New Member.....Any Advice?

2dogzrule

Hi Everyone. My name is Holly and I am looking to lose about 8 pounds. One thing I am having a hard time with is keeping the amount of protein and carbs within the requirements. Things that I love, like fish for example, make the protein number high! I have a ton of vegetables in my diet, but would love to hear your ideas on how to keep these 2 numbers where they need to be!

mommiedawn

Hi Holly, I'm new here too. I have been researching this subject you ask about in my quest to design a program for myself. I have about 13 lbs to lose. I recently bought the book by Tom Venuto called Feed the Muscle Burn the Fat, precisely because I had read that he discusses the ratios you're asking about. After reading his advice I'm realizing it's not as essential as I had thought to keep those numbers in some perfect balance.

But he does advise certain ratios for various goals based on body types. In short the specific ratio is different for everyone and based on your goal. So I'm curious what the ratio you are trying to stick to actually is???

Maybe to give you an idea about what you are seeking I could suggest looking for low glycemic carbs that you can begin pairing with your proteins so that you can be sure to have a slow release of glucose after meals.

Good luck!

2dogzrule

This is good to know and thank you for the book recommendation. I was trying to go with the recommendations given of 1200 calories, 165 carbs, 40 fat and 40 protein to lose ~8 lbs. The protein and carb numbers are usually negative (between 10-20) and quite honestly I am eating so many vegetables that I am getting full at less than 1200 calories! I exercise 3-4 times a week.

Atlantique

First, if you only have 8 lbs to lose, I hope that you set your weight loss goal as .5lbs per week. You don't have much fat to lose, adn if you try to lose more than .5lb per week you're going to lose muscle.

The default MFP macronutrient ratios are, in my opinion, flawed. The protein is quite low, as is the fiber. If you work out, aim for 1g of protein per pound of bodyweight per day and at least 25g of fiber per day. You can reset your macronutrient targets manually.

On MFP, it's advised that you eat your exercise calories. Do your best to stay at or above 1200 NET calories per day.