Do I pay attention to calories, carbs, fat, and protein?

blondieqaz
blondieqaz Posts: 4 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi, I am just gettin started with myfitnesspal and do not understand how to use it. Do I try to keep the calories, carbs, fat and protein under count? I find it easy to stay under in the calories, but not in the protein. Should I pay attention to all of them or just pick either calories or carbs to stay under?
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Replies

  • kenazfehu
    kenazfehu Posts: 1,188 Member
    I watch calories, cholesterol, and fiber.
  • Lisamb757
    Lisamb757 Posts: 35 Member
    You need to pay attention to all of them to be successful! Make sure you're getting enough healthy fats(nuts, peanut butter etc) and enough protein. I'd be more concerned about keeping carbs in check than calorie count to be honest! It really makes a difference! I was at a plateau and lowered my carb intake and upped protein/fats and lost more weight!
  • pholbert
    pholbert Posts: 575 Member
    Going over on protein is fine. Most people think the protein MFP gives you is a little low.
  • AmyRhubarb
    AmyRhubarb Posts: 6,890 Member
    Protein is good, and I think MFP sets it a little too low anyway. As far as the others, all are targets for the day, so if you're a bit under or a bit over on any of them, it's not the end of the world. Of course it also depends on your fitness goals, what types of workouts you're doing, etc. Example, runners may need more carbs, heavy lifters more protein, etc.

    If MFP has you set at the standard 1200 calories per day (as it does most people when they first start), I would definitely recommend hitting that number, and eating back calories burned by exercise, so that your NET calories at the end of the day are at least 1200.
  • etoiles_argentees
    etoiles_argentees Posts: 2,827 Member
    What's your goal? Are you trying to lose weight?
  • lindafjohnson
    lindafjohnson Posts: 30
    i started out watching protein and was finding I was always over. I was told by someone that protein is not the most important. It should be calories, carbs and fat. Too much fat and too many wrong carbs will hinder your weight loss:smile:
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
    Yes, but for protein and fats, make it a minimum and make calories and carbs a maximum.
  • Adubmarie87
    Adubmarie87 Posts: 41 Member
    I personally keep track of all of them for different reasons. Carb/Sugar I look at to keep from my body from storing fat. Protein is a what my diet was made of before I cut done due to obtaining too much muscle. I was a big meat eater before dieting and now I only eat it once a day or every three days. I eat all the veggies though. So look at what you are eating and if it has too much of your daily value, find in alternate with a lower percentage.

    e.g. Organic sugar vs. truvia or a 4 ounce beef vs. 4 ounce salmon
    Hope this helps!
  • kimosabe1
    kimosabe1 Posts: 2,467 Member
    before, I was always over on sugar so I crossed that out and added vitamins to my plan. It's going great now.
  • laura30188
    laura30188 Posts: 7
    My doctor recommended this sight to help my keep track of and count calories. She recommends I watch the carbs and the calories but I watch them all. So far I have been under on them all. But this site has me on a higher calorie diet than she suggested.
  • phyllio77
    phyllio77 Posts: 192 Member
    Hi, I am just gettin started with myfitnesspal and do not understand how to use it. Do I try to keep the calories, carbs, fat and protein under count? I find it easy to stay under in the calories, but not in the protein. Should I pay attention to all of them or just pick either calories or carbs to stay under?

    Depends on your goals. I personally try to eat as per the Canadian food guide and as organic as possible. I always aim to keep my calories under...sodium in the past was always an issue..so I keep sodium under as well....if my protein is high don't stress about it...as long as I ate controled portions and variety I was good. I have had several occasions when my protein had put my calories over. As a recovering carb junkie I try to keep the carbs to a minimum.
    Good luck with your goals.
  • cjeanthiele
    cjeanthiele Posts: 18
    I personally keep track of all of them for different reasons. Carb/Sugar I look at to keep from my body from storing fat. Protein is a what my diet was made of before I cut done due to obtaining too much muscle. I was a big meat eater before dieting and now I only eat it once a day or every three days. I eat all the veggies though. So look at what you are eating and if it has too much of your daily value, find in alternate with a lower percentage.

    e.g. Organic sugar vs. truvia or a 4 ounce beef vs. 4 ounce salmon
    Hope this helps!
  • pixiestick
    pixiestick Posts: 839 Member
    Cals, Sodium, and Protein.
  • jgsparks89
    jgsparks89 Posts: 85 Member
    Well, for weight loss, the most important thing is calories....calorie in, calories out. If you can create a deficit, then you'll lose weight. However, eating a well balanced diet definitely helps. I keep an eye on my macros as well as iron and calcium. I shoot high from protien and low for fat, but if I keep it under my total calorie goals, I consider it a successful day.

    Depending on your goals and individual needs, you may need to increase/decrease certain macros to your specific needs.

    Jut starting out, I would keep your log and see what your daily eating looks like, then adjust and set goals based on what you are doing wrong, and what you are already doing right.
  • Bernadettetoo
    Bernadettetoo Posts: 97
    Hi, I am just gettin started with myfitnesspal and do not understand how to use it. Do I try to keep the calories, carbs, fat and protein under count? I find it easy to stay under in the calories, but not in the protein. Should I pay attention to all of them or just pick either calories or carbs to stay under?

    Watch "bad" carbs . Don't eat "white" or "processed." Eat whole grains, fruit, and veggies.
  • fldiver97
    fldiver97 Posts: 341 Member
    the 'standard' MFP setting is only 15% protein........pretty low for many people. I felt hungry in the beginning and always went over on my protein and that helped me feel better and fuller. After a while on this site I found out that you can adjust your macros (carbs/protein/fat) and I changed mine to 40/30/30 which works out great for me. It helps me to eat healthier and more filling food. I don't always hit 30% protein and I don't worry too much as long as I get 20+ %, sometimes have to add a protein shake (yes, you can keep a shake/smoothie pretty low cal and tasty). I also started running and do Yoga (4-6 times a week for an hr, the Yoga that is) so that gives me exercise calories to eat back. Play around with your settings, maybe up the protein a bit (unless you have kidney problems, higher protein diets are fine). I was worried about salt, calcium and fiber for a while so I tracked those. Once I figured that I had no issues getting enough fiber and calcium in my diet I switched the settings to track other stuff. One thing that I am almost always over is sugar. I rarely ever use regular sugar. Just eating fruit will get you over, same with milk. I don't worry about sugar as long as it comes from fruit but I watch the sugars from baked goods, sweets and desserts. Eating high protein, a good amount of healthy fats (from almonds, nuts, avocado etc) makes me feel full and for the most part I am able to eat pretty healthy. I don't feel deprived, still eat out or have treats but try to fit them in my calorie count for the day.....
  • CrazyCatLadylovescats
    CrazyCatLadylovescats Posts: 107 Member
    It all depends on the eating model that you are using. If, for instance, you are doing Weight Watchers, follow their goals.

    I am doing a Primal/Paleo style. I try to keep my carbs way lower than recommended here, I try to keep total calories in line, and don't worry about protein or fat, except trans fats (which so far has been at zero every day anyhow.)

    You may find that if you are hungry all the time that cutting out grains (which are high calorie) will help you to be able to eat more vegetables and meat to help you feel full, as you can almost eat as much raw vegetable without dressing as you want and not have to worry about the calories.
  • BarackMeLikeAHurricane
    BarackMeLikeAHurricane Posts: 3,400 Member
    Try to stay under on calories, over on protein, and don't worry too much about carbs or fat. Some people say to watch carbs, but fruits and vegetables are carbs so I think that's stupid. Watch your refined carbs like bread and pasta, but fruits, veggies, and oats are good.
  • missjoci
    missjoci Posts: 412 Member
    Fat - you can go over on fat everyday and still lose weight, but they need to be healthy fats. Protein - the protein goals on MFP are pretty low. To build muscle, you'll want to take in 30-40% of your calories in protein. Carbs - If you're eating empty carbs, incorporating whole grains will make your weight loss easier and you'll crash less. Sugar - you'll go over a lot on sugar if you're eating fruit, just make sure they're healthy sugars. Sodium - some people do great on keeping this low. I think it's pretty hard to do. Watch the canned and boxed foods you buy, they tend to hide a lot of sodium. Lots of sodium will make you hold water. All the vitamins and minerals are important, if you find you're not getting the appropriate amounts, a supplement is the way to go. As many other people have mentioned, to lose weight the biggest part is creating a deficit in the calories taken in from the calories spent.

    Hope that helps! It's a little bit different for everyone, change around the amounts and see what works best for your body. :smile:
  • crimsoncat
    crimsoncat Posts: 457 Member
    I watch calories, calcium, protein and fiber. I especially watch fiber because I have been to the hospital before with constipation and calcium because my grandmother has osteoporosis. I'm doing weight training to strengthen my bones as much as I can while I'm young. I don't watch fat, and carbs because I noticed I tend to swing back and forth. I'll be over on fats one day, over on carbs the next.
  • cjeanthiele
    cjeanthiele Posts: 18
    This one floored me for a minute, as I don't know anyone with "too much" muscle...but then, I'm a middle aged bookkeeper. Generally, muscles are a good thing as they keep your metabolism up. The rules I have gone by are 1) protein goals are a floor (avoid going under); 2) Same thing for fiber; 3) calorie goals are a target (get as close as possible) unless I start to gain more than 2 pounds from my last low weight 4) avoid processed sugars and make sure you get some good fats
    The last is the hardest as MFP feels a sugar is a sugar, but in my case I react differently to corn syrup than I do to fresh fruit. I don't eat as many vegetables as most people will recommend as I have food intolerances that make some of them difficult to digest, along with gluten and dairy products. The last items are purely personal... some of these things you will have to adjust as you go along and learn more about how your body works. Good luck and don't panic every time you pick up a little water weight; if you keep at it you'll get there.
  • marthathebear
    marthathebear Posts: 498
    These are guidelines, going over or under once in a while won't kill you. On protein it is better to go over. On fats it is better to stay close to the target and on calories try to come as close as possible. It takes a while to get used to it.
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
    Hi, I am just gettin started with myfitnesspal and do not understand how to use it. Do I try to keep the calories, carbs, fat and protein under count? I find it easy to stay under in the calories, but not in the protein. Should I pay attention to all of them or just pick either calories or carbs to stay under?

    Watch "bad" carbs . Don't eat "white" or "processed." Eat whole grains, fruit, and veggies.

    Don't confuse the newbie with dieting myths such as "bad carbs" and "don't eat white food."
  • TheRealParisLove
    TheRealParisLove Posts: 1,907 Member
    This tool is completely customizable. When you click on the "goals" tab you will find there is a green button link called "Change Goals."

    From there you can select "guided" or "customize" based on your personal needs. For instance if you are under a doctor's orders to limit sugar or sodium, you can make your diary reflect those numbers under the "customize" section.

    If you are not under any kind of medical limitations, I recommended going with the guided settings for a few weeks and really only pay attention to calories. Then take some time to make friends and read the forums to compare your results with others.

    At the point where you are feeling more comfortable with the tools, try making some changes to your settings to see if switching up your macronutrients that you track is more helpful in reaching your goals.

    Personally, I eliminated the sugar setting and added in sodium and fiber. Some people prefer to track other macronutrients. It is your tool, use it to best suit your needs.
  • ripemango
    ripemango Posts: 534 Member
    i ignore everything but the calories. i aim to eat a healthy diet and stick below a certain calorie level.
  • etoiles_argentees
    etoiles_argentees Posts: 2,827 Member
    i ignore everything but the calories. i aim to eat a healthy diet and stick below a certain calorie level.

    You are going to be awarded the most likely poster on this thread to be successful.

    I thought I already had that one. :(

    skip it. ;)
  • minsooky
    minsooky Posts: 59
    If your goal is to just lose weight, then really calories is the one that matters. If you are an athlete, bodybuilder, or having special dietary needs, you'll need to pay attention to other things...for instance, I'm a BBer so I pay attention to my protein intake as well as my fat intake (mostly because I seem to never eat enough fat though lol). Good luck!
  • blondieqaz
    blondieqaz Posts: 4 Member
    Yes, weight loss is my main goal, but I also want to eat healthy and develop a lifestyle plan. I want to be able to maintain the weight loss.
  • j2cool2
    j2cool2 Posts: 7
    I once dropped about 60 lbs in about 2 and a half months. I mostly watch calories, fat (types of fat as well), protein, and sodium. Aside from that, I stay away from processed foods and mostly eat a very veggie/fruit/fiber/protein heavy diet with an emphasis on staying in line with serving size and managing the timing of my meals. In regards to sugar/carbs, I mostly try to limit it to 6-20g for snacks and meals. Also, I try to limit simple sugars and aim for more naturally occurring sugars (ie. honey as a sweetener). Of course, I also work out 3-6 times a week as physical activity is important to mental fortitude in all aspects of life but plays a role in maintaining your fitness goals, burning fat, and building muscles to keep fat from coming back. In my opinion, the key to weight loss is about balance. You have to figure your body type, your amount of physical activity, and your fitness goals to determine how much you should be eating a day, and combine that with feeding your body the foods it's actually built to breakdown(mostly plant and plant based foods but poultry[breast,wings] and fish, NEVER FRIED UNLESS OVEN, are cool too). Sadly, in the U.S. you have to kind of go out of your way, all day every day, to find the foods that are better for you. Literally, almost everything in front of your face and ALL the staple foods of our country will make you fat/kill you. It can make it really difficult to do the right thing with foods, depending on where you live here, because it's extremely normal to eat horrible foods, that aren't only high in everything bad for but also contain mystery ingredients, in most places here, and seen as odd to strictly eat the foods meant for you, but your body immediately reacts positively when you cut the crap.
  • j2cool2
    j2cool2 Posts: 7
    To add, most soft drinks aren't that good for you at all. It's best to primarily drink water, fruit infused water is pretty good, or juice your own fruits if you want something different. DO NOT buy into the gimmick of Gatorade or energy drinks nothing is better for you than H2O. Water Boy had it's truths.

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