MFP Ratios not adding up

nancybrom

I am new to this MFP thing and I am confused about the ratios. They seem to total differently on the iPad app and if I hand calculate them in Excel (on the PC, if I don't have the iPad). For example: my target totals for yesterday are: Carbs: 176g; Fat: 47g; and Protein: 71g. On the iPad app, it says the % ratios are: Carbs: 50%, Fat: 30%, and Protein: 20%, however when I put those grams into Excel they come up as Carbs: 60%, Fat: 16%, and Protein: 24%. What is going on? Am I missing something?

youngmommy2

so doing some quick math, I got the same ratios as what you get in excel. The only thing I can think of is that MFP tracks more than carbs/fat/protein and the ratios are taking that into consideration even though it only shows those three.??

sllm1

Each macro has a different number of calories associated with it, so MFP is using that to calculate the ratios.

Llamapants86

The macros are based on the amount that of calories for each macro. Not the amount of grams. Because fat has 9 cals per gram your math will be off.

FYI carbs and protein have 4

wizardfish

Grams do not equal calories. You're mixing percentage (of grams) with percentage (of calories).

In your example:

Carbs 176g = 704 Kcals (at 4 Kcal/gm)
Fat 47g = 376 Kcals (at 8 Kcal/gm)
Protein 71g = 284 Kcals (at 4 Kcal/gm)

Total calories (Kcals) = 704 + 376 + 284 = 1364.

Now you can take the percentages (of Kcals) of each one. Keep in mind that MFP always rounds to the nearest 5%, and adjusts so that you always total 100%, so..

Carbs cal: 704 / 1364 = 0.51 (51%, rounded to 50%)
Fat cals: 376 / 1364 = 0.275 (27.5%, rounded up to 30%)
Protein cals: 284 / 1364 = 0.20 (20%)

So the numbers actually do match. :-)

nancybrom

Thanks for pointing out that the ratios are not carb : fat : protein grams, it's actually carb(x 4) : fat(x 9) : fat(x 4). When I do that, the ratios match up perfectly! !