Daily Nutritional Goals VS Calories

Elenagreek
Elenagreek Posts: 10
in Food and Nutrition
Hello, Sometimes I exceed beyond the limits of the nutrient values (fat, sugars, protein) but my calorie intake is under the 1200 calories. What should I do? Eat more ignoring the nutrient values or eat less calories? :)

Replies

  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
    Calories are what matter for weight loss. As long as you stick to your calorie goal (or even a little more, depending on your setup) you will still lose weight.

    Macros (fat/protein/carbs) help with various things. Protein and fat both help keep you feeling fuller and more satisfied. Protein helps to rebuild and retain your lean muscle mass. Fat is amazing and seems to help with everything from hormone control, vitamin absorption, cell growth, etc. And carbs give you energy. You can be over or under on any of them and still lose weight as long as your calories are okay. MFP tends to set it's protein default too low anyway.

    Sugar and Sodium are the other two default nutrients tracked and I honestly don't know why they picked those two. Excess sodium may cause you to retain water weight, which can cause a jump on the scale, but if you don't have any health issues neither is strictly necessary to track.
  • Elenagreek
    Elenagreek Posts: 10
    Thank you Dianne for your reply! I prefer to eat more protein to catch the calorie goal. I try not to eat more sugars or excess fat than the daily standards.
  • jayjay12345654321
    jayjay12345654321 Posts: 653 Member
    I don't track sugar, but carbs/fat/protein are a percentage ratio of overall calories. If you are meeting or exceeding all three of those and still under on calories, your calorie goal is set below 1200.
  • stealthq
    stealthq Posts: 4,298 Member
    Proteins and fats are minimums, not maximums. Sugars are set ridiculously low - it's generally recommended to track carbs and not sugars unless you have a medical reason to do so.
  • michael300891
    michael300891 Posts: 275
    Calories are what matter for weight loss. As long as you stick to your calorie goal (or even a little more, depending on your setup) you will still lose weight.

    Macros (fat/protein/carbs) help with various things. Protein and fat both help keep you feeling fuller and more satisfied. Protein helps to rebuild and retain your lean muscle mass. Fat is amazing and seems to help with everything from hormone control, vitamin absorption, cell growth, etc. And carbs give you energy. You can be over or under on any of them and still lose weight as long as your calories are okay. MFP tends to set it's protein default too low anyway.

    Sugar and Sodium are the other two default nutrients tracked and I honestly don't know why they picked those two. Excess sodium may cause you to retain water weight, which can cause a jump on the scale, but if you don't have any health issues neither is strictly necessary to track.

    A perfect post. Do this :)

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