Help with macros and protein

sarahsamuels82

Hi. I'm currently 129lbs female and have been stuck for a month or two, despite sticking to 1350 cals and exercising regularly. My aim is to lose 10lbs and get toned. I am 160cm tall.

I then decided to look at my macros and realised that I was only getting around 10% protein! Way too many carbs.

So I have switched it up a bit and custom set my macros to 50% carbs, 30 protein and 20 fat. Does this sound about right for my goals?

I also try to eat 1g protein per pound of lean body mass, but find this quite hard on most days. So have started using a whey protein shake.

My question is this. Should I change my macros based on whether I am working out that day? Does my body need as much as 95g protein on a rest day? And if not, is it best to up my carbs or my fat to still meet my daily calories?

I also hear that I am supposed to 'eat back' exercise calories. Is this true? I find this very difficult as I'm just not hungry!

Any advice appreciated

BreakingOath

Yea, you need to try to get as much protein on your Rest days as well. When you lift weights you are breaking down our muscles. They rebuild over the few days after a workout so protein is just as important on rest days.

Lift heavy weights and try increasing your calories by 100 and don't focus so much on the number on the scale. Losing weight won't automatically make you toned. You need to build muscle by lifting heavy weights

charismanoodles

Hi Sarah,

That goal sounds a lot more sensible, I am currently on 40/30/30 (protein, carb, fat) and it's working well for me and have been losing weight steadily.

I do not eat back my exercise calories as I am using the TDEE method of calorie counting, which takes into account your activities. You can find a calculator here;

http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

For me, I always eat to my macros no matter if I work out or not. Protein is great because it makes you feel full.

sarahsamuels82

Thanks for that link. Based on my goals it is giving me 1650 cals a day. That sounds a lot! Did you find it high to begin with? I'm not even sure how to get another 300 cals a day in without feeling stuffed. Maybe I should try doing that on workout days only to begin with?

haymancm

http://www.wellnessresources.com/tips/articles/how_protein_helps_weight_loss/

After reading an article, I switched my %'s to 30/30/40 for carbs/protein/fats. Adding more protein doesn't mean that you have to eat all the calories & can still expect to lose weight. Usually, I eat back 1/2 my work out calories, sometimes more.