are you diligent about following macros or just calories?
Replies
-
Both for me...but if you're new, focus primarily on your calories. Calories in/out for weight loss. Managing your macros will help you to get the proper nutrition and eat a balanced diet and also come into play when you're talking about certain training goals...but get your calories down first.0
-
2 fold answer
1) i dont track macros, it's hard enough keeping track of calories, much less where they need to be coming from
2) on the phone app, I can scroll and review what macros I've hit on past weekly eating and my scenario works out like this, no matter how I eat, I hover around 40/30/30
i suppose if the macros were really wacky, I would do something about them0 -
Calories are most important to lose weight at all.
Next comes protein to maintain muscle mass.
Next is fat to maintain hormone production and other important bodily functions.
Carbs come last. They are important for sustaining maximal performance in the gym (except for a few rare individuals allegedly).
However you find that you end up sacrificing carbs because you don't really want to lower protein and fats too much for optimal body recomposition/health.
^ This.
Edited to add: Oh, and also fibre. I aim for 14g/1000cals (about 33g/day)0 -
Calories, then fat, sodium and cholesterol.0
-
Calories are most important to lose weight at all.
Next comes protein to maintain muscle mass.
Next is fat to maintain hormone production and other important bodily functions.
Carbs come last. They are important for sustaining maximal performance in the gym (except for a few rare individuals allegedly).
However you find that you end up sacrificing carbs because you don't really want to lower protein and fats too much for optimal body recomposition/health.
^ This.
Two times ^This^. I also monitor fiber but that's mostly because I saw a dramatic difference in my skin when I increased it. Good Luck!0 -
I focus on calories first, then protein, then finally let carbs and fat fall where they may. It works for me. But I find with the food choices I make carbs and fat are usually pretty well in line with my ratios without focusing specifically on them.
What she said.I also keep an eye on choesterol.
Works good for me as it went from "too high"to "great" in 3 mos.
The med combined with healthy eating & exercise gets the credit.0 -
Calories are most important to lose weight at all.
Next comes protein to maintain muscle mass.
Next is fat to maintain hormone production and other important bodily functions.
Carbs come last. They are important for sustaining maximal performance in the gym (except for a few rare individuals allegedly).
However you find that you end up sacrificing carbs because you don't really want to lower protein and fats too much for optimal body recomposition/health.
^ This.
Two times ^This^. I also monitor fiber but that's mostly because I saw a dramatic difference in my skin when I increased it. Good Luck!
^ lol I just added fibre to my post too
0 -
My top ones to watch are calories first, calcium second (due to my mother and grandmother both having had osteoporosis), fats third (due to high cholesterol running in my family), and the rest as they fall. Though I am having to ensure sodium is a bit higher since I've dropped lots of fatty foods from my diet.0
-
I really try and watch my calories. Second, I try to make sure I eat enough protein. I'm in kidney failure and you lose a lot of protein during peritioneal dialysis. Likewise I have to work to keep my sodium low. I have to carefully watch two things that aren't typically tracked - potassium and phosphorous. I can't really process either. I gave into temptation once and ate two whole tomatoes and wound in the hospital with my potassium at a toxic level.0
-
Definitely macros. To me, I stay under calories, then fat & carbs & try to be over on protein & fiber. My body also reacts better if under sodium. Call it obsessive compulsive or whatever, but as I started to lose the weight I realized following macros this way works for ‘me’. I have lost 82 pounds with 48 on MFP. I have been on over 400 days & I have only had a handful of days whereby I went over. I try to just have a cheat meal or meal & dessert as cheating the entire day has only gotten me sick. I’ve logged every day including cheat days & holidays & usually do some type of activity to offset some of the difference. For me I credit my losses & being in maintenance for 9 months next week due to playing the macro game Now, it is just a part of my life & so worth it!0
-
I'm most diligent about calories. It's a chore to eat enough protein and not too much fat. My carb counts are all over the place but I focus on fiber more than total carbs.
My main dietary concerns are:
-- Don't eat too much calories or fat.
-- Don't eat too little fiber, calcium or protein.0 -
LIZ- with that calculator my BMR is 1209 and my TDEE with sedetary is 1451 and with 3-5 days exercise its 1875
other sites have givin me a TDEE of 2050 so if I subtract 20% from that it would put me at 1640. so maybe I should up my calories a bit to 1650?
if I set my calories to 1650 and set my marcos to 35/35/30 C/P/F that puts me at 144g/144g/55g
thats a lot of protein. wow! and carbs!! its easier for me to get more fat calories0 -
I lost 70 pounds only doing calories, the first 50 of which was with hardly any exercise. Now that I am in the home stretch, on the last 10 pounds, I am trying to start paying attention to my macros. It's a change for me, because before I've been so focused on only the calories. I am working out a lot more now too though, so I know that the protein is more important.0
-
I try to worry about it some, but I don't drive myself nuts over it. My goal really is to be close to 120g of protein a day, for the rest sometimes I have more carbs, sometimes more fat, whatever really.0
-
I'm not diligent about any of the numbers. Why work that hard if it isn't necessary?
Sometimes my calories are a liittle under, sometimes they are spot-on, sometimes they are a little over. MFP does not allow me to customize the way I would like to so I'm alway over & under on things there. I kind of have a ballpark range around my net calorie goal and anywhere near that +/- is fine.
The fat & inches are melting away so I'd say it is working perfectly for me.0 -
Calories, and maybe sodium if I eat something I know is high in it.0
-
I'm not diligent about any of the numbers. Why work that hard if it isn't necessary?
Sometimes my calories are a liittle under, sometimes they are spot-on, sometimes they are a little over. MFP does not allow me to customize the way I would like to so I'm alway over & under on things there. I kind of have a ballpark range around my net calorie goal and anywhere near that +/- is fine.
The fat & inches are melting away so I'd say it is working perfectly for me.
It's pretty malleable with customized goals.0 -
I do both, but if I had to pick one I watch more closely it would be macros, however, at this stage I am maintaining and just trying to maintain muscle.0
-
I'm not diligent about any of the numbers. Why work that hard if it isn't necessary?
Sometimes my calories are a liittle under, sometimes they are spot-on, sometimes they are a little over. MFP does not allow me to customize the way I would like to so I'm alway over & under on things there. I kind of have a ballpark range around my net calorie goal and anywhere near that +/- is fine.
The fat & inches are melting away so I'd say it is working perfectly for me.
It's pretty malleable with customized goals.
Not enough for me but it really doesn't matter. I don't aim to hit the same specific numbers every day.0 -
I look at protein since my dietitian told me that it sticks to your ribs better than carbs so you feel less hungry and sodium because of high BP (which is about as low as it's ever been at the moment) but other than that I pretty much ignore them.0
-
I pay attention to overall calories. I'm usually over MFP's unrealistic numbers on sugar, fat and protein, but since those are my three favorite food groups I don't care, as long as I'm well under on overall calories.0
-
I've been following MFP for 5 weeks and I am presently in mynSECOND plateau.i just asked about macro percentages in food and nutrition. i track macros only and it is what broke my plateau. i'm sticking with what works. i do 40% 40% 20%. carbs, protein, fat
If you've only been here this month, you haven't hit a plateau.0 -
My actual goal is a body fat% rather than a weight, so I do watch calories first and foremost, but protein is a close second. After that, I track my sodium and vitamin C intake. Vitamin C helps me make sure I'm logging enough fruits and veggies every day. (I set up my account so I don't see the sugar number anymore, I see vitamin C instead.)0
-
i dont know if I should really be series about following macros or just focus on sticking to a certain number of calories a day
i'm 35 yo female, 5'0 at 130. i would like to drop 15 lbs. so eating at 1500 a day. does that seem ok? i dont want to go too low
I lift heavy 3 days a week and run four miles 4-5 days a week(going to substitute 2 of those long runs for HIIT)
It depends. When I have a lot to lose I worry about calories period, when I get closer to my goal and start working on changing up my body comp through more than just calorie deficit then I worry more about macros.0 -
I usually just pay attention to calories. I eat tons of fruit and veggies, so my carbs are always over. I don't let it stress me out because I know I'm eating healthily.
0 -
I've been following MFP for 5 weeks and I am presently in mynSECOND plateau.i just asked about macro percentages in food and nutrition. i track macros only and it is what broke my plateau. i'm sticking with what works. i do 40% 40% 20%. carbs, protein, fat
If you've only been here this month, you haven't hit a plateau.
Nope. Stalls = / = Plateau. Go for a few months then call me back.0 -
mine did last 3 months. joining MFP and tracking macros broke mine.
I've been following MFP for 5 weeks and I am presently in mynSECOND plateau.i just asked about macro percentages in food and nutrition. i track macros only and it is what broke my plateau. i'm sticking with what works. i do 40% 40% 20%. carbs, protein, fat
If you've only been here this month, you haven't hit a plateau.
Nope. Stalls = / = Plateau. Go for a few months then call me back.0 -
mine did last 3 months. joining MFP and tracking macros broke mine.
I've been following MFP for 5 weeks and I am presently in mynSECOND plateau.i just asked about macro percentages in food and nutrition. i track macros only and it is what broke my plateau. i'm sticking with what works. i do 40% 40% 20%. carbs, protein, fat
If you've only been here this month, you haven't hit a plateau.
Nope. Stalls = / = Plateau. Go for a few months then call me back.
Congrats. I wasn't responding to you.0 -
\
I've been following MFP for 5 weeks and I am presently in mynSECOND plateau.i just asked about macro percentages in food and nutrition. i track macros only and it is what broke my plateau. i'm sticking with what works. i do 40% 40% 20%. carbs, protein, fat
If you've only been here this month, you haven't hit a plateau.
One week isn't a plateau. Plateaus are usually a month or more - its your body's way of regrouping after weight loss and beocming used to the changes you're making.0
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 393.6K Introduce Yourself
- 43.8K Getting Started
- 260.3K Health and Weight Loss
- 176K Food and Nutrition
- 47.5K Recipes
- 232.6K Fitness and Exercise
- 431 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.5K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.6K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 153K Motivation and Support
- 8K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.4K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.8K MyFitnessPal Information
- 24 News and Announcements
- 1.1K Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.6K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions