Calories or macros??

sunshine_gem
sunshine_gem Posts: 390 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Which is more important to hit in the day? I have a calorie target and a one for each set of macros but I find in order to hit the macros I go over on calories. So is it better to lower the macros and just hit the calories or vice versa? All opinions welcome!

Replies

  • nxd10
    nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
    Calories if you want to lose weight.
  • Lina4Lina
    Lina4Lina Posts: 712 Member
    Macros are a guideline only. Calories are what will help you lose/maintain weight.
  • TheDrBuchanan
    TheDrBuchanan Posts: 89 Member
    Get the hang of meeting calories first, then you should be able to see which macros you really need to adjust. You may have to come up with creative ways to meet macros within your calorie goals, but in the meantime you'll still start losing weight.
  • Hssh1988
    Hssh1988 Posts: 48 Member
    I hit my carb and fat macro but always fall short of protein... wonder if that's harmful.
  • taylor5877
    taylor5877 Posts: 1,792 Member
    on the default macros? calories.

    on a higher protein diet with mostly or all clean foods, macros. Good luck stuffing your face and keeping 30-40% protein down...
  • Crochetluvr
    Crochetluvr Posts: 3,327 Member
    For me, calories and carbs are equally important. Protein comes in second. The rest I am not concerned about.
  • myfitnessnmhoy
    myfitnessnmhoy Posts: 2,105 Member
    Which is more important to hit in the day? I have a calorie target and a one for each set of macros but I find in order to hit the macros I go over on calories. So is it better to lower the macros and just hit the calories or vice versa? All opinions welcome!

    When everything is entered correctly, this should not even be a question - there are 9 calories in a gram of fat, 4 calories in a gram of protein, and 4 calories in a gram of carbohydrates. So if the MFP database was perfect and not subject to rounding, if you "stuck the landing" on your macros, your calories should be darned near perfect.

    However, not all database items are perfect, and there is (of course) rounding especially on fat. Rarely does anyone list 4.12 grams of fat in a serving, it's usually rounded off to the nearest gram. So each entry can have up to a 5-calorie variance from reality.

    Overall, I'd say make sure you are getting close to your targets on macros, and focus on meeting your goals on calories. The calories are a more precise number that is less subject to rounding errors.

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