Do macro's really matter (in women)

lambertj

Are macro's really that important? I always thought they were until I talked to a female body builder at my gym (she is ripped) and she had no idea what a macro was. Now I can't help but wonder, do they matter or is it strictly calories in and calories out? Opinions, thoughts?

TavistockToad

did you ask her what her diet was like? i would imagine that even if she doesnt know what a macro is, i bet she follows a strict plan with all the nutrients that she needs.

i think that it is basically calories in/calories out, but i think that the quality of your calories can effect the results you get.

Martucha123

the fact that she does not know what word macros mean, doesn't mean she don't hit them every day.
Bodybuilders often don't log or calculate, but they eat chicken (with rice/broccoli) all the freaking time.

sarafil

Yes, they matter. I don't think that eating a certain number of calories of crap is the same as eating a balanced diet. I want to know how much protein/fat/carbs I am eating in a day, especially because I am working on building muscle.

lambertj

I didn't want to bother her too much during her workout because she had a show coming up but she did say she eats healthy. But without calorie counting I'm not sure how she would know even what she is hitting in regards to macros (she did say she eats healthy). I don't eat junk, except for a "cheat window" once a week but am getting so frustrated as to what I am supposed to do. For instance, yesterday I wanted an apple. It would have fit into my calories but the carbs would have thrown off my macros. I do agree that I don't want to eat junk but if it's all healthy foods does it matter if I go high on fats and low on carbs? Or lower on protein one day and higher on carbs. It's getting to be too much and leaning towards an obsession, something I want to avoid.

Martucha123

try to average macros over the week.
have an apple and go lower carbs the next day. also IMHO if you eat less then you burn, fats and carbs are totally up to you, you can eat high fat and as long as you are under cals you won't gain fat.
But keeping protein high is important. If you are eating low protein you will lose muscle and fat, and you really want to lose fat only.
Try to get 1g of protein per lbs of body weight per day.
Also, you should eat at least 0,3 g of fat per lbs of your body weight. Other then that, you can be flexible

bathsheba_c

One day doesn't matter. The question is what your average is over time. If you have the phone app, then MFP will show you for the week what your percentages were. Also, if one apple was enough to completely throw off your macros, it may be worth reconsidering what your macros are set to.

Cobweb200

TBH if you are not body building and not wanting to stress, so long as it is healthy foods I don't think an or over or under on some days is just fine. If I had to stress about hitting them exactly the I would give up altogether that is particularly unhelpful.

Relax a bit and give yourself a break. Try and follow the 80/20 rule. Get it right 80 percent of the time and the other 20% won't make a difference to your overall health

TavistockToad

I didn't want to bother her too much during her workout because she had a show coming up but she did say she eats healthy. But without calorie counting I'm not sure how she would know even what she is hitting in regards to macros (she did say she eats healthy). I don't eat junk, except for a "cheat window" once a week but am getting so frustrated as to what I am supposed to do. For instance, yesterday I wanted an apple. It would have fit into my calories but the carbs would have thrown off my macros. I do agree that I don't want to eat junk but if it's all healthy foods does it matter if I go high on fats and low on carbs? Or lower on protein one day and higher on carbs. It's getting to be too much and leaning towards an obsession, something I want to avoid.

i think it depends how far you want to go, and what results you want. the woman you were talking to will follow a strict plan to get everything her body needs, high protein etc etc

i dont eat apples as much now i am watching my macros more, but that being said, i track the macros weekly, more than daily, so an extra apple probably wouldnt matter too much at the end of the week. only you can tell if its becoming an obsession. my husband calls me obsessed with MFP, but i love it, have made some great friends on here and am starting to get some really good results because of my 'obsession' - which i call dedication!!!!

StarvingDiva

I would imagine a female body builder wouldn't care much about them either. However for myself (not a bodybuilder) they do matter, the weeks that my macros are perfect, I don't go over on anything except fiber and I lose big. The weeks I go over on my macros, I always maintain or slightly gain.

They matter in my eating that's for sure so I can only speak for myself.

Dudagarcia

Bump

Meg_78

They count, but depending on what your goals are, they mean different things to different people...

The only one I care about is protein, and keeping my calories up or over. The rest are just there.

psuLemon

Some matter more than others. As meg said, protein. If your protein is too low, you increase the chances of muscle loss. This is even more true if you don't do weight training. Less lbm and you will have a slower metabolism, less support for you body, etc.. Fats are important for a variety of reason, but skin/hair/nail health, and cognitive function are some. And carbs provide energy. Having a balanced approached is always good. I generally suggest 35% carbs, 40% protein and 25% fats. This generally works out pretty well. And if you are eating lean meats, fish, fruits and veggies (even whole grains) then you should also hit your micro nutrients.

nikilis

Are macro's really that important? I always thought they were until I talked to a female body builder at my gym (she is ripped) and she had no idea what a macro was. Now I can't help but wonder, do they matter or is it strictly calories in and calories out? Opinions, thoughts?

its called a balanced diet for a reason.

lambertj

Would it be a safe assumption then that if I hit protein (130 a day, my current weight), I can let the rest fall into my calorie allowance? I am lifting 3 times a week with a goal to build muscle and lower body fat by 3-5%. I am currently at 19% body fat.

Edited to add, i usually hit protein levels no lower than 90 a day currently and some days as high as 140.

TavistockToad

Would it be a safe assumption then that if I hit protein (130 a day, my current weight), I can let the rest fall into my calorie allowance? I am lifting 3 times a week with a goal to build muscle and lower body fat by 3-5%. I am currently at 19% body fat.

Edited to add, i usually hit protein levels no lower than 90 a day currently and some days as high as 140.

14% bodyfat is low for a woman...

tobnrn

If you just want to lose weight and don't care where that weight comes from than it's all about calories in vs. calories out. If you want to change your body & maintain lbm than macros are important especially protein. Make sure your getting 1g per lb of lbm.

lambertj

If you just want to lose weight and don't care where that weight comes from than it's all about calories in vs. calories out. If you want to change your body & maintain lbm than macros are important especially protein. Make sure your getting 1g per lb of lbm.

I want to lower my body fat and build muscle. I definitely don't want to lose muscle

psuLemon

If you just want to lose weight and don't care where that weight comes from than it's all about calories in vs. calories out. If you want to change your body & maintain lbm than macros are important especially protein. Make sure your getting 1g per lb of lbm.

I want to lower my body fat and build muscle. I definitely don't want to lose muscle

You can either lower body fat or build muscle but you can't do both at the same time. You have a pretty good approach though. Heck, you can probably adjust your macro's to what I proposed and it should come out about right.

lambertj

If you just want to lose weight and don't care where that weight comes from than it's all about calories in vs. calories out. If you want to change your body & maintain lbm than macros are important especially protein. Make sure your getting 1g per lb of lbm.

I want to lower my body fat and build muscle. I definitely don't want to lose muscle

You can either lower body fat or build muscle but you can't do both at the same time. You have a pretty good approach though. Heck, you can probably adjust your macro's to what I proposed and it should come out about right.

Thank you. I should also mention that I am in no rush to do this, I believe slower is better in terms of cutting fat. The macros' you mentioned would be a bit different for me at 35% carbs, 40% protein and 25% fats as I tend to go 35% fat and 25% carbs but definitely doable. Now if i could only figure out how many calories to eat a day i'd be good. Been experimenting a bit to find my sweet spot. Started at 1200 (big mistake), went to 1400 and did good, was at 1700 for a while (seemed to work) but when I bumped to 1900 I seemed to gain weight. Back around 1600-1700 now. I appreciate everyone's input

psuLemon

How long did you eat at those levels? It's almost impossible to lose at 1700 and gain at 1900.