Need help with calorie, fat, and protein intake!!

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melissahager
melissahager Posts: 70
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi everyone,
I am new to MFP but am familiar with what foods to eat thanks to WW. However, with WW I was only counting one thing- points. Now trying to balance calories, fat, and protein is harder than I thought so I could use some advice. I keep going in the red in protein- is this okay? I mean lean protein (eggs, chix) is good for me so what's the deal with that? It's so filling that I would hate to eat less of it! And I tend to meet my calories, but not my fat for the day. How important is it to meet all right on the mark? Am I going to hinder my weight loss if I don't meet the set fat intake??
Melissa

Replies

  • jenken99
    jenken99 Posts: 564 Member
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    the way i understand this and from what i am told it is good to go over the protein i think MFP is set a little bit low, and im not sure with the fat i know you dont want to go over i mainly try to not go over on my carbs and fat. carbs is a big one.. good luck..
  • Nikki_Z
    Nikki_Z Posts: 28
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    It is important to eat a balanced diet with carbs, proteins and fats (good fats and carbs!). I think the key is to get as close to the recommended values as you can. Try not to be too over or too under.
    How much over are you going with the protein?
    A lot of people eat WAY to much protein on a daily basis without thinking about it. Our bodies cannot store much protein, so we metabolize what we can, then the excess is processed by the kidneys and excreted. So ingesting a high amount of protein on a regular basis over along period of time, may actually be quite hard on our bodies (particularly the kidneys). Just watch your portion sizes. There are plenty of meals out there that provide a feeling of fullness and are still complete.

    Good Luck!

    Nikki
  • fitinyoga14
    fitinyoga14 Posts: 448 Member
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    i think that calories are the most important when watching numbers. its okay to go a little over on protein, especially if you're working out and looking to gain muscle. carbs are for energy. if you don't have a problem with feeling fatigued, i would think that its okay to have some carbs left over too. be careful with not eating enough fat. when i don't eat enough fat, it makes me crave fatty foods and sugar. if i eat enough good fat such as nuts, my body stays more content with the healthy foods that i'm eating.
  • fitinyoga14
    fitinyoga14 Posts: 448 Member
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    i think that calories are the most important when watching numbers. its okay to go a little over on protein, especially if you're working out and looking to gain muscle. carbs are for energy. if you don't have a problem with feeling fatigued, i would think that its okay to have some carbs left over too. be careful with not eating enough fat. when i don't eat enough fat, it makes me crave fatty foods and sugar. if i eat enough good fat such as nuts, my body stays more content with the healthy foods that i'm eating.
  • tanyashealth
    tanyashealth Posts: 11
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    I have the same problem: I go over on carbs, meet the protein, but don't come anywhere near the fat quota. Today I had a portion of pork fried rice (2 cups) and I'm still nowhere near what MFP recommends for my fat intake. Apparently eating a very low fat diet isn't part of my weight problem :wink:

    Maybe instead of my monring can of soda (and I wonder why I am overweight), I am going to substitute tea with sugar and then add nuts to my breakfast cereal. I may also add fish oil supplements to a meal or two to get a little closer to the fat quota.

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