Anyone lose weight without watching macros?

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2

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  • haymancm
    haymancm Posts: 280 Member
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    For the first 6 months, I had my macros set @ 30/30/40 for carbs/protein/fat. Recently, I've basically ignored it & am paying attention to just the calories. So far, just looking @ calories seems to be working. Although, I am still kinda keeping an eye on keeping my protein @ 1/2 my body weight, around 90.

    You can add me, if interested!! :)
  • TX_Rhon
    TX_Rhon Posts: 1,549 Member
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    Yes.........I've lost weight without watching macros. While I do keep an eye on the sodium intake, I am usually way over in the protein category. Don't really pay attention aside from that. I also upped my calorie intake now that I am close to my goal and I'm still losing.
  • Tedebearduff
    Tedebearduff Posts: 1,155 Member
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    I am having a tough time of it. I can`t seem to get started losing. All the focus on macros, well, I find it impossible to do everything right. That in turn stresses me out. I can exercise, I can eat mostly healthy but how much do I really need to heed the minutae.

    People say you can lose weight eating just twinkies so please, tell me!

    Have any of you lost weight by just keeping your calories lower than before?? Either by exercise or eating less. I need some hope, if there is any to be had.

    Hey,

    So yeah, when I hit around 80 lbs lost I stopped monitoring everything I ate, it became a habit... my guess is you haven't really made a lifestyle change and are following some sort of diet plan? Not really sure what else to say .. even when I was watchign what I was eating I was only really monitoring protein intake ... that was it.
  • Female_On_Fire
    Female_On_Fire Posts: 104 Member
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    Don't worry about the macros right now. I lost 40 lbs without paying attention to all that. Honestly , I've been on this site since January 2012 and was doing great until I started trying to keep up with all that! Then I got flustered and disappeared. Find what works for you. If you find that you're not succeeding you know it's time to make some changes. Good luck!
  • evileen99
    evileen99 Posts: 1,564 Member
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    I've never looked at my macros.
  • upscalelifedownscalebutt
    upscalelifedownscalebutt Posts: 90 Member
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    Billions of people lose weight without worrying about macros. I look at them because of health issues unrelated to weight loss.
  • mmyers1129
    mmyers1129 Posts: 67 Member
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    When I first started I didnt even know what macros were and I lost 60lbs now that im trying to bulk and a little more educated I watch them very closely
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
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    Have any of you lost weight by just keeping your calories lower than before?? Either by exercise or eating less. I need some hope, if there is any to be had.

    Yes, I have. I lost almost all my weight before joining MFP. And before I joined MFP, I'd never seen so many people obsessed with macros. I just created a deficit by getting up off my lazy bum and exercising regularly.
  • JulieAnn72
    JulieAnn72 Posts: 795 Member
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    For curiosity sake, I usually look at the pie chart on my phone app and see what my macros were for each week. But I don't look at them and try to stick to any sort of %. I look at calories only, and lost 22lbs doing so.

    Now, I do pay more attention to protein and carbs, and am trying to find the best mix for me in terms of energy, running, strength training, etc. But I'm not looking at them for weight loss, and I'm not worrying much about them overall.
  • ToFatT0B3S1ck
    ToFatT0B3S1ck Posts: 194 Member
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    The only thing I track is calorie and I think my ticker is pretty damn impressive ;)
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
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    I follow them very loosely. I've changed my goals to 40/30/30 but I'm often over on carbs. Doesn't seem to hinder my weight loss one bit.
  • c8linmarie
    c8linmarie Posts: 358 Member
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    Long backstory, so here's the short version:

    Exercise (optional) + Eat at a deficit = Lose weight
  • jonnythan
    jonnythan Posts: 10,161 Member
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    Tracking macros is an advanced thing. It is for athletes. It is not required for weight loss. Think of it as fine tuning, right now, just find your calorie deficit and start losing. Track only calories and forget macro nutrients. Save that for later.

    Tracking macros is for athletes?

    No. This is so far beyond wrong.

    Tracking macros is for anyone who cares about their health and body composition.

    If someone simply doesn't have the capacity or desire to track macros, that's fine. It won't affect their weight loss directly. However, it WILL affect their ultimate health and it WILL affect their body composition. If you lose weight while eating a low protein diet, you will lose a great deal more lean mass than if you had a high protein diet. This means you'll lose less fat.

    Macros are important. They're not necessary to track for weight loss, but it's not just for athletes. Telling people to just forget them does them a disservice.
  • icimani
    icimani Posts: 1,454 Member
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    The only "macro" I worry about is protein - because I've found that if I don't get enough protein then I'm hungry and tend to snack more, which tend to put me over my calorie goals.

    You've already said you're eating better/cleaner and that's great. Don't sweat the small stuff.
  • jazmine1031
    jazmine1031 Posts: 1
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    hey i know where your coming from when i was pregnant i gained sixty pounds and it was devastating after i had her i gained more weight then about a year later i started taking one a day for women bone and breast health started drinking right size hunger smashing smoothie i also started doing daily exersizes from the dvd the biggest loser normal people trying to get healthy its amazing i lost 20 pounds in about a month you should definitly do this its healthy ou have energy and feel feel great i DO NOT TAKE PILLS all natural way drinks lots of water and i hope u have some luck
  • nomeejerome
    nomeejerome Posts: 2,616 Member
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    OP:
    It seems that you have tried multiple approaches to losing weight and have not seen results. A calorie deficit is all that is needed to lose weight and exercise for fitness. Sure, you could eat twinkles everyday, but you would not be meeting your nutritional needs. (but I am sure you already know that from your experience with the steak diet) You have previously stated (in other threads) that you do not like numbers and do not want to count calories, but you will have to suck it up and count the calories. (otherwise you will never know if you are in a deficit) Calorie deficit for weight loss and exercise for fitness, that is all. Read the link provided for you on page 1 if you are ready to go for it.
  • evancreighton
    evancreighton Posts: 1
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    a calorie deficit is a calorie deficit. You'll lose weight regardless of marcos.
  • besaro
    besaro Posts: 1,858 Member
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    93 pounds, whats a macro?
  • sagefitnessfanatic
    sagefitnessfanatic Posts: 75
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    When I first started MFP, I didn't worry too much about macros - I was following Tosca Reno's eating plan so I made sure I had complex carbs, healthy fats, and protein at every meal. Now that I'm focusing on my body composition and reducing body fat as opposed to weight loss, I'm all about macros. 30p/40c/30f really seems to work best for me although my bootcamp instructor would prefer that I do 40p/30c/30f. I thrive with carbs though so it's staying at 40% : )

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