myself included) think of their protein goal as a base number and try to eat more protein whenever possible. Protein is a good thing!

If you go into custom settings, you can manually change your macro percentages, and you can also choose which macros you prefer to track. It sounds like you'll probably want to up the protein and lower the carbs to reflect your normal eating habits. My mom and sister are both GF, so I know it sometimes requires a little thinking outside of the box.

As far as reaching your calorie goal, try adding in more calorie-dense foods to your meals or snacks, like avocado, nuts, seeds, and nut butters.

mdezzy

I also am gluten and largely dairy free. Great suggestions above by others! I would add quinoa is a staple for me as are smoothies made with Nutribiotic brown rice brown powder and any of the non-dairy beverages (e.g. Pacific almond milk (non-dairy), or coconut milk). When I gave up dairy, smoothies became my go-to breakfast and I never looked back. Sweet potatoes are awesome as are the avocados and nut butters (love almond butter!) mentioned above. There are also paleo wraps (made from only 2 ingredients, coconut meat and coconut water) which are soft and tasting (you can order them online) and Edward and Sons makes a brown rice snap (cracker) that is naturally gluten free and gives you the crunch you might be missing from crackers. Good luck!