Sticking to ALL the limits. Anyone else have this problem?

DonnaMarieS87
DonnaMarieS87 Posts: 22
in Food and Nutrition
Hello my lovely MFP Pals!

I've been using the MFP app now for 29 days and have lost just over a stone/14 pounds. Woop!
However, I am noticing something that I am not sure if I need to worry about or not.. Can anyone else?

My query is this. I NEVER go over my calorie allowance and stick as closley to it as possible. I NEVER go over my carbs, because I don't eat any breads, pasta or potato (now and again but very rarely) and I NEVER go over my sodium allowance. I try my best not to go over my fat and am only ever over slightly..

The problem is... I keep going over my protein and my sugars!! I eat fruit, veggies, grilled chicken, tuna etc. And most of my sugars come from my fruit and most of the protein, obviously, comes from my chicken and tuna.. here's todays example:



Remaining

Calories: 109

Carbs: 40

Fat: 16

Protein: -35

Sodium: 922

Sugars: -5

I've still got 109 calories to make up, but this will bump up my sugars! So, my question is.. does anyone else have this issue? Should I worry I am going wrong or are the sugars and protein balanced out if I don't go over on my fat, carbs, sodium and calories?

Thanks everyone, hope you are having a great day :)

Replies

  • shellbatronic
    shellbatronic Posts: 193
    Personally I think this is a limitation of the MFP system- it includes naturally occurring sugars along with added sugars and most people don't need to worry about the amount of naturally occurring sugar that they eat (if they're hitting their carb limits and not going crazy over.) I wouldn't stress the sugar level too much as long as you're hitting your carbs and they're all from things with nutritional value like fruits and veg. JMO.
  • Maggie_Pie1
    Maggie_Pie1 Posts: 322 Member
    I wouldn't worry about it, especially if you are going over on protein...

    Are you using MFP suggested proportions of carbs/fats/protein? I changed it, because I prefer to get more protein in, and I think MFP default of 20% (I think) is low, IMO
  • editorgrrl
    editorgrrl Posts: 7,060 Member
    I use MFP's protein & fiber goals as minimums, and ignore the rest. But if you ask 100 MFPers you'll get 100 different answers. It will take trial & error to find what works for you.

    Read this: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
    Calories are what matter for weight loss. As long as you stick to your calorie goal and you are accurately tracking what you eat you should still lose weight. Depending on how your goals are set up, you can even eat a little more than MFP's number and still lose weight for the week, albeit a little more slowly.

    Macros (fat/protein/carbs) help with various things. Protein and fat both help keep you feeling fuller and more satisfied. Protein helps to repair and retain your lean muscle mass. Fat is good for you and helps with everything from hormone control, vitamin absorption, cell growth, etc. And carbs give you energy. You can be over or under on any of them and still lose weight as long as your calories are okay. Finding the right macro ratio depends on your goals, medical history, workout routine, etc. Don't be afraid to adjust MFP's defaults to better suit your routine. MFP tends to set it's protein default too low anyway.

    Sugar and Sodium are the other two default nutrients tracked and I honestly don't know why they picked those two. Excess sodium may cause you to retain water weight, which can cause a jump on the scale, but, as long as you don't have any health issues, neither is strictly necessary to track for weight loss. Tracking them or ignoring them will, again, depend on your personal goals.

    Don't be afraid of the red and green numbers in your food diary. Red doesn't always mean bad and green doesn't necessarily mean good. They're just an indicator of whether you're over/under the goal MFP has set for you.
  • DonnaMarieS87
    DonnaMarieS87 Posts: 22
    Hi Everyone,

    Thank you so much for your comments and input. I feel a lot better about the greens and red's now. It is trial and error so maybe I will just allow the reds to happen, as long as I remain in the green with the important things.

    I just wanted to say well done to everyone as-well, I can see on your tickers that you are all doing awesome and that you are all amazing people :)

    Hope everyone has a great day!
  • zionarbadon
    zionarbadon Posts: 27 Member
    As other people have said here, calories are what really matter. As for protein, i think MFP suggests like 88 for me, but i generally aim for about 180. Big difference. I also work out multiple times a week so I need to make sure that I have enough protein to build muscle and retain more muscle than fat while losing weight. It really depends on what you're doing. :) I often go over on sugar and sodium, but I do keep them in mind when making choices. :)
  • DonnaMarieS87
    DonnaMarieS87 Posts: 22
    Thank you for your response :) I'm going to take on board all the things people have said. I've now fiddled with the settings a bit so that my MFP shows me the important things NOT to go over and put the other things in the background. I will still keep them in mind obviously, but now I can focus on what's important and not stress about the rest.
  • geebusuk
    geebusuk Posts: 3,348 Member
    I wouldn't get overly worried by sugars.

    With a bit to lose it's worth keeping an eye on the Gi of your meals, but it shouldn't make a massive difference.
    I don't pay attention to sugars.

    From some comments on fruit sugars
    If anything I'd like a fruit sugars section so I can make sure I don't have too much and make sure I have others more - fructose isn't very good at replacing muscle glycogen, for a start.
  • DonnaMarieS87
    DonnaMarieS87 Posts: 22
    Thanks for your comment :) I make sure that I track my meals at all times and I am logging every single thing that I eat and drink, so now all I need to do is get my fitness levels up and I'll be away! :)

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