Do you try to hit your macros or just count calories?
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AliceNov2011
Posts: 471 Member
Do you try to hit your macros or just call a calorie a calorie? It appears to me from this highly unscientific forum that the people who struggle the most with willpower and temptation are the ones who just count calories. I think imbalance plays a part.
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Maybe you're right. I struggle, and have no idea what a macro is....
I should look it up maybe.
General things I try to do are obvious ones. Reduce or eliminate chips/cookies/late night eating... drink more water... less booze... more fish/veggies... less sauces/dips...not too many bread/carby things...and since logging my food, I found I probably needed to reduce red meat/cheese too as I blew a ton of calories there.
Where macros fit into that I don't know.0 -
I guess I sort of do both. I try to have 40 protein/ 30 carbs / 30 fats daily, but then I try to stick to around 1300 these days as I am on a plateau. But I find that if I go over 1500 I tend to put on weight, so right now I am back and forth from 1200 to 1500 just depending, and still trying to keep the 40/30/30 percentages.0
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@Kitsada: Macro is short for macronutrients, which are protein, carbs & fat. Micronutrients also play a part -- sodium, sugar, potassium, etc., especially for us women over 50.
Most people agree that MFP sets our protein targets way too low. If you go to MY HOME-->GOALS-->CHANGE GOALS-->CUSTOM-->CONTINUE, you can customize your targets. For example, I have mine set to be 40% carbs, 30% fat, and 30% protein. (I'm 54, 5'9", 172 lbs, shooting for 152 lbs.). Here's what that looks like:
Net Calories Consumed 1650 calories
Carbohydrates 165g
Protein 124g
Fat 55g
Cholesterol 175mg
Sodium 1500mg
Potassium 1600mg
Fiber 30g
Sugars 31g
Hope that helps!0 -
Yes, and tracking macros has helped me a lot. Besides the health benefits, it has forced me to expand my diet and I feel more sated. I only wish MFP allowed more nutrients, though I usually look at my weekly macros through the "Reports" tool. I track calories, sodium, potassium, protein, carbs, calcium. Still learning better ways of nutrition and differences in pre-menopause diet and post-menopause diet.0
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I was doing both, mostly calories. My son in law left a box of Ritz crackers here and you can have 5 for only 80 calories! I happened to up my calories about the same time so started having them on the side and have noticed my carbs have gone way up (not just from the crackers but they don't help). My oatmeal is surprisingly high in carbs and I'm eating more rice lately too, so we'll see. After my weigh in this weekend I'll have to see if I need to re-adjust things.0
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What kind of add do the Ritz crackers give your sodium? Just curious.
Note that there are good and bad carbs. Oatmeal is uber-good for you. And if you subtract the fiber in the food from its carbs, you get "Net Carbs," which are really where it's at! ;c)0 -
I keep an eye on both. For a long time, I was always going over my protein. When I switched to a vegan diet, I struggled to reach my protein but find I am exceeding my fats! I think I am eating more healthy fats, though. I wish the macro would indicate that.0
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I keep track of both for weight loss as well as health. I am not so worried about how much I weigh as I am about being healthy.0
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I find tracking my macros to be super helpful. After some experimentation, I've found that I feel best when I hit 45C/25P/30F, so that's where I've set them. 40/30/30 feels even better, but, realistically for me, it's harder to hit those ratios without an awful lot of protein powder in my diet. I eat the same things for breakfast and lunch, with a little variation, pretty much every day. I pre-log that plus what I know we're going to have for dinner. Looking at the macro pie chart then helps me decide what to have as a snack to balance it out by the end of the day.
I always make sure I'm over on fiber, as my body is used to a ton of it and if I only eat the recommended amount, bad things happen GI-wise. I do fine on most of the other micros without trying, thanks to a huge vegetable salad with a little lean meat every day for lunch. The one place I do poorly is sugar. I'm always over, sometimes *way* over. The fact that "sugar" includes lactose from milk and sugars naturally in fruits and grains would already put me over even without sweets, so I just don't worry about it. I've cut my daily sweets from >20 (wonder why I was overweight, LOL) to 2-3 per day. I eat a lot of food, so that represents maybe 10-15% of my total daily calories. I think that fits within the definition of moderation, and I can still stay within my macro target.
One rule I made for myself that has really helped me, without leaving me feeling deprived: Never eat dessert at home, in the middle of the day, alone. I only eat it with a meal (usually dinner), in the company of at least one other person. I tend to eat much less of it, and I need a lot less of it to feel like it's enough.0 -
@Kitsada: Macro is short for macronutrients, which are protein, carbs & fat. Micronutrients also play a part -- sodium, sugar, potassium, etc., especially for us women over 50.
Most people agree that MFP sets our protein targets way too low. If you go to MY HOME-->GOALS-->CHANGE GOALS-->CUSTOM-->CONTINUE, you can customize your targets. For example, I have mine set to be 40% carbs, 30% fat, and 30% protein. (I'm 54, 5'9", 172 lbs, shooting for 152 lbs.). Here's what that looks like:
Net Calories Consumed 1650 calories
Carbohydrates 165g
Protein 124g
Fat 55g
Cholesterol 175mg
Sodium 1500mg
Potassium 1600mg
Fiber 30g
Sugars 31g
Hope that helps!
Very interesting just went and changed mine to your suggestion, according to the change from what MFP had it was way over on carbs. Now I know why I was having a hard time getting to that number. Thanks Alice0 -
Alice,
Thanks for clearing up the macro thing for me. I think I finally figured this on out and increasing protein i and lowering carbs is the way to go for my body.
Christine0 -
I just started using MFP so I'm getting to know it a bit but I do like the idea of counting the macros, too. It might help keep me from sliding cause I know I have a tendency to want to eat more carbs.0
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I pretty much try to count calories. I keep an eye on the other stuff and try not to go way over on carbs/sugars, etc. I could really see how my cravings changed during the holidays. My sugars were really high because of the extra cookies I was nibbling on. As a result, I craved more sugar like you couldn't believe. It was eye-opening to see how eating sugar makes me want to eat a lot more sugar. I never adjusted the settings in MFP. I may just go in and change the percentages as noted in previous posts.0
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Both. I try to get my calories and macros close to their goal amounts.0
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I just discovered the "Get full report" for food. I saw the button on my food diary page, but because the button is the same color as and is near the water entry, I thought it was to get a report on water. LOL:embarassed:0
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Hmm alright, I've made the suggested adjustment to my plan as well, thanks Alice.
I hadn't been paying much attention to the numbers other than calories... though I routinely went over in protein on the old setting, and sometimes on fat, rarely over on carbs. I can see now that I won't be in line, with my 'normal' diet, I'll need to make some changes to amp up protein even more, and decrease carbs... *sob*
I also have to start to exercise I think or I don't think its going to go well for me, I'm having a lot of trouble even just recovering from holiday indiscretions. (damn eggnog is still in the house... and I love it so can't bring myself to toss it...lol.) Any time now, on that exercise.... yuck.0 -
Thanks for the info, I just changed my settings also. I try to keep within my macros that I had set, try to watch my sodium (yesterday was a total bust!). I think the logging has helped so much in seeing just how much was in everything I ate as far as the macros go! Will have to see how this new setting goes :-).0
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I aim for the same ratios:
Carbs-40%
Fats & protein - each 30%
Using the MFP app helps because of the pie chart for macros0 -
I have just had an eureka moment. I had my macros set at 40c/30p/30f and have never hit them. I honestly never thought of increasing the carb to 45%. Just off to do it.0
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I use my macros as a ceiling, not a floor. I don't care about hitting them, I just don't want to go over.0
