Following The Nutrition Guidelines: Do You?

Rivkadanielle

Do you follow the nutrition guideline percentages that they give you? Or do you do something different? I was thinking that 50% from Carbs is quite high. Do people on here lose weight with that?

itsbasschick

by "they", i assume you mean MFP? no, i don't. i eat less fat, less carbs and more protein.

that being said, carbs don't make you gain weight or keep you from losing weight. it's all about how many calories you eat.

abadvat

No, i don't follow what "they" say or do - i trial and error and establish what works for me!

terbusha

Do what's right for your body. Everyone is different, so everyone has different ideal diets. I base my calorie goals off of progress. What I do and what I recommend to people is to eat at a calorie level that allows you to drop 1-2 lbs/week. This assumes an average calorie burn from you getting in all of your workouts. This will be different for everyone, so you'll have to do some trial and error to figure it out. I'd start ~1600 cal/day. Hit this goal, along with your macros and getting in your workouts, for a week. If you lose 1-2 lbs, you're good to go. If you lose too much, increase your intake and repeat. If you don't lose enough, reduce your intake a bit and repeat. After a few weeks, you'll figure out what works for you in your situation.

For macros, I've had good success with cutting at 40% protein/carbs and 20% fat. It's a good starting point, but don't be afraid to make adjustments.

Allan

diannethegeek

I used this post: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/819055-setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets to set my own minimums for fat and protein. But calories are what matter for weight loss. Macros help with hunger, health, and body composition, but they aren't essential for weight loss. You can lose weight using MFP's default macro percentages or you can lose weight with your own custom goals. Look around, do some reading, and decide what's best for your personal goals.