Macros

lauren3101

I am curious to know, how many of you actually plan your day around your macros?

What I mean is, I just aim to stay within my calorie allowance. I always aim for a fairly high protein amount because it fills me up more, but I let all the other macros fall where they may. But I see a lot of posts on here saying "I eat x in order to hit my (insert macro here) for the day."

Is it worth taking the time to meal plan so all my macros fall where they should? Do you feel better for doing it?

damnscenekids

I strategise my macros around the calories I have to work with since I'm doing LCHF, it's super important for me to make sure I'm getting that balance just right. It's tough to work your magic ratio into your calories though, I'm finding that more and more I just eat the same food each day in the same quantities so I don't have to waste time figuring out alternate meal plan ideas, haha.

ndj1979

depends on your goals..if you are just trying to lose weight then it does not really matter…I mean you should try to hit a certain number grams per protein to preserve muscle mass but other then that does not matter…if you are doing recomp then yes you should be trying to hit your macros….

For me, yes I plan my day around my macros and try to get as close to 40/30/30 that I can…I am usually happy if my weekly number evens out, but I do like to get as close to possible on the daily number too...

Helloitsdan

I do.

First meal is primarily fat and protein, sticking with 40g protein or more.
Second meal is high fiber, protein and fat.
Fruit for snack.
Dinner is anything I want.

Last night i ate half a pizza.

editorgrrl

I use MFP's protein & fiber goals as minimums & ignore fat & carbs.

It will take trial & error to find what works for you.

parmoute

I do pay attention to my macros (and my iron!). It took some time/planning at first, but now I can do a pretty good job of eyeballing it. I have too many favorite foods to eat the same thing every day, so that hasn't turned out to be an issue.

One thing that's helped me a lot is using the weekly reports (especially convenient in the MFP app): I focus more on making sure those numbers come out balanced and less about how perfect each day is.

I also found that if I plan from the macros rather than the calories, it's impossible: there are enough quirks in the database that if you plan so that the macros are exact, you may still be over/under calories for the day (even though that shouldn't work mathematically). So, the total calories for the day is my bottom line, and I do the best I can with the macros.

The other place I watch my macros is pre- and post-workout snacks/meals. As long as I come close to my target there, I don't care how the macros are distributed across the rest of the day.

TavistockToad

Yep, I pre log every day so that I hit my macros. Protein is a minimum, fat on or under, and then the carbs do what they want! Sometimes they aren't perfect, but I follow IIFYM so try to be pretty close by the end of the week!

waldo56

I usually only pay attention to my cal and protein target, I try to hit both those daily. I tend to prefer carbs to fat, which is good enough for day to day use, neither really strays outside of the window I'm looking for.

However on days when I reefed I'm very strict in eating very low fat and hitting my carb target in the time window I have set with mostly non-fructose carbs.

Occasionally I check over my fiber/micros to make sure they are good for the day (I don't do this daily, spot checking is good enough).

I don't worry about the minimum fat thing with IIFYM, I eat low fat, but still am always plenty above that number except for the occasional day here and there when cutting.

lauren3101

Hmmmm. Nice to get some opinions.

I started out here just looking to lose weight, but now I'm more focused on my health. I have a daily target of 152g of protein which I don't often hit, I normally come out around the 120g mark. I also don't often come near my fat target, either, but I am over my carbs almost every day. I think I will need a fairly big reshuffle of foods if I am to do this.

tennisdude2004

I am curious to know, how many of you actually plan your day around your macros?

What I mean is, I just aim to stay within my calorie allowance. I always aim for a fairly high protein amount because it fills me up more, but I let all the other macros fall where they may. But I see a lot of posts on here saying "I eat x in order to hit my (insert macro here) for the day."

Is it worth taking the time to meal plan so all my macros fall where they should? Do you feel better for doing it?

It depends on what diet style you are eating. If carbs are your main Macro - I would probably say yes. If you're eating high fat and low carb, it's possible you may not need to if you have your appetite under control. IMHO

3laine75

I do, always try to hit my protein, have no problem hitting my fat and the carbs can do what they like (as long as they're under).

TavistockToad

Hmmmm. Nice to get some opinions.

I started out here just looking to lose weight, but now I'm more focused on my health. I have a daily target of 152g of protein which I don't often hit, I normally come out around the 120g mark. I also don't often come near my fat target, either, but I am over my carbs almost every day. I think I will need a fairly big reshuffle of foods if I am to do this.

its not as bad as it first seems... i have cereal or porridge for breakfast and then tend to have a lower carb lunch (usually salad) and then just make sure i have a decent protein source for my tea to make up the numbers. if you are happier low(er) fat, then have a few more of those cals as carbs. personally i like higher fat (35% of my cals) but its just what works for me - i like cheese and peanut butter!!

the biggest changes i had to make were my snacks - finding things with more protein in, and not just carby stuff like fruit (which i dont find fills me anyway) or crisps or crackers.

0.8 x your bodyweight in pounds is a good rough guide for your protein needs.

lauren3101

Hmmmm. Nice to get some opinions.

I started out here just looking to lose weight, but now I'm more focused on my health. I have a daily target of 152g of protein which I don't often hit, I normally come out around the 120g mark. I also don't often come near my fat target, either, but I am over my carbs almost every day. I think I will need a fairly big reshuffle of foods if I am to do this.

its not as bad as it first seems... i have cereal or porridge for breakfast and then tend to have a lower carb lunch (usually salad) and then just make sure i have a decent protein source for my tea to make up the numbers. if you are happier low(er) fat, then have a few more of those cals as carbs. personally i like higher fat (35% of my cals) but its just what works for me - i like cheese and peanut butter!!

the biggest changes i had to make were my snacks - finding things with more protein in, and not just carby stuff like fruit (which i dont find fills me anyway) or crisps or crackers.

0.8 x your bodyweight in pounds is a good rough guide for your protein needs.

Your food is very similar to mine - my issue is with snacks. I eat 2 - 3 pieces of fruit a day, just because I love it. And I have to have my bag of popcorn every day, and then I normally have another carby snack. My snacks today are 57g of carbs, so I'll probably try and keep my meals the same but find higher protein and fat snacks. I'm off to eyeball your food diary!

Sundancer128

I feel as though that would take forever to plan out! I too need assistance with controlling my macros.

ndj1979

Hmmmm. Nice to get some opinions.

I started out here just looking to lose weight, but now I'm more focused on my health. I have a daily target of 152g of protein which I don't often hit, I normally come out around the 120g mark. I also don't often come near my fat target, either, but I am over my carbs almost every day. I think I will need a fairly big reshuffle of foods if I am to do this.

its not as bad as it first seems... i have cereal or porridge for breakfast and then tend to have a lower carb lunch (usually salad) and then just make sure i have a decent protein source for my tea to make up the numbers. if you are happier low(er) fat, then have a few more of those cals as carbs. personally i like higher fat (35% of my cals) but its just what works for me - i like cheese and peanut butter!!

the biggest changes i had to make were my snacks - finding things with more protein in, and not just carby stuff like fruit (which i dont find fills me anyway) or crisps or crackers.

0.8 x your bodyweight in pounds is a good rough guide for your protein needs.

Your food is very similar to mine - my issue is with snacks. I eat 2 - 3 pieces of fruit a day, just because I love it. And I have to have my bag of popcorn every day, and then I normally have another carby snack. My snacks today are 57g of carbs, so I'll probably try and keep my meals the same but find higher protein and fat snacks. I'm off to eyeball your food diary!

you could swap out one of the carby snacks for greek yogurt which would increase your protein, and decrease your carbs...

my diary is open is you are looking for ideas...my macro setting is 40p/30c/30f

ndj1979

I feel as though that would take forever to plan out! I too need assistance with controlling my macros.

I would suggest pre-logging your foods and then clicking on the pie chart on the Iphone/android app ..that is what I do ...

once you start doing it, you will pretty much have memorized what foods you need to be eating to hit your macros...it now, usually, only takes me about five to ten minutes....

TavistockToad

I feel as though that would take forever to plan out! I too need assistance with controlling my macros.

I would suggest pre-logging your foods and then clicking on the pie chart on the Iphone/android app ..that is what I do ...

once you start doing it, you will pretty much have memorized what foods you need to be eating to hit your macros...it now, usually, only takes me about five to ten minutes....

yep, takes me about 5 minutes on a morning... and its time worth spent in my eyes!

waldo56

I feel as though that would take forever to plan out! I too need assistance with controlling my macros.

I would suggest pre-logging your foods and then clicking on the pie chart on the Iphone/android app ..that is what I do ...

once you start doing it, you will pretty much have memorized what foods you need to be eating to hit your macros...it now, usually, only takes me about five to ten minutes....

Yes, it gets much easier over time.

You'll tend to make dietary choices that make it easier to reach your goals, which will cause a drift of your diet toward your goals.

I have no need to prelog the day, just my final meal/snacks, simply because I've been doing this now 2.5 years, I rarely even have to try to hit my protein macro anymore and have no need to bother with shakes.

rowlandsw

I just aim for my calories and i'm usually within the rest of the macros other than salt, i just can't seem to make it within the limit.

BoxerBrawler

I usually pre log my meals and stick to the same foods, I am just boring like that. But typically I pay most attention to my calories and try to stick with high protein low carb. Sometimes I am above my macro's, sometimes below, sometimes spot on. I am usually within a few points give or take so I'm not concerned about it. I am more concerned with the number of calories and protein and my sodium/sugar.

NataBost

When I pre-log, I'm definitely more on track with my macros. It also makes me think more about what I'm eating or what I'd like to eat. Just a moment ago I decided to stick with my pre-logged game plan. Maybe that magical baklava that appeared at my desk will get smashed on the morrow. :laugh: