Upping fat to fill calories

sg992
sg992 Posts: 60 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hey everyone, just a quick macros question I was hoping to get some advice on. I'm on a 1200 diet and have stuck to 50% carbs, 30% protein and 20% fat for the past few weeks, but I've noticed I'm always falling a little short on calories. It's never more than 100 calories at most, but on such a calorie-restricted diet I'm worried this is overdoing it with the deficit.

I always fill my carb and fat percentages and fall quite a bit short of my protein, so I'm thinking of upping my fat to 25, lowering the protein to 25, and just having an extra egg/bit of cheese per day to get up to my 1200 a day. Is the 50/25/25 ratio an effective plan for healthy weight loss? And will the ratio change stall my loss since I'm suddenly upping my calories a bit with fat (I know this is probably an overreaction since I'm only upping the fat by 5%, going from 27 to 33g a day, but tracking has made me this pedantic!).

Thanks for any comments!

Replies

  • ngyoung
    ngyoung Posts: 311 Member
    I would up your fat, lower carb, and leave protein alone. You can get plenty of foods that are fairly even for protein and fat.

    Dietary fat doesn't turn into body fat. You still have to eat over maintenance to do that. Plus dietary fat helps you feel satiated, helps keep your blood sugar stable, and improves vitamin absorption.
  • sg992
    sg992 Posts: 60 Member
    I would up your fat, lower carb, and leave protein alone. You can get plenty of foods that are fairly even for protein and fat.

    Dietary fat doesn't turn into body fat. You still have to eat over maintenance to do that. Plus dietary fat helps you feel satiated, helps keep your blood sugar stable, and improves vitamin absorption.

    Most of the time I'm so far under on protein though, I feel like I'm wasting the percentage if I can fill it with another nutrient. Trying to avoid restricting my carbs since they're the main staple of my diet (prior to MFP I was actually eating way more carbs and still losing).
  • pluckabee
    pluckabee Posts: 346 Member
    Is there no way you can increase your protein intake to hit your macros?

    When losing weight protein is quite important because it can help reduce the loss of lean body mass
  • Ainar
    Ainar Posts: 858 Member
    I really hate macro %s, don't even get why people still use that instead of counting grams. Anyways, if you care about not losing muscle mass while dieting then you should probably upp that protein to min of 1g per pound of lean body mass and do some strenght training as well. If you do not care about muscle and just wanna get as skinny as you can then just count your calories, that's all you have to do.

    I personally ate 1g of protein per pound of lean body mass and 0.5 grams of fat minimum to keep my natural hormone levels in check cos going too low fat can cause some problems. Then I just fill the rest of my cals up with whatever I ate - carbs, fats, protein, etc.
  • KarenJanine
    KarenJanine Posts: 3,497 Member
    As others have said, leave your protein, decrease carbs and increase fat.

    1200 is a very restrictive diet so it's important to get enough fat and protein to help prevent too much muscle loss and hormonal imbalances.
  • sg992
    sg992 Posts: 60 Member
    Is there no way you can increase your protein intake to hit your macros?

    When losing weight protein is quite important because it can help reduce the loss of lean body mass

    I thought I might be overdoing it since I don't do any strength training - all I do is a bit of cardio through the week, so I thought having a medium-protein diet would be enough to sustain that. Most of the snacks I enjoy would fill the fat but only contribute a little to the protein since I rarely come close to my protein target. At the same time I don't want to under-do the protein.. so hard finding the balance!
  • KarenJanine
    KarenJanine Posts: 3,497 Member
    Is there no way you can increase your protein intake to hit your macros?

    When losing weight protein is quite important because it can help reduce the loss of lean body mass

    I thought I might be overdoing it since I don't do any strength training - all I do is a bit of cardio through the week, so I thought having a medium-protein diet would be enough to sustain that. Most of the snacks I enjoy would fill the fat but only contribute a little to the protein since I rarely come close to my protein target. At the same time I don't want to under-do the protein.. so hard finding the balance!

    With only eating 1200 cals it is unlikely you would be able to eat enough protein to over do it, even if all your calories were coming from protein (although that would not be a good idea!)
  • RubyRunner14
    RubyRunner14 Posts: 148 Member
    "I really hate macro %s, don't even get why people still use that instead of counting grams."

    Because everyone has a different calorie and macro need based on goals, calorie intake, and how the body handles certain macro ratios. Telling a 120lb person and 210lb person to eat 150g protein per day will produce drastically different results.
  • pluckabee
    pluckabee Posts: 346 Member
    Is there no way you can increase your protein intake to hit your macros?

    When losing weight protein is quite important because it can help reduce the loss of lean body mass

    I thought I might be overdoing it since I don't do any strength training - all I do is a bit of cardio through the week, so I thought having a medium-protein diet would be enough to sustain that. Most of the snacks I enjoy would fill the fat but only contribute a little to the protein since I rarely come close to my protein target. At the same time I don't want to under-do the protein.. so hard finding the balance!

    I doubt you're overdoing it!

    In fact if you aren't doing strength training it might even be more important, since resistance training also helps mitigate lean mass loss.

    If all you have to protect against lean mass loss is protein intake it's better for you to be going over than under and at 1200 calories a day, I doubt you are really eating that much protein if you aren't even hitting 25%
  • sg992
    sg992 Posts: 60 Member
    Thanks everyone, I'll take the advice and keep my protein at 30% for now; going to try to fill the calorie gap with some lean meat/fish instead of more eggs/cheese snacks.
  • DrMAvDPhD
    DrMAvDPhD Posts: 2,097 Member
    Your protein setting is already low, your calorie intake is low, and you aren't even getting the minimal amount of protein suggested. How about trying to eat more protein?
  • 257_Lag
    257_Lag Posts: 1,249 Member
    One protein shake a day. 150 calories. 26 grams of protein (roughly)

    Sounds like a perfect fit to me.
  • chrisdavey
    chrisdavey Posts: 9,834 Member
    you could eat 100% protein, but if you aren't doing any resistance training then you will lose LBM.

    I'd eat more of anything really but protein is the most important macro when in a deficit.
  • sg992
    sg992 Posts: 60 Member
    One protein shake a day. 150 calories. 26 grams of protein (roughly)

    Sounds like a perfect fit to me.

    Looking into this too, thanks for the tip!
  • sg992
    sg992 Posts: 60 Member
    Another question on protein, is it better to just eat more meat/fish (probably canned tuna for me) over supplements such as whey protein? Or does it not make a difference so long as the calories are the same?
    I've tried out a whey protein a couple of times (as a drink with water, and mixed into porridge) but it makes me feel incredibly full even when I only eat enough to equal 100 cals, if I could switch to eating a portion of tuna daily to fill the calories I probably would.
  • drefaw
    drefaw Posts: 739
    yes, getting it from whole foods is just as good. Some will say better .....
  • sg992
    sg992 Posts: 60 Member
    yes, getting it from whole foods is just as good. Some will say better .....

    Thanks, just felt like the whey was a bit excessive since I read the protein just goes straight out of your system if you're not drinking it around workouts anyway. Since I'm only looking to fill a few extra calories I'll probably just stick with a bit extra protein food per day.
  • 55in13
    55in13 Posts: 1,091 Member
    You are trying to lose 26 pounds and your daily intake is within 100 calories of goal nearly every day? I would say you are doing great and don't need to change a thing.
  • scottaworley
    scottaworley Posts: 871 Member
    yes, getting it from whole foods is just as good. Some will say better .....

    Thanks, just felt like the whey was a bit excessive since I read the protein just goes straight out of your system if you're not drinking it around workouts anyway. Since I'm only looking to fill a few extra calories I'll probably just stick with a bit extra protein food per day.

    Okay, so one at a time.
    1) There are differences in effectiveness of proteins, but unless you're really serious about bodybuilding/fitness they aren't really anything to worry about. A protein is a protein is a protein for your purposes (likely)
    2) Protein in no way goes straight out of your system. This would be MASSIVE diarrhea. Protein will always be absorbed and always be used. The amino acids in protein are essential to several organs and tissues including, but not limited to, your muscles.
    3) I would recommend a weight training or resistance program to maintain lean body mass. If you do so, you NEED a good amount of protein in your diet (1g/lb of lean body mass or so) to repair your muscles quickly.
  • sg992
    sg992 Posts: 60 Member
    You are trying to lose 26 pounds and your daily intake is within 100 calories of goal nearly every day? I would say you are doing great and don't need to change a thing.

    Yeah, I'm just trying to get as close to my goal each day since I don't like going under 1200; feel a bit uneasy about it on the days I only hit 1100. Just looking for something to close the gap, I think meat/fish is the way.
  • scottaworley
    scottaworley Posts: 871 Member
    Have you figured out your BMR/TDEE?
    It could be that even 1200 is too little for you. I don't know your height/weight, but I started out at 1200 because that's what MFP told me to do. I'm much happier and losing weight more effectively now that I'm eating 1900 calories per day.
  • sg992
    sg992 Posts: 60 Member
    yes, getting it from whole foods is just as good. Some will say better .....

    Thanks, just felt like the whey was a bit excessive since I read the protein just goes straight out of your system if you're not drinking it around workouts anyway. Since I'm only looking to fill a few extra calories I'll probably just stick with a bit extra protein food per day.

    Okay, so one at a time.
    1) There are differences in effectiveness of proteins, but unless you're really serious about bodybuilding/fitness they aren't really anything to worry about. A protein is a protein is a protein for your purposes (likely)
    2) Protein in no way goes straight out of your system. This would be MASSIVE diarrhea. Protein will always be absorbed and always be used. The amino acids in protein are essential to several organs and tissues including, but not limited to, your muscles.
    3) I would recommend a weight training or resistance program to maintain lean body mass. If you do so, you NEED a good amount of protein in your diet (1g/lb of lean body mass or so) to repair your muscles quickly.

    Yes, I'm really not looking to gain muscle, just preserve LBM and lower weight and fat %. I just thought since the whey makes me feel uncomfortably full (and I could do without the taste!) I'd rather replace that with a bit of food instead. I was going to take up weight training when I'm a bit nearer to my goal weight, right now I'm just focusing on straight loss.
  • sg992
    sg992 Posts: 60 Member
    Have you figured out your BMR/TDEE?
    It could be that even 1200 is too little for you. I don't know your height/weight, but I started out at 1200 because that's what MFP told me to do. I'm much happier and losing weight more effectively now that I'm eating 1900 calories per day.

    I'm 5'7 and 151lbs, BMR is ~1500 and TDEE is ~1800 (I set my activity level to sedentary and I log all the exercise I do, and eat back those calories), so if I eat all my 1200 cals I get a 600 deficit each day.
  • scottaworley
    scottaworley Posts: 871 Member
    I would encourage you to up your calories by at least 240 to 1440. This will help to keep you from losing muscle.
    When I started I wanted to do the same thing - lose weight then weight train. The problem with that is that you lose a large amount of muscle when eating at a deficit and have to work to build that muscle back up. It's up to you, but I would again encourage you to start a strength program if time and money allows. You will not gain muscle while you eat at a deficit, but it will be a lot easier for you to gain muscle when you decide to do so.
  • sg992
    sg992 Posts: 60 Member
    I would encourage you to up your calories by at least 240 to 1440. This will help to keep you from losing muscle.
    When I started I wanted to do the same thing - lose weight then weight train. The problem with that is that you lose a large amount of muscle when eating at a deficit and have to work to build that muscle back up. It's up to you, but I would again encourage you to start a strength program if time and money allows. You will not gain muscle while you eat at a deficit, but it will be a lot easier for you to gain muscle when you decide to do so.

    Is this the case even for just toning? I figured if I started doing just some ab crunches/weights here and there once I'm 10lbs within my goal that'd just work the muscles a bit so I don't have absolute zero definition once i'm down to GW, or is that just naive thinking!
  • AvsFreak
    AvsFreak Posts: 152 Member
    As long as you are roughly getting 0.8 grams of protein per pound of lean body mass and 0.45 grams of fat per total body weight, you can fill the rest of your calories with whatever you want. Fat, carbs or protein. Doesn't matter.
  • bcf7683
    bcf7683 Posts: 1,653 Member
    yes, getting it from whole foods is just as good. Some will say better .....

    Thanks, just felt like the whey was a bit excessive since I read the protein just goes straight out of your system if you're not drinking it around workouts anyway. Since I'm only looking to fill a few extra calories I'll probably just stick with a bit extra protein food per day.

    Okay, so one at a time.
    1) There are differences in effectiveness of proteins, but unless you're really serious about bodybuilding/fitness they aren't really anything to worry about. A protein is a protein is a protein for your purposes (likely)
    2) Protein in no way goes straight out of your system. This would be MASSIVE diarrhea. Protein will always be absorbed and always be used. The amino acids in protein are essential to several organs and tissues including, but not limited to, your muscles.
    3) I would recommend a weight training or resistance program to maintain lean body mass. If you do so, you NEED a good amount of protein in your diet (1g/lb of lean body mass or so) to repair your muscles quickly.

    Took the words right out of my mouth :drinker:
  • sg992
    sg992 Posts: 60 Member
    As long as you are roughly getting 0.8 grams of protein per pound of lean body mass and 0.45 grams of fat per total body weight, you can fill the rest of your calories with whatever you want. Fat, carbs or protein. Doesn't matter.

    If that's the case I'm eating under half the amount of fat I should be! 67g a day? I fill so many of those calories with carbs instead..
  • AvsFreak
    AvsFreak Posts: 152 Member

    If that's the case I'm eating under half the amount of fat I should be! 67g a day? I fill so many of those calories with carbs instead..

    Dietary fat is good for you. It helps regulate hormones and is essential for vitamin A,E,D and K absorption. It will also help you feel fuller longer than carbs, which is good, especially when dieting.
  • scottaworley
    scottaworley Posts: 871 Member
    I would encourage you to up your calories by at least 240 to 1440. This will help to keep you from losing muscle.
    When I started I wanted to do the same thing - lose weight then weight train. The problem with that is that you lose a large amount of muscle when eating at a deficit and have to work to build that muscle back up. It's up to you, but I would again encourage you to start a strength program if time and money allows. You will not gain muscle while you eat at a deficit, but it will be a lot easier for you to gain muscle when you decide to do so.

    Is this the case even for just toning? I figured if I started doing just some ab crunches/weights here and there once I'm 10lbs within my goal that'd just work the muscles a bit so I don't have absolute zero definition once i'm down to GW, or is that just naive thinking!

    There's really no such thing as "toning". The difference between toned and ripped is body fat. You are not in danger of being ripped or bulky as long as you keep your body fat over 20%. It is very hard to drop under 20% body fat for a woman. Further, to build muscle mass requires a caloric surplus, so you have no chance of getting bulky even if you wanted to while eating at a deficit (not to mention being a woman your hormones aren't ideal for creating muscle mass).
    So to answer your question directly, yes, it is the case. Really the only reasons ever to not lift is you do not have the time, you don't care about looking fit/toned, or you can not afford weights or a gym membership.

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