mfp nutrition question

aisha786

You know how the food diary has columns of carbs, fat, protein, and calories and then it tells you how many you're supposed to eat in each given category? Am I suppose to eat that exact distribution of each? And if I don't then will I not lose weight?

Thanks
Aisha

aisha786

You know how the food diary has columns of carbs, fat, protein, and calories and then it tells you how many you're supposed to eat in each given category? Am I suppose to eat that exact distribution of each? And if I don't then will I not lose weight?

Thanks
Aisha

kitt8980

You don't have to eat exacly what it tells you in those colums. I know I am hardly eating enough Iron. It is just a guid line to help you out. As long as you are eating within the areas you will lose weight. Just besure that you are not eating way under on your calories cause then your body can go into starvation mode and you will gain weight instead of losing. Other then that you should be perfertly fine.

aisha786

Oh I mean, the prescribed number of carbs, protein, fat, and calories, not the other vitamins / minerals. I'm sorry I had a hard time wording what I was asking

Juliebean_1027

You know how the food diary has columns of carbs, fat, protein, and calories and then it tells you how many you're supposed to eat in each given category? Am I suppose to eat that exact distribution of each? And if I don't then will I not lose weight?

Thanks
Aisha

Are you eating under or over that number? If it's just a few calories over then I don't think that's a big deal because it's still less than what your BMR is and you will still lose weight eventually. I never eat all of my fat grams or protein, but I'm usually right on with my calories and carbs. I think everybody is different.

aisha786

I am way under on the carbs and over on the fat and protein.

I am eating the number of calories including my exercise cals. If I feel hungrier then I exericse more to get more food and then eat those cals.

Is it essential to eat only what they've made as my goal in order for me to lose weight?

songbyrdsweet

MFP follows RDA guidelines. You are set up to eat 60% carbohydrates, 25% fat, and 15% protein. You don't have to eat that. There are fairly wide ranges for each nutrient that still promote a well-rounded diet. Really, 60% carbohydrates is a bit high for the type of activity most of us are doing (recreational exercise) and 15% protein is pretty low because we're active and need protein for muscle repair. The 25% fat is just fine though. If you go into "Goals" and change your goals via 'Custom Goals', you can switch your nutrients around to something that fits you. Keep carbs between 40-55% (I promise you don't need 60% unless you're running marathons), fat between 20-30%, and protein around 20-25% (some people go as high as 30% which is fine if you're having a problem feeling full). I was eating 40% carbs and 30% protein/fat until I began running a lot, and then bumped it up to 50% carbs and 25% protein/fat. The important to thing is to eat in a way that gives you the most energy and makes you feel the most comfortable throughout the day. Also, make sure you're eating the calories MFP gives you, regardless of how you want your nutrients set up. :flowerforyou:

aisha786

Thank you so much!! That was super helpful.