macros

J5414
J5414 Posts: 24 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I'm fairly new to this and I've read people talking about their macros goal. I'm in the dark, could someone tell what this means?

Replies

  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 10,092 Member
    Macros are macronutrients (fats, carbohydrates, proteins), things you need in large amounts measured in grams -- as opposed to micronutrients (vitamins and minerals), things you need in much smaller amounts measured in milligrams or micrograms.
  • monty619
    monty619 Posts: 1,308 Member
    macros are short for macronutrients which consist of Fats, Proteins, and Carbs.. some people don't measure calories but macronutrients in order to find daily needs (ex. 250c 120p and 50f per day would be counting macros) which translate to calories but some find that macronutrient ratios are a better barometer for body composition.. some go for around 40/40/20 CPF but that changes depending for caloric needs and if in an energy surplus or deficit.. good rule of thumb is to keep protein and fat relative to your body weight and raise or lower carbohydrates in order to gain muscle/fat or lose muscle/fat
  • J5414
    J5414 Posts: 24 Member
    Is it something I measure as one unit or is it just a way of grouping them together? Also, I sometimes go over my protein goal, is that bad? Its never by much. I don't go over my calorie goal. I guess what I want to know is what should I be paying the most attention to if I am trying to lose weight?
  • monty619
    monty619 Posts: 1,308 Member
    Is it something I measure as one unit or is it just a way of grouping them together? Also, I sometimes go over my protein goal, is that bad? Its never by much. I don't go over my calorie goal. I guess what I want to know is what should I be paying the most attention to if I am trying to lose weight?

    what is your protein goal based on? and no extra protein gets converted to glucose or carbohydrates.. and u should pay attention to all 3 to lose weight
  • fruttibiscotti
    fruttibiscotti Posts: 986 Member
    Is it something I measure as one unit or is it just a way of grouping them together? Also, I sometimes go over my protein goal, is that bad? Its never by much. I don't go over my calorie goal. I guess what I want to know is what should I be paying the most attention to if I am trying to lose weight?

    what is your protein goal based on? and no extra protein gets converted to glucose or carbohydrates.. and u should pay attention to all 3 to lose weight

    Wrong. The conversion of excess protein to glucose is called gluconeogenesis.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gluconeogenesis
  • monty619
    monty619 Posts: 1,308 Member
    Is it something I measure as one unit or is it just a way of grouping them together? Also, I sometimes go over my protein goal, is that bad? Its never by much. I don't go over my calorie goal. I guess what I want to know is what should I be paying the most attention to if I am trying to lose weight?

    what is your protein goal based on? and no extra protein gets converted to glucose or carbohydrates.. and u should pay attention to all 3 to lose weight

    Wrong. The conversion of excess protein to glucose is called gluconeogenesis.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gluconeogenesis

    that's exactly what I said....... putting it in laymans terms for the poster Glucose=Carbohydrates.... sooo Right*
  • devil_in_a_blue_dress
    devil_in_a_blue_dress Posts: 5,214 Member
    Is it something I measure as one unit or is it just a way of grouping them together? Also, I sometimes go over my protein goal, is that bad? Its never by much. I don't go over my calorie goal. I guess what I want to know is what should I be paying the most attention to if I am trying to lose weight?

    You can maually set your macros. A lot of people find that MFP give them too many carbs and not enough protein. All that means if you are changing the % of where your calories come from. My macros are manually set so that my calories are 35% from carbs, 30% from fat, and 35% from protein. I think MFP's default is like 50% carbs or something.

    Basically, if you are going way over on your protein and it is default goal MFP set for you, do not worry! If you tend to be way under on carbs, you might want to toy around with your settings.

    And to simply lose weight, calories is the important number.

    ETA: But macros do matter when it comes to body composition and properly fueling workouts. But simple weightloss is about calories in/out. So if you are under your calorie goal, you should be seeing losses.
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 10,092 Member


    and no extra protein gets converted to glucose or carbohydrates.. and u should pay attention to all 3 to lose weight

    Wrong. The conversion of excess protein to glucose is called gluconeogenesis.

    that's exactly what I said....... putting it in laymans terms for the poster Glucose=Carbohydrates.... sooo Right*

    I think the confusion here is due to a missing comma. I interpreted it as meaning "and none of the extra protein gets converted...," but I think monty619 meant "and no, extra protein gets converted..." or "and no. Extra protein gets converted..."

    Let's eat people. =/= Let's eat, people. :smile:
  • joan23_us
    joan23_us Posts: 263 Member
    Just to add with what other people already posted on here:

    1. Find out your energy expenditure per day here:

    http://iifym.com/iifym-calculator/

    2. Determine your macronutrient breakdown: 40% protein, 40% carbs, 20% fat is a good number to start on ( you can also find it in the link above )

    3. Exercise regularly with a goal to progress overtime

    Fitness should blend in your lifestyle and not consume you nor stress you even more. GOODLUCK!
  • monty619
    monty619 Posts: 1,308 Member


    and no extra protein gets converted to glucose or carbohydrates.. and u should pay attention to all 3 to lose weight

    Wrong. The conversion of excess protein to glucose is called gluconeogenesis.

    that's exactly what I said....... putting it in laymans terms for the poster Glucose=Carbohydrates.... sooo Right*

    I think the confusion here is due to a missing comma. I interpreted it as meaning "and none of the extra protein gets converted...," but I think monty619 meant "and no, extra protein gets converted..." or "and no. Extra protein gets converted..."

    Let's eat people. =/= Let's eat, people. :smile:
    yea I think I just need to learn how to type
  • fruttibiscotti
    fruttibiscotti Posts: 986 Member
    Is it something I measure as one unit or is it just a way of grouping them together? Also, I sometimes go over my protein goal, is that bad? Its never by much. I don't go over my calorie goal. I guess what I want to know is what should I be paying the most attention to if I am trying to lose weight?

    what is your protein goal based on? and no extra protein gets converted to glucose or carbohydrates.. and u should pay attention to all 3 to lose weight

    Wrong. The conversion of excess protein to glucose is called gluconeogenesis.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gluconeogenesis

    that's exactly what I said....... putting it in laymans terms for the poster Glucose=Carbohydrates.... sooo Right*

    You said "no extra protein gets converted", which tends to say excess protein DOES NOT convert to glucose. So, was your placement of the "no" just a typo?
  • monty619
    monty619 Posts: 1,308 Member
    Is it something I measure as one unit or is it just a way of grouping them together? Also, I sometimes go over my protein goal, is that bad? Its never by much. I don't go over my calorie goal. I guess what I want to know is what should I be paying the most attention to if I am trying to lose weight?

    what is your protein goal based on? and no extra protein gets converted to glucose or carbohydrates.. and u should pay attention to all 3 to lose weight

    Wrong. The conversion of excess protein to glucose is called gluconeogenesis.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gluconeogenesis

    that's exactly what I said....... putting it in laymans terms for the poster Glucose=Carbohydrates.... sooo Right*

    You said "no extra protein gets converted", which tends to say excess protein DOES NOT convert to glucose. So, was your placement of the "no" just a typo?

    it was meant to be (no,)... and why would I say something like that out of the blue talking about protein to glucose? I mean u should have read it right even without the comma instead of being like WRONGGGG
  • J5414
    J5414 Posts: 24 Member
    Would it be terrible if I made my protein % higher than my carb%? I just prefer protein to carbs.
  • joan23_us
    joan23_us Posts: 263 Member
    its actually a good idea, you can start off with 45 protein, 35 carbs, 20 fats. The only downside to this is that within you fatloss journey you will find that when you hit a sticking point or progress stalls you might have to re-adjust your calorie deficit either coming from reducing your carbs intake or adding a intensity on your cardio sessions or even BOTH, which means if you started at 35 carbs by the 4th or 5th month of your journey i can assure you there will be no more carbs that you can take out your deficit to. Do you see my point here. That is why an aggressive fat cutting is not always recommended. Depending on how much bodyfat you intend to loose its always safe to start conservatively so you dont get burned out easily and too quickly loosing motivation in the process. Hope that helps

Categories