Macros?

jigsawxyouth
jigsawxyouth Posts: 308 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Okay, so I'm not new to this whole weight loss thing, but I am still not really sure how the whole macros thing works.
I'm assuming it has to do with carbs/fat/protein balance, but if so, how would I know what "balance" I need?
To be totally honest, I never really paid attention to anything but my caloric and fat intake, (so sodium, carbs, etc I wouldn't care if I went over those, but obviously that's something I need to start paying attention to!)
So, I'm asking for assistance so I can start figuring out what I can eat so I'm not going over my counts AND keeping my blood sugar in check.
I'm also thinking of meeting with my work's on site dietician, but I figured it wouldn't hurt asking for a little guidence on here while I wait for an appointment to be available.

To save myself from rambling, how do I calculate my carbs/fat/protein allowance?
I'm 5'3". currently 186 pounds (yowch, I know that's a lot), I have hypoglycemia, I work out anywhere from 5-6 days a week for 45+ minutes.
Any help would be much appreciated!!!

Replies

  • mich19025
    mich19025 Posts: 55 Member
    I'm personally starting with 1g of protein per pound of body weight, 0.45g per pound of body weight and the rest is carbs. Try sites like scooby's workshop or iifym.
  • KombuchaCat
    KombuchaCat Posts: 834 Member
    I just use the defaults from MFP for macros. Unless something is really out of whack I don't worry too much about being exact with these each day.
  • agggie550
    agggie550 Posts: 281 Member
    The balance you would need is based on what are you looking for in results, what is your exercise level? Are you looking to building muscle, are you looking to loss fat. I mean it would all have different macros, and macros arent a 100% proven science, Just kind of a best guess estimate as to what the results should be. For me I do 50% Protein, 30% Fats, 20% Carbs, because I am trying to loss fat and build muscle, but I find at 20% carbs it is really hard to stay under that mark, so it usually ends up more like 47% Protein, 28% Fat, and 25% Carbs, but again like I said this is what works for me, and what I am trying to eat to reach my goals, it may be completely different for you.
  • mich19025
    mich19025 Posts: 55 Member
    The balance you would need is based on what are you looking for in results, what is your exercise level? Are you looking to building muscle, are you looking to loss fat. I mean it would all have different macros, and macros arent a 100% proven science, Just kind of a best guess estimate as to what the results should be. For me I do 50% Protein, 30% Fats, 20% Carbs, because I am trying to loss fat and build muscle, but I find at 20% carbs it is really hard to stay under that mark, so it usually ends up more like 47% Protein, 28% Fat, and 25% Carbs, but again like I said this is what works for me, and what I am trying to eat to reach my goals, it may be completely different for you.

    sorry i should have pointed out that i'm trying to lose body fat while trying to keep as much muscle as I can , hence why i've opted for higher protein.
  • Lizzy622
    Lizzy622 Posts: 3,705 Member
    I started with the MFP default but have upped my protein and am eating about 45 carb/ 25 protein / 30 fat now. This just seems to be what works for me. Since you are hypoglycemic you don't want to lower your carbs much more than 50 or 45%.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    something around 40/30/30 carbs/protein/fat should be about right.
  • nicoleisback
    nicoleisback Posts: 184
    The only macros I worry about are sodium and sugar. I eat relatively healthy most of the time so don't really stress about what is what. I just know from experience sodium puts up my blood pressure and makes me have way less energy, and too much sugar makes me put on weight.
  • shezzzzz
    shezzzzz Posts: 119 Member
    I was averaging 50 / 30/ 20 (carb, prot, fat), but found I was hungry all the time and pooping slowed down and became difficult, despite 30-40 grams of fiber and gallons of water.

    I changed it to 40 / 30 / 30, am not hungry as much any more and feel my body is working properly again.
  • eels4peels
    eels4peels Posts: 229 Member
    I'm trying to get on this Macros thing as well. I lost a good bit of weight just looking at Calories, but I feel like I wasn't consuming enough for the amount of exercising I was doing. Now I want to build my muscle up and see where that goes. I'm trying 40/30/30 at the moment, but I think I'm going to lower my carbs a bit more and focus on Protein and fats. I think it's most likely going to be trail and error until you figure out what's right for you. I think seeing the dietitian would be a great start though!
  • JDubIsShrinking
    JDubIsShrinking Posts: 207 Member
    When I first started, I went by the default macros from MFP. I have since changed them to meet my personal needs (mostly increasing protein). This is just what seems to work best for me - play around with the ratios and see what works best for you.
  • dieselbyte
    dieselbyte Posts: 733 Member
    The only macros I worry about are sodium and sugar. I eat relatively healthy most of the time so don't really stress about what is what. I just know from experience sodium puts up my blood pressure and makes me have way less energy, and too much sugar makes me put on weight.

    Macros are protein, fats and carbs. Sodium is a micronutrient. Too much sugar isn't solely responsible for fat gain. Excessive caloric intake over maintenance is responsible for fat gain (it just happens that sugary foods like cookies and cakes are high in calories while being nutrient sparse, so its easier to over-eat).

    However, the above post raises a good point about personal experience and your body. Because the OP is hypoglycemic, I would recommend you check with your physician and a dietician first. For weight loss, its really calories in vs calories out. Macro splits address body compostion goals. If you are merely looking to lose weight however, any macro split will pretty much suffice, as long as you are taking in less calories than you are burning. However, health issues like insulin resistance or hypoglycemia have an effect on weight loss or gain, so your macro split can matter. A healthy individual may have a 50% or 60% carb intake and meet their goals, while a diabetic may not be able to achieve the same goals with that high of a carb intake.

    Bottom line, check with a professional who knows more about your history before blindly setting a diet.
  • SpaceMarkus
    SpaceMarkus Posts: 651
    It definitely depends on your body type. When I was lifting heavy and building muscle I was at 55% carbs, 10% fat, and 45% protein. I shed a good amount off my fat % and gained almost 10lbs of muscle in 3 months.
  • DarrelBirkett
    DarrelBirkett Posts: 221 Member
    Just to echo whats above. I'll not go as far to recommend a macro split as I dont have the knowledge about being hypoglycemic.

    But, energy in v energy out is what you are interested in.

    Its not a fixed number (afterall, you dont eat exactly the same every day and you dont burn the exact calories every day even if you tried). But the basic is if you eat less than you use, you will use stored fat as energy. If you eat more than you use, you can store some as fat (note I said can, but dont worry about that).

    Your basic goal, for now should be to eat in a sensible deficit and listen to your body over time.
  • iechick
    iechick Posts: 352 Member
    The only macros I worry about are sodium and sugar. I eat relatively healthy most of the time so don't really stress about what is what. I just know from experience sodium puts up my blood pressure and makes me have way less energy, and too much sugar makes me put on weight.

    Macros are protein, fats and carbs. Sodium is a micronutrient. Too much sugar isn't solely responsible for fat gain. Excessive caloric intake over maintenance is responsible for fat gain (it just happens that sugary foods like cookies and cakes are high in calories while being nutrient sparse, so its easier to over-eat).

    However, the above post raises a good point about personal experience and your body. Because the OP is hypoglycemic, I would recommend you check with your physician and a dietician first. For weight loss, its really calories in vs calories out. Macro splits address body compostion goals. If you are merely looking to lose weight however, any macro split will pretty much suffice, as long as you are taking in less calories than you are burning. However, health issues like insulin resistance or hypoglycemia have an effect on weight loss or gain, so your macro split can matter. A healthy individual may have a 50% or 60% carb intake and meet their goals, while a diabetic may not be able to achieve the same goals with that high of a carb intake.

    Bottom line, check with a professional who knows more about your history before blindly setting a diet.

    This!
  • Stage14
    Stage14 Posts: 1,046 Member
    Since you are hypoglycemic you don't want to lower your carbs much more than 50 or 45%.

    Based on what? I'm hypoglycemic and 45% of carbs in my diet is actually a little higher than the recommended amount by my doctor and nutritionist. I aim for 40/30/30 and that's when I feel best. I can definitely feel it when my carbs get up to 42-45%. If I ate 50% of my calories in carbs, my blood sugar would be all kinds of out of whack.

    OP, I think talking to a dietician/nutritionist at work would be your best bet. Most people can play around with their diet to find the best set of macros for them, but if you're trying to control a health issue, you need specific guidance from someone who understands your particular condition and health history.

    ETA: I want to make it clear that I am not telling you to set your macros to mine because everyone is different, even people with the same condition. My macros are set where they are because they best control my blood sugar while providing adequate fuel for the lifestyle/workouts I do. But everyone is different, so definitely check with a professional.
  • Docpremie
    Docpremie Posts: 228 Member
    Your protein intake should be AT LEAST 1 gm/pound of lean body mass or alternatively 0.8 gm/pound of weight. For most women that is 100-125 grams of protein/day as a MINIMUM. I'm now 160 pound & 5-8 and eat at least 135 grams of protein/day. If you start burning through your muscle mass, you will slow your calorie burn (TDEE), as muscle burns more calories than fat. When all you're left with is fat, everything slows done. Hence the need to conserve muscle!

    Fat intake should be 0.4 gm/kg lean body mass & the remainder should be carbs. For me, I usually set my protein to 30-35% using the custom goal setting. Fats should be 25-30% & the remaining 45-50% should be carbs. You can play with the percentages until you get the right grams of each macro.

    I also use the TDEE-20% calorie goal to ensure adequate calorie intake, although I'm now down to -15%, because I'm only 15 ponds from my goal weight.

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