nutrition or just calories???

bikini1234

Hello I was wondering if everyone just goes by their calories for the day or do they also stick to the exact cals,protein,fat, carbs etc that mfp recommends I have been doing this for a week but I just look at the calorie content nothing else will this effect my weightloss or do I have to eat the recommended grams of protein, carbs etc that mfp has set if I am honest I like just looking at the food calorie weather its 100 or 200 cals or whatever and don't really care about the grams of carbs or protein in it I'm worrying that I should be looking at these as well as the cals ???? Could anyone answer this please

susannamarie

I don't stick to the exact. It's an aim -- trying for perfection is excessive. But I do try and get close. When I don't have enough fat/protein I feel hungry again much more quickly.

I did raise the protein because I feel better when I eat more protein than MFP allocates. I'm going for 45/30/25 carbs/fat/protein. Once I manage to ditch my soda habit for good I'll probably shift a bit more into protein.

cmriverside

For your body's optimum performance, you should try to get as close to the Macros recommendations as possible (Protein, Fat, Carbohydrates). You will feel better, and lose weight more consistently.


With that said, it is a learning process. You will learn as you go, and become better at figuring this out with practice. No one gets it right at first.

Good luck!

davidnusse

I agree with cmriverside. Following the calorie counter will get you where you want to be. Hesitant stress on "will" there.

The nutritional information is there to make sure you reach your goal and reach it well. Honestly, you could eat nothing but chocolate cake and still lose weight, assuming you're below your calorie limit. Things like that have been done before. But how you feel, your energy levels, how long you feel full after eating, the speed at which you lose the weight... all those things will be at their best "presumably" if you follow the nutritional guidelines. Like susannamarie said, your particular needs may not match exactly, but they're guidelines.

For the sake of blood-pressure, I'd say definitely track the sodium. Saturated fats are another thing that need to be watched. 1500 calories worth of fried food and butter (thank you Paula Deen) are going to be loaded with Sat Fats, and you don't want that.

Should you follow Nutritional guidelines too? Yes, but it's not the end of the world if you're over or under by a marginal amount. They're there to help.

bigd65

For your body's optimum performance, you should try to get as close to the Macros recommendations as possible (Protein, Fat, Carbohydrates). You will feel better, and lose weight more consistently.


With that said, it is a learning process. You will learn as you go, and become better at figuring this out with practice. No one gets it right at first.

Good luck!

This is a really good answer.

marie_2454

I changed my goals from what MFP set and I generally try to stay around 1,500 calories (eating back half or more exercise cals too), 100+ g protein, 25+ g fiber and try to get 100%+ iron. I track my fat and sodium levels, but it's pretty rare that I ever go over. I don't even worry about carbs or sugars since the majority of mine come from fruits and veggies.

BrianSharpe

For your body's optimum performance, you should try to get as close to the Macros recommendations as possible (Protein, Fat, Carbohydrates). You will feel better, and lose weight more consistently.


With that said, it is a learning process. You will learn as you go, and become better at figuring this out with practice. No one gets it right at first.

Good luck!

+1 but also making sure you're getting an adequate amount of protein

You could, theoretically, stay within your calories but on a diet too high in carbs & fat (I love carbs - fuel for runners) but deficient in protein. The risk associated with inadequate protein intake is that your body does not store protein (it stores fat & stores glucose as glycogen in the muscles and liver) and, in extreme cases, you could lose muscle mass.

"Protein and amino acids are not stored in the body,
like fat and glucose are in adipocytes and as glycogen,
respectively. The largest reservoir of protein, however,
is skeletal muscle mass. Thus, muscle mass is the best
indicator of protein homeostasis. Inadequate dietary
intake of protein and energy due to anorexia or starvation,
and the altered metabolic and physiologic processes
resulting from increased catabolic stimuli and
reduced anabolic stimuli, results in muscle wasting."

Muscle wasting and protein metabolism
C. Castaneda

http://www.asas.org/symposia/esupp2/jas2080.pdf

bridgie101

Hello I was wondering if everyone just goes by their calories for the day or do they also stick to the exact cals,protein,fat, carbs etc that mfp recommends I have been doing this for a week but I just look at the calorie content nothing else will this effect my weightloss or do I have to eat the recommended grams of protein, carbs etc that mfp has set if I am honest I like just looking at the food calorie weather its 100 or 200 cals or whatever and don't really care about the grams of carbs or protein in it I'm worrying that I should be looking at these as well as the cals ???? Could anyone answer this please

Don't worry about it too much for now. You lose weight based completely upon calories in versus calories out. But you can get cravings if you don't get nutrition, so these other things are a bit of a guideline.

the fact that you can change them yourself though, means they're not really that hard and fast. Try to make sure you're getting 2 cups of vege a day inclusive of leafy greens, and 1 or 2 pieces of fruit in there and you should be fine.

AZKristi

I definitely look at macro-nutrients (although I adjusted mine to follow what the cleveland clinic recommends for a heart healthy diet). Loosing weight is important, but to really improve health and fitness, you need to make sure you are eating WELL instead of just eating LESS. Especially watch saturated fat (keep it low) and protein (eat more to feel sated).