Nutrition Goals

WAW26

Hi.

When counting each day,do I need to try reach and stay within the nutrition goals or is it just staying within the calories that matter for weight loss??

Thanks

Karen

cwolfman13

In the hierarchy of things that are important to weight loss, calories is by far the most important aspect. That said, certain medical conditions can interfere with weight loss...for example, overweight individuals are often insulin sensitive even if they're not full blown diabetic of pre-diabetic...such an individual would have difficulty losing weight if they had a diet high in carbohydrates and in particular simple sugars..."high" being relative. Also, a lot of people try to cut out a lot of fat and don't eat enough dietary fat because they are afraid of it and they think fat makes you fat...as a result they often end up with nutrient deficiencies because there are quite a few nutrients that are fat soluble and require dietary fat for absorption by the body...also, a lack of dietary fat can **** with your hormones and make weight loss more difficult.

MFP's default macros are IMO rather low on protein and high in carbohydrates but really, your macros should be determined as per any medical conditions, potential medical conditions, allergies, and fitness aspirations. For example, someone who is an endurance athlete is still going to need to get quite a bit of protein, but their diets are going to be more carb heavy to provide that energy for endurance activities...whereas a bodybuilder will require far more protein and adequate carbohydrate intake as to allow for optimal protein synthesis.

At this stage of the game I would focus primarily on your calories and just getting a lot of good nutrition...worry about adjusting your macros down the road when you get a bit more experience and have your calorie goals locked in.