unknowledgeable when it comes to dieting
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Don't choose Sedentary unless you actually sit all day. If you have any kind of job, go to school or care for children at home, choose another activity level.
Sedentary doesn't mean lays around like a sloth all day, it means someone with a desk job or going to school who doesn't spend the day doing physical labor. If you are on your feet all day at your job like a teacher or salesperson you would be lightly active. You track your exercise separately so that doesn't factor in to your activity level.
Mokey, you've argued that point before when I say that. If you actually figure out your needs, the Sedentary setting here on this site is still too low in my opinion. That is the one flaw I find with the calculator here. Well, that, and the fact it lets people eat below their BMR when they choose "Lose 2 pounds a week" even if they only have 30 pounds to lose. I will continue to say this, and you can continue to argue - but I stand my ground.
I also believe the sedentary setting is too low - it seems to be for bedbound people.0 -
These links are excellent. The members who run the eat-train-progress group are very helpful
I don't think it's a good idea to post these links for a beginner, convoluting them with more numbers and ratios and math... can be demotivating and make them feel like a failure i they can't stick to a "specific" ratio...
Just because someone is a beginner, doesn't mean they won't be able to understand the logic of those threads.
As they explain many of the acronyms, (TDEE, BMR etc) they are actually helpful to new members rather than confusing.0 -
I'd suggest starting by talking to your doctor to be sure there's nothing medical going on, rule out High BP, diabetes, etc and if that all comes out clean, maybe make an appt with a nutritionist. I did great my first year using MFP and following a diabetic diet, but when I stalled, a nutritonist really helped me focus in on area's I had not thought about. Adding Fiber, leveling the carbs I eat thru out the day vs loading them in one meal, etc.
Reading is very helpful, posts are very helpful, but we are all different and have to know what works best for our body, our lifestyle, our mindset. It is still only us who can fix it for ourselves....... Good luck!0 -
Hi all! The one thing that always stops me from continuing to try and lose weight is dieting. I have no idea what I'm looking for when I shop and I wind up buying a ton of lean cuisines that leave me hungry. This in turn makes me give in and eat more which then leads to eating bad foods. Any tips? Also, I don't know anything about protein supplements. It seems like these are more for people who are already fit and looking to bulk up. Am I correct in this assumption or should I, as an overweight woman, be looking into protein as well. Thanks in advance!
Then stop trying to diet and make the healthy life style change. Healthy food does not come in a box or the frozen section. Takes all the guess work out of it for you doesn't it. Making your own food and watching portions, lots of fruits and veggies. No fast food. That's how it's done. The real trick is recipes.0 -
Hi all! The one thing that always stops me from continuing to try and lose weight is dieting. I have no idea what I'm looking for when I shop and I wind up buying a ton of lean cuisines that leave me hungry. This in turn makes me give in and eat more which then leads to eating bad foods. Any tips? Also, I don't know anything about protein supplements. It seems like these are more for people who are already fit and looking to bulk up. Am I correct in this assumption or should I, as an overweight woman, be looking into protein as well. Thanks in advance!
Then stop trying to diet and make the healthy life style change. Healthy food does not come in a box or the frozen section. Takes all the guess work out of it for you doesn't it. Making your own food and watching portions, lots of fruits and veggies. No fast food. That's how it's done. The real trick is recipes.
^^this. I admit, I eat frozen foods, but I'm trying to get rid of those.0 -
These links are excellent. The members who run the eat-train-progress group are very helpful
I don't think it's a good idea to post these links for a beginner, convoluting them with more numbers and ratios and math... can be demotivating and make them feel like a failure i they can't stick to a "specific" ratio...
You may want to click in the links - the first link does not say to stick to a specific ratio.
OP: keep it simple. Eat what you would normally eat, just portion control it. Look at what you are eating and swap things out where necessary to give you a better 'food bang for your buck'. You do not need protein powder unless you are falling short of your protein goal with your food - it is just to supplement it if you need it.
You are making recommendations in your link, of how much protein and fat. You don't consider that to be specific ratios?
Not at all. If you read it as I suggested before, there is no recommendation to stick to a fixed macro %, unlike the link to your one.0 -
These links are excellent. The members who run the eat-train-progress group are very helpful
I don't think it's a good idea to post these links for a beginner, convoluting them with more numbers and ratios and math... can be demotivating and make them feel like a failure i they can't stick to a "specific" ratio...
You may want to click in the links - the first link does not say to stick to a specific ratio.
OP: keep it simple. Eat what you would normally eat, just portion control it. Look at what you are eating and swap things out where necessary to give you a better 'food bang for your buck'. You do not need protein powder unless you are falling short of your protein goal with your food - it is just to supplement it if you need it.
You are making recommendations in your link, of how much protein and fat. You don't consider that to be specific ratios?
Not at all. If you read it as I suggested before, there is no recommendation to stick to a fixed macro %, unlike the link to your one.
There is no specific recommendations because you want the user to fill it in. You want them to come up with their own ratios based on what you said. Which would make the process even more complex.
In one section you even say in big bold letters. "Setting your macro targets" You want them to fill it in based on the cookie cutter template of 1g of protein per lbm and .35-.40g of fat pr lbs fill the rest in with carbs.
There is no specific recommendation for percentages as I do not think that it should be based on percentages, and based on what you are saying, neither do you.
The complicated math that you refer to is multiplying one number by another.0 -
These links are excellent. The members who run the eat-train-progress group are very helpful
I don't think it's a good idea to post these links for a beginner, convoluting them with more numbers and ratios and math... can be demotivating and make them feel like a failure i they can't stick to a "specific" ratio...
You may want to click in the links - the first link does not say to stick to a specific ratio.
OP: keep it simple. Eat what you would normally eat, just portion control it. Look at what you are eating and swap things out where necessary to give you a better 'food bang for your buck'. You do not need protein powder unless you are falling short of your protein goal with your food - it is just to supplement it if you need it.
You are making recommendations in your link, of how much protein and fat. You don't consider that to be specific ratios?
Not at all. If you read it as I suggested before, there is no recommendation to stick to a fixed macro %, unlike the link to your one.
There is no specific recommendations because you want the user to fill it in. You want them to come up with their own ratios based on what you said. Which would make the process even more complex.
In one section you even say in big bold letters. "Setting your macro targets" You want them to fill it in based on the cookie cutter template of 1g of protein per lbm and .35-.40g of fat pr lbs fill the rest in with carbs.
I am asking you about yours. You mentioned about it being demotivating to try to hit ratios..lets keep to the point at hand.
So, this new and improved release will address the math of multiplying one number by another?
I said it can be demotivating to be hitting macro ratios for a beginner. I mentioned above myself or other experienced members have no problems with macros.
It's an excel sheet, it does all the calculations for you. Just enter your weight, body fat, and TDEE it does the rest. Sets your protein goals based on activity level, and separates the difference in men and women bodyfat levels.
Yes, I know you said that, which is why I am asking the question.
So, my understanding is that you will be providing a spreadsheet in the IPOARM thread (that you mention on another thread) that someone can plug some data in and it will spit out some macros? So, this will alleviate the concerns you had when you told people to ignore a link to a thread you were a contributor of - the concern that it can be demotivating to a new dieter to hit macros?. So back to my question (on the other thread) - are you going to now not tell people to ignore the link to IPOARM because of this spreadsheet? Just trying to understand where you are coming from with regard to a thread you were a contributor to.
ETA: I am not knocking having a spreadsheet for people to use - I think it a good idea0 -
Yes, I know you said that, which is why I am asking the question.
So, my understanding is that you will be providing a spreadsheet in the IPOARM thread (that you mention on another thread) that someone can plug some data in and it will spit out some macros? So, this will alleviate the concerns you had when you told people to ignore a link to a thread you were a contributor of - the concern that it can be demotivating to a new dieter to hit macros?. So back to my question (on the other thread) - are you going to now not tell people to ignore the link to IPOARM because of this spreadsheet? Just trying to understand where you are coming from with regard to a thread you were a contributor to.
ETA: I am not knocking having a spreadsheet for people to use - I think it a good idea
I don't think I am fully understanding you.
1. Yes it will spit out the macros...
2. Alleviate concern. Partially. It will not alleviate the concern of people getting emo because they can't hit their macros. It will allevate the concern of the math behind it. We where all beginners, we had to learn how man cals are in a protein, fat, carbs, what TDEE is, what grams are, weighin this food(or whatever measurement you use). It can be very tedious for a beginner. If you enter your stats and it says "eat this much" it gets rid of all the conversions and equations needed to figure it all out.
3. I will not tell people to ignore IPOARM. This spreadsheet will be in the new version of IPOARM. So it's not goig to be a seperate sticky or whatever, it's part of the actual program.
4. If someone came to me saying "I can't stick to the ratios in IPOARM" I would tell them, "well don't..."
I got very in detail when i wrote on calclulating macros, i also used the cookie cutter template, the difference between you and me is i picked .40 * bodyweight for fat intake.
Not asking you to read it,ha just pass your eyes through it, you will just see the numbers, formulas. Just showing you what i am trying to avoid, it's just too much for new people. The spread sheet will do these calculations and better(as I said different % for men and women, and protein intake based on activity)
Taking out the calcs as the quote will be very long.
So, the math is really the thing you had a concern with more than anything which is why you are now comfortable recommending IPOARM with the spreadsheet when you were not before. Got it, thanks for clarifying.
I do agree that the spreadsheet is useful - it uses the same 'cookie cutter' assumptions that you mentioned you did not like - but it is definitely more user friendly than going through the words to do the calculations.0 -
eat as many fruits and vegetables as you can, all day every day, then you won't have any room for the bad stuff
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These links are excellent. The members who run the eat-train-progress group are very helpful
I don't think it's a good idea to post these links for a beginner, convoluting them with more numbers and ratios and math... can be demotivating and make them feel like a failure i they can't stick to a "specific" ratio...
You may want to click in the links - the first link does not say to stick to a specific ratio.
OP: keep it simple. Eat what you would normally eat, just portion control it. Look at what you are eating and swap things out where necessary to give you a better 'food bang for your buck'. You do not need protein powder unless you are falling short of your protein goal with your food - it is just to supplement it if you need it.
You are making recommendations in your link, of how much protein and fat. You don't consider that to be specific ratios?
No, Sara's is based on personaised numbers - it's the Roadmap thread that has ratios.
I think all the links are great, and I honestly think you should give the new readers the benefit of the doubt and not assume they won't get it.
Yes some people will be anal and worry about every last gram, but that will only be a small percentage, and anyone that doesn't understand can always ask a specific query.
I find it quite amusing that you have told people to ignore these just because you saw the one Sara wrote at the top, and never realised that one that you endorse and contribute to (IPOARM) was there too.
When I started here you were actually one of the people I found informative. You are obviously a knowledgable person, and could help a lot of people if you spent more time giving useful help and advise and less time stalking/baiting other posters.0 -
whey protein is good for cutting (loosing weight) with water. its important to eat regually, i like to eat every 2.5 - 3 hours. believe it or not but eating regually helps your body burn fats. make sure you get alot of fiber everyday also
:noway:
Nonsense! It's calories in, calories out - the timing of food does not make a difference (for example I'm not a big fan of breakfast so I often don't eat it but then have a big dinner or a snack before bedtime with the spare calories instead).
Lots of good advice already posted, but my best advice would be to eat normally but within your calorie counts (get a kitchen scale and weigh everything - even your milk). You will quickly get a feel for what foods are bulky but low calorie that you can fill up on without feeling deprived. This also leaves some calories for the foods you really love (I always leave some spare for chocolate or wine most days).
Another easy way to get a good balance is to divide your plate into quarters - one quarter protein, one quarter starchy carbs, two quarters veg/salad. For example a grilled chicken breast with a baked potato and heaps of salad drizzled with olive oil and herbs.0 -
The method Sarah and I both demonstrated. Is ratios. You figure out how many grams of protein you need, then the fat, and fill the rest with carbs. You have a ratio.
No it does not say that at all - you obviously did not read it properly. What it says is:
"Macronutrient goals should really not be based on percentages, but on grams which vary depending on your size and activity levels.
We would recommend, as a rule of thumb, the following:
1g of protein per lb of LBM as a minimum target
0.35g of fat per lb of total body weight as a minimum target
The balance can fall where you wish, taking into account performance, satiety and adherence."
"Remember, protein and fats are minimums and so do not worry about going over on these, carbs would be the variable in this case and you would be under on that macro in order to meet your calorie target."
Nowhere does it say to hit specific percentages or to fill the rest in with carbs.
So, it looks like we are back to you having an issue with the thread you were a contributor for only, putting the math aside.0 -
The method Sarah and I both demonstrated. Is ratios. You figure out how many grams of protein you need, then the fat, and fill the rest with carbs. You have a ratio.
No it does not say that at all - you obviously did not read it properly. What it says is:
"Macronutrient goals should really not be based on percentages, but on grams which vary depending on your size and activity levels.
We would recommend, as a rule of thumb, the following:
1g of protein per lb of LBM as a minimum target
0.35g of fat per lb of total body weight as a minimum target
The balance can fall where you wish, taking into account performance, satiety and adherence."
"Remember, protein and fats are minimums and so do not worry about going over on these, carbs would be the variable in this case and you would be under on that macro in order to meet your calorie target."
Nowhere does it say to hit specific percentages or to fill the rest in with carbs.
So, it looks like we are back to you having an issue with the thread you were a contributor for only, putting the math aside.
So you're saying just leave MFP as is, and hit the minimums recommendations? People would always be over in the red. I know what you mean by not hitting %.
You can hit the ratios with %. That's wht they really are at the end of the day. I'll pick a nice easy number 300lbs 200lbs of LBM. TDEE 3,000
200g protein
120g fat
To hit the TDEE it's a %.
800 cals protein
1080 cals fat
carbs = 2,400(20% cut) -( 1880) = 520 cals of carbs.
Now we have to get the ratios...
carbs (520/2400) * 100 = 21.6%
protein (800/2400) * 100 = 33.4%
fat (1080/2400) * 100 = 45%
if all the percentages add up to 100% (which they do) then it's correct.
Of course MFP doesn't have this type of precision. So recommendation is to round up your protein and fat. Let the carbs fall in to place. You set this at 35% protein, 45% fat, 20% carbs.
Those are your ratios, you meet your minimums and MFP is set up correctly.
I mean this is how i do it, if i was even going to do this stuff, if you do it differently then okay.
Nearly. If you read the thread I suggest over-riding the MFP settings to get the right minimums for protein and fats. The balance goes to carbs as it has to add up to 100% in the system. However, I explain that carbs is the variable at that if you go over on protein and/or fats you will by default go under on carbs. Having a minimum based on grams for two of the three makes it far more flexible than trying to hit specific targets for all three macros ( and is unnecessary anyway)
Fundamentally, it is the same as the alternative suggestion in the old IPOARM and from what I would believe comes out of the suggestion in the new worksheet you mention (unless you are telling people to hit the carb gram target also, which would by default mean you are suggesting people actually hit all three macros rather than treating the other two as minimums)
So really the % are only used because that is the way to get the minimums in grams for protein and fats into your diary - the math is basically what you used in your example.
As a side note, I really wish you could put percentages in to the nearest 1% and not 5% but for some reason the site does not allow it.
Edited for typos0 -
Nearly. If you read the thread I suggest over-riding the MFP settings to get the right minimums for protein and fats. The balance goes to carbs as it has to add up to 100% in the system. However, I explain that carbs is the variable at that if you go over on protein and/or fats you will by default go under on carbs. Having a minimum based on grams for two of the three makes it far more flexible than trying to hit specific targets for all three macros ( and is unnecessary anyway)
Fundamentally, it is the same as the alternative suggestion in the old IPOARM and from what I would believe comes out of the suggestion in the new worksheet you mention (unless you are telling people to hit the carb gram target also, which would by default mean you are suggesting people actually hit all three macros rather than treating the other two as minimums)
So really the % are only used because that is the way to get the minimums in grams for protein and fats into your diary - the math is basically what you used in your example.
As a side note, I really wish you could put percentages in to the nearest 1% and not 5% but for some reason the site does not allow it.
Edited for typos
I haven't played with the diary settings in a long time, i don't even log. I forgot how design was. I see what you mean by setting protein and fat targets. You can see how many grams with the %.
In the spread sheet, and as i mentioned above, you will accomplish the same thing you're saying, but using the % feature. I remember trying to get my protein and fats to fit right, but it just didn't happen because as you know they increment by 5%. On the spreadsheet you can see the % where they fall exactly. I also recommend rounding up on protein and fat if the % isn't a multiple o 5. For example if you have protein at 33% round up to 35%. Same with fat.
The issue in this discussion is mostly verbal. You specifically have to say, "hit your protein and fat minimums." Yet MFP is set up as percentages. If you or I didn't make those recommendations "hit these minimums" then the user wouldn't know. They would most likely be trying to hit all the macros as what MFP shows.
In the end, we're in the same boat. We're both saying the same thing just a different approach. You're focused on grams, i am focused on the % of total calories of protein and fats which are really just grams. Of course no one is going to hit there diary goals perfect, but we do have something to strive for.
You keep throwing around the spreadsheet. Is this going to be different than Heybales's spreadsheet, or is it just an update to the same one? Multiple spreadsheets will get confusing...0
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