Macros in the dark

wainsweb1

According to an MFP survey, 88% of MyFitnessPal users say they don’t have any idea of how much protein, fibre, carbs, sugar and salt they consume daily. Then what exactly are they using MFP for.

sollyn23l2

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10955397/macros-in-the-dark

To count calories.

AnnPT77

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/comment/48907659#Comment_48907659

This - and it's probably the main reason.

Also, some people have only been on MFP a short time, and may get around to macros later. Common advice here to people whose goal is weight loss is to pay attention to calories first, plus try to feel mostly full doing it, then pay attention to macros once sustainable eating is reasonably dialed in.

Also, since I don't know how the question was phrased: As context, I care deeply about good nutrition. If you ask me whether I know how much protein, fats, fiber, etc. I ate today . . . without looking, I don't know the specific answer.

I know I exceeded my 100g protein gram minimum, exceeded my 50g fat gram minimum. I even know I got a reasonable mix of saturated and unsaturated fats, some of them Omega-3s.

I know I ate well over 400g of varied veggies and fruits, so micros are decent. I know I usually get around 40g of fiber or more from those and from whole grains/nuts/seeds - and it's so very rare, maybe never, that I get less than the recommended 25g or so for people like me - that I don't give it much attention.

I literally don't care how many grams of carbs I eat, as long as calories balance. (I still have some calories left, enough to have some more food.)

I'm usually over the MFP sodium goal, often by a lot, but my blood pressure is fine, and I sweat lots, do OK on the other electrolytes and drink plenty of water, so I don't worry about that, either.

But ask me how much protein, fibre, carbs, sugar and salt I consumed today, exactly? I don't know, either.

Honestly, after 10 years of logging, in long term weight maintenance now, if I knew the exact numbers every day without looking, I'd worry about my mental health, because that would seem obsessive. With the right routine habits, things fall into place pretty well. It doesn't seem necessary to micromanage.

danrdavidson

I’m addicted to tracking micros and macros—it’s insanely effective. After a bit of tweaking, I can even predict my poop schedule and avoid stinky farts haha.

WorkingonmeAliG

I used to only use MFP for tracking calories and water intake. I know my macros now. Finding out you’re insulin resistant and pre-diabetic on a normal diet, is very eye opening.
I am on an 80% clean fat, 15% protein, 5% carb eating plan and have dropped blood pressure, insulin levels, cholesterol and 25 pounds in the past 4 months, and I’m consistently over my calorie goal of 1500. Huge thanks to understanding my macros and timing of food intake using this app. Thanks MFP!